This classic Paleo Pumpkin Pie is just as delicious as any traditional pie you’ve made! A buttery, flaky paleo pie crust is filled with creamy dairy free pumpkin custard and baked to perfection for a delectable holiday dessert. Great with coconut whipped cream, gluten free, grain free, family approved!
Want more paleo baking recipes that taste just like the real deal? Purchase my book, Paleo Baking at Home here!
I’m not sure I really have “themed” weeks where all three recipes posted are somehow related to each other, but this week I just can’t help myself!
The theme of the week? Paleo versions of classically delicious holiday desserts!
Okay, in truth, I’ll be posting more than just 3 holiday dessert recipes before the New Year hits (I mean obviously!).
But, I worked really hard on perfecting these few over the past couple of weeks, and, I just HAVE to share them back to back.
And, by “perfecting”, I’m talking about testing, which, in the case of this paleo pumpkin pie, meant I made 4 pumpkin pies in one week.
All before September 1st rolled around, if you can imagine. So, yes, I’m really feeling the need to share already!
You might be wondering why this pie needed 4 rounds before getting the thumbs up. Especially when I actually already have an old pumpkin pie recipe on the site! The first answer to that is, my standards for paleo baking have changed over the past 3 years or so.
At first, if I could make something that sort of tasted like the original, that was good enough for me. But now? I’m a paleo baking perfectionist, because I’ve personally witnessed how true to the original versions paleo desserts can be.
It’s pretty amazing how you can use real-food ingredients and still come out with a finished product that no one can guess are grain free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
So, standards raised, I test everything until I come up with something I know you (and your families, including the non-paleo members) will love.
Step 1 – the crust. This is where I diverted far away from my original paleo pumpkin pie. I used a recipe nearly identical to my easy pie crust.
I added maple sugar, plus used a combination of 2 types of fat – palm oil shortening and grass-fed butter. You can also use just one or the other instead of both.
I sadly did not have success using coconut oil for the crust recipe.
Trust me, I try to use coconut oil whenever I possibly can, and it just doesn’t make for a great crust – greasy while baking and crumbly. Two thing you probably want to avoid when serving guests!
If you can’t have dairy at all, using all palm oil shortening is a great option.
Second, we have the filling! Now, I didn’t change the filling much from my original version. But, I did tweak the filling to work better with my crust for a tastier, creamier, pumpkin spice-ier (?) filling.
It’s a mixture of organic pumpkin puree, pure maple syrup, a good dose of pure vanilla extract, thick creamy full fat coconut milk, 3 eggs, plus lots of pumpkin spice and cinnamon.
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature for this one to get a nice creamy custard after baking – one other mistake I made that cost me one of the pies – eek!
Once you have the crust pressed into your pie dish and partially baked (this helps avoid a soggy bottom crust) you’re almost there!
Just pour in the filling, bake, and cool completely at room temperature.
The “room temperature” part is key – if your pie cools too fast, the filling can crack excessively. Keep in mind that even if your pie filling cracks (cracks are totally normal), the taste isn’t affected at all.
You always have pretty dollops of coconut whipped cream to cover them up!
I hope you guys are excited about the upcoming holidays with this delicious paleo pumpkin pie! Stay tuned for an equally festive apple dessert, and yet another pumpkin one this weekend. Enjoy!
Classic Paleo Pumpkin Pie
Classic Paleo Pumpkin Pie {with Crust Recipe}
Ingredients
For the Paleo pie crust:
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour sifted
- 2/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup palm oil shortening cold, or grassfed butter, or a combination of both
- 1 Tbsp Maple Sugar or coconut sugar*
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1 egg
For the Filling:
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree organic
- 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk blended - or heavy whipping cream if using dairy
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup increase to 1/2 cup for sweeter pie
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- Pinch sea salt
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
Instructions
Make the Crust:
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Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse all crust ingredients EXCEPT egg to create thick crumbs, then pulse/process in the egg until a dough forms.
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Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes prior to rolling or pressing into your pie dish.
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To get the dough into your pie dish, you can either:
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Roll out the dough into a circle between two sheets of parchment. Place your pie dish upside-down over the dough, then using the bottom parchment paper, flip the dough into the dish. Finish by pressing it into the bottom and sides of the pie dish to fit - this dough will break easily since it lacks gluten, however it also repairs incredibly easily and can withstand a lot of manipulation without affecting the final product!**
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If you don't wish to roll out the dough (or find it tricky) you can simply press evenly into 9 inch pie dish using your hands. Be patient and refrigerate dough as needed to make it easier to work with**
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Once pressed into the pie dish, gently pierce the dough with a fork all over so it doesn't puff up while baking.
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Bake pie crust in 9” pie dish in the 375 degree oven for 10 minutes until bottom is set, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before pouring in filling.
Make the Filling:
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Whisk all ingredients except eggs, then whisk in eggs and egg yolk 1 at a time, don’t overmix.
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Pour filling into partially baked crust, spreading it all around to seal edges. Cover crust with aluminum foil and bake (at 375 degrees F) for 55-65 minutes or until center is nearly set (still a bit jiggly) and crust is deep golden brown.
