Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

If you are dairy-free and gluten-free, enjoying pumpkin pie for dessert on Thanksgiving might seem impossible.  Pumpkin Pie is my favorite dessert, so I was determined to create a gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe that I would love eating and not feel like I was settling for just “good enough.” I found that replacing the usual milk with half nut milk and half coconut milk in the filling really made this pie taste just like the original version. And with Miyoko’s cashew-based butter, you can create a flaky, tender crust.  My family and clients don’t notice the difference between this pie and the regular wheat and dairy based pies.

Replacing the Dairy

I used half nut milk and half full-fat coconut milk in the filling, because I wanted the creamy texture and higher fat content, but without my filling tasting like coconut. I think splitting the milks in half makes for a perfect blend. I have tested this recipe with numerous milks including almond, soy and hazelnut and they all turn out great.

You can use any kind of butter in the crust. I tried this with Earth Balance margarine and then with Miyoko’s butter and while they were both fine, the Miyoko’s did turn out lighter and flakier.  Use the European Style Miyoko’s in a block, not the whipped version.

Tips for Gluten-Free Pie Dough Success

• Pie crust can be made in the food processor because it’s quick and reliable. You could also cut in the butter by hand using a fork or pastry cutter, but with gluten-free flours, this might be a little messy.
• Let the dough sit in the fridge for one hour before rolling it out. This allows the gluten-free flours to hydrate and form a cohesive dough.
• This recipe uses 5 different flours. I always keep all these flours on hand as I get much better results in my baked goods when I create my own mix versus buying a mix at the store. You can use a premade mix, just do a search for reviews first as someone else may have done the recipe testing for you.

Here is my Dairy and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Makes one 9-inch pie

Pie Crust Ingredients:

6 Tbsp non-dairy butter, very cold
2 Tbsp orange juice or water
¼ cup + 1 Tbsp brown rice flour
¼ cup sorghum flour
¼ cup + 1 Tbsp potato starch
¼ cup tapioca starch
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
¼ tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg

Pie Crust Instructions:

1. Cut the butter into small cubes, place on a piece of parchment paper or a bowl and let sit in the freezer while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
2. Place an ice cube in a bowl with your orange juice or water
3. Place all the flours, xanthan gum, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to mix them up.
4. Add half of the butter cubes in with the flour. Pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal with pieces of butter no larger than a pea, about 15 pulses.
5. Add the egg and the rest of the butter and pulse 5 to 6 times to combine.
6. Test the dough for doneness. Check if the dough is holding together by squeezing a bit with your fingers. If the flour holds together and feels tacky, it’s ready. If it’s dry and breaks apart easily, add orange juice 2 teaspoons at a time and pulse, then check again. Add more orange juice if needed. The final dough should have large clumps of dough, small pebbles of butter, and should hold together when pressed.
7. Turn the pie dough out onto a piece of saran wrap. Use the palm of your hand to press the dough into a thick round disk. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.

Rolling the dough

1. When you’re “ready to roll,” heat the oven to 350.

2. Remove the dough from the fridge. If the dough has been refrigerated longer than 30 minutes and it is too firm to roll,  let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to allow the butter to soften up a bit.

3.  Unwrap and place dough on a piece of parchment paper dusted with rice flour. ( I like to roll my crust on a piece of parchment paper so I can lift it and slide the crust into the glass dish).  Sprinkle your rolling pin with flour. Working from the middle of the dough outwards, roll the dough into a 12 to 13-inch round (a few inches larger than your pie pan). Use firm strokes and work the dough as little as possible. Hopefully you are seeing chunks of butter like in the picture below.

4. The dough will likely crack, which is ok, use some of the dough from the edges to patch the hole. Use more flour if the dough sticks to your rolling pin.

5. Gently lift the parchment and place the pie crust into your dish.  Press the pie crust into the corners of the dish, closing any holes or gaps. Trim all but an inch or two of the pie dough from around the edge and crimp the edges until you have an even crust along the edge of your pie dish.

6. Make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven.

7. Blind bake the crust with pie weights or empty. If you are using pie weights, line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the weights and lining and set aside while you make the filling.

Pumpkin Pie Filling Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 can pumpkin
1 cup non-dairy milk (½ cup nut milk, ½ cup canned coconut milk)
¾ cup sugar, part white and part coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp powdered ginger
¼ tsp cloves – or just a pinch
Pinch nutmeg

Pie Filling Instructions

1. Increase the oven temp to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well with a whisk or a hand blender for about one minute or until completely blended.

3. Pour the filling into your pre-cooked crust and (carefully) place in the oven. I usually place the pie crust in the oven with the shelf pulled out slightly. Then I place the filling in a large glass measuring cup and gently pour the filling into the crust. That way I can gently push the shelf in and barely move the pie.

