Paleo Pumpkin Pie
But why? Why on earth would I do that? Psh, you might be saying to yourself…’sure, you could make any baked good without all of those luxurious (necessary) things, but it won’t taste good.’
And after one failed attempt I might have agreed with you. But like any glutton for punishment, home cook who has a big Holiday table to feed, including a bevy of loved ones with food allergies…I knew I had to perfect this recipe. A pumpkin pie that tastes just as decadent and creamy as it’s traditional velvet-like ancestors…
For me, baking without sugar ain’t no thang. I experimented last year with a filling void of brown or white sugar, using only amber maple syrup and raw honey. All I had to to was switch out the condensed milk with coconut milk to make it dairy-free this year. It was the crust that gave me a challenge, in which I had to give it a couple of goes before it actually tasted good.
- FILLING:
enough for two 9" pies! - 1 12 oz. can of full fat (not that light stuff!) organic coconut milk
- 3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks (you can omit the eggs to make vegan)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 c. of canned pumpkin puree (or roast pumpkin and puree while roasting the yams)
- 1 c. maple candied yams (Just wash, peel, cube, toss in ¼ cup of maple syrup and lay out on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes turning halfway as they caramelize)
- 1 c. dark maple syrup
- 3 tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. of cardamom (there I go waving my freak flag again)
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1½ tsp. pink Himalayan sea salt
- CRUST:
(adapted from Oh She Glows) enough for two 9" pie shells! - ½ c. quinoa
- ½ c. raw sunflower seeds
- 2 c. raw pecans or cashews (use all sunflower seeds if you want this to be nut free!)
- ¾ c. of raw dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 8 Medjool dates *OR* 6 tbsp. dark or amber maple syrup *OR* raw honey
- 3 tbsp ground flax
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp pink Himalaya sea salt
- 4 tbsp organic coconut oil, melted
- FILLING
- Simmer the candied yams, pumpkin puree, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, and salt for about 10 minutes over medium heat in a dutch oven (or other thick bottomed pot).
- While that's simmering, whisk the coconut milk, eggs, yolks and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Remove the pumpkin/yam mixture from the heat.
- Scoop pie filling into a high powered blender and whizz until creamed to ensure there are no squash stringy bits or ginger chunks. (This also omits having to strain like conventional from scratch recipes call for. A Vitamix or Blendtec works wonders.)
- Pour pie filling into the same pot you used for simmering and mix the egg/coconut milk mixture in well. Set aside.
- Onto the crusts! (Maybe you made the crust first, which is what I usually do.)
- CRUST
- Grease a 9" pie plates with coconut oil, ghee or grassfed butter and preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Place all crust ingredients into a high powered food processor and combine until the mixture is sticky enough to shape into a ball.
- Spoon the crust mixture out into 9" pie dishes (or one 9½ x 2 inch Pie Pan, Pyrex Fluted deep dish), pressing firmly down all the way up to the edges, approximately ¼" thick.
- Pour in the filling and cover with foil or a pie cover appropriate for baking. (Don't skip this step, or that nut-based crust will burn! I learned this the hard way.)
- Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes, then turn down the heat to 325 F and continue baking for 1½ hours. Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes before transferring to the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours before eating! I find the pie best eaten when made the day before.
- 3 cups of raw cashews
- 1½ cups of water
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp of sea salt
- Soak the raw cashews in the water for at least 4 hours, overnight is better. Drain and rinse well.
- Place all of your ingredients in a blender and blend into a luxurious thick cream! That's it! Scoop out a generous dollop on top of your pie and BOOM. Food delirium. The good kind. That which comes from eating something divine.
***Please note: While I loved this as a whipped cream topping alternative, I found it to be a little more dense than what I like on my pumpkin pie. Since making this, a good friend of mine opened my eyes to the wonders of whipping full fat coconut milk at a high speed until fluffed, beating on the highest speed until totally peaked out. Sometimes it takes up to 10 minutes and you need a high powered mixer to do this, my hand blender won’t cut it. I tried. You will be amazed at how fluffy and light it is!
All photos after the one above courtesy Ratul Debnath of Image Pros Photography.
Hopefully you’re gathering with many family and friends the as this holiday season and sostice unravels to feast merriment, delicious culinary creations, gratitude and love!
I hope your own holidays are filled with lots of love and pie too! xo
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