Thanksgiving is upon us and, in my opinion, no Thanksgiving meal is complete until you’ve had a slice of pumpkin pie. While fall is the traditional time of year for pumpkin everything, I definitely don’t discriminate when it comes to this SCD Legal Pumpkin Pie. I make this pie year-round because it is just THAT GOOD!
Traditional pumpkin pies are made with white or brown sugar and evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk. However, our family follows the Specific Carbohydrate Diet to manage our daughter’s IBD. When following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), table sugar, brown sugar and dairy milks are not allowed. But that doesn’t stop us from enjoying delicious food! In fact, we’ve learned that modifying traditional recipes using real, whole food ingredients usually equals not just delicious food, but a superior version! This SCD Legal Pumpkin Pie is a perfect example of whole foods equaling better food. It sweetened with dates and honey and uses almond or coconut milk. Organic canned pumpkin with nothing added like Whole Foods brand or Farmer’s Market works great. This year, though, I’ve taken it up a notch by roasting a fresh pie pumpkin and wow, I’m so happy with the results!
What is a pie pumpkin?
A pie pumpkin is smaller and more dense that a carving pumpkin. You can find them easily in grocery stores during the fall. Roasting a fresh pie pumpkin is so easy. And since it is small, it only takes about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven to roast it to tender, pumpkin-y perfection. (Albeit some ovens may take longer, but quick pre-heat and cook times are just another reason why my Breville Smart Oven is my absolute favorite kitchen appliance ever!)
To roast a fresh pie pumpkin, simply cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and gooey, stringy parts as you would any other squash. Place the halves face down on a sheet pan and pop them into a 400 degree oven. 20 minutes was plenty of time for my small, 2 pound pie pumpkin, though ovens will vary in time. Just watch your pumpkin halves and remove them from the oven once the flesh is soft and tender.
The Secret to SCD Legal Pumpkin Pie Crust
There are a few different SCD legal crust variations. I’ve tried many of them: all coconut flour, all almond flour and a more “granola’y” crust with finely chopped nuts, shredded coconut and coconut oil. All versions create a lovely crust with a delicious taste. But all that I’ve tried add honey (the only SCD legal sweetener) to the crust ingredients. With custard filled pies, you need to blind bake the crust first. Then pour in the filling and bake again. Honey tends to burn more quickly than sugar so after baking twice, my sweetened crusts will be quite dark or burnt. Two tips to solve that problem:
Use a PIE SHIELD during the second bake. THIS is the one that I use and it will protect the exposed pie crust from burning.
DO NOT add honey or any other sweetener to the crust ingredients. This simple omission has resulted in golden, but not burnt crusts. And since the filling is already sweet, we don’t miss a sweetened crust one bit!
After trying many crusts, our Grain-Free Sweet or Savory Pie Crust is the perfect vessel for this dessert pie. It uses a combination of almond and coconut flour. The almonds flour gives it natural sweetness and the olive oil and butter keeps it tender. Whatever crust you choose, this SCD Legal Pumpkin Pie filling will forever be your go-to. I hope you enjoy this pie as much as we do!
This naturally sweetened, dairy free pumpkin pie tastes better than the traditional version using sugar or condensed milk. It is creamy with a rich, smooth pumpkin filling; perfectly spiced and ready for Thanksgiving or any other time a pumpkin craving hits!
Ingredients
Scale
2 cups fresh roasted pumpkin puree OR 1 can 15oz can unsweetened pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup fresh medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup honey
1 cup almond milk (or any other dairy free milk you prefer)
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 pie crust (recipe HERE or see notes for options)
Instructions
1. Make SCD legal crust. See recipe HERE or if not following the SCD diet, use a store bought crust of your choice. Alternatively, this pie filling tastes amazing as a crustless pie!
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Using a high speed blender or food processor, puree dates and about 1/2 cup milk until completely smooth. It will result in a thicker paste, but this step will allow the dates to get completely pureed.
4. Once dates are completely blended, add the remaining ingredients and blend until everything is incorporated and smooth.
5. Pour the filling into the blind baked (pre-baked) pie crust. Fill the crust almost to the top. (If you have any leftover filling, just pour it into a small oven safe container and enjoy a little mini crustless pie all to yourself!)
6. Cover exposed crust with aluminum foil or a pie shield to avoid burning. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes. You will know the pie is done when the middle is set and it is no longer jiggly when you shake it.
7. Allow the pie to cool on the counter for 1-2 hours. Then cover and refrigerate. Our family prefers pumpkin pie cold, right out of the fridge. I believe this pie tastes best cold!
Notes
~CRUST OPTIONS~
SCD Legal: This Grain-Free Sweet or Savory Pie Crust recipe has been the best SCD legal crust I’ve made yet. It uses both almond and coconut flour and no added sweetener. It is husband and kid approved!
If you are not following the SCD diet: Any store-bought crust of your choice will work. But please check the ingredients! These Wholly Wholesome pie crusts are organic and are made with the cleanest ingredients that I’ve found in a store-bought crust.
Crustless: I LOVE a crustless pie! This pumpkin pie filling is so delicious I often make it without a crust at all. Simply pour the filling into a pie plate or any oven safe baking dish and bake per the directions. Yum!
Hi Elizabeth. Thanks for visiting the site! I have not tried it myself, but you should be able to sub the dates for additional honey and still get a great end result! Try subbing the dates for 1/4 cup honey. The recipe already calls for 1/4 cup, so now you would use a total of 1/2 cup of honey. Please let me know how this works out!
O my goodness! This pumpkin pie recipe is so delicious! I’ve never had a pie this good!
★★★★★
Can I omit the medjool dates
Or what are substitute
Hi Elizabeth. Thanks for visiting the site! I have not tried it myself, but you should be able to sub the dates for additional honey and still get a great end result! Try subbing the dates for 1/4 cup honey. The recipe already calls for 1/4 cup, so now you would use a total of 1/2 cup of honey. Please let me know how this works out!