This rich, deliciously spiced pumpkin pie contains luscious coconut milk, and is sweetened with dark maple syrup and sweet honey. The result is a decadent pie that is moist and sweet, with loads of flavor from the spices.
Yummmmmmm……
This is my contribution to the Nourishing Holiday Food Carnival!
A few notes on the recipe:
I have included the brand name of the coconut milk I used just because different brands vary in thickness. You can substitute a different brand, but make sure it is a very thick coconut milk, otherwise your pie may be watery. I bet that you could also substitute heavy whipping cream with good results as well.
I used both honey and maple syrup to sweeten this pie because both add a different element. The grade B maple syrup adds a deep maple flavor that goes so perfectly with pumpkin pie. The honey adds more sweetness. Using them straight, however, would make your pie too soft, so there is one added step of simmering the honey and maple syrup into a thicker syrup before combining it with the rest of the ingredients. You will find a candy thermometer helpful for this step, though not absolutely necessary.
I have not included a pie crust recipe here, but use your favorite. As Sally Fallon mentions in Nourishing Traditions, pie crust is the one exception she makes by making it with white flour. You could also use sprouted flour. To make it dairy free use either lard or expeller pressed palm oil. I used my trusty Joy of Cooking pie crust recipe, using spectrum’s non hydrogenated shortening (which is expeller pressed palm oil). To make a gluten free pie, you could easily substitute a gluten free pie crust (I would say that a shortbread, press- in- the- pan type pie crust would be easier to deal with), or just leave the crust off entirely!
Unbaked, waiting to go into the oven
Maple, Honey Pumpkin Pie (with Coconut Milk)
This pie is slightly softer than some pies. I like to make it the day before because it leaves plenty of time to set and allows the spices to release their full potential of flavor. I used a 9 1/2 inch pie tin. Please be careful when cooking the honey and maple syrup. Sugary syrups like this are very dangerous when hot. Use caution and common sense. (I make this pie during nap time so that baby isn’t around)
2 cups of pumpkin Puree
1 14 oz can of Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (not lite)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of grade b maple syrup
1 good pie crust
1-Have your pie crust rolled out and in the pie tin. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2-Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium size bowl, except the honey and maple syrup. Set aside
3- Combine the honey and maple in a small pot. Bring to a gentle simmer. Make sure it doesn’t boil over! Let it simmer until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (the temperature should be between 234-242 degrees). To check it, drop a small amount of the syrup with a warm wooden or metal spoon into cold water. Quickly gather the syrup in between your fingers, at the soft ball stage it will be a limp sticky ball that flattens between your fingers when removed from the water. I find it helpful to check at least several times as the temperature gets close. If you are new at this, you may want to take the pot off of the heat while you check it.
4-When it is done, allow it to cool for about 5 minutes and then add to the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly, and pour into the pie crust.
5-Place in the middle of the oven and bake until the center is set (it will still seem quivery, like gelatin, when you nudge the pan). 45 minutes to 1 hour is the usual time. Let cool completely and then refrigerate. Enjoy!
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Kimi,
Do you use a home made pie crust or do you buy the one that you use??
God bless you,
Cindy Strang
Hi Cindy!
I used Joy of Cooking’s pie crust recipe, using spectrum’s non hydrogenated shortening (which is expeller pressed palm oil). It worked really well (so much easier to work with than a 100 percent butter crust).
I also used Better home’s cook book’s pie crust recipe (also using the palm oil) and that turned out well. I like the Joy of cooking recipe better because it was a bit more flaky. 
This sounds GREAT! I’ve been meaning to find a pumpkin pie recipe for my daughter who can’t have dairy, so I’ll definitely try this one out. Thanks again for providing so many yummy, nourishing recipes!
Hey, Kimi! Looks good! I made a similar recipe last year when I couldn’t eat dairy, wheat, etc, for nursing reasons. For the crust, I found some gluten free ginger snaps and crushed them to make a ginger snap crust–just like you would with graham crackers or Oreos. It was DELICIOUS and the perfect compliment to the pumpkin.
Although I don’t comment often, I read your blog first thing every morning. Many of your recipes have become a permanent part of my recipe box. I do have a question though. What is the difference between grade A and grade B maple syrup. Am I correct in assuming grade A has more processing? Thanks for all the yummy recipes!
There are a lot of pumpkin pie recipes and I tend to gloss over them, but yours really stands out! I am not much of a pie maker but I’d give this a shot. Thanks!
We must have the right idea with the pumpkin pie.
I was just thinking yesterday that a little cardamom might add a little extra flavor!
