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This classic recipe for gluten free pumpkin pie has a light and flaky crust and a smooth, creamy and rich filling that's made easily in just one bowl.
The secret to making sure the filling is still light and fluffy is using evaporated milk for less moisture and maximum creaminess. Don't be intimidated by the need for a gluten free pie crust, since I can walk you through that step by step, or you can buy a frozen store bought crust!
“I have never made a pumpkin pie, let alone, a gluten free one. And I have, with the help of this recipe, just made the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had! I am so grateful! Thank you! This pie is going to be a big hit come Thanksgiving!”
what's in it
Filling ingredients explained
For full ingredient details, including amounts and how to make the pie, please see the recipe card. Here are just a few notes:
- Pumpkin puree – You'll only need 11 ounces of puree for this recipe, and a standard can is 15 ounces, so be sure to measure out just what you need. Use the rest of the puree to make a half recipe of my gluten free pumpkin bread in one of those little mini loaf pans!
- Eggs – Adds richness and structure to create the backbone of the custard filling.
- Evaporated milk – Adds flavor with less moisture than regular milk. For an even richer pie, use half-and-half or heavy whipping cream in its place.
- Butter – Adds moisture and rich, buttery flavor.
- Sugars – Granulated sugar adds sweetness, and brown sugar also adds notes of caramel flavor. For more depth of flavor, replace 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup.
- Pumpkin pie spice – The classic fall spice combination or cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and nutmeg that provides the aroma of what we think pumpkin tastes like (but it does only faintly). Buy a tin of it from the store, or make pumpkin pie spice at home.
- Gluten free flour – Helps thicken the filing and set the custard so it slices cleanly. As long as it has very finely ground flours, almost any gluten free flour blend you like will work here since there's so little of it.
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free
For the pumpkin pie filling, instead of regular evaporated milk, use dairy free half and half or canned light coconut milk. In place of regular butter, use block-style vegan butter like Miyoko's Creamery or Melt brand. For a dairy free pie crust, follow the substitution instructions in the pie crust recipe.
Egg free
In place of the 3 eggs in the filling, you can try Bob's Red Mill's egg replacer, JustEgg liquid egg replacer, or 1 1/2 tablespoons plain Greek-style yogurt or sour cream and 2 teaspoons cornstarch per egg.
Pumpkin free
Exchange the pumpkin puree for an equal amount of roasted sweet potato puree. Wash, dry, and pierce 3 medium sweet potatoes with a fork to release steam. Bake on a baking sheet at 375°F for about 1 hour, or until the skin loosens and the flesh is very soft. Remove and discard the skin and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Measure out 11 ounces and proceed with the recipe as written.
Expert tips
Crust options
If you're short on time or just not in the mood to make a classic gluten free pie crust, consider these alternatives:
- Crustless pumpkin pie: Grease the bottom and sides of your pie plate fully, and skip the crust. Make sure the custard is chilled until fully set before slicing and serving.
- Store-bought solutions: They can be a great time-saver and taste surprisingly close to homemade.
- Use a gluten free graham cracker crust. Make your own using our recipe, or look for a store-bought one, like the one sold by Mi-Del.
Par-bake your crust
Whether you're using a homemade or store-bought crust, don't forget to parbake it. That just means to half-bake it without the filling first. It keeps your crust crisp even when it's covered in a liquid filling.
Keep your pie crust from burning
If you're using a glass pie dish and you notice the pie crust getting dark at after about 30 minutes total baking time, wrap the bottom of the pie pan with a bit of aluminum foil, and cover the visible crust around the edges, too to slow down the heat absorption to those areas.
Slice the pie cold
For the cleanest edges, slice the pie into wedges when it's very cold. But for the best experience of the flaky pie crust, let the slices sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
How to make gluten free pumpkin pie
Full instructions are in the recipe card. Here's a visual overview of how to make the pie the right way, including the reasons for each step:
Prepare the pie crust, including parbaking it (a partial bake of just the crust) until it's just beginning to brown and it's set. This keeps it from getting soggy when you fill it.
Be sure to cover the bottom and sides of the crust with ceramic pie weights (or dried beans) to keep it from shrinking or puffing up as it parbakes.
Make the filling. Whisk together the wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, evaporated milk or cream, melted butter and eggs) until smooth. Add the brown and white sugars, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and a bit of gluten free flour, and whisk until combined.
Make sure your ingredients are all at the right temperature so they combine fully. A smooth filling without any lumps will bake into a smooth custard and slices cleanly.
Pour the filling into the partially baked crust, and smooth the top. Bake first at 375°F to help the crust brown fully and the filling rise. Reduce the oven temperature and finish baking at 350°F until done for a fully set, evenly baked custard that isn't overbaked.
It's done but not overbaked when it appears set in the center and sort of sways instead of loosely jiggles when it's moved side to side.
Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator until set, about 1 1/2 hours. That's how you get nice clean slices.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 9-inch round pie plate
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Gluten Free Pie Crust, or use store-bought
- 11 ounces (308 g) canned pumpkin puree, or roasted sweet potato puree (See Recipe Notes)
- 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
- 10 fluid ounces evaporated milk, or heavy whipping cream (or half of each), at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled briefly
- ¾ cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons (18 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (any all purpose blend with superfinely ground ingredients, with or without xanthan gum)
Instructions
Prepare the pie crust.
- Prepare the pie crust according to the recipe instructions in a standard 9-inch or 10-inch round pie pan, including chilling the crust until firm (at least 30 minutes).
- Pierce the bottom of the pie crust all over with the tines of a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the raw crust and cover the bottom of the crust with pie weights or dried beans.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the crust is lightly golden brown on the edges, about 10 minutes.
- Once the crust is done parbaking, remove it from the oven and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes before removing the parchment paper and pie weights.
