It’s officially the first week of fall! Are you making everything pumpkin yet? The Midwest has been having its usual identity crisis, alternating cool, rainy days with hot, humid ones. That’s not stopping me from being in a pumpkin mood, though. I already made healthy pumpkin muffins a couple weeks ago. This week, I’m testing pumpkin bars and finalized this keto low carb pumpkin pie. With the holidays coming up, you’ll need a good sugar-free pumpkin pie recipe! The nice thing about this one is, it tastes like a regular pumpkin pie, so the whole family will eat it. Or, if you want something a little different, try my pumpkin pie cupcakes or sugar-free crustless pumpkin pie.
Options for Easy Keto Pumpkin Pie
My top priority for an easy low carb pumpkin pie was for it to be as simple as possible. Complicated desserts are just not for me. The good news is, it was actually really easy to make a pumpkin pie recipe sugar-free. All I had to do is use a low carb crust and sweetener. The version I came up with uses common ingredients, which is nice. The only one that is possibly less common is the powdered sweetener, but if you do even a little low carb baking you’ll probably have that one around. If not, you could also run any granulated sweetener through a food processor until it has a powdered consistency. The keto pumpkin pie filling has only five ingredients, plus optional vanilla extract and molasses. Both of these add a lot of flavor, so I recommend including them if you can. The carbs they contribute are negligible, since the amount is so small and spread across the entire recipe. You can make this into a paleo pumpkin pie by using coconut cream instead of heavy cream. That’s an easy substitution. Other than that, if you need another sweetener to consider it paleo-friendly, that’s not a problem. Something like coconut sugar should work just fine, preferably ground up to a finer consistency.
Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie with Almond Flour Crust
Ever since I posted my favorite almond flour pie crust recipe, I’ve been looking for every excuse under the sun to use it. So, even though I considered a coconut flour crust, I decided to go with almond so that I could use that recipe again. You can swap it with your favorite crust if you prefer a different one. Regardless of what crust you choose, you’ll want to pre-bake it first, so that it doesn’t get soggy once you add the filling. You will probably want to cover the crust edges with foil when baking the pie with filling. That way, the crust won’t burn. For an easy way to cover the crust, simply cut a square of aluminum foil larger than the pie, fold it in fourths, then cut a quarter circle from one corner of the square. Unfold it, and viola! You’ll have foil edges with a hole in the middle. Just place it over your sugar-free pumpkin pie when you bake the filling, fold over the edges, and the crust won’t burn.
How To Make Low Carb Pumpkin Pie Without Cracks
Other than that, the only real trick to keto pumpkin pie is just like the regular kind – do not over bake it. Remember that it’s a custard, in some ways similar to low carb cheesecake. You’ll want to take it out of the oven when it’s still jiggly. Over-baking will cause cracks and affects the texture. You could also bake the pie in a water bath to reduce chances of cracking. The reason cracks form is because the outside cooks before the center sets, and the filling shrinks as it cools, creating cracks. The water bath keeps the outside from cooking too fast, so it’s less likely to crack. I have to admit, the water bath is a little more hassle, so I usually skip that step. It just depends on how carefully you’ll be able to watch it and how important the appearance is. This recipe bakes the filling at a lower temperature, which also helps to avoid the cracks. And hey, if your low carb pumpkin pie does develop cracks, just cover ’em with some whipped cream! No one will ever know. 😉
Hand mixer – For beating your filling. This one is powerful but also has the lower settings you’ll need for this keto pumpkin pie recipe. Pie server – This one has a nice grippy handle. 9-inch Pie Pan – Of course you need a pie pan for your keto friendly pumpkin pie! This is the one I used. Non-stick pie crust shield – If your crust starts to burn before the filling is ready to take out of the oven, use this. Another option is a silicone shield like this. Pumpkin pie spice – A blend like this saves time if you don’t want to make your own. Powdered erythritol blend or powdered monk fruit blend – Either of these two will work for this low carb pumpkin pie recipe!
. Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too - I’d love to see it! Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/12 of entire pie
