Decadent Yet Healthy Pumpkin Pie: An Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe

When I was a kid, “pumpkin season” lasted all of one week.

Here’s how it worked: You bought a pumpkin for 5 cents per pound at the grocery store, carved it up with a simple smile and some eyes, put a candle in it, and proudly placed it by the front door.

And then, a week or two later, threw it out when it was moldy and disintegrating all over the porch. (Unless, of course, teenagers had already come along and swiped your pumpkin in order to smash it on the street.)

Oh yeah, then there was the obligatory pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day. But that was it for pumpkin.

Now pumpkin season has gone bananas. Throughout autumn, you can readily find pumpkin bread, pumpkin pasta, and even pumpkin beer.

Pumpkin has also become a national coffee drink obsession. When Starbucks releases its seasonal brew, Pumpkin Spice Latte, it makes the headline news! (And, weird fact, until this year, the drink didn’t even contain pumpkin!)

I’m happy to see pumpkin getting a broader spotlight than jack-o’-lanterns and Thanksgiving pie.

Here’s why:

• They are easy to organically grow.
• Pumpkins are fantastic keeper vegetables. We buy pounds and pounds of winter squash in the fall from local farmers and eat them all the way until springtime, thus supporting our local farmers and contributing to our food security.
• They are a nutrient dense food and exceptionally high in antioxidants like beta-carotene, which has been shown to protect eye health and prevent certain types of cancers.
• Pumpkins are high in fiber, and related species have been shown to regulate blood glucose levels, which is increasingly important for the growing number of people with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
• They taste great and are really versatile. You can sweeten them up for a delicious dessert (check out my Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe), or head down the savory lane with a Curried Pumpkin Soup.

Today’s post takes the sweeter route and features a healthy pumpkin pie created by my husband, Xavier. It’s been our super easy pumpkin pie recipe this season. It can easily be made into a gluten-free pumpkin pie or dairy-free pumpkin pie. And while it makes an obvious dessert, we’ve found it also goes down well for breakfast.

Decadent Pumpkin Pie

If you are looking for a delicious, no-hassle dessert that is also healthy, this is your recipe!

You can whip up this healthy pumpkin pie in 15 minutes, it doesn’t contain common allergens like gluten or dairy, and only calls for a small amount of honey in place of the gobs of sugar often found in pumpkin pie.

For the sake of convenience, this easy pumpkin pie recipe uses canned pumpkin. When buying canned pumpkin, look for brands that don’t include any added sugars or other flavorings. The only ingredient in the can should be pumpkin. Conversely, you could cook a pumpkin (or any type of winter squash) and use that instead.

What you’ll need…

• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (just shy of 2 cups)
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
• 1/4 teaspoon clove powder
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or butter substitute
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups oats (gluten-free if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin, coconut milk, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, salt, vanilla, and eggs until well combined.

Pour the mixture in a well-greased 8-inch pie dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low heat, stir in the honey, and then the oats. Mix until the oats are well coated with the butter and honey mixture.

Remove from heat and scoop spoonfuls of the oat mixture all over the top of the pumpkin mixture.

Cook for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center still has a little jiggle to it.

Let it cool completely for several hours, preferably overnight.

Yield: This makes one pumpkin pie, approximately 16 servings