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Allow to cool completely at room temperature to avoid excessive cracking of the filling. Once cooled, serve, or, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days prior to serving. Serve topped with coconut whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Coconut sugar will cause the crust to darken more than maple sugar
**Unlike a traditional gluten-containing crust, you can't "overwork" the dough, so take your time as needed pressing it into the pie dish
Nutrition
Want More Paleo Holiday Baking Recipes? Try of of these!
Paleo and Vegan Maple Pecan Apple Crisp
Paleo and Vegan Candied Sweet Potatoes
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Hello! Will the crust work if i use a different brand of shortening? Like nutiva?
Yup Nutiva will work 🙂
I wondered if you dont prefer it since it is a mix of coconut and palm oil….?
I tried the Nutiva shortening while testing my original pie crust recipe and it worked out, it does add some color to the crust but the flavor and texture were good 🙂
One more , if I don’t have a large food processor, can I use my vitamix to make th crust?
Thank you for sharing, this recipe sounds amazing. What can I substitute for tapioca flour?
Arrowroot typically works the same way, so I’d say that’s your best bet.
Thank you, I just made it using arrow root. However, I felt like the crust was missing something, maybe the tapioca flour. Question did you use maple sugar or coconut sugar for the crust? Also made the whipping cream and it didn’t hold its consistency it was very watery. But overall it was very tasty and my family really enjoyed it.
How would this filling work with a nut crust? I’m visiting my in-laws and they don’t have a rolling pin.
Thanks!
Amanda
Actually I will try this crust & push it in. Thanks!
I made this pie yesterday and half of it is gone already…I imagine the other half will be gone by the end of the day today. Every element of this recipe is amazing. I had some trouble with the crust because I tried rolling it out in between parchment, but it just stuck to the parchment. That being said, I am making it again this week for Thanksgiving so I will just press it out into the pie pan this time. The crust is so delicious and it holds up really well. I ate the pie like pizza, no need for a plate! The filling was just sweet enough without being too sweet, and you could really taste the pumpkin. I think I will make this year round now that I know it exists. Plus now I have a solid crust recipe for other pies! Thank you for being amazing and creating this recipe.
Hi! Will I be able to make the crust in the vitamix? I only have a small food processor 🙁
Yes that should be fine! Hope it worked out 🙂
I followed the directions about covering the top before putting into the oven and after 45 minutes the inside was still totally uncooked. I uncovered and after 15 more minutes, still really wet. Trying another 15 minutes, hoping that gets it there. It looks amazing from the recipe and the maple syrup gave it an interesting flavor from what I tasted in the raw filling.
I’m having the same problem right now. I’m wondering if only the crust was supposed to be covered with foil? I’ve never covered a whole pie w foil before. After cooking covered for 45 mins, the pie has now been uncovered(the crust is covered) & it’s been cooking 15 more minutes & nowhere near done.
I had to cook the pie for an extra 30 minutes as well. I am very curious if we were supposed to cover it with foil.
When I baked mine this Thanksgiving it took 15 minutes longer than stated in the original recipe and I only covered the crust. I updated the recipe to reflect my experience and the comments related to baking time!
So, it did cook after about 45 minutes extra. Next time I will not cover with foil, and perhaps my pie plate was smaller so the filling deeper. I loved it even tho my crust was overcooked. Looking forward to trying again.
Apologies for the extended cooking time! Baking is tricky sometimes with so many variables! Happy at least it worked out somewhat!
Same problem here! After 42 min (my oven runs hot) the outer edge just barely looked like it had started to set. Put back in for another 15 min, then another 10 min, then 5 more min, and finally 5 more. So 35 min additional baking time! I kept covered with foil though so my crust did not burn.
I had that problem, but in my case, it was because I accidentally bought “pumpkin pie mix” rather than just pumpkin. After an 11pm grocery store run, I repeated the recipe with straight pumpkin and it baked completely in 45 minutes.
Glad it worked out 🙂
When I baked mine for Thanksgiving it require more time than my original times listed, about 15 minutes longer. Oven temps/climate and other factors can affect the overall time.
Made this for Thanksgiving today and it was amazing. You can’t even tell this crust is paleo. I noticed some others had trouble with the baking time. It also took mine a little longer but it did end up solidifying. Maybe an extra 15 minutes or so. I covered the whole top with foil. Took it out when a butter knife inserted came out clean.
I actually noticed the same thing when I baked mine for Thanksgiving, so I’ll be adjusting the baking time! I think for me, things seem to vary by the season/climate. Glad you enjoyed this!
The pumpkin custard is a bit heavy on the spices! I should have questioned the amount of spices. I made a “regular” pumkpin pie last week and it called for of the half the spices called for in this recipe. But the coconut cream helped mellow it out.
Just finished eating this pie and I have to say it was AMAZING! Whole family loved it too! I only had a small 9inch pie tin so I ended up making two. The pumpkin filling was delicious and wonderfully spicy. I only covered the crust edge with foil and it was done after 45 mins. Thank you for this, it is our new favorite pumpkin pie!
Has anyone made this without the crust? Health reasons prevent me unfortunately I, but the custard sounds super yummy! Would love feedback! ?
Not this recipe but ive made other pumpkin pies without the crust in a glass pie pan and it worked great!
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