Whenever I think of holiday desserts, I almost always think of pie. My great-aunt was an amazing cook and an even better baker. We would always visit them around Christmas time where she would have at least three different kinds of pie and one of those was always pumpkin. So it’s always been one of my favorites.
The filling of this pie is silky smooth, light, and fluffy, all without any eggs or dairy! The plantain helps it to hold it’s shape when cut without being too dense and all of those warming spices are so comforting. I used coconut sugar in this recipe because it has a yummy caramel taste and actually offers more nutrient-density than other forms of sugar.
Coconut sugar can be a source of minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium and contains a fiber called inulin, which has been shown to slow down the absorption of glucose (blood sugar) helping to keep blood sugar levels a bit more stabilized. Moral of the story: enjoy this pumpkin pie to your heart’s content!
Serve this alongside this slow cooker wassail for a perfect holiday treat!
Some tips for success:
Measure out the palm shortening the day before and put it in the fridge so it can have a chance to get nice and cold!
Classic Pumpkin Pie (AIP/ Paleo)
Serve 6 – 8
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the Crust
1 ½ cups cassava flour
½ cup palm shortening, cold
½ tsp salt
⅓ – ½ cup ice water
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the Filling
1 ripe plantain
1 15oz can of pumpkin
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup coconut sugar
2 TBS arrowroot powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp mace
⅛ tsp clove
Directions
Add the cassava flour and salt to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cold palm shortening to the flour mixture, cutting it with two forks or a pastry cutter. Next, add the apple cider vinegar followed by the ice water, 1 spoonful at a time. You want the dough to be able to hold together without crumbling, but not too wet otherwise it’ll be tough.
Gently mix the water into the pie dough with your hands, be careful not to overwork the dough! Combine the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and put in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a pie plate with a little bit of coconut oil or palm oil. Remove the pie crust from the fridge and place on a piece of parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment over top the dough ball and carefully start to press out the dough with a rolling pin. Continue pressing and rolling out the dough until it is about ¼ inch thick. Carefully remove the top piece of parchment paper and place the pie plate upside down on top of the dough. Carefully flip the parchment paper with the rolled out down into the pie plate. Remove the final piece of parchment paper and finish pressing the dough into the sides of the pie plate. Using a fork, prick small holes on the inside and sides of the dough and bake for 10 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
While the crust is pre-baking, start on the pie filling. In a food processor, add the ripe plantain, pumpkin, and coconut milk. Blend to fully combine and until the plantain is as broken down as possible. You may need to scrape the sides and blend a few times.
Next, add in the coconut sugar, arrowroot, cinnamon, ginger, clove, and mace and blend one more time until fully combined.
Once the crust has finished baking, remove from the oven and add the pumpkin filling. Bake one more time for 35 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
