One of my favorite parts of our Thanksgiving meal is Pumpkin Pie. My Mom would make this pie with “three times as much spice”, so sometimes I find the store-bought pies are just missing something…

The good thing about these spices is that they are really great for your health! So the more, the merrier :)

Not to be outdone, pumpkin provides a wealth of health benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases, facilitating wound healing and providing cardiovascular protection.

GreenMedInfo has a recipe for pumpkin spice you can use year-round and a fantastic article on the health benefits. If you’d like a pre-blended mix of spices, I’ll always recommend Pinch Spice Market (who we will be using for our pumpkin pie this year). Swap out the pre-made mix for the four spices listed in the recipe below. (Spices make great gifts for the holidays too :)

Healthy Pumpkin Spice

3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. ground cloves
1.5 tsp. ground allspice

Pumpkin Pie (Adapted from Joy of Cooking)

For a gluten-free and dairy-free pie crust, check out Gluten-Free on a Shoestring’s recipe.

2 Large Eggs (vegan egg substitutes can also be used)
2 Cups freshly cooked or canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 Cups vegan cream or evaporated milk
1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Spices (if using pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice, 2 3/4 teaspoons - feel free to increase that to your liking)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

Position a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a pre-rolled pie crust, place crust in a glass pie pan, making sure to make a rim around the edges. Glaze the bottom with egg yolk (if desired) to prevent the filling from soaking into the crust.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl; and then slowly whisk in the remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Warm the pie crust in the oven until it is hot to the touch, letting the filling stand at room temperature. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and bake for 35 - 45 minutes, until the center is set, but quivery like gelatin.

Pro-tip: Place a baking pan on a shelf below the pie, in case any filling drips out after heating. Let your pie cool fully on a cooling rack.

Serve cold or slightly warm with some coconut whipped cream. Enjoy!

This is a part of Thanksgiving that can be made a day early, which saves time the day-of. If you’d like more Thanksgiving dinner ideas, check out one of our Thanksgiving Menus on madgood.

From MI Gluten-Free Gal

Prepared Pie Crusts

Cherry Pie Filling

1 beaten egg

Course sugar crystals for decoration

For the crust:

1 pkg Chebe All Purpose Bread Mix (1-1/4 cups)

2 tbsp oil

2 eggs

4 tbsp cold butter (cut into chunks)

4 tbsp ice cold water

Use Chebe All Purpose Bread Mix to make two pie crusts. I use a stand mixer to cut in the butter an and make the dough. Roll the dough out to make two 9-inch crusts. You can use them both or freeze one for later. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

Cut out 3 1/2" round circles. I used only one pie crust, which resulted in 8 circles. Brush bottom crust with beaten egg. Then, top with 2-3 tbsp cherry pie filling. Take another circle of crust and lightly brush with beaten egg. Place egg side down on top of cherry filling. Using fork, crimp edges of the gluten-free cherry hand pie closed.

Brush top of hand pie with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar crystals. Repeat steps with additional pie crust dough. Bake gluten-free cherry hand pies covered with brown paper bag for 25 minutes. You can remove bag during last three minutes of baking to achieve a darker crust.