It’s been a few years since I posted this gluten and dairy free pumpkin pie, and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought it was time to bring it back. It is delicious! If you’re grain free, use a grain free crust or bake the pie filling in the pie dish without any crust – you still get all that great pumpkin pie flavor.
I avoided making pies for many years, but last year was a breakthrough for me. I learned to make gluten-free pie crust and fresh pumpkin puree. I shared my gluten-free pumpkin pie last Thanksgiving, and everyone loved it.
This fall when I went dairy free, pumpkin pie was one of the first things I thought about missing. For some reason I thought it would be really difficult to replace the evaporated milk in the pie and the butter in the crust. How silly of me.
The other night we had a very early dinner, so afterwards the kids asked if I could make a dessert for later. I responded with, “I could make a pie.” You should have seen their eyes light up! When I told them I had a pie pumpkin that I needed to use, they weren’t as excited. Pumpkin pie wasn’t their first choice, but it was all I had to work with. Plus the fact that I had been wanting to try a dairy free version. I’ll tell you what they thought of the pie in a minute.
First, I needed a dairy free pie crust. I could have used my gluten-free pastry dough recipe that I recently used for a breakfast pie. It worked well dairy free, but I really wanted to try my first pie crust recipe. When I started making it, I realized it calls for a little bit of millet flour. I didn’t have any on hand, so I decided to use sorghum flour instead. In place of the butter I used Spectrum organic shortening (non hydrogenated palm oil). The crust was pretty good, but the sorghum flour made it drier and more crumbly. Next time, I’ll definitely go back to using millet flour.
Next, I needed a substitute for evaporated milk in the pie filling. I thought coconut milk would work well, but my pickiest son thought I should use almond milk. He doesn’t dislike coconut milk, but he doesn’t like coconut flavor in just anything, and he would be able to taste it. The original recipe called for 1 cup evaporated milk, but I only used 3/4 cup almond milk. Instead, I used 1/4 more pumpkin puree. Otherwise, everything was the same.
The pie baked beautifully. This time I put foil on the edge of the crust to keep it from browning too much. The result was a very delicious pie that we finished off in one evening. In fact, the kids who were not so thrilled with pumpkin pie both commented on how good the pie actually was. I think they forgot how much better pumpkin pie is when made with fresh pumpkin puree.
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Pumpkin Pie - Gluten & Dairy Free
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust recipe
- 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust dough according to directions, but let it rest while you put together the rest of the ingredients.
- Combine all the ingredients using a fork to mix them together.
- Roll and press the pie dough into a 9 or 10 inch pie plate.
- Add the filling to the unbaked pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees 45-55 minutes (longer for a 9 inch pie).
- Cover the crust with foil or a pie shield after about 30 minutes. You can use foil by cutting a large round hole in the center of a piece of foil and placing it over the pie, loosely forming it to the sides of the pie dish.
- Let cool before cutting.
Courses Dessert
Gluten-Free Pie Crust Recipe
More Dessert Recipes
Yummy…yummy…yummy. Looks wonderful. Funny, too, because I just put up a post on raw pumpkin soup. I must try your pie recipe what with all the pumpkins coming out of my ears.
Woohoo, Linda! Dairy-free pumpkin pie success–love it! It's great to know that almond milk and a little more pumpkin puree will work for this pie. Thanks so much for sharing that info and your recipe. I'll send folks who ask about dairy-free (and are not interested in using coconut milk either for various reasons) your way. 🙂
Hugs,
Shirley
I have been using smart balance dairy free butter I may try this for thanksgiving.
I’ve gotta make this thing Tonight!!! I HOPE the smart balance works!!
Because it can get a little runny…
Bravo Linda! The pie looks delicious. I'm glad to hear it worked so well dairy free (and happy to see you used a non-coconut milk!). Thanks for sharing. I think I'll have to make this one this weekend.
It looks great, Linda. Glad to know that the almond milk works. I've been thinking about trying it with coconut milk, but the almond milk sounds better.
Wonderful pie. My son's girlfriend is wheat free and dairy free. We'll make this together. I sent her your blog link. She'll love you!
The link to your pie crust recipe does not work…
Sorry about that, and thanks for letting me know. I have updated the link. Here it is: gluten-free pie crust
425 F for the whole time is too high. Should turn down to 350 F after 7 mins or so. Wish I figured that out sooner – now I have a burned crust. 🙁
Angie, I’m so sorry you had a burnt crust. The instructions say to bake it at 400 and to cover the edges with foil after 30 minutes. Covering the edges keeps the crust from burning.
