Are you a pumpkin pie or a pecan pie lover? With this recipe, you can be both! This is a healthy pecan pumpkin pie that will give you two desserts for the effort of making just one. The luscious pumpkin filling is baked over pecan crust and topped with maple pecan praline topping.
It brings together flavours of autumn, Thanksgiving and Christmas but honestly, I would enjoy it any time of the year. Plus, this pumpkin pecan creation is dairy-free, gluten-free and paleo-friendly. What’s not to love?
When I was researching this recipe I knew that some people were looking for a healthy pecan pie without corn syrup (so many of them use that stuff, eek!), some wanted a gluten-free or paleo pumpkin pie and others wanted a pumpkin pie with pecan crust or topping. I combined all these ideas into one and after doing a test version, I got this one made and photographed for the blog.
Introducing Pecan Pumpkin Pie
This is by no means an original recipe! There are quite a few gluten-free, paleo, dairy-free, vegan versions out there but this is the recipe that worked for me and turned out great, so I am excited to share it with you guys.
There are three layers to this pie: pecan crust, pumpkin coconut filling (using pumpkin puree) and a pecan maple topping. I have a few step-by-step photos showing you how to make it, so even though it might seem complicated, it’s actually not.
I didn’t quite make it a completely sugar-free pie but I used mostly sugar-free/keto sweeteners and a little maple syrup for the topping. Plus, the natural sugars in the pumpkin puree. Other than that it’s grain and gluten-free and dairy-free. It does have eggs!
PS. If you have leftover pumpkin puree, I have recently fallen in love with this gluten-free savory galette filled with caramelized onions and pumpkin, or you can try this paleo pumpkin cake.
How To Make Pecan Pumpkin Pie
You will find the full list of ingredients, instructions and nutritional breakdown for this pie in the recipe card below. Here are some process pics and steps to get you started.
Make The Pecan Crust
To make the crust, you have to use a food processor to blend pecan nuts with almond flour, tapioca/cassava flour, cinnamon, sugar-free sweetener (e.g. stevia), coconut oil and egg into a consistency of cookie dough. It will look like wet sand a little. Pecans give this crust that lovely golden brown colour rather than a pale yellow crust.
Place the dough into a greased pie pan and gently press the crust into the pie plate and up the sides. Crimp the edges with a fork if preferred. Poke the crust gently with the fork. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown; this will pre-bake the crust.
Make The Pumpkin Filling
Combine all the pumpkin pie filling ingredients and mix it until smooth. Pour into a pre-baked pie crust and pop back in the oven for 20 minutes. Looks at the colour of that mixture!
Make The Pecan Maple Topping
In the meantime, prepare the pecan topping. Whisk the egg and add the chopped pecans, maple syrup and cinnamon. After 20 minutes, remove the pie from the oven and spoon the pecan mixture over the top; spread evenly and place a few whole pecans over the top or go to town and decorate the whole top.
Bake for 20-25 more minutes. To protect the crust edges from burning, you can wrap them with a little foil or use a pie crust protector. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving or overnight.
Serve this pumpkin pecan pie with whipped cream or ice cream of your choice. See recipe FAQs below for storage/freezing tips.
More Paleo & Gluten-Free Desserts
- No-Bake Fudgy Hazelnut Keto Brownies (Vegan, Sugar-Free)
- Apple Slice With Nut Butter Maple Drizzle (Gluten-Free, Paleo, Low-Carb)
- Peanut Butter Slice (Low-carb, Low-Sugar, Gluten-Free)
- Gingerbread Cupcakes (Paleo, Nut-Free, Gluten-free)
- Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies (Paleo, Gluten-Free)
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Ingredients
Pecan Pie crust
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup almond flour or almond meal
- 1/2 cup cassava or tapioca flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Sukrin gold or Swerve sugar-sweetener brown or 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 heaped tablespoons coconut oil at room temperature or ghee
- 1 large egg
Pumpkin Pie filling
- 1 can pumpkin purée 425 g / 15 oz.
