There's no reason why you should skip dessert this Thanksgiving, even when you're doing keto. After all, the holidays are all about sharing abundant food and being grateful for all the blessings that came your way. Fortunately, keto-friendly versions of the usual Thanksgiving fare now exist, including everyone’s favorite, pumpkin pie!
We made this keto pumpkin pie from scratch, so you can keep an eye on every single net carb. Forget about store-bought fillings this year, we are going to show you how you can make this amazing, low carb pie from scratch.
We’ll break down the process into 3 stages. First, we’ll make our homemade pumpkin puree, then the crust, and finally, the filling. Get ready to stretch and move around – you’ll need a couple of hours to make this sweet and creamy pumpkin pie. We recommend serving this pie cold, so it’s best to make this in the morning or even the evening before Thanksgiving.
Is it worth it making this pie from scratch?
Making keto pumpkin pie from scratch is a labor of love. Sure, you can easily buy pre-made pie shells or crusts at the supermarket, but most, if not all of them, are NOT keto-friendly. A carb-rich crust is therefore off the list.
To begin with, pumpkin already has a relatively high carb count. Now, this recipe calls for half of a winter pumpkin which has a shocking 141g of net carbs (don’t worry… it will be divided across 8 servings). Using store-bought pie shells will only add to the carb content of your pie, so it’s best to save yourself the headache and just make the entire keto pumpkin pie from scratch.
That said, promise me you’ll give this recipe a try! Follow the instructions to a T and you will never ever want to go back to buying high carb, pre-made pumpkin pies ever again!
Make the homemade pumpkin puree:
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Cut the pumpkin in half and place it on a lined baking pan, cut side down. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until tender.
Remove seeds, scoop out the pulp (pumpkin "meat") and put the pulp into a cheesecloth. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Place the pumpkin pulp in a blender or food processor. Add salt and continue processing or blending until you get a smooth pumpkin puree.
Make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add melted butter and egg, and stir well until you get a cohesive dough. Press dough into a 9" baking pan using your fingers, then poke holes all over the crust surface with a fork. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.
Make the filling:
While the crust is in the oven, whisk together the homemade pumpkin puree (which you made in step 1) together with cream, powdered stevia, eggs, spices, and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and return it to the oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is almost set.
Turn off the oven, keeping the pie inside to cool down. When the pie reaches room temperature, remove from the oven. Refrigerate and serve cold. Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Nutrition Info
Keto Pumpkin Pie |
Calories |
Fats (g) |
Carbs (g) |
Fiber (g) |
Net Carbs (g) |
Protein (g) |
1 ½ cup almond flour |
1008 |
79.8 |
36 |
18 |
18 |
36 |
3 tbsp coconut flour |
90 |
2.3 |
15 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
1 egg, whisked |
63 |
4.4 |
0.3 |
0 |
0.3 |
5.5 |
4 tbsp butter, melted |
407 |
46.1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.5 |
¼ tsp baking soda |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
¼ tsp salt |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
½ winter pumpkin |
925.5 |
7.6 |
220.2 |
78.95 |
141.25 |
29.95 |
½ tsp salt |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 cup heavy cream |
414 |
44.4 |
3.4 |
0 |
3.4 |
2.5 |
⅓ cup powdered stevia |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 large eggs, beaten |
215 |
14.9 |
1.2 |
0 |
1.2 |
18.9 |
1 tsp cinnamon, ground |
6 |
0 |
1.9 |
1.2 |
0.7 |
0.1 |
½ tsp ginger, powder |
3 |
0.1 |
0.6 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
0.1 |
¼ tsp nutmeg, ground |
3 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0 |
¼ tsp cloves, ground |
2 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0 |
1 tsp vanilla extract |
12 |
0 |
0.5 |
0 |
0.5 |
0 |
Total |
3148.5 |
199.9 |
279.7 |
107.55 |
172.15 |
96.55 |
Per Serving (<8) |
393.56 |
24.99 |
34.96 |
13.44 |
21.52 |
12.07 |
A quick peek into the history of pumpkin pies
The first pumpkin pies were crustless and quite different from the ones we have on our Thanksgiving tables now. Back in the day, old-fashioned pies were made from hollowed pumpkin shells, filled with milk, honey, and spices, and then baked in hot ashes. Obviously, the humble pumpkin pie’s culinary story has evolved a lot since then, which is why we even have low carb and keto pumpkin pies today!
Is it possible to reduce the net carbs on this pumpkin keto pie?
If you’re sticking to a keto meal plan this Thanksgiving, this festive recipe is perfect for you. Just take note that this recipe is a bit higher in carbs than our usual home cooking keto recipes.
That said, did you know a single slice of non-keto pumpkin pie has more than 40g of net carbs? Shocking, I know!
With this recipe, each serving “only” contains 21.5g of net carbs. It may sound like a lot especially if you’re trying to stay under 20g net carbs per day. But all things considered, 21.5g isn’t all that high. The upper limit for staying in ketosis is about 50g net carbs per day, so there’s plenty of carbs to spare!
So, the main carb-heavy ingredients in this recipe are the following:
- 1 ½ cup almond flour – 18g net carbs
- 3 tbsp coconut flour – 6g net carbs
- ½ winter pumpkin – 141.25g net carbs
Here are some adjustments you can make to reduce the number of carbs in your keto pumpkin pie:
- Instead of using a combination of almond and coconut flour, you can use 1 ½ to 2 cups of cauliflower rice. 2 cups of cauliflower rice only has 4g net carbs (compared to 24g for both almond and coconut flours)! Press the cauliflower rice into the bottom and sides of the pan. Then bake in preheated oven at 350F for about 15 minutes (or until the crust looks dry).
- You can go crustless! If you want to save on both carbs and calories, then going crustless is a fantastic option. Just skip step 2 in the recipe.
- Increase the number of servings from 8 to 10. Yes, this will obviously mean smaller slices, but the good news is that you’ll automatically get fewer calories and carbs per slice!
What can I eat with this low carb pumpkin pie?
This dessert will honestly go well with anything you’re having for Thanksgiving! But I find that putting a thin layer of cranberry sauce on top of the pie adds another level of sweetness to it. Fortunately, our recipe for sugar-free, keto cranberry sauce is pretty easy to make (use fresh cranberries, not canned).
Conclusion
Now that you know how to make the perfect keto pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, I bet you can’t wait to get started! Do let us know how this recipe turned out for you. Drop a line in the comment section below!
Ingredients
Directions
Make the homemade pumpkin puree:
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Cut the pumpkin in half and place it on a lined baking pan, cut side down. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until tender.
Remove seeds, scoop out the pulp (pumpkin "meat") and put the pulp into a cheesecloth. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Place the pumpkin pulp in a blender or food processor. Add salt and continue processing or blending until you get a smooth pumpkin puree.
Make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add melted butter and egg, and stir well until you get a cohesive dough. Press dough into a 9" baking pan using your fingers, then poke holes all over the crust surface with a fork. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.
Make the filling:
While the crust is in the oven, whisk together the homemade pumpkin puree (which you made in step 1) together with cream, powdered stevia, eggs, spices, and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and return it to the oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is almost set.
Turn off the oven, keeping the pie inside to cool down. When the pie reaches room temperature, remove from the oven. Refrigerate and serve cold. Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!