Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies (GF/DF) VIDEO

Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies have all the sweetness and spice of regular pumpkin pie but are naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and dairy-free too!

Thanksgiving is a comin’ you guys! As evidenced by the fact that, well, it’s on the calendar, but also:

1. My Mom and I are taking our annual pre-Thanksgiving Mall of America shopping trip next week. We skipped last year for the first time in gosh, a decade (?) because Cam was so itty bitty, but we’ll be back at it in full force this year.
2. The Hearth & Hand by Magnolia collection at Target dropped earlier this week and I’m going later today to open arm twirl in the display whilst simultaneously praying my kids (and I guess myself if I’m open arm twirling) don’t break any modern farmhouse merch – aka look for a few new serving trays for the holidays. Good grief as if I needed another reason to spend money at that store.
3. My Facebook feed is ALL Thanksgiving-friendly pumpkin desserts right now. October was all about pumpkin drinks but ever since November 1st it’s been pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin parfaits, and pumpkin whoopie pies, oh my!

I’m definitely not mad about it because I’ve got another pumpkin dessert idea to add to the list – Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies. Here’s what you need to know about fabulous recipe. The concept started out as a Pumpkin Pie Creme Brulee but then I went through two food torches attempting to load them with butane and figured I was going to blow up my hand if I continued down the natural gas liquid path. It’s all good though because the texture is SO much more pumpkin pie then creme brulee, and topped with torched sugar or not you’re going to love it for Thanksgiving. Plus I love having two hands, of course.

Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies are perfectly portion controlled, gluten-free, dairy-free, make-ahead, naturally sweetened, made with fridge and pantry staples, and taste just like a big slice of traditional pumpkin pie – sans crust. They are perfection!

Not to go into some sob story here, but food-focused holidays can be very difficult for someone with food allergies, intolerances, or an autoimmune disease like Celiac Disease like myself. Not only is it hard mentally not being able to simply load up your plate and dig in, but if there isn’t any safe food to eat then you go hungry.

That said, if you’ve got a friend or family member who fits the gluten-free and/or dairy-free bill, I promise they’ll love an entire mini pumpkin pie all to themselves this Thanksgiving. You’ll be a hero! And if you need more gluten-free Thanksgiving recipe ideas, stay tuned next week. :)

But first, pie!

How to Make Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies:

All you need to do is add 1 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can, not a carton) to a large bowl with 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, 3 large egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons each pure maple syrup and coconut sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Whisk until smooth then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl with a lip. This is a really important step, I think, in achieving a smooth texture so try not to skip.

Pour the mixture into 4, 4oz or 5oz ramekins (either size works) that have been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray then place the ramekins inside a large baking dish. What you need to do is bake the Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies in a water bath vs right on the oven rack (you’ll see why in a sec!) so heat 4 cups water until simmering, place the baking dish with the ramekins on the oven rack, carefully pour the water into the baking dish until it comes halfway up the ramekins, then gently slide the oven rack all the way into the oven being careful not to slosh any water into the pies.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the centers of the pies are set then carefully pull the baking dish out of the oven and let the pies sit in the water bath for 15 minutes before cooling on a baking rack for an additional 20 minutes. Cover tightly with saran wrap then refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.

This is why you bake the pies in a water bath, by the way! I baked one of the ramekins straight on the oven rack to show you the difference. Not only is the non-water bath pie totally uneven but a skin formed on top too. Gag! Take the extra 2 minutes to create a water bath – you won’t regret it.

When you’re ready to rock, dollop the Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies with LOTS of whipped cream. There’s absolutely nothing like homemade whipped cream but I went the easy route by using SoDelicious CoCoWhip whisked with a dash of cinnamon to keep the pies diary free. SO SO GOOD!! I hope you love these little guys! Enjoy!

PREV

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup & Cream of Mushroom Soup (GF/DF Option) VIDEO

NEXT

Fruit and Marshmallow Holiday Salad