A Healthier Pumpkin Pie-
I am really on a pumpkin spice bender this fall. It’s kind of ridiculous. As soon as the weather cooled down a little, I wanted to make a pumpkin pie right away. I have a recipe that I really love but I wanted to make a version with less coconut oil for a lighter version. This version of the recipe is still rich, with cashew, hazelnut and coconut cream, but is almost half of the calories of my previous pie!
The only difference is that it has to be stored in the freezer unlike my previous recipe, which could be held in the refrigerator or even at room temp.
I think it’s worth it!
I was also super excited to make this recipe because I love to make my own pumpkin pie spice and have recently bought a whole bunch of new organic spices from a local Indian market and they are so fresh and fragrant.
- 2 cups hazelnuts
- 6 dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups cashews, soaked 2 hours
- 2 cups peeled pumpkin
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon soy lecithin granules (optional)
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 cup coconut cream (or coconut milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Soak 2 cups of raw cashews in water for at least 2 hours.
- To make the date crust, add the hazelnuts to a food processor and process until it's a mealy texture, Add the dates, vanilla extract and sea salt and process until mixture becomes a little sticky and all the ingredients are well-incorporated.
- Grease a 9" pie pan well with coconut oil and then transfer the crust mixture to the pan. Press the crust into the pan very firmly and evenly. Take special care to make the top edge of the crust firmly pressed together. Set the prepared crust aside until ready to put the filling inside.
- For the pie filling, rinse the soaked cashews and discard the soak water. Place the soaked cashews in a blender along with the pumpkin, maple syrup, lemon juice, coconut oil, coconut cream, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and sea salt. Blend everything together until very smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Make sure the filling is smooth inside the pan. Place the pie pan in the freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight. The pie should be frozen solid.
- This pie is stored in the freezer.
- Before serving pull it out of the freezer for 10 minutes and leave it out on the counter at room temperature. It will soften up just enough to serve.
- To make the maple caramel, place 1 cup of caramel, ½ cup of brown sugar, vanilla and sea salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add 1 cup of coconut cream and simmer for another 30 minutes over very low heat. The caramel should thicken up a little and will coat the back of a spoon when it's ready. Remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator to cool down.
- The caramel will thicken up as it cools down. You can always cook it a little longer of it's still too thin.
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