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Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie Filling
Yields 2 - 10" deep pies.
For baking keto pumpkin pie. It can also be cooked on the stovetop to make a custard-type topping.
If you mix this a day ahead for baking let it come up to near room temperature for an hour. The pie crust will bake better and you have less load on your oven.
My Butter Pie Crust recipe is here.
Prep 25 minutes
Bake 50 minues
Ingredients
| 29 ounces Canned Pumpkin Libby's = 1 large can |
| 24 ounces Evaporated Milk 2% hormone free Carnation |
| 4 Large Eggs, Organic, Pasture Raised |
| 3/4 cup White Sugar Substitute, less 2 tablespoons (see notes) |
| 1/3 cup Brown Sugar Substitute (see notes) |
| 1 teaspoon Honey, Local, Raw |
| 2 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (see notes) |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch or Keto Substitute (Optional) |
| 1/4 teaspoon Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract (Optional) |
Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie Filling Directions
Mixing:
Preheat oven to 435 with a large cookie sheet inside (optional).
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment...
- Beat eggs on low speed first while measuring out everything else (add vanilla, optional)
- Combine sugars, spices, salt, and cornstarch/keto flour and set aside
- Add 1/2 the pumpkin to the eggs and mix for 1 minute
- Add the rest of the pumpkin and the dry ingredients
- Mix well then slowly add the canned milk, and mix thoroughly
Baking:
- Immediately after putting the pies into the oven drop the temperature to 425 and bake for no longer than 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, drop the temperature to 350, and bake for another 35 minutes
- Check the pie crust color, if it's getting brown enough you can drop the temperature to 340 for another 5 to 10 minutes or until done.
Total time 15 + 35 + 5 to 10 = 55 to 60 minutes and each stage depends on your oven. If the shell is getting too dark to quickly drop the last stage temp sooner.
The pie should still have some jiggle in the center when finished baking. If there's no jiggle it's past done. Do not rapidly cool a pumpkin pie.
Notes
More info on how to buy sugar substitutes is here
Why I'm cooking this way and more on sugar/stevia/erythritol is here
The ingredient amounts for this formula are based on the 29-ounce Libby's Pumpkin Pie can. The yield will depend on how large the pie shell is. Many commercial pie shells are what we call "cheater" shells where the sides are shallower and the bottom is becoming more narrow to save on filling. This recipe assumes you've made pies before and have an idea of what pan sizes work best for you.
Cooked Filling / Custard Type - Extra filling can be frozen or stored in the fridge for several days to let the flavor develop then cooked on the stovetop like a custard. Simmer until it becomes thick. You can also cook any extra filling right alongside the pies in an oven-safe loaf dish or make a mini pie.
Brown sugar substitute - Lakanto Brown Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol
Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3EOGqSt
White sugar substitute - Lakanto Baking Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol
Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3CKL9lr
Spices
2.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
If you don't have that mix together
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
note this is less ginger and cloves than what is on the Libby's can. This is where the vanilla comes in. Also, high-quality eggs bring a better flavor. If you are using a premium spice mix (usually available to bakeries) then 2-2.5 teaspoons is plenty. Adjust to suit your taste.
Low-Sugar version - make these adjustments...
- 1/2 cup brown sugar substitute - Lakanto Brown Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol
- 1/2 cup white sugar substitute - Lakanto Baking Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol
- 1/3 cup cane sugar and remove 2 tablespoons
- Add 1 teaspoon of honey
You can substitute the cornstarch with
Glucomannan Powder
Almond Flour
Xanthan Gum
The initial higher pre-heating temperature is to help the oven recover from the door being open while inserting pies. The baking sheet is to help cook the bottom of the pie evenly.
Ideally, these pies are cooked in a deck oven with full contact between the steel and the bottom of the pie.
Fruit Pies use shallow pans
Pumpkin Pies use deep pans
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An all-butter pie crust for any type of pie.
You can take any recipe found on the internet and replace the fat with quality grass-fed butter. You don't need fancy tricks or secret ingredients for a great pie crust.
Ingredients
| 1 cups Butter, Grass Fed, 1/2 inch cubes (2 sticks) |
| 2 1/2 cups Winter Flour (all-purpose) 325 grams 325 grams |
| 1/2 teaspoon Fine Salt, preferably Kosher |
| 1/2 teaspoon Stevia (optional) |
| 6 tablespoons Ice Water (6 to 8 tbsp.) |
| 2 tablespoons Olive oil, neutral flavor (optional - see below)) |
Pie Crust - All Butter Directions
Add ice cubes and water to a bowl for the 4-6 tablespoons of water, and set aside.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
You can mix this fine by hand in a large bowl using a pastry cutter
Add 1.5 cups of flour and salt to the bowl. Stevia is optional.
*Optional - Add 2 tablespoons of neutral olive oil and mix for a short time. Do not use cheap seed oil. This will help stop the butter from overmixing into the flour.
Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and mix until it becomes coarse/mealy/crumbly and all the flour is taken up.
Add the remaining 1 cup of flour. Mix. The dough should be loosely mixed and still crumbly. Don't overmix!
Add 6-8 tablespoons of ice water and mix only enough to take up the water.
Remove the paddle and test the dough. It should hold together and form a ball. If not add some additional water and work it in by hand. You want to have specks of butter throughout.
Cut the ball in half and form 2 round flat discs. Stack them on a dinner plate with waxed paper, cover them in plastic and refrigerate for half an hour before rolling them out. These can be frozen.
Lightly flour your work surface. If you have trouble you can roll it out on waxed paper.
Notes
There are hundreds of videos on how to mix pie dough. Just youtube it and find one that works for you.
If you want to cut down on the refined flour replace 25% of the flour with a 1:1 non-gluten flour replacement. I use 100 grams of King Arthur Gluten Free Flour.
Use "Pastry Flour" aka Winter Flour which is low in protein. All Purpose flour works but you need to watch the mixing time or cut it a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Less mixing is better!
For double-crust fruit pies make an egg wash and brush the rim of the bottom crust before sealing and then the entire top surface. Make some slits in the top or cut a hole in it with a cookie cutter. Don't get the egg wash into the fruit if you cut a hole in it. It just looks icky.
Bake your fruit pies at 380 to 400 depending on your oven and type of pie.
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Once you find out how unhealthy store-bought salad dressings are you'll never buy them again. My favorite is a red wine vinaigrette with high-quality olive oil. Here is a review of the salad dressing shaker I use that makes this a lot easier.
The recipe listed here is for reference. I only make a small batch and eyeball the ingredients. Adjust it to your own taste starting with small amounts of salt & pepper. The important thing it to make your own.
Ingredients
| 1/3 cup Olive Oil, extra virgin |
| 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar, Organic with starter |
| 1/4 teaspoon Brown Mustard |
| 1/4 teaspoon Avocado Mayonnaise |
| 1/8 teaspoon Salt |
| 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper |
| 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning |
Italian Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing/Marinade Keto Directions
Pour in all ingredients in a salad mixer of your choice
For flavor and to make the dressing stay blended a few seconds longer after shaking add a squirt of brown/Dijon mustard and a 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil mayonnaise.
Shake and let sit on the counter for at least 15 minutes to allow the oil to take up the spice flavor
Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Make your batch sizes small enough so they are used up in 5-7 days.
Fresh spices work best, of course, pay attention to the dates. Replace them within a year after the use-by date or they are too weak.
Here is a purchase link to what I use to mix and shake up my dressing.
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A tasty sugar-free apple pie filling for pies or dessert topping that tastes like it has real sugar.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Ingredients
| 1 pound Sliced Apples |
| 40 grams Brown Sugar Substitute (3 tablespoons = 40 grams) |
| 40 grams White Sugar Substitute (3 tablespoons - 40 grams) |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon |
| 1/8 teaspoon allspice (optional) |
| 1/2 cup water |
| 4 tablespoons water |
| 2 tablespoons Cornstarch or Keto Substitute |
| 2 tablespoons Butter - Grass Fed |
Apple Pie Filling Sugar Free Directions
Measure out all ingredients in advance and set aside.
Make a slurry of 2 tablespoons cornstarch or keto sub with 4 tablespoons water.
Stir together the sugar substitutes, spices, and salt.
Get your cooking pot ready on the stove with butter.
Ready a suitable bowl with lemon juice for the apples.
Allow for enough apples to yield 1+ pounds of evenly sliced/cubed apples. I set the bowl with lemon juice on a scale as I peel & cut each apple.
Melt the butter and pour in mixed dry ingredients, stir.
Add half the water and whisk thoroughly.
Add remaining water and whisk/heat.
Add apples, stir, and bring to a low simmer.
Add starch slurry, mix, simmer for 5-7 minutes depending on the type of apple. It's best to keep it on the slightly undercooked side.
Allow to cool a bit before baking. This keeps well in the fridge and freezes ok.
Notes
This was tested with the Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener. Brand links and more on sugar substitutes are on this page.
Accurate measurements are very important for small-batch baking.
Scale I currently use - https://amzn.to/3HyzoCR
Scale I want next - https://amzn.to/3Yebkef
This formula works with 1 to 1&1/4 pounds of apples and a 9" pie. Adjust ingredients up or down as needed to work with how many apples you have or the size of the pie. If you have extra pie dough and filling just roll it out and make a simple turnover and bake it on parchment paper in another pie tin.
Recipe for an all-butter pie crust is here.
@janebond462 recommends you check out orangepippin.com/ for all sorts of info on apple varieties.
Favorites: Stayman, Smokehouse, Winesap for tartness & keeping its shape, other varieties for sweetness, Arkansas Black.