- Keep the oven temperature at 375°F.
Prepare the filling.
- In a large bowl, place the pumpkin or sweet potato puree, eggs, milk or cream, and melted butter, and whisk vigorously to beat the eggs and combine the mixture very well.
- The mixture should be smooth, and will be quite thin if you used evaporated milk, thicker if you used heavy whipping cream.
- Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice and flour blend.
- Whisk the mixture until just combined.
- If you used evaporated milk, the mixture will be relatively thin. If you used heavy whipping cream, the mixture will be thicker and creamier.
Fill the crust and bake the pie.
- Pour the prepared filling into warm crust, and smooth it into an even layer.
- Return the crust to the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 375°F.
- Reduce the heat of the oven to 350°F and bake until the edges are puffed and set, and the center jiggles only slightly and in a controlled, rather than a loose, way when the pie is shaken from side to side (about another 25 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and place the pie plate on a cooling rack.
- Allow the pie to cool for at least 45 minutes or until cool to the touch before covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing in the refrigerator to chill until firm (about 1 1/2 hours).
- Remove the pie from the refrigerator and slice it into wedges while cold. Allow slices to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
Store the finished pie, covered tightly with plastic wrap that doesn't touch the top of the filling, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If condensation forms on the pie after refrigeration, gently dab it with a paper towel.
Wrap leftover individual slices
For longer storageThis pie can be baked completely ahead of time, cooled completely, then covered tightly with plastic wrap and frozen until you’re ready to serve it.
Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight, and then allow it to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. The pumpkin (or sweet potato) custard filling will still be smooth, and the crust as flaky as ever.
FAQs
Yes, most brands of canned pumpkin puree are gluten free because they contain nothing more than pumpkin. However, you should always double-check product labels to be sure the can you're picking up is safe.
No, canned pumpkin pie filling and pureed pumpkin are different things.
Pumpkin pie filling is reduced, sweetened, and spiced pumpkin that's ready to pour into a crust and bake. Pureed pumpkin is simply 100% pure pumpkin. There's no sugar or spice, so you need to add your own when making a pie.
This pie recipe isn't designed to be baked in a larger pan, but we also have a recipe for gluten free pumpkin slab pie that you can use for feeding a big crowd of pumpkin-lovers! The photo for that pie is just below.
Absolutely! If you'd like to save time, there's nothing wrong with using a prepared gf pie crust from the store. Just be absolutely certain that it's gluten free.
You can try reducing the amount of sugar in the filling slightly, but sugar is not just for sweetness. It's also for texture and bulk.
Give it a slight shake and take note of the center. If the center jiggles in a controlled way, your pie is ready. The pie will firm up completely once cooled and refrigerated.
Can this be made without the milk? I cannot tolerate milk or cream. Thx
To make this recipe with dairy free alternatives, please see the text of the post under the heading “Dairy free,” Barbara.
I’m excited to try this recipe! How far in advance is the max you’d recommend? Thanks!
It actually stores really well, Sarah. If you’re serving it for the holiday, you can definitely make it today, 2 days in advance, without a problem. Wrap it tightly and refrigerate it. Then let it sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes so the crust can soften.
Hi! Can I sub the light brown sugar with honey or agave nectar? Thanks!
I’m afraid that you can’t substitute a liquid sweetener for a granulated one, no, Murphy.
Actually, you can!! I subbed maple syrup for all of the sugar and it turned out phenomenal. I just had to extend the cooking time about 25-30 minutes. Hope that helps Murphy.
Thanks for the recipe Nicole. :)
Any chance pumpkin pie recipe can be done egg free using aquafaba ?
Hi, Carol, since this is a custard pie with 3 eggs in the mixture, I’m afraid I don’t think that an egg substitute like aquafaba would work. Aquafaba is a great substitute for egg whites, particularly when they’re whipped and folded into batter. But it doesn’t work as a whole egg substitute very well. Normally, I would recommend trying a “flax egg” or “chia egg” for each of the 3 eggs, but I’m afraid I think it’s too many eggs in a recipe like this that is so egg-dependent to think that it would work well. So sorry!
Can you make it without a crust?
I’ve never made this recipe without a crust, Deb, but the filling is very stable and I’m sure it would work well. Just be sure to grease the pan very well so that you can get the slices out, and you’ll have to watch the baking time as well.
Whenever I make this recipe, I always end up with enough filling for 2 pies, which is fine by me! But my question is, can I freeze it? As much as I would love to eat pie at every meal, my weight can’t afford it. So is freezing the extra pie possible??
Hi, Rachel, Since the filling is a rich custard, you can definitely freeze a baked pumpkin pie, yes. Just wrap it very tightly to avoid freezer burn. I would not try to freeze the raw filling, though.
Awesome, thank you! They’re in the fridge now but I’ll likely flash freeze the extra pie before wrapping it tightly. Also, I use the Mi-Del graham cracker crusts so that might be why I end up with 2 pies. Perhaps they’re smaller.
Actually, yes, Rachel, those are very very shallow pans!
5 starts for the pumpkin custard filling!
My crust was only ok but that was my fault for being in a rush and thinking any gluten free all purpose flour blend would work…used what I had on hand King Arthur and though it baked up and looked beautiful, the crust was hard as a rock…thats ok though, just a carrier for the yummy filling!
I’d like to make a pumping pie with pumpkin, can I use pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes?
Yes, Rosalind, this is a recipe for pumpkin pie. The recipe states you can use either, but sweet potatoes are an alternative. Please see the recipe.
question, why do you parbake the crust? I have a different pumpkin pie that I’ve made for years and never did that but baked it at a higher temperatures.
The reason to parbake a crust is to prevent it from becoming soggy. If you have your own recipe that you prefer, feel free to use that!