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!)
Table of Contents
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
These are fantastic. A new favorite in my house. We have made them twice already. Thank you so much!!
Greetings! Wow reading the recipe and all of the raving reviews makes me so excited to try these!! Do you think I could substitute mashed sweet potatoes instead of the pumpkin purée and if so would I use the same measurement? Thank you:))
Yes I think that will work great! Just be sure the sweet potato puree is very smooth. Let me know how it goes!
Oh. MY. This were fantastic. My brother has celiac and it’s his second thanksgiving after his diagnosis. I wanted to make something he could enjoy instead of buying some sorbet. He loved these!!!!! Ate 3 in like 6 bites! The whole family raves about them! We are at high altitude so I baked them for 7 mins extra. We aren’t dairy free so I made homemade whipped cream with vanilla and powdered sugar and some cinnamon. Highly recommended! Can’t wait to try more recipes on this site!
How long would the bake time be if I made them in a mini cupcake pan?
I would decrease the bake time to 20 minutes for mini cupcakes. I hope you like them!
Delicious! Can they be frozen?
I just tried making these and the middles sunk in and they look nothing like yours. I followed the directions, but I did use monk fruit in place of the reg sugar. I used Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 GF baking flour. My batter was very runny, not sure how runny it was supposed to be. Any ideas what I might have done wrong?
Unfortunately monk fruit sugar won’t work here! The actual sugar helps to give the pies some structure. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you!
Excellent! I have found very few things using gluten free flour I can stand to eat. These were so good! I put real whipped cream with pumpkin spice in it and they were divine. Perfect for fall and small enough and tasty enough after a good meal. Thank you so much! A keeper for sure.
Could I use the pumpkin pie filling rather than 100 percent pumpkin? Would I reduce the brown sugar?
Hi
Is there a substitute for the yolk for vegans and does a flax egg work for the 2 egg replacements?
Thanks!
I was pleasantly surprised how great this turned out. I didn’t have coconut milk so I improvised with evaporated milk, turned out really well. I I did it exact to recipe except for the coconut milk. Next time I will reduce the sugar. Thank you this was a crowd pleaser.
I used aquafaba as an egg replacement and they were delicious. The consistency may be softer, but my son and I loved them.
This is great to know! Thanks for the comment to help others know aquafaba works well.
Do these freeze well? Thinking make ahead…
I made these for my Daughter. They were very easy & a hit will everyone. A cross between a cupcake and pumpkin pie. I topped with real whipped cream. Yummy!
Made for Christmas Eve. Delicious! I served with a homemade spiced whipped cream. Thank you for a great, easy (but also fancy) recipe!
Can you use evaporated milk instead of coconut? I am only looking for Gluten-free and I don’t need to worry about dairy or vegan or anything else?
Yes that will work great! Should be really tasty with evaporated milk!
Wow – a Thanksgiving dessert I could eat and enjoy – leftover after leftover! Even my non GF friends loved it. It was like eating the yummy goo out of the middle of the piece of pumpkin pie but without gluten and dairy. Thank you!
I made these for the first time on Thanksgiving, and they were delicious! Will definitely make them again! Great recipe,