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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.
Okay, I made this with butternut squash today, which enabled me to reduce the maple syrup–used approximately 1/4 cup + 2 Tbps. Turned out great! Probably almost identical to the pumpkin version. I love this recipe. Thank you!
Thanks for the update! I think I’ll have to reduce the maple syrup in our next pumpkin pie, too– it seems our taste buds have adapted in the last year, and now my family prefers slightly less-sweet desserts. Good to know that we can use butternut squash, too!
this was the worst pie I ever ate & made. very disappointing. had guests over & they were polite but could tell they hated it.
I’m sorry to hear that! I guess crust-less pie isn’t for everyone. This pumpkin pie has become a staple at our house, and I’ve been asked to make it every year.
I made this and loved it. Do you think I could substitute butternut squash for pumpkin and reduce the amount of syrup?
I haven’t tried that myself, but it sounds like it might work. Please let us know if you have any success!
Def trying it for the upcoming holiday!
Wish me good luck!
I used an avocado instead of the almonds/almond butter and soaked dates instead of the maple syrup. My food processor and blender are out of commission but I was able to use a hand mixer to incorporate all the ingredients (this would be easier if one used maple syrup or honey as the dates didnt completely dissolve/incorporate).
i dont have a high powered blender,so instead i use 1/2 cup of almond butter and then blend the rest of the ingredients?
Yes, blend in the 1/2 cup almond butter with the rest of your ingredients, and you should have a smooth filling!
Do you think if I wanted to cut some of the maple syrup out (maybe only use 3/4 cup) and used 1/4 cup applesauce to replace the lost liquid volume it would still taste sweet enough? Just trying to cut a little of the sugar out (and maple syrup is expensive here!)
Yes, that might work! Please let us know if you try it!
I just made this cake today with honey indstead of maple syrup and sunbutter instead of almonds. I only used cinnamon for spice. We loved it. Nice and sweet and very addictive.
Ive only found pumpkin purée in cans. Where did you find it in a box, like in the picture?
I found it at Whole Foods last year, but I haven’t seen it this year! I hope they order it again before Thanksgiving!
just making this recipe and trying to figure out how many ml is in 16 oz. I’m getting different answers when I google this. I’m hoping that it’s about 1.5 cups?