Amazing Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie

I am currently enjoying every ounce of my days watching Hallmark movies, wearing comfy clothes, and working on Christmas stuff.  My computer and a stack of Christmas cards are calling my name. (So is the book I just started. . . but that will have to wait for a few minutes) Oh, and maybe a cup of hot chocolate. I am so thankful for these quiet days to just chill and check some things off my list. I'll be honest, there are so many things that make me want just crawl under the covers and hide from so.many.things.  There have been some pretty amazing things that have come out of this wild, crazy, and completely weird year, but there have also been some hard things. Today, we officially have stay at home orders and I am just so sad.  So, I am going to dream about this pumpkin pie. . . pitiful looking crust and all!

Speaking of crust, I am just going to confess something to you. . . and maybe offer a little bit of encouragement.  I CANNOT MAKE A PRETTY CRUST FOR THE LIFE OF ME.  There I said it.  It's true.  My crusts are never beautiful or magazine worthy.  But, I still make pie.  Because regardless of how funny the crust looks, the pie still tastes delicious (or so people say).  So, please, pretty please, ignore my ugly crust and trust me.

This year, we gathered with just a smaller family group and while we missed the extended family it was really a sweet time of conversation, memories, and a fun game stolen from a Christmas movie.  I made the most delicious chocolate bourbon pecan pie (click here for the recipe), but promised the boys I would add a pumpkin pie to my Costco order for after Thanksgiving.  It is always Jon's favorite, but it soooo big.  Well, I placed my instacart order and completely forgot to add the pie.  OOPS! The boys were just so sad that I had to get to baking.  Thankfully, pumpkin pies are pretty easy and I always have pumpkin on hand (the Trader Joe's canned pumpkin is truly my favorite and I used it in this particular recipe).  While I was looking for a recipe, I noticed a lot of chatter about Libby's changing their recipe this year and when I checked it, it was completely different.  Since, I just happened to have the non dairy version of the ingredients, I thought I would give it a try and hope for the best.  

How do the two pies compare you might ask?  Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie (the go-to original recipe) is just eggs, spices, evaporated milk, and sugar.  The new pie, called Libby's New Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie replaces the sugar with sweetened condensed milk making it super rich.

 My concerns for making this pie non dairy were:

::  Will the pie set up the correct way?

:: Will it taste coconut overpower the pumpkin? 

I think the new recipe is incredible and perfect and it might just be my new go-to recipe for homemade pumpkin pie.  I used the Nature's Charm Sweetened Condensed coconut milk and evaporated milk that I have found at Sprouts.  

Here's the recipe:

Amazing Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients: 

• 1 deep dish pie crust*
  
• 1 15 oz can of pumpkin
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 cup of dairy free evaporated milk
• 1 can of dairy free sweetened condensed milk 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  
• In a bowl, whisk together all your ingredients until creamy and beautiful. Pour into your prepared, uncooked crust.  Bake for 15 minutes. 
• Then turn oven down to 350 degrees and continue baking for another hour, or until set.  I found that it took about 5 extra minutes so definitely keep an eye on it. 
• Allow Pumpkin pie to cool.  Once it cools, stick in refrigerator to finish setting.  It will be a little runny, if you don't give it some time in the fridge.  Also, don't stick in the fridge while it is still hot because it will develop some condensation spot on top of the pie.  We don't want water-y pie.
  

*pre-bought pie crust is most often not dairy free.  I used a Trader Joes pie crust, but because it is baked the butter doesn't bother us (the high heat changes the chemistry of the milk protein and sugars)

I recommend making a pie crust using a dairy free butter, like Miykos.  

You can also make this paleo by finding a paleo pie crust or even switching your flour with some paleo baking flour.

** recipe adapted from Libby's.

And one final reminder: I am really bad at making pie crusts look pretty, but it does not stop me from making pies.  Don't let your imperfections stop you from baking or creating!

  LINKS:

Original recipe that we grew up with