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This Date Sweetened Pumpkin Pie tastes like the classic version, only it’s made without refined sugar. Your guests will never guess the secret ingredient!
Despite the fact that this pie is sweetened with mostly fruit, you’d never know just by tasting it. You can safely bring it to Thanksgiving and get rave reviews. There’s no butter or dairy required, and homemade pumpkin pie has more flavor!
Pair it with my oat flour pie crust or almond flour pie crust for a gluten-free crust option. The dough is super easy to make from scratch, or you can rely on a store-bought option to save time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instead of using eggs, this recipe uses arrowroot starch as a binder. (Cornstarch and tapioca starch should also work similarly if you have that on hand instead.)
This option makes pie taste like the real thing, with the same texture as classic pumpkin pie. You would never know it’s sweetened with mostly dates, plus a touch of maple syrup.
To keep this pie dairy-free, it uses coconut cream, which is the solid part found at the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk. If you don’t need a dairy-free recipe, you can use heavy whipping cream instead.
If you need another alternative, check out my easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipe, which is thickened with cashews instead.
How to Make Date-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan if you haven’t already.
In a high-speed blender, combine the pumpkin puree, dates, maple syrup, coconut cream, arrowroot starch, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt. Secure the lid and blend until the mixture is silky smooth.
You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender to help the dates break down completely. (This recipe works best when you start with squishy Medjool dates that easily split apart with your fingers.)
Pour the blended pumpkin pie filling into the unbaked pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the pie at 350ºF for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling looks darker without jiggling, and the crust is golden.
Let the pie cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Pumpkin pie is the perfect dessert to make the night before you plan on serving it, so it can chill in the fridge overnight!
Slice and serve with whipped cream on top, if you’d like. Leftover pie can be stored tightly covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have a store-bought bottle, you can make your own by using 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and cloves.
Yes, but the filling might not turn out quite as silky smooth. I’d start by breaking down the dates and coconut cream first, then scrape the bowl of the food processor and add in the rest of the ingredients. Process until the filling is as smooth as possible.
Yes, you can! As long as the pie is tightly covered, it should keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge for at least 24 hours before you plan on serving it.
Looking for more healthy holiday desserts? Try my easy Chocolate Pie, Vegan Pecan Pie (also made with dates!), Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, or French Silk Pie for more naturally sweet ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup Medjool dates , pitted (about 6 oz by weight)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut cream (the solid part in a can of chilled coconut milk)
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch (or cornstarch or tapioca)
- 1 ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and have a 9-inch unbaked pie crust ready to be filled.
- Add all of the filling ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides, as needed, until you can no longer see any pieces of dates in the mixture.
- Pour the filling directly into the unbaked pie crust, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is darker and has set, and the crust is golden.
- Let the pie cool at room temperature for up to an hour, then transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least 2 more hours before serving. (You can also make this the night before and let it chill overnight.)
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, keeping it tightly covered.
Video
Notes
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 (16 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice Blend the filling ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into an unbaked pie crust, or directly into a greased pie pan for a “crustless” pie, and bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes, then chill for 2 hours in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
If you try this healthy pumpkin pie recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
I have tried other vegan pumpkin pie recipes. This is by far my favorite! I love that it is sweetened with dates. We enjoyed it with coconut whipped cream. So delicious! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
I make this each year! It’s an incredible recipe. This year I want to try making it in small silicon molds. Any thoughts on how to do that with a date-based crust/base? Cooking time changes? Or no crust at all and just add whipped cream once done?
Hi Megan,
thank you for all of your lovely, healthy, easy to prepare GF recipes and especially for offering dates, sweetened recipes!
Would you have any suggestions as I would like to make your dates sweeten pumpkin pie with only dates as the sweetener?
I’m trying to reduce the amount of acid in my diet and maple syrup really doesn’t agree with me.
Thank you so much for your reply.
🌿🍁 Kindest regards all around,
~ Nell
Hi Nell! I think if you double the dates in this recipe and perhaps use 3/4 cup of water for blending, that could work? But I haven’t tested that myself, so it will be an experiment. Let me know if you play with the idea!