How to make a healthy pumpkin pie that tastes even better than the original

Written By Unknown on Tuesday, 22 November 2016 | 22:27

While we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, we simply can’t resist marking the occasion a little with some traditional American treats.

Our favourite is, of course, pumpkin pie. I mean, a dessert with veggies in it? That tastes like a warm hug? Yes, please!

But unfortunately, the modern recipe for pumpkin pie isn’t very healthy – all pre-packaged canned pumpkin and oodles of sugar in a white flour shell. Our marketing executive Alyssa whipped up a healthy pumpkin pie in the IQS kitchen to show how easy it is to make this dessert sugar-free*.

You will need:

Filling ingredients.

1 half butternut pumpkin (around 800g).

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
1-2 tablespoon arrowroot.
grated zest of 1 lemon.
1 teaspoon salt.
¾ cups cream.
3 eggs.

Crust ingredients.

2 cups almond or hazelnut meal, or a combination of both, or LSA.
60 g butter, melted.
A pinch of salt.

1. Prepare the pumpkin.

Come on, America. That canned stuff needs to go. Fresh pumpkins are so beautiful and make a perfect sweet, silky base for this pie. Peel the pumpkin, chop into chunks and boil until soft (about 15 minutes). Then, purée or push through a sieve.

“Save 1 ½ cups of purée for the pie. If you’ve made too much, save it and blend into smoothies or muffin mixes.”

I Quit Sugar – How to make a healthy pumpkin pie that tastes even better than the original

2. The easiest pie crust ever!

While it’s tempting to buy a store-bought base, this crust is foolproof and comes with the health benefits of almonds. Simply mix the melted butter into the almond meal until it holds together like a dough (don’t forget to add a pinch of salt, too).

“The more you work this, the better it will turn out,” says Alyssa. “You can even use your fingers and get right in there.”

Then, press the mixture into a 22cm greased pie dish to make an even pie crust. Cook in the oven at 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 and bake or 10 minutes or until golden. Cool completely.

I Quit Sugar – How to make a healthy pumpkin pie that tastes even better than the original

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients.

Cream the eggs and syrup (we’ve used a food processor for an extra creamy finish, but you could use a hand-mixer or just a spoon and some elbow grease). Then, mix the rest of the filling ingredients, including the pumpkin purée.

“The consistency should be like a thin custard,” Alyssa says. “If you think your filling is too runny, just add a touch more arrowroot flour.”

Pour gently into the cooled crust and cook at 18ºC/35ºF/Gas Mark 4 for 45–55 minutes, or until small cracks form around the edges.

I Quit Sugar – How to make a healthy pumpkin pie that tastes even better than the original

4. Eat!

Once the pie is cooled completely, serve with leftover cream. Resist the temptation to drown it in ice-cream or custard – the spices bring out the natural sweetness in the pumpkin beautifully.

I Quit Sugar – How to make a healthy pumpkin pie that tastes even better than the original

* While we quit fructose on the I Quit Sugar: 8-Week Program, this recipe contains rice malt syrup (a blend of glucose and maltose). We recommend enjoying on special occasions and sticking to a small portion size, or cutting down on the sweetener even further if you can.

How to make a healthy pumpkin pie that tastes even better than the original