Learn what’s hiding in your favorite fall dessert, and make it healthy with this pumpkin pie recipe.

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin, but sometimes the wholesome goodness of this squash gets lost in the onslaught of sugar, creams, butters, white flours, and other unhealthy ingredients.

Nutritional Breakdown: Pumpkin Pie

Traditional pumpkin pie has about 320 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 25 grams of sugar in just one slice. These aren’t so stellar stats, but shouldn’t come as a surprise. A traditional pumpkin pie recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk and eggs in the filling and butter, flour and more eggs in the crust. To get rid of the white flours and simple sugars as well as all animal-derived products, try the vegan pumpkin pie recipe.

Like our delicious vegan apple pie, this pumpkin pie recipe is just like the original, only it honors animals and opts for healthier flours and sweeteners. Serve with this homemade vegan ice cream and for a Thanksgiving dessert your guests won’t soon forget!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 cups pecans (raw)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter

For the filling:

• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop the oats in a food processor until they reach a fine flour-like consistency. Add the pecans and process until the mixture begins to clump. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter with the maple syrup. Immediately fold into the crust mixture along with the other spices. Form the crust in the bottom and edges of a greased glass pie dish. Poke the crust with a fork to allow steam to escape while the pie cooks. Bake empty for 25 minutes.

For the filling, combine the arrowroot powder with the maple syrup, stir to combine thoroughly and then add the rest of the ingredients.

Remove the crust from the oven, pour the filling into it and pop the dish back into the oven for another 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. After about 15 minutes of baking time, cover the sides of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Return dish to the oven for the remaining 10-15 minutes.

This pumpkin pie recipe is done when the center of the pie is cooked through (check that a toothpick comes out clean). Let the pie cool to room temperature and then put it into the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to cool.

Related on EcoSalon:

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15 Pumpkin Recipes (That Aren’t Pumpkin Pie) To Try Right Now

Photo Credit: timeless1231

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