This pumpkin pie recipe does not include any wheat, dairy, or sugar. And before you click your back button I’d like to add that it is also the creamiest pumpkin pie you will ever eat.

The creaminess comes from full fat coconut milk (so yeah, unfortunately you still can’t eat the whole pie), the sweetness is a result of juicy medjool dates, and oats are used as the binder. The perpetual presence of these three ingredients in my cupboard, along with my autumn ritual of keeping a container of muffin cup size baked pumpkin portions frozen in my freezer made this a super easy bake for me. While you could eat this pie filling as pudding (I did this morning), I would switch a few things up if pudding were your goal.

In addition to being tasty this recipe is a beautiful ayurvedic example of balancing ingredients for autumn. The pumpkin, and dates are grounding foods. Combined with the warming spices they work to balance the excess of vata energy that can build up at this time of year. Read on for the recipe.

Creamy Pumpkin

Pie Filling Ingredients

Pumpkin puree (14oz can or weigh what you have pre-cooked yourself)

1 can full-fat coconut milk (14oz)

1/4 cup rolled oats (3 tbs oat flour/or your flour of choice.)

8-10 medjool dates (or sweeten to taste with your favourite sugar)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

A pinch each of nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger (or a little more of each. Season to taste. Use pumpkin pie spice if you prefer)

1 tsp salt

Crust Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour (I used oat flour)

1 tsp salt

6 Medjool dates

1/2 cup ghee

Water (add as needed a spoonful at a time)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375. Crust: Blend dates and ghee into creamy mixture. Add flour and salt mixture until combined. Remove to bowl adding water if needed. Press into pie pan. Filling: Blend all ingredients in a blender/vitamix/food processor until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Bake for 25-30 min. It may look like it isn’t fully done. That is ok. It firms up nicely in the refrigerator. Whipped Topping: If a topping is desired scoop the cream out of a can of coconut milk leaving the watery portion behind. Mix the cream with a tsp of vanilla and desired amount of honey (I keep the watery portion for other recipes). If you keep your can of coconut milk in the refrigerator the milk and cream separate more easily.

Pumpkin Pudding Instructions: Yes, you could save a bowl of your pumpkin pie filling to snack on later but the BEST pudding involves mixing equal amount of pumpkin puree, coconut cream (separated from the milk as above), tsp vanilla, 4-6 dates (to taste), all the pie spices above to taste. Mix all in Vitamix/blender. Cool in refrigerator to set. I have been whipping this up for breakfast ever since the supermarket filled with pumpkins.

*If baking your own pumpkin use a pie pumpkin, or a buttercup squash, or kabocha. The carving pumpkins are wetter and not so tasty.