No-Bake Pumpkin Pie with Gluten Free Cookie Crust
You can have your pumpkin pie and eat it too, even if you have wheat or gluten allergies. But anyone who enjoys pumpkin pie will love this delicious version.
Coconut milk replaces the traditional evaporated milk by cooking down the liquid until it is thicker and creamy. Cornstarch replaces the eggs resulting in a velvety smooth texture.
The recipe is especially easy because the filling is cooked on top of the stove with no need to worry about burning the edges of your crust. It's much faster and less fussy. Just pour the filling into the crust and it's done.
Of course any kind of crust will do - home made or store bought. You can use the filling the usual way and bake it in a pastry crust in the oven and it will work out beautifully. I have up until now done this filling recipe in the oven. But I'm glad I tried a stove top method. The results were just as good.
The cookie crust is made from my Gluten Free Spice Cookie recipe.
They are great to have available during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.
The Crust
- about 16 Gluten Free Spice Cookies or 2 cups of crumbs
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance or vegan margarine (melted)
Pulse the cookies in the food processor until they are finely ground. You need exactly 2 cups. Place the crumbs in a measuring cup while you process the one cup of pecans until finely ground. Return the measured crumbs to the processor bowl with the pecans. Add the brown sugar and melted vegan margarine and pulse to thoroughly combine.
Divide the mixture into two nine inch pie plates. Press the crumbs to form an even crust with the back of a spoon. Make sure to pack it down so it is firm and even up the sides of the dish. Because the crust is gluten-free it is very crumbly and delicate. But it will hold together once the pie has set.
If desired, you can store these crusts in the freezer for three to four months.
The Pumpkin Filling
- 1 can coconut milk (398 ml)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1 can cooked unseasoned pumpkin (796 ml) (1 2/3 cups)
Place the cornstarch in a medium sized saucepan. Using a wooden spoon stir in just enough coconut milk to dissolve the cornstarch, then add the rest of the coconut milk, sugar and spices. Stir until well combined.
Add the pumpkin and stir over high heat until the mixture begins to boil. You must stir constantly or the mixture can bubble up and burn you, so be careful. If your hand gets tired from stirring, remove from the heat temporarily while you rest.
Continue to stir over medium-high heat to allow about a quarter of the liquid from the coconut milk to evaporate and the mixture to thicken. It takes about ten minutes to get the filling thick enough.
Once the pumpkin filling has thickened it is ready to pour into the pie shells.
Smooth and swirl the surface evenly. Let the pies cool thoroughly before serving. They will hold together much better if they have set for a few hours. Do not cover with plastic wrap until they have set in the fridge for at least an hour or the wrap may stick to the surface and ruin the look.
You can store in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for a few months.
To serve from frozen remove the plastic wrap and place the pie in the microwave for one minute to soften it slightly. It will then slice easily and hold together well.
You can put each slice in the microwave for another 30 seconds to bring it to room temperature or let it sit on the counter for fifteen minutes.
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