This Crustless Pumpkin Pie couldn’t be any easier. It’s creamy, rich and full of flavor. There’s also no flour in it, making it naturally gluten-free. There are also options to make it keto and paleo.
I’m one of those people who think that pumpkin pie crusts are entirely useless and boring. I’m all about cookie pie crusts!
I’ve tried for years (nine, to be exact 🤦♀️) to come up with a great cookie pie crust for pumpkin pie. It’s hard, though.
I work on it every year and thought I finally nailed it this year, but then I decided it was just too sweet.
My solution – just skip the crust and make this crustless pumpkin pie!
Pie crust is often a pain to make and often gets soggy under the pumpkin pie filling.
If you’ve been tasked with bringing something to Thanksgiving dinner and you’re not much of a baker, go with this easy recipe! Or these Pumpkin Cupcakes, which are also super duper easy.
Pie crust is totally overrated. A bunch of tasteless calories, right? ;)
And it takes a fraction of the time to make pumpkin pie when you ditch the crust.
Ingredients
- Canned pumpkin – if you usually use homemade pumpkin puree in your baked goods and you’re confident that it has the same consistency as canned, go for it. Otherwise, I have to say that homemade is often more watery than canned, which is really not ideal for baked goods.
- Granulated + brown sugars – you can use coconut sugar in place of this, if you’d like, for a paleo version. You can also use a keto sweetener (more on that below).
- Pumpkin pie spice – if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can make your own using 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
- Whipping cream – you can use canned coconut milk for a paleo version. I don’t recommend almond milk, cashew milk, etc. as they’re too thin.
I believe that heavy cream would work. I think half-and-half is likely too thin, as well. - Eggs – unfortunately, there isn’t a sub for these in this recipe.
- Vanilla + salt
How to make it
For traditional pumpkin pies, you usually just mix all the filling ingredients together and pour it into the crust.
I would suggest not doing it that way for this crustless pumpkin pie, but rather following the recipe because there’s a key step to making it thick and luscious. And it’ll add 7-8 minutes to the prep time, but it is so worth it.
You heat everything, except for the cream and eggs, on the stovetop and stir for 5 minutes. This helps reduce the moisture, making it ultra silky.
Have I tried this pie without doing that step first? No, I haven’t.
Because I can see the moisture evaporating from the pot, and I know I don’t want that in my pie, which would just make it soggy.
Can I add a crust?
The filling just fits in a 9″ pie pan. If you use a deep-dish pie pan, you’d have space to add a crust.
How long you’d need to bake the pie for and whether or not you pre-bake the crust depends entirely on your crust recipe.
It must cool first!
Out of the oven, the pie won’t have the right texture. When you dig in, it may appear watery or even appear a bit curdled.
It’ll also be impossible to cut.
Cooling and chilling transforms the pie into a creamy crustless pumpkin pie.
So plan ahead. Also, look at how perfectly it comes out! No cracks.
Can I freeze this?
Surprisingly, yes! Let it cool completely and then wrap the whole pie (including the pan) in plastic wrap. Also, make sure your pie pan is freezer-safe.
As far as I know, they all are, but I thought I’d warn you in case there are some that aren’t meant to be frozen. Then place the wrapped pie in a ziploc bag.
You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it defrost overnight in the fridge before slicing.
Keto option
I used 1 cup of Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener in place of the granulated sugar + brown sugars. It worked great!
But I have to say – the batter with Lakanto tasted terrible. Like, I almost threw it away.
So don’t panic if you try it. Just bake, let it cool completely, chill and then taste it.
I usually use the same keto sweetener blend in all my keto recipes. It’s a Gentle Sweet TRM copycat.
If you want to use that, I recommend using 2/3 cup (128 grams) in place of the two sugars. You can find the recipe for it in my Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe, which is by the way, my very favorite keto recipe!
Pumpkin pie just can’t compete with pumpkin cheesecake. ;)
Please read the notes at the end of today’s recipe for the keto option. It was difficult to read with the regular, paleo and keto options in the same recipe card, so I moved the paleo + keto options to the bottom.
Dairy-free crustless pumpkin pie!
In place of the whipping cream, just use full-fat canned coconut milk. You can’t taste the coconut through all the pumpkin pie spice.
Also, I read that you can make homemade heavy cream using milk and butter. So I tried that, even though this recipe calls for whipping cream.
I actually tried it using coconut oil + cashew milk (instead of butter + dairy milk), but it curdled a bit while the pie baked. It was rather unappetizing.