4. Set a timer for 15 minutes. When timer goes off, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 minutes. If your crust edge starts to get too dark you can always place a pie crust shield or some tin foil over it halfway through. Your pie is done when the filling no longer jiggles or a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

5. Cool your pie on a cooling rack on the counter for at least an hour. I think the pie tastes best once it’s fully cold. Just don’t put it into the fridge until it’s cool enough. And let it sit in the fridge uncovered until it’s completely cold so you don’t trap any heat and moisture inside the saran wrap.

Want more pumpkin in your life?  Try this recipe for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread. Also makes a great dessert to bring to the holiday table.

And HERE IS THE PRINTABLE RECIPE

Pumpkin Pie Recipe (Gluten and Dairy Free)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Andrea Sprague
• Yield: 1 pie 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

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Description

Make the gluten and dairy free pumpkin pie of your dreams. A combination of nut milk and coconut milk creates the creamy filling and non-dairy butter creates a flaky, moist crust. Gets better as it sits so this is ok to make a couple days ahead.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Pie Crust Ingredients:

6 Tbsp non-dairy butter, very cold
2 Tbsp orange juice or water
¼ cup + 1 Tbsp brown rice flour
¼ cup sorghum flour
¼ cup + 1 Tbsp potato starch
¼ cup tapioca starch
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
¼ tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg

Filling Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 can pumpkin
1 cup non-dairy milk (½ cup nut milk, ½ cup canned coconut milk)
¾ cup sugar, part white and part coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp powdered ginger
¼ tsp cloves – or just a pinch
Pinch nutmeg

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Instructions

Pie Crust Instructions:

1. Cut the butter into small cubes, place on a piece of parchment paper or a bowl and let sit in the freezer while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
2. Place an ice cube in a bowl with your orange juice or water
3. Place all the flours, xanthan gum, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to mix them up.
4. Add half of the butter cubes in with the flour. Pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal with pieces of butter no larger than a pea, about 15 pulses.
5. Add the egg and the rest of the butter and pulse 5 to 6 times to combine.
6. Test the dough for doneness. Check if the dough is holding together by squeezing a bit with your fingers. If the flour holds together and feels tacky, it’s ready. If it’s dry and breaks apart easily, add orange juice 2 teaspoons at a time and pulse, then check again. Add more orange juice if needed. The final dough should have large clumps of dough, small pebbles of butter, and should hold together when pressed.
7. Turn the pie dough out onto a piece of saran wrap. Use the palm of your hand to press the dough into a thick round disk. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.

Rolling the dough

1. When you’re “ready to roll,” heat the oven to 350.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge. If the dough has been refrigerated longer than 30 minutes and it is too firm to roll,  let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to allow the butter to soften up a bit.
3. Unwrap and place dough on a piece of parchment paper dusted with rice flour. ( I like to roll my crust on a piece of parchment paper so I can lift it and slide the crust into the glass dish).  Sprinkle your rolling pin with flour. Working from the middle of the dough outwards, roll the dough into a 12 to 13-inch round (a few inches larger than your pie pan). Use firm strokes and work the dough as little as possible. Hopefully you are seeing chunks of butter like in the picture below.
4. The dough will likely crack, which is ok, use some of the dough from the edges to patch the hole. Use more flour if the dough sticks to your rolling pin.
5. Gently lift the parchment and place the pie crust into your dish.  Press the pie crust into the corners of the dish, closing any holes or gaps. Trim all but an inch or two of the pie dough from around the edge and crimp the edges until you have an even crust along the edge of your pie dish.
6. Make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven.
7. Blind bake the crust with pie weights or empty. If you are using pie weights, line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the weights and lining and set aside while you make the filling.

Pie Filling Instructions

1. Increase the oven temp to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well with a whisk or a hand blender for about one minute or until completely blended.
3. Pour the filling into your pre-cooked crust and (carefully) place in the oven. I usually place the pie crust in the oven with the shelf pulled out slightly. Then I place the filling in a large glass measuring cup and gently pour the filling into the crust. That way I can gently push the shelf in and barely move the pie.
4. Set a timer for 15 minutes. When timer goes off, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 minutes. If your crust edge starts to get too dark you can always place a pie crust shield or some tin foil over it halfway through. Your pie is done when the filling no longer jiggles or a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
5. Cool your pie on a cooling rack on the counter for at least an hour, then place in the fridge uncovered until its completely cold so you don’t trap any heat and moisture inside the saran wrap.

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Notes

Tips for Gluten Free Pie Dough Success

• Pie crust can be made in the food processor because it’s quick and reliable. You could also cut in the butter by hand using a fork or pastry cutter, but with gluten free flours, this might be a little messy.
• Let the dough sit in the fridge for one hour before rolling it out. This allows the gluten free flours to hydrate and form a cohesive dough.
• This recipe uses 5 different flours. I always keep all these flours on hand as I get much better results in my baked goods when I create my own mix versus buying a mix at the store. You can use a premade mix, just do a search for reviews first as someone else may have done the recipe testing for you.
• This recipe works with numerous milks including almond, soy and hazelnut, although, mixing with some full-fat coconut milk always turns out best.
• You can use any kind of butter in the crust. Earth Balance margarine worked well, and Miyoko’s turned out the best.