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Hi Bold Bakers!
I’m Olivia Crouppen. As Bigger Bolder Baking’s resident alternative Bold Baker, I love taking the classics and reworking them to utilize some of my favorite healthy ingredients and substitutes. Whether you’re gluten-free or not, you will love this Pumpkin pie recipe.
Made with my go-to almond flour crust and a coconut cream based pumpkin custard, this is truly the best Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie. Oh and it just so happens to be low sugar and low carb too. Come on, you know you want to find ways to lighten up this holiday season. This is THE place to start.
How to make a gluten-free pie crust
Before I tell you how to make a gluten-free pumpkin pie crust, I want to tell you why you should give it a try. This almond flour based pie crust is full of flavor and richness as almonds themselves are delicious. Without losing out on any of the flavor, this gluten-free pie crust is flaky and sweet, naturally has added fiber and healthy fats, but has zero gluten or sugar.
Gluten can irritate a lot of peoples’ digestive systems causing inflammation and discomfort in your tummy. With all the holiday feasting, I like to take help where I can get it when it comes to eating clean. Little things like swapping this crust for typical wheat-based ones can make all the difference for your digestions. So now that you know the why, the how is really straightforward.
Just like you would make a classic crust, you combine the dry ingredients with the fat (coconut oil in this case) in a food processor. The result is a pie dough that is rich and malleable and super easy to press into whatever pie shell of pan you want to use. It’s extremely versatile and can even be used to make a savory crust by omitting the Lakanto Sugar. This gluten-free almond flour crust has become a staple in my baking.
Can you use other gluten-free flours for the crust?
You can use a regular gluten-free flour to make this pie crust if for some reason you do not want to use almond flour. That said, I find almond flour adds a nice flavor. If you cannot find almond flour, though, you can always make your own by processing raw almonds in a blender or food processor into a fine powder.
How to make a low sugar pumpkin pie
I have the worst sweet tooth. If I could, I’d have dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During the holidays it can feel like there are sweets at every meal, so it’s a great idea to include some sweet options that are not high in sugar.
My Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie recipe had zero added sugar. Instead of baking with sugar, I use Lakanto Sugar Substitute which is naturally derived from monkfruit. I love this brand as their products are free of chemicals, have no aftertaste, and can be used 1:1 for sugar. This means the only sugar content of the pie is from the natural sugars in the pumpkin puree.
The other ingredients in the filling are egg, coconut cream, and pumpkin pie spice and that’s it! I love how clean and simple the filling for this pie is, because these are all ingredients you can feel great about sharing with friends and family, no matter what time of year.
Why do you need to refrigerate pumpkin pie?
So the process of making this pumpkin pie is the same as making any other. You make the crust, then fill it with the pumpkin custard, then bake it. Just like any other pumpkin pie, its a really good idea to allow your pie to really set after baking, so an important step is to allow your pie to fully come to room temperature.
From there I like to pop my pie in the fridge for at least an hour. This really allows the egg in the custard to firm up, which will ensure the pie stays together and can be cut into perfect slices when ready to serve.
Believe me no one will ever know this pie is actually really good for you as it tastes every bit as decadent as your grandma’s recipe!
How to make coconut whipped cream
No slice of pie is complete without a dollop of whipped cream, and this one is no different. I like to top my gluten-free pumpkin pie with coconut whipped cream as dairy can also irritate the gut similar to gluten.
After going the extra mile to keep this pie gluten free, it’s nice to take the same care with the toppings to ensure this pie not just tastes great but doesn’t irritate your digestion. To make a dairy-free whipped cream, I use coconut cream with the solid white cream that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk. All you do to turn this cream into whipped cream is whip it up with a hand or stand mixture into a light fluffy topping.
As the fat content of coconut cream is pretty high, it can easily melt — so I keep this whipped up in my fridge until it’s time to serve. It’s just like regular whipped cream when served, so pile it high atop a big old’ slice of pumpkin pie! YUM!
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