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This healthier pumpkin pie recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, easy to make with everyday ingredients, and tastes so flavorful and delicious!
Friends, I have a new pumpkin pie recipe for us to make this Thanksgiving! ♡
It’s everything we all know and love about classic version, just modernized just a bit with a few simple and healthier tweaks.
Instead of adding in the usual refined white sugar, this pumpkin pie filling is sweetened with maple syrup, which has the bonus of adding in that delicious rich maple flavor as well as being a more natural sweetener. Instead of the usual can of evaporated milk, this recipe can be made with your choice of regular cow’s milk, nut milk or oat milk, giving you the option to make this pumpkin pie dairy-free if you’d like. I’ve also added in some vanilla and slightly increased the amount of pumpkin pie spice in the filling, to add even more of those cozy warm flavors. And while I opted for my favorite traditional pie crust recipe, you could easily sub in a gluten-free pie crust if you would like to make this recipe gluten-free as well.
The result is a slightly healthier, easy to make, nostalgically delicious recipe that (I think!) tastes even better than the original. Serve it up with a dollop of whipped cream, ice cream, a sprinkle of nuts, or whatever sounds good to you. I think you’re going to love it.
Best Pumpkin Pie Ingredients:
To make this naturally-sweetened pumpkin pie recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Pie crust: I used my favorite homemade pie crust recipe, which you are welcome to make with coconut sugar as a natural sweetener if you’d like, instead of granulated sugar. Or if you’re short on time, a store-bought pie crust will work too.
Pumpkin purée: I’m partial to a can of Libby’s, but any brand of pumpkin puree will do.
Eggs: Three of which we will add to the pumpkin pie filling, and one of which you are welcome to whisk with milk (or water) to create an egg wash to brush on the crust, which will make it nice and golden.
Maple syrup: Which will serve as the natural sweetener for this pumpkin pie filling.
Cornstarch: To thicken up the filling a bit, since we are using liquid sweetener (maple syrup).
Milk: I opted for plain almond milk, but any kind of plain nut milk, oat milk, coconut milk, or cow’s milk should also work.
Pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and sea salt: These will be our warming seasonings for the pumpkin pie filling. (If you don’t have a jar of pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can add 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice instead.)
How To Make Pumpkin Pie:
Here’s how to make this pumpkin pie from scratch! Simply…
Make the crust. Whether you use a homemade or store-bought pie crust, note that we will add the filling to an unbaked pie crust shell. I keep my prepared pie crust in the fridge until just before adding the filling, so that it is nice and chilled and firm, and will hold its shape well while baking.
Make the filling. Easy, just whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl until combined.
Make the egg wash (optional). In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and a tablespoon of milk (or water). Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash lightly onto the edge of the crust, which will turn it nice and golden as it bakes.
Combine. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and smooth out the top with a spoon.
Bake. For about 50-55 minutes, or until the center of the filling is just barely jiggly. (If you insert a toothpick in the outer edge of the filling, it should come out clean.) Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool to room temp, then refrigerate until chilled.
Serve cold. Garnished with whipped cream (or coconut whipped cream), ice cream, a sprinkle of chopped nuts, a pinch of ground cinnamon or whatever sounds good.
More Favorite Pie Recipes:
Looking for more delicious pie recipe inspiration? Here are a few more of my faves:
Make the pie crust. Prepare an (unbaked) 9-inch pie crust according to recipe/package instructions. (I recommend chilling the crust in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before adding the filling, so that it is nice and firm and will hold its shape while baking.)
Make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, three of the eggs, maple syrup, milk, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt together until well combined.
Make the egg wash. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining one egg and an extra tablespoon or milk (or water) until combined. Brush the egg wash lightly over the edges of the pie crust, which will help it to bake up nice and golden.
Combine. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and smooth out the top so that it is nice and flat.
Bake. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the center of the pie filling is ever-so-slightly jiggly. (If you insert a toothpick in the outer edges of the pie filling, it should come out clean.) Transfer the pie to a wire baking rack and let it cool until it reaches room temperature. Then transfer to the fridge for 2-3 hours until it is completely chilled.
Serve. Slice and serve chilled, garnished with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
*Pumpkin purée: This is different than canned pumpkin pie filling. I prefer Libby’s brand of pumpkin purée.
*Gluten-free option: This pumpkin pie filling is naturally gluten-free. But to make a gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe, you will need to use store-bought or homemade gluten-free crust.
*Source: Pumpkin pie filling slightly adapted from iFoodReal.
Thank you fue sharing your suggestion to chill the pie crust! Mine always shrinks during baking. Can’t wait to try this recipe tomorrow for Halloween as a practice for Thanksgiving. I’m going to use fresh pumpkin.
Making it now based on the positive comments about the maple syrup. But disappointed that the questions are unanswered :(. Still, thankful for what seems to be a more refined recipe ;)
I love the idea of no evaporated milk and using maple syrup, but this was really eggy/custardy and not firm at all. some people like it but I would prefer a denser pumpkin pie
Hey, I’m Ali!
My favorite thing in life is time spent around the table. And all the better with some seriously tasty food to bring us all together. more about me »
Do you need to add the cornstarch if you use the evaporated milk?
Currently baking this ! I love all of your recipes ❤️
Can I make this a few days ahead and freeze it?
Hi Ali! Why don’t you blind bake the crust? Also how would you sub regular sugar for maple syrup? Thank you can’t wait to try!
Do you still use the cornstarch if you’re using evaporated milk?
I was skeptical about the maple syrup in this pie, but we agreed it was even more delicious than the sugar version! A keeper!
Thank you fue sharing your suggestion to chill the pie crust! Mine always shrinks during baking. Can’t wait to try this recipe tomorrow for Halloween as a practice for Thanksgiving. I’m going to use fresh pumpkin.
Can you use honey instead of maple syrup?
Thanks!
Making it now based on the positive comments about the maple syrup. But disappointed that the questions are unanswered :(. Still, thankful for what seems to be a more refined recipe ;)
What do you mean by “prepare unbaked crust”? Do you mean “bake”? That’s what I’m going to do to be safe!
This was a very yummy pumpkin pie! We (my Mom and I) really enjoy your recipes. This is an amazing pumpkin pie!
So easy and delicious! Easily made it with my 4 year old. Thank you!
I love the idea of no evaporated milk and using maple syrup, but this was really eggy/custardy and not firm at all. some people like it but I would prefer a denser pumpkin pie