It wouldn’t really seem like Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie on the table, but this delicious tradition can present a challenge for kosher folks. Most pumpkin pie recipes contain dairy– either cream or evaporated milk or half-and-half. While dairy products add a nice creaminess to the pie, you cannot serve them alongside a kosher meat meal because milk products and meat cannot be served together in a strictly kosher household. If you’re serving turkey or any other meat at your Thanksgiving meal, you’ll need a yummy dairy free pumpkin pie recipe (eggs are considered neutral in kosher law, so they’re allowed).
My pareve pumpkin pie is a delicious solution to this problem. It also happens to be a great recipe for people who are watching their fat and cholesterol; non-dairy milk substitutes are a healthier alternative to cream. And if you’re watching your gluten intake, I’ve included a special crust just for you!
People often ask me why I have a gluten free category on my website– after all, gluten free food is not particularly “Jewish.” I pay attention to the gluten issue because a rapidly growing number of people have recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance (including some of my blog readers!). A good friend of mine was diagnosed with Celiac last year, and she’s had a tough time transitioning to a gluten-free diet. While talking with her about the issue, I realized that many Sephardic Jewish dishes are naturally gluten-free; they often include rice, legumes, and healthy oils without any grains. I also discovered there are very few resources for people who want to cook kosher and gluten free. It can be a tough combination.
Today’s recipe can easily be made gluten-free. Make sure your cornstarch and vegan butter substitute are certified GF. The gingersnap crust is also gluten free if you use GF gingersnaps. Mary’s Gone Crackers Gingersnaps are organic, gluten free and very tasty. If you’re keeping kosher, make sure you double check the hechsher. The Mary’s Gone Crackers gingersnaps available in The Shiksa Market are dairy free and the OU website database lists them as Pareve. If you want to make your own crust that is both gluten free AND pareve, check out Gluten Free Girl’s recipe for homemade ginger snaps– just substitute margarine for butter and you’ll have a pareve GF cookie. 
Of course, if you’re not concerned about the gluten you can make the crust with regular pareve gingersnaps. You can also skip the gingersnap crust and use your favorite pie crust recipe instead… or use a pareve pre-made shell like this one:
I am totally willing to admit that I use pre-made crusts once in a while. When making a big meal for lots of hungry guests, a Shiksa must choose her shortcuts wisely! This filling will work great with any bakeable crust, so just pick your favorite and go with it.
And of course, if you’re kosher-vegetarian you can always substitute real butter and cream for the margarine and almond/rice/soy milk. Blog reader Rabbi Gershon Steinberg-Caudill recommended coconut milk as another dairy-free milk alternative, and I think it would work great in this recipe. Enjoy!
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PAREVE PUMPKIN PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST
Gingersnap Crust
10 oz. pareve gingersnaps (use GF gingersnaps for a gluten free crust)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp melted margarine/vegan butter substitute
Pareve Pumpkin Pie Filling
1 1/2 cup pareve unsweetened almond, rice, or soy milk (divided)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp melted margarine/vegan butter substitute
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of cloves
You will also need: Food processor, deep pie dish (9 inch diameter) or two shallow 7-8 inch pie plates, blender or immersion blender (optional)
Serves 8
Kosher Key: Pareve
To make crust:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pulse gingersnaps together in the food processor until they crumble. Add brown sugar, salt, and melted margarine. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides. Process again for 15-30 seconds longer until the crumbs are evenly moistened and clumping together.
Pour mixture into a deep 9 inch pie plate or dish, then pat the mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom and sides.
Bake pie shell for 10 minutes till partially baked. Remove from oven and re-seal any cracks that have formed by pressing the crust together gently with your fingertips. Cool to room temperature before filling.
To make pie filling:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
The easiest way I’ve found to make a smooth, well-blended pie filling is to blend it. First, prep your thickener. Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of the almond, rice, or soy milk till the cornstarch is completely dissolved in the liquid.
Pour all of your filling ingredients, including the dissolved cornstarch, into a blender. Blend all ingredients together until creamy smooth (about 60 seconds). Alternatively, you can pour the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and blend with an immersion blender or a whisk… just make sure all ingredients are very well blended.
Pour mixture into a saucepan. Heat over medium for 9-10 minutes until the mixture is heated through and just starting to thicken and bubble around the edges.
Pour the mixture into into your choice of crust. Smooth it across the top with a spatula. This recipe is written for a deep 9 inch pie dish, but you can use it to fill two shallow 7 or 8 inch pie dishes if you prefer. Fill the dishes almost to the top, leaving a little crust peeking over the edges.
Tent the pie with foil, making sure to leave plenty of space between the surface of the pie and the foil. If you put the foil too close, it will make the top of the pie messy when you peel it off.
