This gluten free dairy free pumpkin pie delivers everything you love about the classic holiday dessert — silky, spiced filling and a flaky, golden crust — without a drop of gluten or dairy.
A gluten free dairy free pumpkin pie that actually holds its own at the Thanksgiving table is not some distant dream — it is completely within reach, and this post is going to walk you through exactly how to make one that you will be genuinely proud to serve. Whether you are baking for someone with dietary restrictions or simply exploring new ways to approach a beloved classic, this pie delivers on every level: a tender, crisp crust, a smooth and warmly spiced filling, and a clean slice every single time.
The reason so many gluten free dairy free pies fall flat comes down to two things — a crust that turns to crumbs and a filling that never quite sets. This version solves both problems with a few deliberate ingredient choices. A blend of gluten free flours gives the crust enough structure to roll and crimp without cracking. Full-fat coconut cream replaces dairy in the filling, providing the richness and body that makes pumpkin pie feel indulgent. The result is a pie that does not taste like a compromise — it tastes like Thanksgiving.
Why This Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Works So Well
Recipe Card
Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie
A silky, deeply spiced pumpkin custard filling — scented with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg — baked inside a buttery golden almond-flour crust and finished with billowing coconut whipped cream and toasted pecans.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
55 mins
Total
75 mins
Serves
8 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish.
- 2. Make the crust: Combine almond flour, tapioca starch and salt in a large bowl. Add coconut oil, maple syrup and egg; mix until a cohesive dough forms.
- 3. Press the dough evenly across the base and up the sides of the prepared pie dish, forming a neat crimped edge. Prick the base several times with a fork.
- 4. Blind-bake the crust for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
- 5. Make the filling: Whisk together pumpkin purée, coconut milk, eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and vanilla in a large bowl until completely smooth.
- 6. Pour the filling into the par-baked crust, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- 7. Bake for 45–50 minutes until the edges are set and the centre has only a slight wobble. Tent loosely with foil after 25 minutes if the crust edges are browning too quickly.
- 8. Cool the pie completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight) until fully set.
- 9. Make the coconut whipped cream: Scoop the solid cream from the chilled coconut cream can into a cold mixing bowl; discard the liquid. Beat with a hand mixer on high for 1–2 minutes until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form.
- 10. Dollop coconut whipped cream onto the chilled pie, scatter toasted pecans over the top and dust lightly with cinnamon before serving.
Tips & Notes
- – Chill overnight: The filling sets more firmly and slices more cleanly after a full night in the refrigerator.
- – Crust shield trick: Cut strips of foil and tent them over the crust edges after the first 25 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- – Coconut cream tip: Choose a brand without added stabilisers or guar gum for the best whipped texture, and make sure the can is well chilled overnight.
- – Make ahead: The fully baked and cooled pie keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; add whipped cream and pecans just before serving.
- – Nut-free crust swap: Replace almond flour with a certified gluten free oat flour blend (add an extra tablespoon of tapioca starch) for a nut-free version.
KitchenGuide101.com
The secret is in understanding what each ingredient actually does. In a traditional pumpkin pie, dairy — usually evaporated milk or heavy cream — provides fat, liquid, and a creamy texture that carries the spices smoothly through the filling. Full-fat coconut cream does all of that with an equally luscious result. You want to use the thick, chilled variety; the fat should be solid when you open the can, which tells you it has enough richness to do the job properly.
On the crust side, a single-flour approach often leads to a brittle, sandy result. A combination of a fine rice flour base with a small amount of tapioca starch brings both tenderness and just enough chew to mimic a traditional pastry. Adding a little apple cider vinegar to the cold fat helps develop flakiness the same way it does in a classic all-butter crust. These are not workarounds — they are genuinely good baking techniques that happen to keep the pie free of gluten and dairy.
What You Will Need for This Pie
For the crust, you will need a good gluten free all-purpose flour blend — look for one that contains xanthan gum, as this is what holds everything together in place of gluten. If your blend does not include it, add half a teaspoon separately. You will also need solid coconut oil or a dairy-free butter alternative (both work, though coconut oil gives a slightly more neutral flavor), a pinch of salt, a little sugar, cold water, and a splash of apple cider vinegar.
For the filling, gather one standard can of pure pumpkin puree — not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spice. You will need full-fat coconut cream, three large eggs, brown sugar, a small amount of pure maple syrup, and your spices: ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and a pinch of salt. Use alcohol-free vanilla extract or a small scrape of vanilla bean paste to round out the warm flavors without any harshness.
How to Make This Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie
Start with the crust. Whisk together your gluten free flour blend, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add your cold coconut oil or dairy-free butter in small pieces and cut it into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse, uneven crumbs — some pieces should be pea-sized, which is exactly what creates flakiness. Stir together cold water and apple cider vinegar separately, then drizzle it into the flour mixture one tablespoon at a time, stirring gently between each addition. Stop when the dough just comes together and holds when pressed. Gluten free dough tends to be stickier than traditional pastry, so do not worry if it feels slightly tacky.