- 1/2 cup coconut milk full-fat, use the thickened, creamy part of the coconut milk
- 1/4 cup Sukrin Gold or Swerve brown sugar-sweetener or maple syrup
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice see notes
- A pinch of salt
Pecan Pie Topping
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 cup chopped pecans + a few whole pieces to decorate the top
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
To serve
- Whipped coconut cream or coconut/dairy-free ice cream.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 175°C / 350°F.
- Add 1 cup of pecans to a food processor fitter with an S blade and process into rough crumbs. They don’t have to be very fine at this stage.
- Add almond flour/meal, cassava flour, cinnamon, stevia and salt and pulse to mix.
- Add the coconut oil and egg, then pulse everything together until it forms a ball. It should be about the same consistency as cookie dough.
- Place the dough into a 9-inch greased pie pan (use a little coconut oil) and gently press the crust into the pie plate and up the sides. Crimp the edges with a fork if preferred. Poke the crust gently with the fork.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown; this will pre-bake the crust.
- In a large bowl, combine all the pumpkin pie filling ingredients. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, blend for one minute.
- Pour the filling mixture into the pre-cooked pie crust and place back in the oven for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the pecan topping. Whisk the egg and add the chopped pecans, maple syrup and cinnamon. Mix to combine. After 20 minutes, remove the pie from the oven and spoon the pecan mixture over the top; spread evenly and place a few whole pecans over the top. You can decorate the whole top or just have a few nuts in a circular pattern (see pics above).
- Bake for 20-25 more minutes. To protect the crust edges from burning, you can wrap them with a little foil or use a pie crust protector. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving or overnight.
- Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Pecan Pumpkin Pie FAQs
How Long Does Pumpkin Pie Last?
This pumpkin pie will keep for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge covered loosely with foil or plastic wrap. Because pumpkin pie is delicious cold, you can serve it straight from the fridge (with plenty of whipped cream, if you please).
Do You Need To Refrigerate Pumpkin Pie?
I recommend cooling the pie first and then refrigerating it for an hour or so to set it properly before serving. You should also keep it refrigerated to make it last for a few days without spoiling. It’s perfectly fine out of the fridge but you could bring it back to room temperature for an hour before serving.
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Pie?
Yes, you could make this pecan pumpkin pie ahead of time and freeze it. Once baked, cool the pie completely and then wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap. Make sure it’s well-sealed and the tip is to also wrap it in some foil to protect the pie against freeze burn.
To thaw out the pie, remove it from the freezer to the fridge for 12 hours or more. Don’t thaw at room temperature as it can make your filling to run and leave a soggy crust. A slow thaw is a way to go. If you have a few blemishes after defrosting, you can always decorate the pie with some whipped cream or dust it with cinnamon. More details on how to freeze a pumpkin pie here.
Do I Have To Use Sugar-Free Sweeteners?
No, you can use brown sugar, coconut sugar or regular sugar if you wish. But, I wanted to cut down on sugar so I opted for a low-carb alternative. There are many brands on the markets, I’ve suggested a couple in the recipe but you we welcome to use your own preferred sugar alternative.
I will add more questions and answers as they come in from the comments or emails from readers. If you’re not sure about something, leave a question for me below.
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The coconut oil in the crust smoked so badly while baking it set all our smoke alarms off and I was unable to finish baking it.
Hey Melissa, that hasn’t happened in the past. I am wondering if your oven runs extra hot or if the baking dish was too close to the top where it gets extra hot. The type of coconut oil? I can’t think of why that might be otherwise.
Won’t the pecans burn?
They didn’t but don’t put the pie too close to the broiling rack.
This looks fantastic. I’m planning to bring it to my in-laws on Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
The Nutrition Facts label you attached to this Pumpkin Pie recipe is actually for some kind of Brownie. Please provide the correct nutrient information.
For ALL you do —
TIA!
Oooh, wrong ID number! It’s been fixed, should be showing the right recipe nutritional info.