Thanks for a great carnival!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe…This is our first Thanksgiving dairy free & I did not have a recipe for dairy free pumpkin pie….We were so excited to see this post/recipe….Thanks a bunch…we look forward to making it…
I saw the comment in regards to being backed up on writing me back to my questions…Thanks for letting me know…I will look forward to hearing from you when you have a chance….
God Bless.
Jessica O.
Thank you, Kimi! Two of my sons have problems with wheat and dairy and I already use a lot of the things for them that you post about. I started using coconut milk for my older one (the other one just turned 2) to drink instead of rice milk because of the recipes here
.
I was going to make them a pumpkin custard for Thanksgiving, like I have done in previous years, but I am usually just improvising. I am excited to have an actual recipe to try that is *good* for them. Thanks again and God bless!
I forgot to ask in my last note…my husband wants to know if you have ever tried making a whip topping with coconut milk to go on top of the pumpkin pie…?
Jessica O.
Hey Jen,
I am honored that you find the time to read my recipes and posts!
Grade B has a darker, more pronounced flavor than grade A. I like it in the above pie just because it has more flavor, but it’s not necessarily better health wise.
Jessica,
Thanks for your patience.
As far as whipped cream, yes I have made some with the creamy part of coconut milk. You have to have it cold, not whip it too long (it could start to ‘wilt’ again), and it is a bit softer in texture. But we actually love it. (Had zero success with it in the summer though! It was just too hot!)
HI! Thanks for the info on the coconut whip topping. We are excited to try it….Do you add anything else to it when you make it? sugar or anything?
Do you just add the top part of the coconut milk from the can?
Thanks,
Jessica O.
Do you prebake your pie crust at all or just line the pan w/ the crust dough and pour in the filling? I am very new to pie making, and I noticed my aunt prebaked the crust for her pecan pie. Thanks! Valerie
HomespunHope,
You use an unbaked pie crust. That’s a great question to ask.
This recipe is perfect! Couldn’t bring myself to alter it in any way. Got rave reveiws from my family, thanks a bunch:o)
Working on a raw vegan mango pudding recipe to share with you. Have you ever substituted agar agar for gelitan? I heard it sets firmer.
Spencer Andersen,
I am so glad that you all liked it!
Good luck (and I would love to see the recipe when you’ve finished it!)
A mango pudding sounds delish! I haven’t substituted agar agar for gelatin, though from the directions I’ve read, it sounds very simple to do.
Hi Kimi,
Frequent reader, first time writer. You have such a gift for fabulous, healthful recipes – and this pumpkin pie was to DIE for. I did cut back on the sugars by about 1/3 which was perfect for our taste. And did a pecan whole wheat crust, an excellent match with pumpkin. No one knew I used coconut milk – it was very subtle – but added a nice richness. Thank you!
This pie is the bomb!! It was so good!! I made it because I have a friend who can’t have dairy. She loved it! I was a little concerned about boiling the honey/ maple syrup until soft ball stage without a thermomater but your suggestions helped a lot. I tested a bit early and often and took it off the heat when testing like you suggested. It was easy. Thank you so much. It’s even good for breakfast
I made this for Thanksgiving! BUT – I swapped the pumpkin for sweet potato. Excellent! Thanks for the recipe.
Oh, yum … Just found out last year I can’t do dairy and did a pumpkin pie with tofu, which tasted great, but this looks even better. mmmmm …
I made this recipe last night, but got impatient waiting for the maple syrup and honey to become a ball. I just had to bake it longer than normal. We are going to enjoy it today with homemade whipped cream!
Hi Kimi, do you think I can make this without eggs?
Hi, I had am looking for an absolutely divine gourmet pumpkin pie recipe from a chef featured in Good Food magazine years ago, using many of the ingredients that you use in yours, except the topping was a rich custard topped with roasted coconut. If anyone knows of this recipe, please contact me at info@ravioliroller.com. My copy has disappeared and the family are requesting it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks!
Thank you for the recipe! It was a hit! I thought I’d have to give up pumpkin pie completely but this is much better than what I’ve had in year’s past when I could eat dairy and gluten.
HI!
I made this recipe base for Thanksgiving. We’re dealing with a lot of allergies, so I made two versions, both in Sally Fallon’s coconut crust from NT.
For my egg allergic child, I used the recipe but omitted the eggs, substituted a half a banana for a little extra binder, and sliced some pear thinly across the coconut crust before I poured in the pumpkin filling. This one I made in a small rectangular pan more like a tart. They were both incredible. Thank you so much for the recipe.
This weekend we’re going to make the pumpkin pie ice cream.