Thank you so much for this recipe! My 5 year old daughter has multiple severe food allergies, wheat and dairy among them. The holidays can be difficult, because there are so many treats she can’t have. A few weeks ago she was asking if she could try the pumpkin pie my husband and I were enjoying, and we felt so bad telling her that it had “itchies” in it. (Of course we gave her a dairy free ice cream sundae in place of the pie!) But I promised to find an allergen free pumpkin pie that she could try. This pie is FANTASTIC!!! It was seriously one of the best pumpkin pies I’ve ever had. The crust was fantastic (I did add a tablespoon of sugar ;), and you couldn’t tell at all that the evaporate milk was missing from the filling (I used coconut because she’s allergic to nuts). My daughter scarfed down 2 pieces! Thank you!
Do you ever use almond flour? Where can I buy Xanthum gum?
One more question:). Why do so many of you prefer not to use coconut milk?
I’m new to all this!
Hi Jennifer. I have used almond flour a little, but not in this recipe. Xanthan gum can be found at health food stores, or on Amazon. I like coconut milk, but it can give food a definite coconut flavor which I don’t always want in a recipe.
i have made this several times nd i love it but i by pre made gluten free pie crust nd it cuts down the time to make this pie.
I know this is an old post, but I’m really hoping you’ll see the comment anyway. I was looking for a gluten and dairy free pumpkin pie recipe, that I could make for my cousin. I’ve never used almond milk before, and I’m not sure what kind I should get… Any recommendations?
Thanks.
Hi Alicia. I use Blue Diamond. The brand shouldn’t matter that much, but I use an unsweetened plain variety versus vanilla flavored.
Thank you! That helps a lot. I’m excited to try this recipe soon!
Otherwise the vanilla flavored is very good in it too:)
Do you think buckwheat flour mixed with almond flour would work for a crust?
Sara, I haven’t used almond flour or buckwheat a whole lot. You will just have to give it a try and let us know. 🙂
This looks and sounds great.
But…. just wondering how this is dairy free if there are eggs in it??? Hmmm
Hi Rebecca. It is a common misconception that eggs are dairy because they are often sold in the dairy case at the store. Dairy only refers to milk products such as milk, cream, butter, and cheese. Eggs come from chickens who don’t produce milk. 🙂
was wondering same about butter?
Bethany, the pie crust recipe says to use butter OR shortening or Earth Balance margarine (the shortening and margarine are dairy free). The pie itself does not use butter.
Thank you, so much, for this recipe! I was able to make a pumpkin pie my cousin could eat, and we all loved it! My husband said it was my best pumpkin pie yet, which a pretty big compliment. I’m so glad I found this recipe.
Alicia, I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi, i tried making your pie filling recipe for Thanksgiving, when I baked it the pie filling bubbled instead of hardening, so I just left it in the oven to bake a little bit longer and it still did not harden, I took it out and set it in the garage to cool ( our fridge was full of Thanksgiving food) and it hardened a little bit but still was pudding like, but my two sisters loved it and so did I.
I’ve made this pie many times and never had that happen. I wonder if you forgot the eggs. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
Mine does the same thing. It tends to be very soft and not able to cut into it immediately. Longer it sits in the fridge after cooking, the better. As long as I don’t inhale it and let it sit in the fridge, it is more pie like and not as soft. I left mine in the fridge for a day before cutting into it, and it was much easier to slice. I use this recipe when making pumpkin pie. LOVE it!!
Hi, I just wanted to put in my 2 cents. After experimenting with a variety of non-dairy milks, I found that the best pumpkin pie taste & texture came from using 8 oz of almond milk; with 4 oz of coconut milk. Thanks for all the good ideas.
That’s interesting. I can see how that would be a good combination. Thanks for sharing it.
I am wondering what other “milk” might work in place of the Almond as I can’t do nuts. Don’t like the coconut due to flavor. Have you tried rice or soy milk?
Sorry, I use almond and coconut milks. Soy milk might work. I think it’s a little thicker than rice milk.
This pumpkin pie was delicious!!! My entire family loved it. We thought it was better than the “regular” pumpkin pie. We will make this again and again.
I’m so glad you hear you all loved it! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi! I was wondering if there is a substitute for the eggs. My mom is GF and allergic to dairy and eggs. I would love to surprise her with a pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.
