As we Canadians prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving on Monday, we might be approaching the holiday with a different perspective than other years. I mean, we’ve been through something and we are not done with it yet. But we can see the light now and we are thankful. Thanksgiving couldn’t come at a better time and what better way to celebrate than by enjoying some traditional gluten-free pumpkin pie?
Just because this pie is gluten-free, it does not compromise on taste or texture. Actually, no one will even know it’s gluten-free. It has a very flaky crust with a filling that is smooth and full of flavour.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to give thanks to Recipe Idea Shop for this exceptional pie crust recipe that is also easy to make. I also want to give thanks to Sally’s baking Addiction for the glorious filling. Together, these recipes make one of the best pumpkin pies you’ll ever try – gluten free or otherwise. Best of all, even a novice can tackle it. Now let’s get to baking.
The Best Traditional Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
For The Pie Crust
- 1 ½ Cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour (or another gluten free all-in flour)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons cold butter (for vegan, use Crisco)
- 8-10 tablespoons cold water (put an ice cube in the water while preparing the ingredients)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Pam nonstick cooking spray
- Whipped cream (optional topping)
For The Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Homemade pie crust (recipe above)
- 1- 15oz can (about 2 cups; 450g) pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg*
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk (I used 1% milk– any is fine)
- Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
- Sugar for sprinkling
- Whipped cream (optional topping)
* Instead of adding ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Be sure to still add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
Directions:
Pie Crust
- By hand, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
- Add in the cold butter or Crisco in small pieces.
- Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, mix until well combined. It will be dry and crumbly. Add the apple cider vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of cold water.
- Blend until the dough comes together, adding more water—1 tablespoon at a time—as needed.
- The dough should not be sticky and should hold together when pressed.
- Do not roll out the dough. Instead, press the dough into the pie plate, working it slowly up the sides of the plate.
- Place the pie plate in the refrigerator, until ready to use. If you are not using it within an hour, cover it with plastic wrap to hold in the moisture.
For The Pumpkin Pie Filling
- For the pumpkin pie filling: Whisk the pumpkin, 3 eggs, and brown sugar together until combined. Add the cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, cream, and milk. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined. The filling will be a little thick.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- I blind-baked the pie for about 10 minutes.
- Pour pumpkin pie filling into the warm pre-baked crust. Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. Use extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you’d like. Bake the pie until the centre is almost set, about 55-60 minutes, give or take. A small part of the centre will still be wobbly – that’s ok. After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Check for doneness at 50 minutes and then 55, and then 60, etc.
- Serve with a dollop (or spray) of whipped cream (optional).
Note: I made my crust the day before. Then, once I worked it into my pie plate I put it back into the fridge. This helped prevent shrinking. With the extra dough, I made cutouts that I egg washed and sprinkled them with a little sugar. These pie dough cut outs were then put on my baked pie for decoration.
We hope this traditional gluten-free pumpkin pie makes your holiday a little sweeter and a lot more delicious. If you want to add another special, gluten-free dessert to your menu, check out our scrumptious gluten-free chocolate mocha layer cake recipe. It’s a little more involved, but it’s worth every step and it is sure to impress all.
Don’t forget, that self-care is still important even during holidays. Being thankful starts with yourself. Focus on the positive.
Enjoy!
* Instead of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Be sure to still add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.Ingredients
For The Pie Crust
For The Pumpkin Pie Filling
INSTRUCTIONS/NOTES/TIPS
Pie Crust
For The Pumpkin Pie Filling
NOTES/TIPS
2 comments
Pam is not gluten free.
Hi Nancy,
All varieties of Pam, except the baking Pam which contains flour, do not contain gluten.
You can use butter, butter alternative, or oil to grease the pie plate.
Thank you for your comment, it is by asking questions and sharing information we can all live our best gluten-free lives.
Cheers,
Elyse