This keto pumpkin pie is everything you expect (and more!) from this Thanksgiving classic: a deliciously silky custard, all wrapped up in my famous flaky pie crust!
Gluten Free & Keto Pumpkin Pie
An Absolute Classic!
I don’t know about you, but imo pumpkin pie is too much of a classic to mess around with! And so, beautifully spiced and incredibly flavorful, you’ll find that this keto version varies little from the tradition in both taste and texture.
Supreme and stunning results, surely worthy of your Thanksgiving table!
Plus, you’ll be happy to hear that making this keto pumpkin pie is not particularly difficult at all. Though like any custard-type dessert, just be mindful of a few details below to ensure the perfect slice. Read on!
How Make A Delicious (& Pretty!) Keto Pumpkin Pie
Let’s face it, when it comes to Thanksgiving, you most definitely want to put your best pie forward! So let’s talk about a few details (and cheats!) of what you need to look out for when making this keto pumpkin pie so you get a real stunner.
- Make sure your pie crust is very cold, and work quickly in a relatively cool environment (i.e. not next to your preheating oven!). This will keep it more manageable, and if you feel like it begins to melt away simply pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes before carrying on. Did it break a bit? No worries, just patch it right up! Oh, and you can also crimp the edges (as you can see!), but it feels a bit more like play-dough than pie crust (you’ll know what I mean).
- To blind bake or not is perhaps the eternal pie conundrum. I’ve done it both ways here, and while you do get a slightly flakier pie crust with a blind bake, it’s also honestly debatable if it’s worth the extra hassle here. So I suggest you just bake it all at once and save yourself a couple hours (cooling down time etc).
- The right spices are clearly important. And while you can buy ready-made pumpkin pie spice, I will always advocate for freshly ground nutmeg (it’s a game changer always guys!). And I also borrow a tip from the peeps over at King Arthur, and add a dash of freshly ground black pepper. You won’t taste it, but it will add a great deal of depth to your pie.
- Don’t overcook! Cracked pumpkin pies made with sugar are the result of over-baking (as the egg proteins continue to cook as they cool). Now, when I baked this pie with erythritol, it cracked close to the edge from minute 25 of baking. Could be my 20-year old oven (reliable, but can run a bit hot)… but this didn’t happen with allulose or xylitol. Didn’t affect the final texture, just a heads up. Otherwise, just like with sugar pies, you want to take it out of the oven while still jiggly in the center. But note that, unlike their sugar counterparts, the pie doesn’t feel fully set around the edges even after minute 60 (but a toothpick inserted will come out mostly clean, not drenched).
- Get your leaves on! I whip up a double batch of the pie crust, and make some crackers and pretty cutouts with it (leaves are my favorite). Good for your cheese platter and some pie decorating; particularly handy if you do end up with some cracks. Or some good-old whipped cream will do the trick just as well.
- Did your pie become opaque? Yup, erythritol tends to do that in custards as it cools! I simply gave mine a very light (and gentle!) brush with some Lakanto syrup and everyone was non the wiser. Oh, and it doesn’t affect the taste or texture at all; so not a biggie!
The Sweetener
As you can read from the previous section, this is probably the thing you need to consider the most when whipping up this pumpkin pie is the sweetener.
But you’ve also got plenty of options: Allulose is my favorite for best texture and no aftertaste now (you do need to add 30% more though), Lakanto Golden (slightly opaque results, but no cooling aftertaste here imo), xylitol (non-corn though to avoid tummy troubles!).
1. Xylitol and allulose behave fairly similar in custards, and are probably the ‘best’ choice in terms of both taste and looks. Absolutely no aftertaste and there are no problems with crystallization. Allulose is 70% as sweet as sugar (i.e. you need to add 30% more).
Note: I’ve been testing different brands of xylitol and have noticed Health Garden and XyloSweet are two solid ones (particularly if you tend to get occasional tummy pangs with the NOW brand).
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!
2. I also tested the pie with erythritol (Lakanto golden), and while there was no aftertaste there were a few issues with crystallization here and there (as in the pie slowly became opaque, rather than nice and shiny). The pie also did seem to crack a little bit as it baked, but cooled down just fine and I didn’t find there to be any cooling aftertaste at all.
How much sweetener? Traditional pumpkin pies generally call for a cup of sugar (half brown, half granulated). I find this is a bit too much for keto adjusted palates, and added 2/3 cup to mine. Still felt quite sweet and dessert-like, so you could probably even go down to 1/2 cup if you wish to just lightly sweeten it.
And… The Video Story!
The Best Keto Pumpkin Pie (with our flaky pie crust!)
Ingredients
For the pie crust
- 1 batch our keto pie crust
For the pumpkin pie filling
- 2/3-1 cup golden erythritol xylitol or allulose*
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- dash black pepper freshly ground
- 3 eggs
- 425 g pumpkin puree (1 15-ounce can)
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- See recipe video for guidance on the pie crust!
- Lightly butter a 9 inch pie pan. Roll out pie crust into a roughly 13-inch circle, between two sheets of parchment paper. Feel free to lightly dust with coconut flour as needed. Transfer to the pan, using the parchment paper as an aid. Crimp the edges (or simply trim). Refrigerate and preheat oven to 400°F/200°C while you make the filling.
- Mix together in a small bowl the sweetener, salt and spices. Set aside.
- Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add in the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, vanilla extract and continue to beat until thoroughly incorporated. Beat in the sweetener and spices mix.
- Place the refrigerated pie pan on a baking tray and cover the edges with aluminum foil (to prevent over browning). Pour in the pumpkin filling and bake for 50-65 minutes, uncovering the edges around minute 40. A few things to note: the filling didn't begin to rise for me until about minute 35, and with sugar alcohols the pie will appear to still not be set even after 60 minutes. Having said that, a toothpick inserted 2-inches from the edges should come out barely moist, and the center should still be jiggly.
- Allow the pie to cool completely at room temperature, as it will continue to cook and set while cooling. I also always like my pumpkin pie best after a couple hours in the fridge.
Hi Paola, will you please let us know the size of pie plate you use? Is it deep dish – 9.5 inches by 2 inches deep? Or regular pie dish 9 inches by 1.5 deep? Thank you 🙏🏼 😊🙏🏼
9.5 by 2 inches Helena!
The pie crust was perfect! The filling was amazing, I did double the spices, and used powdered erythritol with a few drops of glycerite (Better Stevia) to prevent any cooling effect from the Erythritol. To help set the pie I did add 1/2 tsp of Xanthan gum. A trick to prevent uneven baking I preheated to 400*F than turned it down to 365*F after I put the pie in the oven. After 30minutes I turned it down to 325*F and at the last 10minutes I turned the oven off.
All pumpkin pie is opaque. Opaque is meaning you cant see through it and is opposite of translucent. Matte finish is what I think you mean which is flat and not shiny. ❤️ Thank you for this recipe though and all the great tips I look forward to making this!
Yes, thank you for that clarification, it was odd or confusing following what she was trying to say.
I’ve made this pie filling several times. I even made it using real sugar at times. Its one of the best pumpkin pie recipes I’ve ever tried!
I’m making it with sugar for the first time this week Lisa… good to know thank you!! 🙂