Many of you know me and my can't-follow-a-recipe ways. It's just not in my DNA to cook something EXACTLY the way someone tells me. I have to put my spin on it, make it my own and go with the flow. This is why I rarely make the same thing twice the same exact way. This is why I'd rather keep a stocked pantry than shop for specific dishes. And this is why I don't really enjoy traditional baking.
Baking is precise. It's science.
I'm organic. I experiment and use my instincts. And I really have zero desire to re-create someone else's perfect recipe.
So when the 4-year-old asked if I would bake a pumpkin pie at first I was like meh, I don't have pie crust. I don't want to make it. I don't want to look up a recipe. I just don't want to!
Then I thought... Wait a minute, it's pie! Pie doesn't have to precise. It's not exactly like cake. Let me see what I have in the pantry to make this happen.
This is what I found...
The resulting pie came out better then I anticipated and was loved by everyone except the 10-year-old who jokingly wanted me to take his photo when I was shooting it.
By the way, that's where I take most of my food photos for the site. So glamorous, right? Oh! And in case you are wondering, that is pie in cake pan because I don't even have a pie dish! I baked something for a neighbor last year and they never returned it. Grrrrr.
Anyway, both The Husband and the 4-Year-Old loved this pie! The yogurt gave it a slight tart edge both The Husband and I really enjoyed.
The crust was just crust, to be honest. It's not some perfectly flaky pie crust but it does the job and makes it a bit more authentic for those like my husband. I would have just eaten in crust-less.
OK, here's what I did....
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 and ½ cups almond flour (168g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (14g)
- 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup) (21g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
Filling:
- 2 eggs
- 1 15-oz can of pumpkin
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt (227g)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar (144g)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat all the crust ingredients together until a dough ball forms.
Transfer the crust dough to the pie pan and press with your fingers to cover it. Then bake for about for 10-12 minutes.
While the pie crust is baking, beat all the filling ingredients together until smooth. Pout it on top of the cooked crust.
Return the pie to the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Let it cool completely before serving.
Of course we couldn't wait and cooled it for 10 minutes the first time I made it. I was shocked when The Husband said he liked it. Now I have a pie to make on Thanksgiving!
I've made two before posting just to double check that the recipe wasn't a fluke and I'm happy to say it was enjoyed by all the second time around.
Well, all but the 10-year-old.
But that's all good. More for us.
📖 Recipe
A 'Lighter' Pumpkin Pie My Husband Actually Enjoyed!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 and ½ cups almond flour 168g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil 14g
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (21g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
Filling:
- 2 eggs
- 1 15- oz can of pumpkin
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt 227g
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar 144g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat all the crust ingredients together until a dough ball forms.1 and ½ cups almond flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 eggs, 1 15- oz can of pumpkin, 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- Transfer the crust dough to the pie pan and press with your fingers to cover it. Then bake for about for 10-12 minutes.
- While the pie crust is baking, beat all the filling ingredients together until smooth. Pout it on top of the cooked crust.
- Return the pie to the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Let it cool completely before serving.
- Of course we couldn't wait and cooled it for 10 minutes the first time I made it. I was shocked when The Husband said he liked it. Now I have a pie to make on Thanksgiving!
Krista
Pumpkin is my favorite pie! I usually just eat the filling, so the last 10 years or so I've been making one with crust and one without. I love that this new spin is gluten free, too! Way to go, Roni.