Paige Harris My gluten-free Imperfect Pumpkin Pie has plenty of spices and a hint of maple syrup for a healthified version of your favorite fall dessert.
I know that the world has gone crazy over pumpkin spice in the last few years, but I’m proud to be one of the OG pumpkin lovers.
I’ve had pumpkin pie on my birthday almost every year that I can remember. Sometimes it’s my grandma’s recipe, other times it’s a random slice from a bakery in Denver, but I always make sure to have some on my birthday.
COVID ruined any kind of plans for me to go travel for a pie this year. So I decided to create my own using a mash up of some of my favorite ingredients!
First off, this pie is 100% gluten-free, made with a mix of Otto’s cassava flour and tapioca flour. (You can use code IPW10 to save!) I don’t have celiac disease, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy baking with high quality ingredients — and Otto’s is IT. You can read more about it in my Guide to Gluten-Free Flours, but in short I love that I can use it 1:1 in any recipe and get a delicious gluten-free result.
And of course I had to throw a little cinnamon and salt in the crust for good measure. One of the biggest mistakes that home bakers make is to undersalt their baked goods!
While the crust is blind baking, you assemble the filling. Canned pumpkin is obviously the most important ingredient. However, the perfect ratio of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves is really what makes this pie shine. And some eggs and full-fat coconut milk make the texture creamy and velvety smooth.
Most pies have a ton of added sugar. But you don’t have to worry here. I sweetened this pie with maple syrup, and not a lot of it, either!
Now that fall is in full swing, grab your pie dish and whip up one of my Imperfect Pumpkin Pies! And be sure to top it with some coconut-milk CocoWhip!
Also I’m sure you noticed I don’t have a lot of pictures in this post. That’s because I ate the pie too quickly to get any good shots. And because the crust is imperfect — but hey, it’s in the name!
Imperfect Pumpkin Pie
My gluten-free Imperfect Pumpkin Pie has plenty of spices and a hint of maple syrup for a healthified version of your favorite fall dessert.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup cassava flour (I recommend Otto's Naturals!)
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour (and more for dusting)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup butter (room temp for 10 min, cut into cubes)
- 1 egg whisked
- ~1/4 cup room temperature water
For the filling
- 15 oz pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix!)
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grab your pie dish.
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Mix together your cassava flour, tapioca, cinnamon, and salt in a medium size bowl.
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Drop the butter into the dry ingredients and cut together with a pastry cutter until the batter resembles coarse crumbs.
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Pour in your whisked egg and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. If you can, use your fingertips! Slowly add in your 1/4 cup water and work it into the mixture until it's not too sticky. You want to be able to touch it and not have dough stick onto your fingers. Form the dough into a ball.
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Lay down a sheet of parchment and dust it with tapioca flour. Place the ball of dough in the middle, dust with more tapioca, and cover with a second sheet of parchment. Flatten it slightly into a disc, and then roll out the dough into a large circle about 1/4 of an inch thick.
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Pull back the top sheet and place your pie dish upside down on top of the crust. Carefully turn both over and flip the crust on top of the pie plate. Don't worry if it rips — you can fix it!
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Remove the parchment and patch up any broken areas of the crust. Poke the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times and place in the oven for 15 minutes to blind bake.
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While the crust bakes, make your filling by combining all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mixing until smooth and combined.
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After 15 minutes, remove the crust from the oven, pour the filling inside, and return to the oven for 50-60 minutes. The pie is done when a toothpick comes out clean about an inch from the edge.
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Let come to room temperature before putting in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight before cutting to serve!
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Serve with some cocowhip, because that's the best way!
Recipe Notes
* Crust recipe from Otto’s Naturals
