No holiday feast is complete without dessert … and by dessert I mean … pie! It’s the big finish to a great meal, or in our family, it might even be where we START our meal. A little pie-appetizer if you will…
No matter how you slice it, dessert is something to look forward to. Knowing I have a dessert awaiting us, that’s actually healthy, makes things even sweeter.
You don’t need a ton of ingredients for this pie, just some fresh (or canned) pumpkin, nuts, coconut oil and spices.
It’s not a fully raw dessert since I cooked the pumpkin (unless you used canned), but the crust is raw and everything is made in a blender or food processor. Super simple and super nutritious.
You’ll start by cutting your pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, then put it face-down on a cookie sheet and cook it in the oven.
Next, work on your crust. Blend your almonds and pecans.
When they are blended well, add in your dates and vanilla and pulse.
Once mixture begins to hold together, take it out of the food processor and spread crust into a 9″ pie pan. Press crust down firmly in the center and up in the fluted edges.
Place pumpkin filling ingredients and spices into the food processor and blend well, pour mixture into pie pan and spread out evenly.
Pop pie pan into the refrigerator for one hour to let it set up, then serve.
For a little added flare you can add some cashew cream on top. My lattice pattern is weak, but you get the idea. It’s slightly sweet in taste and creamy. A nice alternative to chemical whip, I mean, cool whip!
You could also use a coconut milk whip. You refrigerate the can overnight then scoop the white fluffy part off the top of the can, add a date to it and blend.
This is how a coconut whip looks. So good and so light and easy to make!
The pie filling is ridiculously flavorful with the ground ginger and cinnamon. The crust is fantastic too, it totally reminds me of those Little Debbie pecan pies my parents used to give us when we were little, you know as a “health food” because it had nuts in it… It’s sorta like that, but so much better. It is sweet and has such great texture. A really great alternative to butter-filled pie crust and much easier to make.
 And there you have it! An easy, flavorful pumpkin pie that you can actually feel good about eating!
Happy Holidays! 🎄
Raw Pumpkin Pie Ingredients:
Crust:
1 c. Pecans
1 c. Almonds
2 c. Dates
2 tsp. vanilla
Filling:
2 & 1/2 c. cooked pumpkin (1 whole, small baking pumpkin or use canned pumpkin purée, 1 & 1/4 cans)
3/4 c. raw unsalted cashews (soaked for 4 hours, then rinsed)
3/4 c. grade B maple syrup (or grade A)
1/2 c. coconut oil (melted)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. organic ground ginger
Cashew Creme Topping: (optional)
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 c. cashews (soaked for 4 hours and rinsed)
1/2 c. water
2 dates
2 Tbsp. vanilla
Directions:
1.Cut pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and flesh, drizzle a little bit of coconut oil on top to prevent sticking, place both halves face down on a cookie sheet and cook 350-degrees for 30-45 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. In a food processor blend pecans and almonds until you get a mealy consistency. Cut dates in half and remove pits, add dates and vanilla to blended pecans and almonds, tucking each date inside the mixture, for better blending. Blend and then pulse food processor until mixture starts to hold together.
3. Transfer crust to a 9″ pie pan, pressing down evenly and spreading the crust along the bottom of the pan and sides.
4. Once pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the pumpkin measuring out 2 & 1/2 cups, place pumpkin and remaining pie filling ingredients into a food processor and blend well. **Be sure to drain the excess water off of the cashews first, before adding it. **If mixture does not get super smooth, transfer it into a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Transfer blended pie filling into crust, smooth out evenly, place in freezer for one hour.
6. For the cashew topping, you just mix everything in a blender and serve on top of the pie once it has a chance to set up.
Notes**
*You can store and serve this from the refrigerator.
*You can use fresh or canned pumpkin. You will need one and one- quarter cans if you go canned. Just buy organic and make sure the only ingredient listed is “organic  pumpkin.”
*If you don’t want to mess with cutting your pumpkin, you can cook the entire thing whole. Look for edges to turn brown in oven, then slice it open and scoop out the contents, avoiding the seeds and flesh. You will have some leftover.
*If pumpkin pie mixture doesn’t get super smooth in food processor, transfer to a blender and blend  I added a splash of water to get it moving, but mixture got supee smooth.
*Don’t over-blend your crust. I’ve made this in my Vitamix before and it will make the mixture too hot and it turns gummy. A food processor is a little easier to control, you can blend and pulse.
