Looking for an EASY and crowd-pleasing gluten-free thanksgiving dessert? These gluten-free crustless pumpkin pie cupcakes are it!
With dozens of 5-star reviews, this recipe continues to be a treasured reader and family-favorite. It’s my #1 thanksgiving recipe!
This recipe was originally published in 2015. It was updated with new photos and step-by-step instructions in 2022. I hope you enjoy the crustless pumpkin pie as much as we do!
If you’re yet to master the art of gluten-free pie crust making, these pumpkin pie cupcakes are for you! Even if you have mastered the art of gluten-free pie crust making (tell me your secrets…) these cupcakes are amazingly delicious.
They are a cross between pumpkin pie and a cupcake. Skeptical? You’ll have to taste to believe it!
VIDEO: See how to make it!
(Original photo from 2015!)
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
These gluten-free pumpkin pie cupcakes are perfect for gluten/dairy-free guests at Thanksgiving.
Coconut milk replaces regular milk, but nobody will notice or taste the coconut. All they’ll taste is creamy, custardy, spiced pumpkin deliciousness.
These are so easy to make and can be made a day in advance, which is always a lifesaver at holiday gatherings.
I didn’t think anything could ever compare to traditional pumpkin pie, but these cupcakes are right up there with the best pumpkin desserts I’ve ever tasted!
For more gluten-free thanksgiving dinner recipes, check out this gluten-free gravy, gluten-free stuffing, gluten-free rolls and gluten-free cornbread stuffing.
Feel like making crust? Check out this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie! You also might like these collections of gluten-free thanksgiving recipes or gluten-free thanksgiving desserts.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients to make this crustless pumpkin pie recipe:
- Canned pumpkin: I like to use canned Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin. Any can of pumpkin will work. Just do NOT use pumpkin pie filling!
- Coconut milk: Coconut milk makes a delicious pumpkin pie custard! I also love using coconut milk to keep these gluten and dairy-free! You could also use evaporated milk if you prefer.
- Sugar + brown sugar: Brown sugar adds sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor — the perfect compliment to the pumpkin spices. I don’t find these to be overly sweet but if you’d like to reduce the sugar I suggest reducing the white sugar to 1/4 cup. Check the comments for information about sugar substitutes!
- Gluten-Free flour: A little gluten-free flour gives these crustless pumpkin pie cupcakes some structure. Any brand you have on hand will work!
How to Make Gluten-Free Crustless Pumpkin Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners (or silicone muffin liners).Generously spray the bottoms and sides of the liners with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and egg yolk, vanilla, and coconut milk until smooth.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour blend, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to fully combine.
- Scoop the pumpkin filling into the prepared muffin pan. The cups will be fairly full. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Nothing better than creamy pumpkin pie! Top with coconut milk or use heavy cream to make homemade whipped cream and a dusting of ground cinnamon. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
SILICONE MUFFIN PAN: Lately I have been loving baking these in a silicone muffin pan. They bake up perfectly and are so easy to pop out of the pan!
MUFFIN LINERS: The kind of cupcake liners you use for this recipe matters. I like using a higher quality liner (this kind) because nothing sticks to them! You can also spray the liners lightly with nonstick cooking spray for extra guarantee they won’t stick.
THEY WILL SINK – THAT’S NORMAL: These are not a true cupcake or a true pumpkin pie. They’re a wonderfully delicious cross between the two, so set your expectations right. They will sink slightly in the middle as they cool and that’s totally normal. Fill that hole up with whipped cream and nobody will complain!
Make-Ahead/Storage
MAKE-AHEAD: For best results, recommend making these in advance! They are best when they’ve chilled overnight.
STORAGE: Cover any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or on a plate tightly covered with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
MORE GLUTEN-FREE THANKSGIVING DESSERTS
I hope you enjoy these gluten-free crustless pumpkin pie cupcakes as much as we do! If you try this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. Have a happy holiday season!
Gluten-Free Crustless Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes (Dairy-Free)
Video
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For Topping:
- Coconut milk whipped cream I use So Delicious CocoWhip
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners (or silicone muffin liners).Generously spray the bottoms and sides of the liners with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and egg yolk, vanilla, and coconut milk until smooth.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour blend, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to fully combine.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. The cups will be fairly full. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Top with coconut milk or regular whipped cream. Enjoy!
Notes
- COCONUT MILK: For best results, use full-fat canned coconut milk in this recipe. Do not use boxed or refrigerated coconut milk in place of the canned coconut milk.
- MUFFIN LINERS: Lately I have been loving baking these in a silicone muffin pan. If you use muffin liners, the kind of cupcake liners you use for this recipe matters. I like using a higher quality liner (this kind) because nothing sticks to them! You can also spray the liners lightly with nonstick cooking spray for extra guarantee they won’t stick.
- THEY WILL SINK – THAT’S NORMAL: These are not a true cupcake or a true pumpkin pie. They’re a wonderfully delicious cross between the two, so set your expectations right. They will sink slightly in the middle as they cool and that’s totally normal. Fill that hole up with whipped cream and nobody will complain!
Make-Ahead/Storage
- MAKE-AHEAD: For best results, recommend making these in advance! They are best when they’ve chilled overnight.
- STORAGE: Cover any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or on a plate tightly covered with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Hi! Can I substitute almond flour for gluten free flour?
