The BEST Crustless Pumpkin Pie

This Crustless Pumpkin Pie is refined sugar free and gluten free, and deliciously creamy with just the right amount of sweetness. And you wouldn’t believe how EASY it is to make! Read the post for tips that will guarantee PERFECT results every time. 

This crustless pumpkin pie pudding is so satisfying and silky smooth that you won’t miss the crust at all! Plus, you can make it all in ONE bowl!

Ladies and gentlemen, this here is THE BEST Crustless Pumpkin Pie in the world! God daammnn, it’s goooood. 🙂 No exaggerations really, as far as no crust pumpkin pies go, this one takes the um… pie.

Let me first say that I’ve got nothing against pie crusts. In fact, I love pie crust so much that I could eat it on its own. But let’s face it, pie crusts can be a pain in the ass, and if I’m making this for family on Thanksgiving day or for friends and guests, I’d rather make my life easier by not having to worry about a finicky pie crust.

So why is this the BEST crustless pumpkin pie?

• Simple ingredients.
• Super simple to make, can make it all in one bowl.
• Gluten free and refined sugar free.
• Foolproof recipe that guarantees delicious, creamy, silky smooth, absolutely perfect results, every time (no weeping or curdling).
• Flexibility to make this either as one large pie, or in smaller/individual portions as pumpkin pie custards (which is even faster to make).

I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times, and made all the mistakes while trying to perfect this gluten free pumpkin pie, so that you don’t have to! 🙂 It’s sweetened with maple syrup which makes this no crust pumpkin pie even more flavorful in my opinion (and also refined sugar free), but you’re welcome to use honey or sugar if you prefer.

My favorite way to serve this crustless pumpkin pie is to slice it like a pie (duh), and serve with whipped cream. You can do the same, or let your guests scoop it like a pudding into cups, because this tastes and feels like a really creamy pumpkin pie pudding too.

For even better results, you can flavor your whipped cream with maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, cinnamon or any other flavor you like. My husband likes it with slightly sweetened whipped cream, I prefer it with a drizzle of extra maple syrup on top.

But the best part is that this no crust pumpkin pie is healthy enough for breakfast too! Just add some granola and Greek yogurt and you have yourself a pumpkin pie parfait.

My first attempt at making this gluten free pumpkin pie was to follow the famous Libby’s no crust pumpkin pie recipe, but without any refined sugar. So I followed the recipe on the Libby pumpkin can, without the crust. Unfortunately, I was so disappointed with the results, even after following the recipe precisely as stated.

Here’s the one thing you need to keep in mind when making no crust pumpkin pie. Without the crust, the pumpkin pie filling is essentially a pumpkin flavored custard, relying on eggs to set it into a creamy, smooth filling.

The two biggest problems I had with some crustless pumpkin pie recipes including Libby’s recipe were,

1. Weeping (technical term for that is syneresis)
2. Curdling

When a custard is baked at a high temperature, the eggs in the custard bake too rapidly and coagulate, and separate into curd and whey. That’s because the egg proteins form a very tight network (curds) that causes the water to be “squeezed out” (whey), causing the baked custard to weep. This also makes the custard taste and feel like it’s curdled.

The original Libby’s famous crustless pumpkin pie recipe tests the doneness by inserting a knife into the custard and checking whether it comes out clean. I followed this recipe against my better judgement, hoping that the custard would somehow come out OK, but my gut feeling was correct. The problem is, your custard is already overbaked by the time you reach this level of doneness (or will be overbaked by the residual heat).

So here are my solutions to prevent weeping, curdling and overbaking of this no crust pumpkin pie

Solution #1 – Reduce the oven temperature. Baking this crustless pumpkin pie at 350°F as suggested in the original recipe will most definitely cause the eggs in the custard to cook too quickly, leading to a curdled texture and weeping. I cook this crustless pumpkin pie at 300°F, so that it cooks low and slow, allowing for more even baking, and reducing the chances of the eggs overbaking. You can lower the chances of weeping and curdling even more by baking this custard in a water bath. But it’s not necessary.

Solution #2 – Adding cornstarch to the custard. The starch molecules expand as they cook with the water in the custard, and act as a buffer to prevent the eggs from curdling. The result is a creamy, pudding like pumpkin pie.

Solution #3 –  Don’t wait until the “inserted knife comes out clean” stage. I always remove this pumpkin pie pudding while the middle is still a bit runny or jiggly. The residual heat will continue to cook the custard to perfection.

Solution #4 – Allow the crustless pumpkin pie to cool completely after baking. It’s important to let the pumpkin pie cool completely, before covering it with plastic wrap and refrigerating it. Let the excess water evaporate while it cools down, uncovered, to prevent the water re-entering the pumpkin pie pudding.

Solution #5 – Use of a thermometer. Since every oven and baking dish can transfer heat differently, it’s hard to say exactly when the custard is done. The foolproof way to know when the custard is perfect and is ready to come out, is to use a thermometer.

Cooking this crustless pumpkin pie to an internal temperature of  165°F – 170°F ensures that you get perfect, creamy, smooth results. I prefer a good medium of 167-168°F, and NEVER over 175°F.

