Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Healthy Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust

By

Time has flown by! I completely forgot to post the recipe I teased you all about a couple weeks ago. Before I knew it, Thanksgiving has caught up with me.

Thanksgiving Countdown: 5 days

Eeek! Time sure does fly. Before we know it, we’ll be popping off firecrackers and watching the Times Square Ball drop for the start of 2012.

Thanksgiving is never complete, however, without Pumpkin Pie. You can try and substitute bread pudding, chocolate souffles, or fruit crumbles, but it’s just not the same.

Pumpkin Pie is the ultimate dessert. It’s always been my favorite. When I stopped eating sugar, pumpkin pie was the one thing I missed. For my first couple years without sugar, the sweet creamy spicy filling and flaky crust was nowhere near my lips.

Until this came.

Pumpkin Pie

~The pie is dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, peanut-free, and, of course, sugar-free! 

Pecan Crust:

  • 2 cups pecan meal (make your own by finely grinding pecans in a food processor)
  • 4 large dates
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • pinch salt

Blend dates in a strong blender or food processor until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine until well-mixed. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan and press the mixture evenly to the bottom and sides. Bake at 375* for 10-15 minutes or until browned.

Pumpkin Filling:

  • 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg (or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 12 oz. can full fat coconut milk (too lessen the calories, substitute up to 3/4 of the coconut milk with almond milk)
  • Sweeteners*

Combine the pumpkin, eggs, milk, sweetener (if using) and spices and beat until combined and smooth. Pour mix into crust and bake, uncovered, at 400* for 10 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake at 350* for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*Sweetener ideas: When I make this for myself, I leave sweeteners out. When baking for others, I suggest adding a sweetener. The following are some options. 1. Blend five dates (or more depending on your sweet tooth) with the milk until completely smooth. Then use the milk as specified above. 2. Use 1/2 teaspoon white stevia powder or liquid stevia drops.

Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream as a truly decadent Thanksgiving dessert.

 

Health Benefits:

  • Pumpkin: One cup of pumpkin has 7 grams fiber, 2650 IU Vitamin A, 564 mg potassium. It also boasts a truckload of antioxidants like Alpha-carotene and Beta-carotene.
  • Pecans: They help boost your immune system, reduce LDL cholesterol, and protect against Breast Cancer because of the high levels of oleic acid. It contains vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and fiber, as well as antioxidants.
  • Cinnamon: Studies have shown that it can help lower LDL cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar levels, has anti-clotting effect on blood, and it can boost cognitive function and memory.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What are you planning for Thanksgiving?

Are you cooking? What’s your meal plan? Spending time with family?

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. That pie looks great. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving so I can sleep late and do nothing. It is long and tiring days at my job (work in a bakery) and I can use a day off soon. Not sure what I am going to make though.

  9. what a great recipe. i have one where you blend in firm tofu but this is lighter. so far I’ve purchased and thrown out 2 pumkin pies this year. they look so good but sickeningly sweet. i ordered one today from the green gourmet to go. i think her crust will be similar. i hope the filling will be as good as yours. last week i ordered some of her pumpkin pudding, it had that raw taste. i mean raw is good but that was taking things too far. i think she roasted her own pumpkin them left it on the underdone side. i can only hope the pie will be better. if it’s raw tasting, i can always bake it a little. raw is good, but not raw pumpkin. i did not enjoy a pudding that crunched. you can also make pumpkin pudding with your recipe. fill those little or large pyrex cups and bake them in a water bath. very good and you save some calories because there is no crust. happy Thanksgiving and thanks for everything. Anita

    • Claire,

      Because the crust is made with dates, the recipe does contain natural fructose. If this is a problem for you, you can try substituting stevia?

  12. My crust came out wet. Should I let the crust rest after pre-browning it or cut back on the milk?

    • Louis,

      Yes, you may let it rest a bit after pre-browning and try cutting back on the milk, too. Let me know how it works! Good luck!

  13. I was wondering about using maple syrup as the sweetener and wonder if you have any recommendations for how much I should use?

    • Hi Pam,

      I’ve never used maple syrup as the sweetener in this recipe, but you are welcome to try it! I would think around 1/3 to 1/2 cup depending on how sweet you want it.

  14. Trying this recipe for the first time. It’s baking now and smells great.
    Wondering if you would have the approx Calorie and Carb count per slice or whole pie?
    Thank you,
    Trina

  16. I replaced the dates with 1 tsp molasses – lowers it to 9.3 total carbs (2.7 g fiber) per slice (if you do 8 slices). Very happy with this recipe! Thanks!

  17. Does this pie have to be refrigerated after baking? Just wondering how far in advance I can make it. Thanks.

  18. I was wondering if I could use silk vanilla or silk regular milk instead of coconut as my daughter-in law is allergic to coconut.

    • Hi Beth,

      Sorry, I haven’t tried that. I use a full-fat can of coconut milk, so the silk milk might be too low in fat.