Hi Kati, unfortunately almond flour won’t work. It has very different properties than gluten-free 1:1 baking flour and doesn’t work as a substitute without further changes to a recipe.
Getting ready to make this for a pre Thanksgiving “test” and the cocoanut milk can is on average 13.5 ounces and we are to use 3/4 of the can so that is 10.12 oz. My evaporated milk is a 12 oz can so should the ounces be equal? Thanks!
Hi Lori, the recipe calls for 3/4 cup canned coconut milk . You’ll want to use the same measurement for the evaporated milk. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can regular milk be used?
Hi Carol, we recommend using evaporated milk as a dairy option, in place of the coconut milk. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
My sister is egg free, GF, DF, low oxalate. Always on the hunt for baked good recipe’s that satisfy. Used ATK GF flour blend and for the eggs substituted 3 flax eggs. Absolute success! My guests (and my sister) raved. Thanks so much!
We’re so pleased everyone enjoyed the recipe so much and that those substitutions worked well for you, Lee! Thank you for sharing with us!
Can these be made non-vegan with whole dairy milk? Would cassava flour work? Thanks!
Hi Becky, if not wanting dairy-free, we recommend using evaporated milk in place of the coconut milk. We don’t recommend cassava flour in place of the gf flour blend since their properties are much different and the cassava lacks a binder for structure. We hope this helps!
These are great ! Can you make them as mini cupcakes with a slight difference inbaking time. Would be great for small snacks
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Cheryl! Yes, you should be able to make them as mini cupcakes. They’d probably need only half the time in the oven. If you decide to give a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
These are really delicious – they taste and have the texture of a pumpkin pie filling. Like someone suggested, I added a bit more pumpkin spice and a grind of fresh pepper. I found with just the coconut whip it was missing something. I added some gluten free graham cracker crumbs, nutmeg and chopped candied ginger and it was a bit better. The best combo though: a dollop of plain Greek yogurt! I think also cream cheese icing would be excellent.
Thank you for the recipe!
We’re pleased to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!
Can these be frozen? I have a 29-oz can of pumpkin I want to use up so I’m planning to double the recipe. It will be a little short on the pumpkin since your recipe calls for a 15-oz can. Is that okay, too?
Hi Carla, thank you for your question! These don’t freeze very well unfortunately. They will keep up to 5 days in the fridge though. Being 1 oz off would probably be okay, but if the moisture level seems off, you may need to adjust the liquid ingredients more. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
This tasted just like the pumpkin pie I used to have before going dairy and gluten free. This was a super easy recipe and it tasted amazing! I will be making this for Thanksgiving for years to come! Thanks you!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear you loved the recipe, Ali (and that it will be a Thanksgiving go-to)! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Happy baking!
I make a really good pumpkin pie but this year I thought I’d try these crustless bites. My family raved about them and we will be using these instead of pumpkin pie from here on!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Wow, thank you for such kind feedback! We’re so happy to hear how much your whole family enjoyed the recipe, Arnell!
Super easy to make. Thanks for the warning about the the texture and that the middle would sink. Very yummy; even my picky husband loved it. Had it for dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. Today I put a dollop of leftover homemade cranberry sauce in the indentation then covered with whipped cream. Sooo good!!!
Yay! We’re so glad you and your husband loved the recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. Happy baking!
I made these for Thanksgiving, transporting everything but the eggs and vanilla to my son’s home in bags and cans, which is a plus. It went together in a flash and baked up nicely. I had a difficult time knowing when they were done, so would like to know if there is a “test” for that. They did come out of the oven and admit the liners were inferior and they shrank when cooled, pulling the liners in with them (making me consider a silicone muffin tin.) They were delicious! I’d made a version of these last year, but they were too cakey. These were definitely like mini-pies and with a bit of whipped coconut milk on top were perfect…so much so that 2 per person would be a good estimate when considering how many one needs. At thanksgiving, with so many desserts, the serving size was perfect! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I have yet to master a good gluten free pie crust and was so happy to see this crustless version.
These were so delicious! Thank you for giving me back pumpkin pie, which I haven’t had in years. I’m making a second batch today.
Aww, we’re so glad you loved the recipe, Liz! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. Happy baking!
I have been making these for Friendsgiving & Thanksgiving, 3 years in a row. These are AMAZING and everyone always LOVES them! I have made them with gluten free flour and with regular flour and both turn out awesome! Thanks for this recipe♥️
Aww! We’re so happy to hear they’ve become such a staple! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Krystal. We’re so glad you love the recipe!
Thanks for this! Highly recommend adding to the TOP of the recipe that you recommended making it overnight and to add an hour to the prep time to put in fridge. I didn’t see it until the end of the recipe and it cut the timing close!!
Noted! Thank you for the feedback, Amy. It will work with 1 hour of refrigeration, though overnight is our preference. We hope you enjoyed the pumpkin pies still!
I made these tonight and I could barely wait until they were chilled to try one. Let me tell you, they are absolutely divine!! The only change I made was doubling the pumpkin pie spice..as we like it that way. These are so quick and easy to make. My daughter that is gluten free and dairy free is going to be in heaven. Thanks for a wonderful dessert recipe to add to my “go to” collection!
We’re so happy to hear how much you loved this recipe, Ranee’! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us. Happy baking!