Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie! A crowd-pleasing holiday favorite made from scratch with a flaky gluten-free pie crust. Thanksgiving isn’t complete without it!
Whether you’re a gluten-free eater or hosting a gluten-free guest, this blog post has all the tips you’ll need to make a smooth and rich pumpkin pie in a homemade pie crust. Nobody will be able to guess it’s gluten-free!
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without classic, custardy pumpkin pie! Pumpkin pie is my favorite of all the holiday pies. That is saying a lot considering how much I love this Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie (with a tasty pretzel crust!).
It’s taken me quite a few years to get comfortable making gluten-free pie crust. This traditional pumpkin pie is made with my very favorite flaky, buttery, gluten-free pie crust recipe. I use this flaky crust in our favorite gluten-free apple pie and gluten-free pecan as well.
Just as a note, it’s very important to use the listed ingredients and follow the directions when making this pie crust. I’ve tested it many times to get it just right!
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Pie Crust
This combination of ingredients creates a gluten-free pie dough with just the right consistency! Here are a few notes on the ingredients.
- Gluten-Free Flour: I like to use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour that contains xanthan gum. This is my favorite brand.
- Vinegar: I prefer white vinegar or rice vinegar.
- Sour Cream: Gives the dough a little stability and helps it brown.
- Butter/Ice Water/Salt/Sugar: All the usual suspects when it comes to pie crust!
Dairy-Free? I don’t recommend swapping in ingredients to make this crust dairy-free. If you need a dairy-free alternative check out this recipe for gluten/dairy-free crust.
Make the Pie Dough
Tips for Gluten-Free Pie Dough Success
I really like making this pie crust in the food processor because it’s quick and reliable. You could also cut in the butter by hand using a fork or pastry cutter.
It’s important to let the pie dough sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to overnight) before rolling it out. This allows the dough to hydrate form a cohesive ball.
After the chilling time, the pie dough also has to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before you roll it out.
Shape the Crust
Gluten-free pie dough is more delicate than regular pie dough. It helps to roll the dough in-between plastic wrap so you can easily transfer it to the pie plate.
Peel off the top layer of wrap and carefully invert the rolled crust onto the plate. Then peel off the remaining plastic wrap. After this you can trim the edges and shape the crust as usual.
Ingredients for the Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Filling
Growing up my Mom always made the good old back-of-the-pumpkin-can recipe for pumpkin filling. I like to do the same! The only changes I’ve made are I reduce the sugar and sometimes swap out the evaporated milk for coconut milk. Be sure to use 100% pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling for this recipe.
Fill the Pie Crust
Once the pie crust is shaped and in the pie pan you’ll need to freeze it for 15 minutes. You want it to be really cold before it hits the hot oven!
Then it’s as simple as whisking the filling together, pouring it into the crust and baking.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! I often cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup for the filling.
Pumpkin pie filling does not contain gluten. However, you’ll need a gluten-free pie crust to make gluten-free pumpkin pie.
Serving/Storing Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
To Serve: I’m a big fan of gluten-free pumpkin pie being served cold! I recommend chilling it for at least 4 hours. It can also be served at room temperature if that’s your preference.
To Store: This pie should be refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. This pie does not freeze well.
Make Ahead? You can make the pie crust up to 2 days in advance. This pie can also be made 2 days in advance.
More Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes
- Gluten-Free Rolls – soft and fluffy.
- Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole – a long-time reader favorite.
- Gluten-Free Cheesecake – rich, creamy and decadent!
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll – another delicious pumpkin dessert.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie (with Homemade Crust)
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
- 3 tablespoons ice water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free 1:1 baking flour 180 grams
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
For the Pie:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 15 oz can of pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- 12 ounce (1 can) evaporated milk or 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Cut the butter into small 1/4-inch pieces and freeze for 10-15 minutes.
- Combine the ice water, sour cream, and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Process the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor until combined. Scatted the butter over top and pulse until the butter is the size of large peas, about 10 pulses.
- Add the sour cream mixture and pulse until the mixture begins to clump around the blade, about 10 pulses. (If the mixture doesn't clump after 10 pulses no worries! Pour it into a bowl and smash together with your hands to form a ball.)
- Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Gather into a a flat disc and wrap tightly in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- If you refrigerated the dough longer than 1 hour, let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling. Roll the pie crust out between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap, to ¼ inch thickness.
- After rolling, remove the top piece of plastic wrap and flip into a 9-inch pie plate. Gently ease the dough into the edges of the pan before removing the 2nd piece of plastic wrap. Trim any excess edges with scissors and shape the edges as desired.
- Wrap the shaped pie crust loosely in plastic and place in the freezer for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour until chilled and firm.
For the Pie:
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Whisk in the pumpkin, eggs and milk until smooth.
- Pour filling into the prepared pie shell – pouring any extra filling into ramekins if needed. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for another 40-50 minutes until the custard is set.
- Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve chilled with whipped cream!
I made this crust to make a quiche. I had to add a couple extra teaspoons of water for it to make a ball with my hands, but it worked well and tasted nearly as good as a pie crust made with regular flour – which neither of my daughters can eat, and I don’t each much of because it triggers rosacea flare ups.
Question – would it be better to prebake for 10 minutes before filling, if the pie doesn’t need to be baked as long as the pumpkin pie, or will the crust bake enough if you don’t. I did pre-bake that long, and it was fine, just wondering if you think it would be necessary. Thanks.
Would it be ok to use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
I think that should work! Let me know how it goes if you try it 🙂
LOVE this recipe!! And I did use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and worked out perfectly
I’m so happy the pie turned out for you!
Made the gluten free pie crust for my pumpkin pie recipe and it turned out great. Wouldn’t even know it was gluten free.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! That’s always the best when nobody can tell it’s gluten-free. Thanks for the comment 🙂
This was absolutely wonderful!! It was my first time making gluten free pie crust. I was a bit nervous but just followed the directions. I’ve made regular gluten crust before and It wasn’t that much different of a process/ingredients. The crust was simple and so easy to make. The filing was delicious. Very pleased with how it turned out. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I’m so glad the pumpkin pie turned out for you! Glad your first attempt making gluten-free pie crust went well too. Thanks for the comment! 🙂
I made this for Thanksgiving
for my grandson who is gluten intolerant and granddaughter-in-law who has celiac disease so also cannot have dairy. She can however have butter. To make it dairy free I did use fatty coconut milk, and I found a gluten free sour cream. Also for her I found Coco Whip to use instead of whipping cream. They both LOVED this pie! I will be adding this to my recipe file and looking for
More recipes from this author.
I’m so happy to hear your family members enjoyed this pie! Great to know it worked well with those substitutes. Thanks for the comment!