Pumpkin Pie w/ Cinnamon Almond or Hazelnut Crust -- Low Carb & Sugar Free

When I made pumpkin pie last year, I used a Cinnamon Hazelnut Crust, but if you prefer a more traditional type pie crust, you simply use all almond flour and make a Cinnamon Almond Crust instead. For the pie filling, I use the recipe on the can of Libby's pure pumpkin puree as my general guide and then make a few simple modifications. One of them is substituting 3/4 cup of Swerve (instead of 3/4 cup of sugar in the original recipe). I also reduce the amount of milk/liquid to 8 ounces (instead of the 12 ounces evaporated milk in the original recipe). You can use 8 ounces of whatever type milk product you prefer (cream, half-and-half, canned coconut milk or almond milk) or a combination like I did last year. By reducing the volume of milk, it helps keep the pie thick and rich and not too liquidy and also reduces the carbs a bit. When using nut flour based crusts (either hazelnut or almond flour), it is best to keep the temperature a bit lower since pies take a bit longer to bake than many other baked products. Nut flours are more susceptible to burning, which you want to avoid. A hazelnut crust will produce a darker and stronger tasting crust; an almond flour crust will produce a more traditional flour-type crust that most people are use to. If you prefer, you can also omit the crust altogether and make individual crustless pumpkin pies and just mix and bake according to the instructions. I have made them both with and without crust. I actually prefer pumpkin pie without crust, especially after a big holiday meal...but it's delicious either way. The crustless version is also nice and quick to put together. Below are a couple of pictures of my pumpkin pies from last year (one with a cinnamon hazelnut crust and a crustless version). I've made a few minor updates to the recipe posted below and am reducing the baking temperature a bit to better ensure the pies won't burn. Enjoy!

With Cinnamon Hazelnut Crust

Crustless pumpkin pie

Pumpkin Pie w/ Cinnamon Almond or Hazelnut Crust or Crustless Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
2-1/2 cups blanched almond flour (or substitute 1-1/4 cups hazelnut meal and 1-1/4 cups almond flour)
1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener (or sweetener equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar)
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced into small cubes
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Filling:
1 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener (or sweetener equivalent to 3/4 cup sugar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 cup cream (or substitute half-and-half, coconut milk or almond milk)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place all crust ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cut butter and egg into flour, cinnamon and sweetener with a pastry/dough cutter until mixture resembles small pebbles and the flour is thoroughly moistened. Press crust mixture into a 9 or 10" pie dish or 2 smaller 6" pie dishes or tart pans.  Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes; remove from oven and set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, mix all filling ingredients well until smooth and well blended.  Pour filling into pie dish or pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes; reduce heat one more time to 325 degrees and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool approximately 2 hours; serve at room temperature after 2 hours or refrigerate. Serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

***Note:  To make individual crustless pumpkin pies, pour filling into small greased custard cups or ramekins and follow the baking instructions above.