Press the dough into a disc, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This rest period is not optional — it allows the starches to hydrate fully and makes the dough much easier to work with. When you are ready to roll, place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it to about an eighth of an inch thickness. Transfer it carefully to your 9-inch pie dish by sliding a flat baking sheet underneath the bottom parchment and flipping it gently. Press the crust into the dish, trim the overhang to about an inch, and crimp or press with a fork for a decorative edge. Refrigerate the lined dish while you prepare the filling.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. For the filling, whisk together the pumpkin puree, coconut cream, eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and all your spices until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform in color — there should be no streaks of egg white or pockets of unmixed spice. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, checking at the 45-minute mark. The pie is ready when the edges are set and slightly puffed but the very center still has a gentle wobble — about a 2-inch circle in the middle that jiggles like set gelatin rather than liquid. It will firm completely as it cools. If the crust edges begin to darken too quickly, tent them loosely with strips of foil.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before slicing. The filling needs this time to finish setting. Rushing it results in a soft, runny center, so plan your baking schedule accordingly.
Tips for the Best Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Every Time
- Chill everything. Cold fat, cold water, and a cold resting period are your biggest allies for a flaky, tender crust that does not slump down the sides of the dish during baking.
- Blind bake if you prefer extra crispness. Line the chilled crust with parchment, fill with pie weights or dry beans, and bake for 15 minutes before adding the filling. This creates a firmer base.
- Do not skip straining the filling. Pouring it through a fine mesh sieve before it goes into the crust removes any lumps and guarantees a perfectly smooth, silky texture once baked.
- Room temperature eggs blend more smoothly into the filling and are less likely to create streaks or uneven texture. Pull them from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you begin.
- Let the coconut cream can sit unopened in the refrigerator overnight before using it. This ensures maximum separation and the thickest, creamiest product possible for your filling.
Ways to Change Up This Pumpkin Pie
Once you have the base recipe down, there are several directions you can take it depending on your preferences or what you have on hand.
- Sweet potato variation: Swap the pumpkin puree for an equal amount of roasted, mashed sweet potato. The flavor is slightly earthier and more complex, with a natural caramel note that pairs beautifully with the warming spices.
- Maple-forward version: Replace all of the brown sugar with pure maple syrup, adjusting the amount slightly down to prevent the filling from becoming too loose. The maple flavor becomes much more pronounced and adds a lovely depth.
- Pecan-topped crust: Press roughly chopped pecans into the bottom of the unbaked crust before adding the filling. They toast gently during baking and add a pleasant crunch to each slice.
- Mini pies: Divide the dough and filling among a standard muffin tin for individual serving pies. Reduce the baking time to around 25 to 30 minutes and watch carefully for the same wobble cues in each small cup.
- Spiced coconut whip topping: Whip the solid portion of another can of chilled full-fat coconut cream with a spoonful of maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. Dollop it generously over each slice instead of traditional whipped cream.
- Cookie crust alternative: Crush gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies and mix them with melted dairy-free butter to form a pressed crust instead of a rolled pastry one. The slight bitterness of the chocolate against the sweet pumpkin filling is a genuinely satisfying contrast.
How to Store and Reheat This Pie
Once the pie has cooled completely to room temperature, cover it loosely with foil or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to four days. The filling may firm up a little more overnight, which is perfectly normal and does not affect the flavor or texture in a negative way.
For longer storage, pumpkin pie freezes surprisingly well. Wrap the fully cooled pie — or individual slices — tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil and freeze for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Avoid reheating in the microwave, which can cause the filling to weep or become rubbery. If you prefer a warm slice, place it in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until just heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can you make this pie the day before serving? Absolutely, and in fact it is recommended. The filling sets more firmly with an overnight rest in the refrigerator, and the flavors meld and deepen considerably. Making it a day ahead also frees up valuable oven space on the day of your gathering.
- What if my crust cracks when I transfer it to the dish? Gluten free pastry is more fragile than traditional dough, so small cracks are common. Simply press the dough back together with damp fingertips — it is very forgiving when it comes to patching, and once it bakes, the surface seals together seamlessly.
- Is canned pumpkin already cooked? Yes. Canned pumpkin puree is fully cooked and ready to use directly from the can. There is no need to cook it further before adding it to the filling mixture.
- Can this pie be made nut free as well? The base recipe as written contains no nuts. If you choose to add the pecan variation or the coconut whip, simply skip those components and the pie remains nut free throughout.
Save This Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie for Your Next Holiday Bake
This pie genuinely delivers on the promise of a holiday dessert that everyone at the table can enjoy — flaky crust, silky filling, warm spice, and a clean slice that holds together beautifully. Whether you are navigating dietary needs or simply curious about what plant-based baking can do for a classic recipe, this is a strong place to start. KitchenGuide101 is here to make recipes like this feel approachable and completely worth your time in the kitchen. If this gluten free dairy free pumpkin pie post was helpful to you, save it to your Pinterest board so it is ready and waiting the next time you cook.