I don’t recommend trying this pie with almond milk, cashew milk or anything else. It’s simply too thin. You could use it in this healthy Pumpkin Smoothie, though!
And a paleo option
Make it dairy-free as I suggested above and also use coconut sugar in place of all the granulated + brown sugar in the recipe.
And like I said above for the keto option, please read the notes at the end of the recipe to see the paleo option.
If you love paleo pumpkin desserts, also be sure to check out my Paleo Pumpkin Cake, which has a super creamy and dreamy maple cream frosting.
Can I make this vegan?
I haven’t tried it, but I would recommend just finding an already vegan crustless pumpkin pie. Eggs are important to the structure of this pie, and I’m not hopeful that eggs subs would work.
Or you could try this amazing Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake. It’s in my top 5 favorite recipes! You can make it ahead of time, freeze it and thaw.
The same is true of this Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Pie. I prefer that cashew-based filling over a traditional one, any day.
Why’s it baked at such a low temperature?
I found that baking it at a normal pie baking temperature resulted in a weird texture. It got kind of clumpy.
Can I bake this in a whatever-type-of-pan?
The problem with that is that you’d have to experiment with the baking time. And baking it for just the right amount of time is super important for this recipe. If you over bake it, it’ll be eggy.
I think I made 11 of these pies over the last month to get it perfect. I’m sick of pumpkin pie. 😂
My point is that you’ll probably want to just follow directions and make two pies for the perfect result.
More questions about this crustless pumpkin pie?
- Can I use something other than pumpkin puree?
Pumpkin pie filling does not work as it already has added sugar and spices. If you don’t want to use pumpkin and prefer something like sweet potato, then I recommend finding a sweet potato pie recipe as sweet potato and pumpkin don’t have the same amount of moisture and are therefore not interchangeable.
- Can I use homemade pumpkin puree?
If you regularly use your homemade pumpkin puree in baked goods and know it’s a perfect sub, then go ahead. But if you’re not familiar with how thick canned pumpkin puree is, then I wouldn’t recommend it.
If your pumpkin puree is too watery, the pie will be watery and just plain bad. - Can I reduce or omit the sweetener?
You can’t omit it. The pie won’t work without sweetener. If you need it to be sugar-free and don’t have Lakanto or the sweeteners needed to make the Gentle Sweet copycat I mentioned above, you can try another sugar-free sub, but I have no idea if it’d work.
With 1 cup of sweetener, the pie is at a regular sweetness. So you can reduce it to 2/3 cup if you want it just slightly sweet. But don’t reduce it more than that!
It’s needed not just for sweetness, but also the texture. Sugar is also a binder and in this recipe, without a crust, that’s especially important. - Can I use something other than whipping cream?
Heavy cream should work. It’d make the pie richer. Half-and-half might work, but I’d be afraid that the filling would be too runny and not rich enough.
Regular milk, almond milk and other thin milks don’t work. Canned full-fat coconut milk does work! - Can I use something other than eggs?
No, for the same reason as above. The eggs are super vital to the structure of the recipe.
More gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Gluten-free Cornbread
- Gluten-free Apple Crumble
- Red-Skinned Mashed Potatoes
- Gluten-free Mac and Cheese
That’s it! If you try Crustless Pumpkin Pie, I so want to hear about it! Leave a comment or snap a pic and tag #texanerin, so I can be sure to see it!
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 8-12 slices
Please read the notes for the keto/paleo options!
Ingredients
- 15-ounce (425-gram) can pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice1
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups (295ml) whipping cream
- 3 large (50 grams each, out of shell) eggs
- whipped cream
Pie:
Topping:
Directions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add everything except the whipping cream and eggs.
- When it starts to steam, stir frequently for about 5 minutes. This step removes some of the moisture, making the filling even creamier.
- Remove from the heat, dump the filling into a bowl (that won't break when you dump something hot into it), and let it sit for 15 minutes or until no longer very hot (you don't want the eggs to scramble which will happen if it's too hot). If you have time, you can just let it sit for about 30 minutes and skip using an extra bowl.
- While it's cooling, preheat the oven to 300 °F (150 °C) and lightly grease a 9" pie dish (a deep-dish pan is not needed).
- Add the whipping cream to the partially cooled pie filling and stir until combined.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, just until combined. There should not be streaks of pure egg because you'll have baked eggs pieces in your piece. They need to be incorporated, but not beaten too much, because that'll cause cracks.
- Pour into the greased pie dish.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes. It'll still be jiggly in the middle, but not around the edges. It will firm up as it cools, but not get totally firm.