Kelly, I really don’t have experience with using egg substitutes. I’m sorry I can’t help.
My favorite substitute, and only for brownies and a pie filling like this one, for eggs is 1/3 C of rice flour and 1 cup of water that is cooked on medium heat, constantly stirring till it is a paste. This substitutes 2 eggs.
I have many failed attempts in brownies and pies.
My other egg substitute for cakes and breads are 1 egg=2TBS of applesauce or 2 Tbsp of non dairy yogurt. (Just do not use in brownies or pies)
How do you make your pumpkin puree? I’m new to the gluten free world and I am just starting to experiment.
I explain how I do it here. http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/pumpkin-pie-totally-from-scratch/ But as it says in the recipe, canned pumpkin with work too. If you make your own, buy a small pie pumpkin.
You did not include baking temp. & time.
When I make my pie crust I just mix some olive oil with the non gluten flour of my choice & a little water & press into my pie plate.
Sometimes I just cover the bottom .
There is no baking time and temp for the crust because you should follow the instructions for whatever pie you are making. The pumpkin pie instructions say to bake at 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Sorry for the confusion!
I am taking a chance since this is an old post. Is it possible to sub the eggs with something else? I am dairy, gluten, egg, and many more food items free and my boyfriend is craving pumpkin pie!
Hope, I don’t have experience with egg substitutes. I really don’t know how it would work in pumpkin pie. I’m sorry I can’t help.
What can be done to eliminate the suger? I am always looking for better recepies but so many disappoint because of the suger which, as a diabetic, I try to avoid.
I would use coconut sugar, which is low glycemic.
thank you so very much for posting this recipe. i am mildly allergic to gluten & dairy. this pumpkin pie looks awesome. I’m donna make this tomorrow for thanksgiving.please post more recipes . i’m looking for a gluten free dairy free apple pie recipe. Thank you Linda Etherton your a godsend to allergy suffers like me
I was looking to substitute the evaporated milk with either coconut milk or almond milk. It’s for my daughter who is 28 and gets sinus symptoms a few minutes after accidentally ingesting any hidden dairy partial unit in a food. I’m amazed. I have 2 pies in the oven now for the others, but I told her I would make her one. But the non-refrigerated almond milks (etc all) are not evaporated. Will that make it too soupy?
Maybe I will microwave a little of it as a custard and experiment if it’s not great.
But if you know a way around the evaporated milk, please let me know?
Thank you.
Elizabeth
I’m sorry. I must need a nap! I was just reading comments about milk free and finally saw it….it was right there! Bless you. Rebecca will be so happy! Due to multiple chemical sensitivities, her three kids are starting to be congested all the time, so we will pray they love this!I also saw a recipe that exchanged the sugar for 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. I want to try that too. But only one new thing a holiday, I think!
God bless your holiday with joy and peace.
Thank you.
Elizabeth
Great recipe and super tasty. I made this today. I used a pre-made gluten free pie crust because I was out of time and lacking certain ingredients but I was able to find an already made gluten free and dairy free crust. I made the filling according to directions but used coconut egg nog( So delicious brand) instead of almond milk. Then I used a spice mix I had similar to pumpkin pie mix. I also added just a touch of lemon zest and I used coconut sugar( a little less than what it called for) instead of regular because that is all I had. It still turned out amazing. I am totally keeping this recipe for future use. I am glad to find one that works especially with all my dietary restrictions.
Thanks so much for posting this- it worked wonderfully and allowed my daughter to eat her 1st pumpkin pie ever! I tried it too, of course, and it was delicious 🙂 A lifesaver for thanksgiving, thanks again and happy holidays to you! ~Kam
Hi. Have you tried freezing this recipe? I have a lot of pumpkin to use up and think this recipe would be perfect to take along for some upcoming potluck events. Thanks!
No, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it would work well.
Will this recipe work as well with flax meal and water to sub for the eggs?
How do you keep the crust from becoming soggy. I tried just putting the filling in then baking. They said the crust was raw in the middle. The next pie I decided to cook the crust first and then add the pumpkin filling and cook again. This time I decided to try a piece before I gave it away. The crust was soggy an doughy in the center of pie. I need some help.
I’ve never had that problem and I do not bake the crust first. Maybe the pie filling ingredients were too wet. Did the filling firm up? Or maybe the oven wasn’t hot enough. I don’t do a lot of pie baking, so I’m not a great problem solver on this one. But this recipe has worked well for me numerous times.
