Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust

Consider making this fabulous version of the Thanksgiving classic this year: most of its sweetness comes from apples rather than white sugar, there are only 125 calories per slice, and each serving has 4 grams of protein.

A healthy but luscious contemporary take on everybody’s favorite Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons pecans, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
2 whole eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch salt
12 pecan halves
1 teaspoon maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with pecans and applesauce. Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate, coated with a small amount of canola oil. Set aside.

3. Combine remaining ingredients, except pecan halves and maple syrup, in a large bowl. Mix until blended.

4. Pour pumpkin mixture into pie crust.

4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Refrigerate pie when cool; cut into 12 equal pieces.

6. In a small bowl, coat pecan halves with syrup. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet, reduce heat to 325F and bake for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Place one pecan on the outer edge of each slice of pie before serving.

Serves 12.

MORE THANKSGIVING IDEAS
• Baked Squash Savory Stuffing
• Curried Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpking Pie with Pecan Crust
• Thanksgiving Decorating with Nature
• Spicy Sweet Potato Patties

Read more: Food, All recipes, Desserts

Adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks, by Barry Correia, Scott Uehlein, and the Kitchen Staff of Canyon Ranch (Rodale Press, 2003). Copyright (c) 2003 by Barry Correia, Scott Uehlein, and the Kitchen Staff of Canyon Ranch.
Adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks, by Barry Correia, Scott Uehlein, and the Kitchen Staff of Canyon Ranch (Rodale Press, 2003).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Joe S.

2:50PM PST on Dec 17, 2011

Thanks for sharing.

send a green star

Carole R.

10:59PM PST on Nov 17, 2011

Thanks for the recipe.

Jennifer C.

12:42AM PDT on Jul 22, 2011

Yummy! Thanks for sharing.

Sally M.

9:29AM PST on Nov 26, 2010

I liked this pie a lot but something is way off with the quantities in the recipe. I did not have enough crust to go up the sides of the pie plate at all and I had way too much filling. Instead of 20-30 mins it took over an hour to bake. Apart from that it was great. Would also be good as a healthy pudding without any crust.

Sylvia W.

11:23AM PST on Dec 10, 2009

Yum! Saved to make for Christmas - I'll just have to sub Silk soy milk for the evaporated milk (major dairy allergy)

Kathy B.

7:04AM PST on Nov 23, 2009

Great sounding recipes

Colette G.

9:03PM PDT on Oct 15, 2008

Julie - I make Tofu pumpkin pie with silken tofu. I don't have the recipe accessible, but I believe it calls for 1 1/2 packages of silken tofu, 1 can of pumpkin, spices, and honey (not sure on the amount). It contains no milk or eggs. You could follow the recipe above and just replace the milk with the tofu if that's the only ingredient you're concerned about. In that case I would probably only use one package of tofu. A Google search for tofu pumpkin pie brings up many more recipes. I've served it to people who cringe at the mention of tofu, and they all approved.

Julie G.

5:16PM PDT on Oct 13, 2008

Is there a way to make this vegan? I don't know what to put in for the evaporated milk, ideas? (I have a milk allergy and this sounds great)

Ray B.

8:13AM PST on Nov 25, 2007

nice recipe