For today’s recipe I thought I’d finally try my hand at making my own gluten free pumpkin pies and I’m happy to report it was a huge success! It’s such an autumn classic where I’m from in Canada, it’s absolutely delicious and it’s sadly not something you often come across in here in the UK, let alone a gluten free version! It had been YEARS since I last ate a slice of pumpkin pie and I thought this needed to change ASAP. ?
First of all pumpkin pie filling is incredibly simple to make and takes seconds to whisk together. All you need is canned pumpkin, sugar, eggs, flavourings and a source of dairy. I decided to go for plain Greek-style yoghurt in this recipe which worked out really well both in terms of taste and texture, but condensed milk and double/whipping cream are some popular options as well.
For the pie crust, you can save yourself a lot of time and hassle by using a pre-made gluten free shortcrust pastry, but if you feel like giving your own a go, I was really happy with how these turned out. I used my usual yoghurt based pie crust, but with a bit more sugar this time, and the result was perfect!
Note: I didn’t use any mini foil trays for the pies and to be honest you don’t need them at all. In my opinion it’s a waste of money and more unnecessary crap that ends up in the bin. Just grease the baking tray first and it’s all good. ?
Tips:
1. Freeze or chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before getting started to make it less sticky and easier to handle.
2. Brush some egg white on the pie crusts before adding the filling. It creates a barrier between the two which prevents the crust from going soggy.
3. You may need more flour depending on what flour blend you use and the size of your eggs, etc. Start with 120g and then add more (one spoonful at a time) if necessary until you reach the right consistency. It will be relatively sticky (before freezing), but it shouldn’t be to the point of being unmanageable.
4. For those living in the UK and struggling to find canned pumpkin, have a look in Waitrose. It’s a bit easier to find at this time of the year, but in my experience it’s the only supermarket that seems to always have it in stock. I buy this one by the brand Baking Buddy.
5. To create perfect looking mini pie crusts with the little dents all around, use a crinkled cookie cutter.
Homemade Gluten Free Pumpkin Pies Recipe:
- 120g gf self-raising flour + a bit extra (I used Doves Farm)
- 2 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 55g unsalted butter
- 40g plain Greek-style yoghurt
- Half of an egg (25g)
- Egg white (to brush onto the crust)
- 215g canned pumpkin (I used Baking Buddy)
- 85g plain Greek Yoghurt
- 1.5 eggs
- 40g caster sugar
- 40g brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 150ml double cream
- 2 heaped Tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp hazelnut flavouring (I used Little Italy Caffe sugar free hazelnut syrup)
COOKING TIME: 35-40 mins
NOTE: I used a very shallow pie/bun tray to make these.
Directions
How to make the shortcrust pastry:
- If making your own pastry, go ahead and add the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl. Add the butter (it should be cold, straight out of the fridge) and mix with the dry ingredients, crumbling it with your hands until you reach a breadcrumb-like texture. Then add the egg and yoghurt and mix until you can form a dough ball (you’ll have to wet your hands slightly to prevent sticking). Note: as I explained above in the tips section, if the dough is way too sticky and hard to manage, add more flour (just a bit at a time) until you can form a sticky but manageable dough ball.
- Place the dough in a ziplock bag and put in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes. This makes it a lot easier to handle and roll.
How to prepare the pie crusts:
- Lightly flour your work surface and knead the chilled dough until smooth, then sprinkle some more flour on top and roll the pastry with a rolling pin until it’s about half a centimetre thick at most.
- Cut out the mini pie crusts with a cookie cutter and carefully place them on the baking tray, pressing them gently into the moulds.
- Repeat with the leftover pastry.
Make the pumpkin pies:
- Preheat the oven to 160C (325F) and grease a mini pie tray with olive oil, butter or non stick cooking spray.
- Put all pie filling ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Brush the pie crusts with egg white using a pastry brush (as I said above in ‘tips’, this prevents the crust from going soggy) and then add the filling (2 to 3 teaspoons in each pie).
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes on the middle shelf, until the crust has turned golden brown and the filling looks set.
- Take the pumpkin pies out of the oven and let them cool down completely.
- Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
How to make the whipped cream:
- Add the cream, icing sugar and hazelnut syrup in a bowl and mix on low speed with an electric hand mixer, in a circular motion, until stiff peaks form.
Enjoy!
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