Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free)

A dairy-free pumpkin pie with a silky, sliceable filling: full-fat coconut milk brings the richness, three eggs and a little tapioca starch set it, and the press-in almond flour crust means no rolling. Gluten-free. Makes one 23 cm (9 inch) pie or 12 mini pies.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 1 25

Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

Crust

1 easy press-in gluten-free pie crust see the crust recipe; unbaked, pressed into a 23 cm / 9 inch pan

Filling

425 g pumpkin purée 1¾ cups; one 15 oz can, or homemade oven-roasted purée, drained (see notes)
180 ml full-fat canned coconut milk ¾ cup
120 g maple syrup ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp; or 100 g / ⅔ cup coconut sugar plus 40 g / 2 tbsp maple syrup
3 eggs
15 g tapioca starch 2 tbsp
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp fine sea salt

Method

Heat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Par-bake the press-in crust for 10 minutes (12 minutes for mini pies in a muffin tin).
Whisk all the filling ingredients together until smooth.
Pour the filling into the warm crust. Bake a whole pie for 50 to 55 minutes, mini pies for 22 to 25 minutes. Cover the crust edges with foil after 20 minutes so the almond flour does not burn.
The pie is done when the edges are set and the center still wobbles slightly when you nudge the pan. It keeps cooking as it cools.
Cool in the pan for 2 hours, then chill for at least 4 hours before slicing. It is better the next day.

Notes

Make ahead: bake it the day before. The spices settle, the texture firms up and it slices cleanly.

Egg-free version: I have not yet tested an egg-free filling I trust enough to publish. When I do, it will be here.

Homemade pumpkin purée (what I use, since canned pumpkin is hard to find in Portugal): halve a 1.5 kg (3 lb) pumpkin or butternut squash, scoop out the seeds and roast it cut side down on a lined tray at 200 °C (400 °F) for 45 to 60 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance. Scoop the flesh out and blend it smooth. If it looks wet, drain it in a sieve lined with a clean cloth for up to 1 hour, until it is thick enough to hold a line when you drag a spoon through it (a roasted pumpkin is often dry enough already). Weigh out the 425 g (1¾ cups) after that. Roasted purée sets like canned; a watery purée is why a pumpkin pie stays soft in the middle.

Why it works: the fat in canned coconut milk does the job of evaporated milk, the eggs set the custard and the tapioca keeps it from weeping in the fridge.