Would canned coconut milk work? I am also thinking of reducing the sugar to half a cup. Would I need to add anything extra? Looks great!
Canned coconut milk should work, and reducing the sugar would probably be okay too. I haven’t tried either so I can’t say for sure.
Thanks for the response. I just bought some almond milk so I used that. Is the end result supposed to be more liquid than usual? I baked for a very long time about 80 minutes but the knife still did not come out clean. It is still cooling down so I am not able to try it yet.
Also, overnight the pie had turned greenish gray. I am not sure why that happened?? The taste is good though.
I think the filling turned sort of greenish because the almond milk I had had some kind of added ingredient that reacted with the filling. I also tried the filling recipe again and just baked until it wasn’t jiggly and the filling set well in the fridge.
This Thanksgiving I am going to a friend’s house. She is gluten and dairy intolerant so I bought a gluten free pie crust and I will be adding coconut milk and Tru via in the pie. Happy Thanksgiving!
I made this for my son that cannot have gluten, dairy or egg yolks. So, I added 3 Tbs. of egg yolk for every one egg and the recipe turned out great! That’s not always the case when not using yolks, but it did for the pie filling in this one. I was in a pinch to find something quickly and this worked out the first time to my relief. I’ll be keeping the recipe!
I made this pie for Thanksgiving because my husband loves pumpkin pie but doesn’t like to eat gluten. I liked that the ingredients were few and simple. He loved the pie. In fact, I made a second one the following day because the first pie was gone already! I substituted Stevia for the sugar and it still tasted great.
Thanks for this, I’m a celiac and my son, (and subsequently my wife who is nursing him) cannot have dairy, and all the pre made fillings have both those things. Can’t wait to enjoy pumpkin pie for the first time in years.
this pie is so easy to make . love it. make this every year for thanksgiving.
Hi there! First, thank you so much for sharing this gluten free recipe! For the vanilla (and I’m not sure if it actually matters), do you use powdered or liquid extract? Thank you in advance!
I use liquid vanilla extract.
Can I use a graham cracker crust?
Sure, I think that would work.
Hi, how much longer do you bake for a standard 9″ pie?
Why would my pie be so dark, it was almost dark like chocolate? I used coconut milk and turbanado sugar.
Probably the turbanado sugar made it dark.
would you freeze this before baking, if using a premade pie crust? or bake the whole thing and then freeze?
I would bake and then freeze.
so delicious!!! we made without crust and it tasted like a pumpkin creme brûlée. Thanks for the amazing but easy recipe!
I don’t know if you’ll get this since this is an old posting but, I just made this and it is simply AMAZING! I’m too lazy to make a crust so I substituted almond flour tortillas, I dampened then with a little water to moisten them, then laid them in the pan, poured the filling in, put foil over the crust so it wouldn’t burn and had to bake for an hour and 20 minutes for it to thicken. OMG, thank you SO, SO much for this recipe. You would never know it was dairy free, it’s simply delicious! I gave a piece to my 27 year old son, who is VERY picky about how food tastes, and he devoured it immediately and said, “this is good, this is REALLY good.” I can now have pumpkin pie for holidays without having to take Lactaid, which didn’t always work. I’m soooo happy! I was also having a lot of issues with grains so I started buying almond flour tortillas and they worked out perfectly. I also love how it has a deeper color than when milk is used. Thank you again!
You’re welcome, Lori! I like the almond flour tortilla idea, but the pie is also great without any crust at all. I’m glad you and your son enjoyed it!
Can I use 3/4 cup of agave nectar instead of the sugar? Has anyone tried this substitution before? Any advice is welcome.
Thank you!
Candace, I’m planning to try this recipe for Thanksgiving, substituting agave nectar for the sugar. Since agave nectar is so sweet, I usually use less of it, so I may try 1/2 cup instead of 3/4. Also, I may either make my almond milk extra thick or increase the pumpkin puree even more to offset the additional liquid in the agave nectar. If you’ve already made it with agave nectar, I’d love to hear how it came out and whether you would recommend any additional adjustments. Thanks!
I use this recipe every year! So good! I only use 1/2 cup almond milk and add in a little more cinnamon. Thank you so much for this!
Just a heads up dairy free means no dairy ….eggs are dairy.
Actually, eggs are not dairy. They come from chickens. Dairy products come from cows and other mammals.