More tips to make a perfect gluten free crustless pumpkin pie

• If you add the spice mix into the egg mix, there are times when spice clumps form, which may or may not break apart. So I prefer to always mix the spices with the cornstarch and maple syrup first, and then add this to the egg mix. This way, the spices will disperse more evenly through the custard.
• By following the order of ingredients added that’s indicated in this recipe, you can make this no crust pumpkin pie pudding using only 1 bowl!
• Butter the baking dish with a very thin coating of butter.
• Pour the custard into the dish and knock it on your kitchen counter-top a few times to knock out any excess air. If there are air bubbles on the surface of the custard, you can remove them by gently flaming the surface of the custard with a blow torch.
• I prefer making this in a 9 inch glass porcelain pie dish. It guarantees consistent results every time. I’ve made this in 1/2 cup ramekins and in individual pie dishes (1 cup capacity) as well (see pictures in the post).
• I usually place the pie dish/dishes on a baking tray and bake them in the oven. This way it’s easier to remove the dishes from the oven and even to rotate them half way through the cooking process.
• However, when the baking is done, I remove the baking tray (with the pumpkin pie dish) from the oven and immediately transfer the pumpkin pie dish/dishes on to a cold surface. Otherwise, the residual heat from the baking sheet/tray will cook the custard further.

This refined sugar free, gluten free crustless pumpkin pie is guaranteed to be a hit at your Thanksgiving spread, or any time you want to whip up some simple, delicious pumpkin pie! It’s incredibly creamy, smooth and perfectly sweet, and just so satisfying that you won’t miss the crust at all.

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Crustless Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Thanksgiving

Keyword: Custards, Pie, Puddings, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 169 kcal

Author: Dini @ The Flavor Bender

This Crustless Pumpkin Pie Pudding is so satisfying and silky smooth that you won't miss the crust at all! It's gluten free and refined sugar free too. 

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Ingredients

• Butter or coconut oil to butter the pie dish/dishes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt kosher salt or sea salt
• 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 15 oz canned pumpkin puree 1 can
• 12 fl oz evaporated milk 1 can

To Serve

• Sweetened whipped cream optional
• Maple syrup optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F and butter a glass porcelain 9 inch pie dish, OR 5 mini pie dishes (1 cup capacity), OR 9 ramekins (½ cup ramekins).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch. Whisk this mix until there are no lumps in the cornstarch.

3. Add half of the maple syrup and whisk it in until the cornstarch is completely dissolved and there are no lumps. Then add the rest of the maple syrup and the vanilla and mix well.

4. Add the 2 eggs and yolk, and whisk to combine.

5. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until it's mixed in well.

6. Stir in the evaporated milk. Make sure that the evaporated milk is also mixed in well.

7. Pour the prepared pumpkin custard into the 9 inch pie dish. Knock the pie dish on a hard surface like your kitchen countertop firmly (don't break the dish though!), a couple of times, to remove any air bubbles. See recipe notes on how to bake this crustless pumpkin pie in smaller dishes. 
8. Place the pie dish in the preheated oven and bake for 60 - 70 minutes, rotating the pie dish halfway through the cooking time (30 minutes).

9. If you have a thermometer, check for an internal temperature of 165 - 170°F in the middle of the pie. If you don’t have a thermometer, remove the pie from the oven while the middle still seems a bit runny or jiggly, but the edges are set - this should take between 60 - 70 minutes.

10. Remove the pie dish from the oven and keep it in a cool, dry place to cool down, UNCOVERED. When the pie has completely cooled to room temperature, cover the pie dish and refrigerate it overnight. Keep the pumpkin pie pudding in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

11. Slice the crustless pumpkin pie pudding into 8 - 10 servings, and serve with sweetened whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup (optional). 

Recipe Notes

Notes for baking this crustless pumpkin pie in smaller dishes.

• Measure the pumpkin pie custard into the smaller ramekins using a measuring cup. Add ½ cup of the custard into the ½ cup ramekins, and 1 cup of the custard into the mini pie dishes.
• It’s easier to move the dishes in and out of the oven if you place them all on a larger baking sheet/tray. I use a half baking sheet.
• Bake the ½ cup ramekins for about 22 - 25 minutes. The ramekins I used are the flat ramekins, where the pumpkin pie custard only fills up about 1 1/2 inches deep. If it's a taller baking dish, the custard will take longer to bake. 
• Bake the 1 cup mini pie dish for about 30 minutes (the pumpkin pie custard only fills up for about 1 1/2 inches.)
• Remove the baking tray from the oven, and then transfer the smaller dishes onto a cold surface to let the individual pumpkin pie puddings cool down completely.

Calories in 1 individual pumpkin pie ramekin - 140 kcal

Calories in 1 individual pumpkin pie (mini pie dish) - 270 Kcal

Notes for cooling down the crustless pumpkin pie pudding.

It’s important to allow the pumpkin pie puddings to cool down completely before covering them. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the dishes in a water bath (where the water level travels halfway up the dish). The residual heat will continue to cook the custard, while the excess water evaporates.

If you cover the pumpkin pie pudding with plastic wrap before it’s completely cooled down, there'll be condensation that will drip back into the pie and make it watery.

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