The beautiful autumn colors, hot chocolate on cozy evenings, and an incoming Thanksgiving season. What could be missing from this occasion? If you're thinking of a classic pumpkin pie, you're on the right track! We all want to dig into a delicious pumpkin pie for the holidays or in the evening with tea.
If you miss coming home to an old favorite after a tiring day, pumpkin pie will not disappoint. Now, those on a gluten-free diet might restrict themselves from this heavenly pie due to the gluten-content. If we tell you, you can have all the flavors, taste, and texture in a gluten-free version as well? Don't believe us? Try out this recipe yourself, and you'll soon be adding it to your weekly dessert addition!
Xanthan Gum- Do You Need it?
You've probably seen xanthan gum in tons of gluten-free recipes. So, the question is- do you need it in this recipe? No doubt, xanthan gum is significant to gluten-free baking to attain the end product's elasticity and texture. In simple words, since you're omitting gluten, xanthan gum holds the ingredients together, similar to the role of gluten.
Moving on, if you're using a gluten-free flour blend, chances are it might already contain xanthan gum. Contrastingly, if you're using a single flour such as almond flour instead of a combination, you will need it. Similarly, if the gluten-free flour blend does not include xanthan gum, add it then as well. For this recipe, one teaspoon will work just fine.
Making the Recipe Dairy-Free
More and more people are going dairy-free alongside leading a gluten-free life. The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily make it dairy-free as well. All you've to do is switch the butter, milk, and heavy cream for vegan dairy-free options. For the cream substitute, you can use full-fat coconut milk that is entirely dairy-free. Simultaneously, use coconut or olive oil instead of milk for the dough. You can also use 9-10 tbsp of cold water.
When Do You Know the Pie is Done?
Other than the estimated 1 hour, when is the pie done, and how do you tell? For starters, your pie crust should have that mesmerizing golden color on the sides. Other than that, the center of the filling is where you should be looking. There are two ways, either go for a firm center or a slightly jiggly pie in the center.
While the firm center is what most prefer, you might overbake your crust. Hence, you'll be ending up with a pie crust that has cracks, definitely something you don't want. You may want to leave the middle of your pie slightly jiggly so that the edges aren't over baked. The solution- bake for approx. One hour and look for your ideal pie appearance.
Warm or Cold Pumpkin Pie?
The traditional way of serving a pumpkin pie is when it's fresh out of the oven. Of course, it should be slightly cooled to let it set, but still, be warm. The aroma of the pumpkin and spices when it's freshly baked will make you want seconds. Although pumpkin pie isn't just a pie, you can only have when it's warm; many enjoy it after refrigerating it for a few hours as well. It all comes down to your personal preferences.
Is Freezing a Good Option?
The facts are this pie isn't the best for storing in the freezer for months. You'll lose the taste after thawing the pastry if you freeze it. But yes, if you're desperate, you can try to go for it. Although, instead of storing this pie, it's better to make it two days prior. When you refrigerate it, it will still have all its flavor and texture at your disposal two days later.
The Purpose of Aluminum Foil
If you're not covering your pie pan, you'll end up with a dark-brown topping on the pie. We're looking for an orangish color that pleases your eyes. Aluminum foil comes in with its magic for this purpose. The foil covering will help prevent your pie filling from excessive browning or burning. For an alternative, you can also place a baking sheet under your pie pan if you're out of aluminum foil.
Chill the Dough!
Most of us leave this step out, but it's crucial for baking pies. Once you've got your dough ready, you should chill it for around 30 minutes before rolling it out. There are several reasons behind this logic. Firstly, chilling the dough will allow it to have time to rest and become slightly firm. You'll be thanking yourself for that extra tip when you start rolling the dough.
Secondly, if you're looking for a flaky pie crust instead of a crumbly one, this is the key. You can always change down the cooking time to 10-15 minutes. Although, 30 minutes will make for that perfectly flaky pie crust. So we suggest not rushing it!
Alternatives to Brown Sugar
This recipe uses brown sugar for that perfectly balanced sweetness. However, a lot of people don't have brown sugar in their pantry. Also, you can use white sugar instead of brown, if you prefer. Additionally, if you're trying to enhance the flavor, you can use maple syrup instead. You may also use the option and go 50/50 with half sugar and half maple syrup for that exquisite sweetness.
Canned Pumpkin Pie Filling?
You might be wondering why don't you grab a ready-to-go pumpkin pie filling? We like our recipes to be healthy and homemade, and you'll be cutting out on artificial additions. Another reason is that premade pumpkin pie fillings might be too sweet or over-spiced for your flavor.
You'll indeed have the benefit of adjusting the sweetness and spices according to your taste in this recipe. Hence, take care of your health and make your pumpkin pie filling! Ideally, you can also make your pumpkin puree as well instead of buying canned pumpkin purees.
Final Words
Once you serve this recipe to your friends and family at gatherings, they'll be asking you for the recipe. Forget store-bought pies; you won't even know this is gluten-free with the punch-packed flavor and flaky crust. This pie will be landing in your regular fall season meals soon!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
10 slices
1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Pie Crust
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons milk, cold
For the Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, add salt, flour, and butter. Mix the ingredients until the flour makes small pea-sized pieces.
- Add the milk into the mixture 1 tbsp at a time and mix it in with your hands. Continue to add more milk to attain the desired consistency needed. Knead the dough to come together and shape it into a ball.
- Place the dough on parchment paper. Place another parchment paper on top. You will want to roll the dough out into a thin disc, preferably around 10″.
- Grease a pie pan and shift your crust to it. Cut off any excess edges.
- Grab another mixing bowl and add all the pumpkin pie filling to it. Blend the ingredients until you have a no-lumps smooth texture.
- Pour the filling into your crust. Remove any air bubbles by lightly tapping on top.
- Cover the pie pan with aluminum foil. Remove the foil after 30 minutes in the oven.
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for a total of around 50-55 minutes.
- Remove the pumpkin pie from the oven and let it cool before slicing.
- Serve with whipped cream on top!
Enjoy!
Recipe for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 1/2 Cup Gluten-free flour
- 1/2 Tsp. Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter Cold & cut into small pieces
- 3-4 Tbsp. Milk Cold
Pie Filling
- 1 3/4 Cup Pumpkin puree
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 Cup brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp. Ground Cloves
- 1/4 Tsp. Ground Ginger
- 1/4 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- 1/8 Tsp. Ground Allspice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, add salt, flour, and butter. Mix the ingredients until the flour makes small pea-sized pieces.
- Add the milk into the mixture 1 tbsp at a time and mix it in with your hands. Continue to add more milk to attain the desired consistency needed. Knead the dough to come together and shape it into a ball.
- Place the dough on parchment paper. Place another parchment paper on top. You will want to roll the dough out into a thin disc, preferably around 10".
- Grease a pie pan and shift your crust to it. Cut off any excess edges.
- Grab another mixing bowl and add all the pumpkin pie filling to it.
- Blend the ingredients until you have a no-lumps smooth texture.
- Pour the filling into your crust. Remove any air bubbles by lightly tapping on top.
- Cover the pie pan with aluminum foil. Remove the foil after 30 minutes in the oven.
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for a total of around 50-55 minutes.
- Remove the pumpkin pie from the oven and let it cool before slicing.
- Serve with whipped cream on top!
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