The Thanksgiving holiday just isn’t complete at my house without pumpkin pie. The best recipe I’ve found for it is the one on Libby’s pumpkin can, but it does need adjustments to be low carb.  But this year I decided to enhance my low carb recipe to a Maple Pumpkin Pie with Pecans.

The first change is the pie crust. I made the crust with hazelnut flour mixed with a low carb flour. You can use all almond flour as a substitute for both flours.  The crust will not be like a regular crust, but more like a crumble crust on the bottom.  Look for almond flour  or hazelnut flour in the health food section of the grocery store or at health food stores. You can also find Bob’s Red Mill low carb flour in these places also.  Bob’s is not the lowest low carb flour, but it will only add about 1/2 a carb to the serving over the CarbQuick flour.  The other change is using sugar substitute for the sugar and heavy whipping cream for evaporated milk.

If you use Splenda, the filler that carries the sweetener has up to .9 carb per teaspoon.   I don’t  know the exact amount as they only show <1 carb.  Xylitol and liquid sucralose have no carbs. That saves up to 36 carbs by making the switch.  For those that like it, liquid Stevia also works.

For those who are phase 1 of Atkins or just don’t want a crust on your pie, you can make this without the crust.  Just spray the pie pan with baking spray and pour the filling into the pan.  Everything else is the same.  If you want to make them in muffin pans or custard cups, go the instructions at the bottom of the page.

For more recipes for your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday to stay on a low carb lifestyle, go to A Low Carb Winter Holiday

Pie Crust:

1/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Cold Water
1/3 cup Shortening or Butter (cold)
1/3 cup  LOW CARB BAKING MIX (CarbQuick, Bob’s Red Mill, LC Foods or Atkins)
1/3 cup hazelnut flour or almond flour

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly spray an 8″ or 9″ deep dish pie pan with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients ( Low Carb Baking Mix and salt). Cut in shortening until pea sized balls are formed. Sprinkle water one tablespoon at a time and mix in lightly with a fork.  If the dough is very moist, then only use as much water as necessary for it to form a ball.  Let rest a few minutes.

Divide the dough into quarters and place in each section of  a deep dish pie tin. Use your fingers to spread the crust around the bottom of the pan and work it up the edge of the pie pan about half way. Use a fork, to pierce the bottom of the crust a few times.

Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crust Nutrition Info: Calories: 72.3 g Net Carbs: .4 g Protein: 1.1 g

(I’m giving you crust only information in case you want to use it for another pie.  Whether you use Almond flour, Hazelnut flour or all Baking Mix, the crust will be about the same number of carbs.)

Pie Filling

3/4 cup Sugar substitute
1/4 cup Brown Sugar Substitute**
1/4 cup sugar-free Maple Syrup
1 tablespoon ground Cinnamon *
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger *
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg *
3 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.)  Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup unsweetened Almond or Coconut Milk
1 cup Pecan halves (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)

• You can use 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Still add the clove .

** You can use white sugar substitute for the brown sugar if you can’t find any sugar free Brown Sugar.  Do NOT use the Splenda Brown Sugar mix for this.  It uses real brown sugar, so the carbs are quite a bit higher.

Mix sugar, salt, and spices in a small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl., then stir pumpkin, maple syrup and sugar-spice mixture. Combine milks and stir together.  Gradually add to mixture as you stir it in.

POUR into prepared pie shell.  Arrange the pecans over the top of the pie.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.  After it cools down enough, about 30 minutes, I cover the pie with plastic wrap.

Serve or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

To make a thicker pie, use 4 eggs, 3 cups of pumpkin puree and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream.  This will add about 1 net carb to the count.

Makes 10 average servings or 12 small servings.

Nutrition Info per serving: 10 servings
Calories: 237 Fat: 22g Net Carbs: 4.1 g Protein: 4.4 g

Nutrition Info per serving: 12 servings
Calories: 198 Fat: 18.4 g Net Carbs: 3.4 g Protein: 3.7 g

Crustless Pumpkin Pie (Custard)

You can make these in 8 to 10 muffin pans instead of putting into a pie shell. If you’re on phase I of Atkins, the crust is definitely not a part of the plan.
To make: Simply use the recipe for the pie filling and mix it up according to the directions above, omitting the optional pecans.

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees (F.). Spray 1/2 capacity cup muffin cups or custard cups with cooking spray. Use a 1/2 cup measure to dip into the batter and fill cups to about 2/3 full.

Put muffin cups on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from the mold. Add a dollop of whipped cream and serve. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Nutrition Info: 8 servings per serving
Calories: 131 Fat: 10.5 g Net Carbs: 4.3 g Protein: 3.6 g