Hey friends! Here’s another project that stemmed from my bro-in-law being on an elimination diet during the Fall season. (Remember I shared the dairy free pumpkin spice ice cream here). I didn’t want him to be left out on Thanksgiving (us Canadians celebrate in October!), so I started testing out different versions.

Swapping out the dairy was pretty easy. I simply used coconut milk in the filling (the coconut flavour is not super strong, and really works beautifully in adding a bit of depth to the pie!), and shortening in my crust. Really not a fan of coconut milk? Sub it for an unsweetened dairy free creamer (I haven’t tried this yet…but was recommended by JoyFoodSunshine’s blog). I don’t recommend subbing Almond milk or something similar, simply because it won’t be as rich and creamy; but feel free to experiment if you’d like!

Eggs are an important factor in the traditional custardy filling for a regular pumpkin pie, so I knew I needed to replace it with something that would help hold the filling together and give it the right texture. I experimented with just using some of the gluten free flour (it worked, but didn’t set super firmly), cornstarch (worked very well, but unfortunately was on the list of foods to avoid, so my bro-in-law couldn’t have it), tapioca (weird and pilly texture, definitely not my favourite), and flax seed (my favourite!!). I found the flax seed led to a pretty perfect set for the pie, and added a wonderful, nutty flavour as well.

Finally, I simply swapped out cup for cup gluten free flour in my regular pie crust recipe! I found it to be a bit more fragile, but with a little patience it all worked out. I’m not a huge fan of the flavour of gluten free flour, and always add a bit of cinnamon to my crust to help! I tested both Bob’s Red Mill GF flour (not my favourite for pies to be honest), as well as Cloud 9 bakery’s GF Flour (a local bakery in New Westminster, BC) . I preferred the Cloud 9 GF flour, and found it got more flaky and similar to a crust made with all purpose flour, unfortunately it contained cornstarch, so I didn’t use it for the pie I served to my bro! As always, be sure to read all the ingredients when baking for someone with dietary restrictions.

Another option for a gluten free crust was to try a press in crust (like a traditional graham cracker crust) with a gluten free cookie! Again, check all the ingredients on your cookie package.

Not only was the pie a hit with my bro-in-law, but the rest of my family all dug into it as well to try it out! It got a big stamp of approval, and I love having an inclusive option for the future if people have dietary restrictions.

I hope that some of the above info is helpful for whatever your needs are! You can of course mix and match ingredients to better suit your restrictions and preferences.

Note: the photos show one my initial pies that was thickened just with the GF flour. It worked, but was a bit soft for my liking. The two photos below are my favourite combo, and used both GF flour and flax seed. You can see the texture is a bit firmer, and there are little specks of the flax!

pumpkin pie - dairy free, egg free, gluten free

yields: one deep dish 9-inch pie

Ingredients

GF Pie Crust - enough dough for 2 single crust pies or 1 deep dish pie with some left over for a galette (I hate not having enough dough and prefer to err on the generous side)

2 1/2 cups (300 g) certified GF flour (one to one - I tested Bob’s Red Mill and Cloud 9 Bakery)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup butter flavoured shortening (could use lard here)

1/2 cup cold water

Pumpkin Filling

1 2/3 cup (13.5 oz, 400 mL) full fat coconut milk (equal to 1 can in Canada) - divided

2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax seed (alternatively use an equal amount of cornstarch and stir into a small amount of coconut until smooth before adding to filling)

2 cups (15 oz, 443 mL) pumpkin puree (here’s my recipe if you want to make your own!)

1/4 cup GF flour

1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of nutmeg and cloves

Whipped topping

1 can coconut milk, chilled the night before*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

First make the crust

In a large bowl, whisk the GF flour, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar together. Cut the shortening into 1/2 inch cubes, and then toss in the flour mixture until all pieces are coated. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to mix in shortening until most pieces are pea sized. I like to get my hands in there about halfway through to ensure that the pieces of shortening don’t end up too small.

Pour in 1/4 cup of the cold water, and stir together with a wooden spoon. Carefully dump out onto a clean counter, and begin pressing the dough together. I like to gather my edges up and over the center, and press down firmly. Add more water by the tablespoon until dough is relatively smooth. *Note: the great thing about a GF dough is that you don’t have to worry about overworking it as much as regular pie crust.

If using a large, deep dish pie dish like I did, press the dough into a disc about 1-inch thick, place in an airtight container, and let it chill for 30-60 minutes.
If using a shallow, 9-inch pie dish, cut the dough in half and press into 2 discs.

When the dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface, until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. This crust will be more fragile than a regular crust, that’s totally normal! It will likely rip and crack throughout these steps, simply press it back together. Carefully transfer it into your pie dish, trim the edges so that you have about 1.5 inches hanging over the edge, fold under and press firmly together. Use your index finger and thumb on one hand, and the thumb on the opposite hand to crimp the edge. Store any extra dough in the fridge in an airtight container; I love making a galette with leftover filling or fruit within the week.

Place the dough in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

To make the pumpkin filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of coconut milk with 2.5 tablespoons of ground flax seed, and set aside to thicken.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and GF flour until smooth. Then whisk in the remaining coconut milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and spices until smooth. Take a little taste test and adjust sweetness and/or spices to your personal preference if desired.

Fold in the thickened flax seed mixture until fully incorporated.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust, and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until crust is light brown, and filling has almost completely set, but still has a bit of jiggle in the middle. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled to room temperature, loosely cover with tinfoil (careful not to break any crust!) and move to the fridge to chill for 6-8 hours, or preferably overnight. This is a great dessert to make the night before.

Top with coconut whip before serving, if desired.

Store any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days, loosely covered by tinfoil.

To make the coconut whip

*The can of coconut milk must be chilled in the fridge the night before using! I recommend baking the pie the night before you need it, and popping the can of coconut milk into the fridge at the same time. (Alternatively, I often keep one chilling in the fridge just in case…ha!)

Open the can of chilled coconut milk upside down.  Pour off coconut water and set aside (this is great to use in a smoothie later), and scoop the white solids into a medium sized mixing bowl.

Whisk the coconut cream on high speed with a stand mixer or hand mixer until peaks start to form.  Add in 1 heaping tablespoon of icing sugar (to taste), and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix well. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

I piped mine onto the pie with a star tip.

*Consistency will vary with the brand of coconut milk.  Minimalist Baker has a great guide on which brands are recommended, which you can read here!

Happy pumpkin pie making!