Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Crustless Pumpkin Pie




Usually by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I have made at least 6 pumpkin pies...and enjoyed them immensely, of course. Now, before you think I'm some crust-making machine, I must confess to you that my pumpkin pies are made without crust. This is a recipe that I found years ago, and frankly it is pure genius. By elminating the extra step of making crust and the excess fat and calories that come with the crust, you are left with a simple, delicious and skinny pumpkin pie!



This pie is so good and very easy to make.  In fact, this is so easy to make, the first time I made it I put everything (minus the topping) in a blender.  It turned out great!  These days, I don't have a blender (gasp!), and I'm a little more cautious when baking.

Made with pumpkin and skim milk, you are left with a healthy alternative to your traditional pumpkin pie.  It is no wonder that once pumpkin season hits, I have this pie in the fridge all the time.  I have tweaked the recipe over the years to what it is today, and Mike and I are in pie-heaven all fall/winter long. 

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Yields 8 servings

Ingredients
Brown Sugar Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon light butter, softened (I use Smart Balance light, from a tub)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pie:
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated skim milk
2 eggs  (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Prepare Brown Sugar Topping:  mix oats, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon until combined. (I have found that, while messy, using my fingers to mix the topping works best).  Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs and sugar until combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and spices.  Add to pumpkin mixture and gently fold until incorporated.  
  5. Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pie plate.  Sprinkle Brown Sugar Topping over the top.  Bake for 50-55 minutes.  Cool for 15 minutes, and then move to refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight. 
Adapted from Betty Crocker

19 comments:

  1. I've made crustless pumpkin pie before, but I just love the idea of the oat-sugar topping! :) Great recipe, thank you.

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  2. I love the topping! And am all for crustless pies!

    I'm hosting a squash blog hop this month. Come and share your recipe with us: http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/4496187-pumpkin-swirl-chocolate-brownies

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  3. What a great idea! I'm not much of a crust eater anyway, so your crustless version looks perfectly delicious~

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  4. I do not think I have ever seen a pumpkin pie with topping. This looks so delicious it is hard to believe it is a low fat version. No crust and more pumpkin sounds great to me!

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  5. I normally find anything with 'skinny' in the title a bit offputting (I'd rather eat what I want in moderation), but this recipe looks lovely. Can imagine you really appreciate the flavour of the filling more with less of the stodgy crust to fill you up!

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  6. I've never seen a pumpkin pie like this and it's my favorite pie. I admit that I do love the crust and don't know that I'd want to leave it out, but I love everything else that you've done with this, including the topping. Your years of tweaking have created perfection!

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  7. My mom always makes her pumpkin pie and tarts with topping! You definitely got my attention ;-). Thank you for celebrating Squash Love with us, and welcome to our blog hop.

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  8. Oh crustless- what a good idea. And I love the topping. Last year I didnt have any pumpkin pie and I obssesed about it until I finally went to Marie Calendars to get some. LOL

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  9. Fantastic! Bookmarked and buzzed! Really, this is awesome for someone like me!

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  10. What an awesome idea and brilliant recipe! No crust equals no extra joggle on the hips, this recipe is a keeper. Nice meeting you!

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  11. Great job on skinnying this up. The texture looks wonderful!

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  12. I am making this stat!! One question, what just exactly IS pumpkin pie spice comprised of? I cannot seem to locate it here in our neck of the woods in France...Thank you ...this looks light and awesome.

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  13. Thanks everyone!

    @donna g: Hi! Pumpkin pie spice is generally a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and sometimes allspice.

    Here is a link to a basic recipe.
    http://stickafork.net/2011/09/23/pumpkin-pie-spice/

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  14. Congrats on the top9! the pie looks delicious!

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  15. now that is so divine, I am low carbing....thank you so very much for sharing!

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  16. What an incredible lightened version!!
    xo
    http://allykayler.blogspot.com

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  17. Shoot, this is the most brilliant idea ever! I love crust, don't get me wrong but I do find that I tend to scrape some of it off anyhow. I'll give this a try!

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  18. Wow, this pumpkin pie is anything but skinny on flavors...it sounds awesome! Glad to cook along with you on this squash event!

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