Raw Pumpkin Pie Tarts Recipe {vegan, gluten-free} (2024)
By Amanda Le
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! This also means pie season is about to officially kick-off. Pumpkin pie is a staple dessert for the holidays around here and as well as a crowd favorite. It’s probably one of the healthier pies (maybe?) but there’s still tons of room for improvement so that’s why I decided to create my own version of this traditional dessert. There’s absolutely no need for baking to be involved, let alone eggs or condensed milk.
The best thing about this pie is that the crust is really hard to mess up. You’d have to really try. I’m pointing out this awesome fact because that’s the part of pie making that seems to really get people flustered. This raw crust is not only extremely delicious with an amazing texture, but it’s also ten times better for you. So pass up on the stressful holiday baking and create something that’s enjoyable to make.
I chose to make pie tarts with a muffin pan instead of creating a full pie to even out the pie to crust ratio and well, they are way cuter this way! Don’t you agree? Using a muffin pan creates the perfect portion and helps avoid the awkward pie fails when cutting up slices. You know what I’m talking about. Pies are always falling apart once it’s time to cut and serve. You can’t go wrong with the presentation here.
I also ditched the refined sugar and sweetened this pie up with delicious fresh dates. I went with khadrawy dates for the pie crust and zahidi dates in the pie filling but as long as you use soft dates, any variety will work out perfectly. I used a small amount of nuts compared to most typical raw desserts to keep the fats low in this dessert, making it a guilt free treat. Mulberries also add awesome texture to the pie crust. The combination of just 3 simple ingredients creates a delicious crust that compliments the creamy rich pie filling that will make you think was sinful. This is definitely not the case.
By simplifying the ingredients used in this filling I increased the nutritional value by taking out all of the processed junk and replaced it all with healthy whole foods. It’s win win all around! The decadent filling is created with pumpkin puree, dates, coconut butter, almond milk and spices. Make sure you use coconut butter and not coconut oil!
Pumpkin puree can be a tricky ingredient when it comes to eating fully raw. However, it’s very possible to create raw pumpkin puree with a little patience. All you need to do is peel, de-seed and chop up your sugar pumpkin into small cubes. Place your chopped pumpkin in a food processor to break down the pieces further then throw the processed pumpkin chunks into a high-speed blender. Blend until you have a very creamy smooth uniform puree.
If you’re short on time or just like to simplify things use canned pumpkin puree. As long as it’s organic, non-GMO and BPA-free canned pumpkin puree. I often use canned pumpkin puree in other desserts and sauces since I usually don’t need too much or pumpkins are not available year round.
If you want to bring something unique to the table this Thanksgiving then impress your friends and family with this homemade raw pumpkin pie. Raw desserts are a great was to introduce others to a raw food diet. Spread the health this holiday season and make these delicious pumpkin pie tarts!
Blend all crust ingredients in a food processor until you have a thick, uniform crust texture.
Scoop dough out and mold to parchment lined muffin pan creating a bowl shape.
Place crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Blend all filling ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor until you have a creamy uniform consistency.
Remove muffin pan from the freezer and scoop filling into your crust.
Place pumpkin pie tarts in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Take the tarts out of the freezer 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Place coconut butter jar in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5 minutes to soften it up. If dates are not soft, soak them in warm water for at least an hour ahead of time. If crust is too sticky to manage, wet your fingers to help shape the tarts into the muffin pans. If you or your guests prefer a warm pie, simply place the frozen pumpkin pie tarts in a preheated oven (350 F) for 30 minutes. Carefully remove tarts from the oven and serve.
Pumpkin puree from a can: Make sure you don't buy pumpkin pie filling. Sweet potato: Adds additional flavor and texture. Pumpkin pie spice: (I use my homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe for the absolute best flavor!) Cinnamon: For extra depth of flavor.
Because pumpkin pie fillings are a custard, made with a lot of eggs, bakers have to be mindful of not overbaking the pie. Eggs, when cooked, thicken and set the custard, but when overcooked the egg proteins will tighten up quickly and create cracks.
My pumpkin pie always cracks or separates from the crust.
The solution? Blind-bake your pie crust with pie weights until light gold, then pour in the filling and bake until inch or so diameter in the center is still jiggly like jello—not soupy.
Pumpkin pie filling will be labeled as pumpkin pie mix or pumpkin pie filling. Ingredients - Pumpkin puree made from scratch contains only pumpkin, but canned puree may contain a preservative like salt. Pumpkin pie filling contains additional ingredients like sugar, spices, and thickeners.
The pie is generally flavored with pumpkin pie spice, a blend that includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves or allspice. The pie is usually prepared with canned pumpkin, but fresh-cooked pumpkin can be used.
To get 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves or nutmeg, whatever you have! If you have two of the above spices, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of whichever two spices you do have.
To avoid overbaking, check your pie at least five minutes before the end of the suggested baking time. You can always bake it for longer, but you can't unbake it. Also, watch out for overbrowning the crust.
A pumpkin pie that bakes in the wrong oven rack position—in this case, too close to the oven's top heating element—can result in its filling developing a skin that cracks as it bakes. It also causes the filling to settle while cooling, making it pull away from the crust.
To that end, we've found that refrigerating pumpkin pie filling overnight before using it not only enhances the spices' flavors, but also mellows them.
Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.
With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.
To make pie crust, add flour, cinnamon, ginger, sugar, salt and cloves to bowl of a food processor fitted with dough blade. Pulse to combine. Cut cold butter into cubes and add to food processor. Pulse until mixture has pea-sized clumps of butter throughout.
Yes, traditional pumpkin pie does have dairy in the form of evaporated milk. To make pumpkin pie dairy-free, I've used vegan sweetened condensed milk in my recipe!
One of the best things about eating vegan pies is getting to enjoy the vast amount of vegan pie varieties and different flavours that are blended together to create exquisite flavours, such as: Vegan shepherds pie. Squash, spinach and feta. Vegan 'cheese' and onion.
Introduction: My name is Eusebia Nader, I am a encouraging, brainy, lively, nice, famous, healthy, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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