Pumpkin Pie

A healthier way to make the holiday classic

I love pumpkin pie and usually feel good eating it,—but, when you see all the artificial ingredients in store bought pies, pumpkin mixes and pre-made pie crusts, the health factors go down down drastically.

I like making my pumpkin pie a little differently: Its all homemade, with real ingredients and takes about 30 minutes of prep time!

Pie filling:

• 2 Eggs

• 3/4 c Brown sugar

• 1 can organic Pumpkin

• 3/4 cup Whole milk and 1/4 c Heavy cream

• sprinkle of Nutmeg

• 1 tsp Cinnamon

• 1tsp Cloves

• 1tsp Ginger

Mix the first three ingredients together then add in the rest. No evaporated milk, no excess sugars— just real foods. Since there are only a few ingredients we try to buy organic eggs, sugar, pumpkin and milk. The milk has more fat content but that adds to the texture of the pie, and they are good fats!

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Skip the pre-made crusts. Pumpkin Pies allow for you to make and roll the crust without having to blind bake ahead of time which makes this crust even easier

Butter crust:

• 8 Tbsp butter

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 3+ Tbsp ice water

Mix the first two ingredients together. Use a food processor or knead with your hands. Once they are as combined as possible add water to make a more dough-like consistency. Refrigerate for a few minutes or up to a day ahead of time to help the dough solidify. You can easily store extra dough wrapped in the freezer for months.

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The Assembly:

Once the dough has solidified, flour your surface and roll out into a crust. Place in pie mold and pour your pumpkin pie filling inside. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 for 30 minutes. We like to let our pie cool, refrigerate it until it’s cold and then top with homemade whipped cream for serving.

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Essentially pumpkin pie is a custard pie. Some people would argue it is healthy and others would say it’s too high in sugars in fats. If you follow this recipe it is as healthy as it gets while still having real ingredients. According to my calculations this recipe makes about 8 servings of pie with the following nutritional facts:

• Calories: 173/ per slice

  • Protein: 4g/ per slice

  • Fats: 6g/ per slice

  • Carbs 18g/ per slice

  • Sugars 18g/ per slice

Of course the carbs and sugars are higher because it’s pie! But making it healthier doesn’t always mean trying to have substitutes for flours, sugar, butter. It means using those ingredients intentionally! I would rather use more butter in my crust than have various oils or preservatives in the store bought versions. I would rather use flour and have the crust taste like the holiday season than try to use an alternative and hate it. I would rather use 3/4 cup organic sugar and the pie be slightly sweet than more sugar in added mixes or recipes.

Substitutions aren’t always the answer. Real foods, made and eaten with intention, are.