- Place on a wire rack to cool completely, about 2-3 hours.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours. Top with whipped cream before serving.
- Wrap the whole pie (including the pan) in plastic wrap. Also, make sure your pie pan is freezer-safe. Then place the wrapped pie in a ziploc bag. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it defrost overnight in the fridge before slicing.
To freeze:
Notes
- If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- For paleo: use 3/4 cup (150 grams) coconut sugar in place of the two sugars, full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the whipping cream and whipped coconut cream for the topping.
- For keto: use 1 cup (160 grams) Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener in place of the two sugars.
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32 comments on “Crustless Pumpkin Pie (so creamy! keto option)” — Add one!
2 comments are awaiting moderation!
I never eat the crust so this was perfect for me. I did a test run yesterday. It passed the test! I’m making 2 more right now for my family for tomorrow. Thanks for your experimenting with this recipe! It paid off big time.
Hi Matt! I’m so glad that it passed the test. I love that you’re making 3 of these in 2 days. ;) I hope it’ll be a hit with your family! Happy Thanksgiving and thanks a ton for your comment. :)
I made this to make sure it’s good before Thanksgiving and WOW. So much better than regular pumpkin pie! That cooking step is genius. My family is going to love this.
Yay! I’m so glad that the recipe worked out well for you. I hope your family will be happy with it! Thanks a bunch for your comment.
This was the best crustless pumpkin pie I’ve made! I cut the sugar down to 2/3 cup, and skipped the step of cooking down the filling before baking and it was still perfection!
I’m surprised it worked out well! 😆 Was it still nice and creamy? I’m glad that you liked it so much! Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
New adventure for me at 82 but love pumpkin so sounds fun thanks
I hope you got to try it out and that you loved it! :)
This was the creamiest pumpkin pie ever!! Love the no crust option! My whole family loved it. Thank you!
Woohoo! That’s great to hear! You’re welcome, thanks for your comment and happy Thanksgiving! :)
This was the best crustlses pie ever! Less crust, more filling – it’s the perfect dessert ;) All my wanted family the recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that! And I totally agree with you. :) Thanks for your feedback and happy Thanksgiving!
I don’t like pie crust so much, so I made this for Thanksgiving and my whole family loved it and nobody missed the crust. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome! That’s awesome that your family all enjoyed it. :) Thanks for your comment and happy Thanksgiving!
I made the keto version for my non-keto family and even they devoured it. A total hit! Which is amazing because they’re very picky. Thank you!
Oooh, I love to hear that! It’s difficult to please the picky ones with keto recipes, for sure. Thanks for letting me know and I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!
I made this for tomorrow but already ate half. Haha. I’ll have to make another! I’m not crying. 😂 Everyone try this!!!
Haha. I wouldn’t be crying, either. :D And I’m also known to eat half a pie while waiting for things to cool. 😄 Thanks for your comment and happy Thanksgiving! :)
This was soooo so much more creamy and flavorful than a normal pie! Never going to make a traditional one again. Waste of calories.
I so agree! Long live the crustless pie. ;) Thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Happy Thanksgiving!
I made this as a trial for Thursday and my kids loved it. Me, too! It made the cut for the big day. :)
That’s great to hear! I hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for your comment!
I made this with my daughter and we had so much fun! So easy and super tasty. Will make again for Thanksgiving dinner.
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for your feedback and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving. :)
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve already done it a couple of times. Always a success and soooo delicious (and as usual so well explained!).
This is A*** :-)
❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️
Hi Sylvie! I am so terribly sorry for just now seeing your comment. I found it in the spam when I was searching for a comment from another Sylvie. Thanks so much for your kind words! I’m thrilled that you’ve been enjoying the recipe. I feel so bad for just now seeing it. 🤦♀️ Thanks a ton for your nice feedback, the hearts and for taking the time to leave your comment! Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate. :)
What can you sub for whipping cream?
Check out the Ingredients section at the top. :) I’m on my phone and can’t copy and paste so easily.
This sure does look creamy. In your picture with the ingredients it shows flour. It looks like spice and there is no flour in the recipe.
Thanks so much for letting me know! I saw that when I was working on the post, uploaded the correct one, and then forgot to actually replace the wrong photo. 🤦♀️ Thanks again! I fixed it.
I think in the photo of the ingredients, the pumpkin pie spice accidentally got labelled as ‘flour’.
Thanks for taking the time to let me know! I just fixed it. :)