Description
Creamy pumpkin filling flavored with warm pumpkin spice on a toasted pumpkin seed base for a cheesecake-style take on pumpkin pie. Top with whipped plant-based cream or yogurt, toasted seeds, coconut, or an extra sprinkle of spice.
Yield: 8 servings of 1 slice each, or an 8-inch (20cm) round "pie"
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes | Bake Time: 10 minutes base + 40 minutes filling | Rest Time: 1-2 hours
Oven Temperature: 350°F (175°C)
Equipment: a small or mini food processor, a high-powered blender, and an 8-inch (20cm) round springform pan or loose-bottom cake pan. If halving the recipe, use a 6-inch (15cm) pan.
Storage: refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
Filling Ingredients:
Instructions
Base Directions:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the pumpkin seeds out in rimmed baking sheet. When the oven is heated, toast for 5-7 minutes. Monitor to prevent burning. Allow to cool for a few minutes before using.
If you don't need to toast your seeds, you can skip step 1 and preheat the oven just before starting step 3. If you're using store-bought toasted pumpkin seeds that are salted, omit the salt from the base ingredients. -
Meanwhile, whisk together the flaxseed meal, water, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside to gel for about 10 minutes.
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When the pumpkin seeds are slightly cooled, put them and the protein powder in a small or mini food processor and pulse until roughly the size of breadcrumbs.
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Drizzle the oil and the flax gel mixture over the pumpkin seed crumbs and pulse briefly to incorporate. Don't over-process. If some wet or dry patches remain, mix these in by hand.
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Press the base into the bottom of an 8-inch (20cm) round springform pan or loose-bottom cake pan. I use a small silicone spatula for this. If you prefer to use your hands, you may need to oil them a little to prevent sticking. I like to line the bottom of my pan with parchment to prevent damaging the coating of my pan when cutting the pie/cake. I buy precut round pieces or parchment for ease of use.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.
Filling Directions:
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While the base is baking, put all filling ingredients, apart from the pumpkin puree and protein powder, in the jug of a high-powered blender and blend to smooth.
6 Tbsp is equal to ¼ + 2 Tbsp. 60ml of oil weighs 54g. -
Add the pumpkin puree to the blender and blend to fully incorporate.
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Add the protein powder to the blender and blend to fully incorporate.
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Put the filling atop the baked base and spread into an even layer. The base needn't be cooled first.
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Bake for 40 minutes.
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Transfer from the oven to a wire cooling rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Then, transfer to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours.
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Slice into 8 servings and enjoy chilled or at room temperature.Optional toppings: whipped coconut or plant-based cream, yogurt, chopped nuts or seeds (I prefer toasted ones), toasted coconut, and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
Used to Make This Recipe
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Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
Serving Size 1 Slice
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 315kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 23g36%
- Total Carbohydrate 18g6%
- Dietary Fiber 4g16%
- Protein 17g34%
- Allulose 9g
- Net Carbs 5g
* Total Carbs - (Fiber + Allulose + Sugar Alcohols) = Net Carbs
Notes
- You can toast your own pumpkin seeds, which is what I always do, or buy toasted ones. Making the recipe is a little quicker if you buy toasted seeds. If your toasted seeds are salted, omit the salt from the base ingredients. Toasted seeds add a nice flavor and texture to the base, but if you're not particular about that, you could also use raw seeds.
- The vanilla protein powder in the base and filling add not only protein, but also sweetness and flavor. If you prefer to use a plain pea or soy protein powder, you could do this and add additional sweetener and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the filling. I do not suggest adding allulose to the base as it will likely burn. I'd opt for either no sweetener in the base or a little pure monk fruit or stevia. It may be possible tp omit the protein powder from the recipe entirely, but I have not tried this myself. If you wish to do so, I would suggest adding an additional 2 tablespoons (20g) pumpkin seeds to the base and replacing the protein powder in the filling with ¼ cup (30g) chickpea flour. These swaps would aim to provide similar quantity of base/filling and texture to that of the original recipe. Note that making these swaps would results in slightly different macros per serving - 325 calories | 14g protein | 24g fat | 6.5g net carbs.
- I first created this recipe many years ago when allulose was not available and my sweetener of choice was pure monk fruit powder. I used ¼ teaspoon in that original recipe. In this revised recipe, I have not only used allulose, but have also increased the amount of milk, oil, and pumkpin puree slightly. Thus, I cannot guarentee that the texture will be the same with pure monk fruit powder as it is now with allulose. I have not tried making this recipe with another granulated sweetener, but I assume that it would work fine with erythritol, xylitol, or a sweetener blend that uses one of these as the primary ingredient. The texture of the filling might be slightly different as allulose tends to retain moisture like regular sugar does. I'd use these granulated sweeteners in the same quantity as the allulose. If you try another sweetener, please let us know how it turns out.
- Pumpkin spice is a common spice blend in North America. If you can't buy it in stores where you are, there is a recipe in my first book, or various recipes available online. Or, you can just use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves instead of the pumpkin spice.
