Healthy Pumpkin Pie (low sugar)
This healthy pumpkin pie recipe is refined flour and sugar free, very easy to make, and makes good use of the flesh from your Halloween pumpkin!
Of course if you’re reading this when Halloween has been and gone then if they’re in season where you are (typically September – November in the UK) then you should be able to find one at a Supermarket or Farmer’s Market, or tinned puree does equally well (Libby’s is a brand I’ve seen here often, or online).
It’s a Thanksgiving classic in the US, but in the UK we have an awful tendency to see pumpkins as a Halloween craft / decoration / symbol of the festivities and the lovely, edible innards go in the bin (or compost, if you’re that way inclined).
I don’t blame people either, pumpkin is pretty bland at best, yukky at worst, and that’s why you need to pair it with sweetness and/or spices and use it as a base to add other flavours.
Pumpkin is incredibly versatile – smoothies, soup, stew, steamed pudding and more, so for the small effort of walking down the spice isle if you need to – and you probably don’t since most people have a few spices in their cupboard already – it’s definitely a fun addition to keep the innards after carving and cook up a whole new autumn creation, beyond one designed to attract sweetie hunting kids.
You could pile the filing into a pre-bought pie base, but wheat flour is pretty devoid of nutrients, unsuitable for anyone who can’t eat gluten, and more likely to disrupt blood sugar levels (leading to sugar crashes and cravings) than nuts. The base isn’t hard, trust me; the main difference being you press it into the pie dish rather than roll it out. It becomes hard and holds together once cooked.
I have a free healthy baking cheat sheet that helps you recreate your own favourite baked treats using nutritious ingredients, you can grab it here!
Pumpkin Pie
Makes 1 large (serving 4-6) or 4-6 individual pies
Nice topped with stewed berries and spiced whipped coconut cream
Many of the ingredients can be found on buywholefoodsonline here, use code POLLY-IMZB to get 5% off all orders!
CRUST INGREDIENTS
120g almond flour
2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
FILLING INGREDIENTS
240g pumpkin puree (just steam/boil and mash/blend the flesh from a pumpkin, or use tinned)
250ml coconut milk
2 eggs
60ml maple syrup
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Little pinch each of nutmeg and ginger
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180˚c.
Mix all the crust ingredients together and press into one large ovenproof dish, or 4-6 individual flan dishes.
Bake for 10 minutes or until turning golden.
Whisk all the filling ingredients together then pour into the baked pie crust.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is set.
Serve warm or cold.
