I have updated this dairy free pumpkin coconut cream pie recipe to include a healthy coconut oil pie crust! Of course this means I am working on another amazing pie so follow to stay posted! You can also use a ready frozen pie crust if you are short on time.

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” – Jim Davis 🙂

This dairy free pumpkin pie made with coconut milk or coconut cream is sure to fit the bill! And it can be made gluten free as well.

This pumpkin pie is made with hidden coconut cream from a can of coconut milk as well as coconut sugar so its not only dairy free, but refined sugar free and made with healthy fats. The coconut oil pie crust can also be subbed with a frozen pie shell in a pinch.

Coconut oil pastry pie crust ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour ( I imagine rye flour would work too)
• 2/3 cup coconut oil, solid and cold, but scoopable as you find it in winter, when its not melted into liquid (If not using butter flavored coconut oil, use Refined coconut oil for less coconut taste if you don’t like it)
• optional, 1 tbsp coconut butter in place of 1 tbsp of a tbsp of above oil, not melted, room temp (u wont taste the coconut, I’ve used more in it before) or cold palm fruit oil (note you can find an environmentally friendly palm oil, also if using red palm oil, it makes things orangey so you’ve been warned)
• 3-6 tablespoons ice water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Optional, tsp sugar plus a pinch of pumpkin spice

Filling Ingredients:

• 400ml can pumpkin puree
• Slightly Heaping 1/2 cup (scant 3/4 cup) canned full fat coconut milk or canned coconut cream, top cream part only (if necessary, chilling it a few hours helps it separate)
• 1 Cup Coconut sugar and/or brown sugar (or regular sugar which tastes a bit sweeter. do use some Coconut or brown sugar adds a caramely taste. A mix of white and brown sugar can be used with a tsp of molasses to deepen the flavor or about a heaping 3/4 cup of maple syrup can be used)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or a diy blend of slightly heaping 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Plus If your pumpkin pie spice mix doesn’t contain cloves or all spice, add a 1/4 tsp of all spice and 1/8 tsp of ground cloves or mace, optional)
• Tsp vanilla extract
• One frozen regular or deep dish pie shell (deep dish doesnt seem that much deeper from the one I’ve tried) (dairy free and/or gf if necessary, or paleo almond flour pie shell, frozen, storebought or homemade)

Coconut oil Pie Pastry recipe directions:

1. Mix the flour and salt either in a food processor attached with a dough blade or in a bowl (ideally a bowl that you can easily get your hands into). Pulse a few times or mix by hand. Add coconut oil. Pulse or do it by hand and use a pastry cutter/pastry blender (or a fork) to cut the oil into the flour for about 35-40 seconds. It will look like wet fine crumble like wet sand with no chunks left and beads of fat smaller than a pea. If using food processor keeping stopping to scrape down the sides in this step and next steps. (note: a stand mixer can be used too to reduce handling with warm hands).
2. Add 3 tbsp ice water, adding only as much as needed to get it into a dough. Mix with wooden spoon or pulse. add an extra tbsp of ice water, adding one tbsp at a time only as needed to make it a dough(if you take off a piece it should be easy to roll into a ball), and mix with spoon or pulse. Only use as much water as needed for dough to come together and so it is not too dry nor sticky. Very briefly knead it with your hands (they add warmth though so not long and don’t overwork the dough!)
3. Place ball of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper (with one paper on top of the dough and the dough on top of one paper or on a silicone non stick mat to prevent sticking as rolling, you can spray them lightly if needed) or use a marble board and use a rolling pin to roll it out as a disc shape.
4. Flip parchment paper over to gently turn out the dough over greased pie pan (greased with coconut oil of course! or disposable pie pans if sold out) and make short edges as this oil based crust doesn’t hold quite as strongly as buttery ones.
5. Flip the other rolled out dough disc to cover it, trim excess with kitchen scissors (fluting with fingers if desired, but its not necessary as long as its sealed, no fancy designs with coconut oil pie crust though!).
6. Can be made ahead, wrapped up in seran wrap, refrigerated for a day, or frozen and then thawed .
7. Paleo sub tip: if using almond flour, since almonds contain some fat you may want to decrease the oil slightly. You can also use a combo of almond and regular flour for better consistency.
8. If using a gluten free flour mix, use one with some xanthan gum, and do not freeze and thaw, its too crumbly. Also adding an egg can help and if so you may reduce the ice water. chill it 20 min before using.
9. If using whole wheat pastry flour you may need more water.

Pumpkin pie Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees. If using homemade pie shell prep as above. If using frozen thaw pie shell for 15 min. Place it on a sheet pan to avoid spills. Mix all filling ingredients except the eggs in a mixing bowl. stir the coconut smooth. whisk in eggs with a whisk.
2. Pour into crust. An extra step once you’ve put it on a sheet pan is to gently tap it on the counter to release air bubbles ( I forgot to in the below pic of the pie (i made a few pies) and didnt have a spatula on hand so that time mine wasn’t perfectly smooth as the one above, no biggie).
3. bake on middle rack for 10min. Turn down to 350 deg. Bake until crust is golden, approx 40 min, turning it halfway through for even baking (if you have a new powerful oven it may be ready a little quicker). Bake until it starts to solidify. It is ok if the middle is still slightly jiggly, it will thicken as the custard cools. If desired while hot dust with coconut sugar for caramely taste.
4. let it cool at least 2 hours to set since its a custard with eggs. after it cools for approx over an hour it can be refrigerated to help it set. th elonger it cools the more solid and fudgey it gets, but after two hours it will look like the one in my picture.

This pie didn’t crack (except a little when I moved it from spot to spot to get sunlight for a photo). But I read a great pro tip that if your pumpkin pie does crack, just cover it up with melted slightly cooled chocolate. Mmm come to think of it, even if it doesn’t crack that’s always an option!

Serve with coconut whip that’s whipped with maple syrup and a good pinch of pumpkin pie spice, plus generous cinnamon to taste.

reduced sugar version: my aunt made this pie with a little less sugar and it was still good, though of course for best results use the full amount because pumpkin puree is a vegetable after all!

this simplified classic pumpkin dessert, has just been made dairy free and gluten free! its great to bring to potlucks, enjoy!