Place pie carefully onto the middle rack of your oven (don’t let the filling splash out!). Let it bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and let it continue to bake for 10-15 minutes longer until it sets and only jiggles slightly when you wiggle it. Crack the oven door (I stick a wooden spoon in the crack to keep the door from closing all the way). Turn off the oven and let the pie cool slowly in the oven for 45 minutes—this will help prevent the top from cracking.
Remove pie from the oven and let it cool completely to room temperature (this will take 2-3 hours) or chill in the refrigerator before cutting and serving.
Oy, the Rabbi is in an INTERFAITH MARRIAGE! My wife is Ashkenazi of Russian ancestry and I am Sephardic of Turkish-Spanish-Portuguese ancestry. She also has a gluetin problem. Thank you for the gluetin free recipes. May you have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I will post an Idaho (the Potato State) recipe for LATKES for Hanukah, inshAllah.
Big THANK YOU for the GF recipe from a Celiac reader! I love your GF recipes, looking forward to more!
Thanks for this. My wife is also gluten intolerant. I will pass on the recipe.
love ur blog, I’m always happy I clicked thru to read it. i will be trying ur honey apple cake for our thanksgiving potluck.
hi, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and recipes.
i have a question about your gluten free segment. my grandsons have food allergies and on gluten free diet, including
no corn, no nuts, no seafoods, no sesame, which someone has
become more of a challenge for their parents. can you suggest
alternative ingredients such as tapioca or rice flour as thickener? as for being asians who love to eat, and being a grandmother to boot, i am still experimenting on sweets they
can enjoy. i found a brownie recipe that uses garbanzo beans
without nuts. it tasted wonderfully delicious!
thank you so much for your beautiful blogs and recipes. i have yet to conquer your wonderful Jewish recipes, my other half
is Jewish (Ashkenazi) and he’s the one who discovered your
postings at Facebook.
Rabbi, I didn’t know your wife has trouble with gluten! Happy I could help, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!
Karen, Phil, Tamtam, glad you like the recipe… if you try it please let me know how it turns out for you!
Cynthia, I’m sorry to hear about your grandson’s food allergies; having that many restrictions can make life pretty challenging! For a corn-free thickener, I would suggest tapioca starch. I haven’t tried it myself, so no promises– but it is in the same category of thickening agents as cornstarch.
For more dessert ideas, you might want to check out Gluten Free Girl’s website. She does a lot of baking, I’m sure you’ll find her a very helpful resource! Here’s her blog address:
link to glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com
Best of luck to you!
Your pie looks delicious! Thanks for posting the gluten-free crust recipe. I agree with you that it is challenging to find recipes and ideas that are both kosher and gluten-free but for many people those are both important dietary requirements. I have been posting a lot more gluten-free recipes on my blog of parve desserts for that very same reason.
In response to Cynthia, I have found that potato starch is the best 1:1 substitute for cornstarch. Tapioca starch is also a good thickener but the exact amount needed in a recipe might be different, whereas potato starch works exactly like the cornstarch in my experience.
Great to know, Couldntbeparve! Thanks for the tip.
Potato Starch! It’s the staple of Passover cooking, especially for the non-gebrokts set. It’s a 1:1 substitute for corn starch. I have a big container of it on hand at all times. I buy it at the supermarket right at Passover and use it the rest of the year.
Another reason for Gluten free foods are studies are showing a link between Autism and Gluten allergies. My son is autistic and luckily didn’t develop that particular food alergy which makes it worse. However, a friend of ours has an autistic child who can’t tolerate any gluten products.
Oh, I can’t wait to make this! I am lactose intolerant and this will be WONDERFUL!!! Thank you, Tori for all your wonderful recipes and instructions. And Rabbi Steinberg-Caudill, I can’t wait for your latke recipe!!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the readers. Carol
Great! not only is the crust gluten free, it involves gingersnaps, which are my favourite – i love the idea of a gingersnap and pumpkin pie. I love the amazing things you come up with!!
Mira, great advice, thank you! I have used potato starch in my Passover cooking but not in this particular dish, I will have to try it that way next time.
Harold, I have not heard about that connection– very interesting.
Carol, you are so welcome! I’m so glad I could help.
Rachel, I too love gingersnaps, they taste like the holidays to me. Thanks for reading!
The only problem is that if you use the Mary’s Ginger Snap brand of cookies shown, it won’t be parve.
Yes Sherri, I pointed that out in my blog. While the OU website database lists the cookies as parve and the cookies say they are dairy-free, the OU hechsher on the boxes I bought had a D on them. So if you’re concerned about keeping it both gluten free and parve, your best bet is to make your own gingesnaps… I linked to Gluten Free Girl’s recipe above. Just replace the butter in the recipe with margarine and you’ll end up with parve gluten free gingersnaps. You can also use any other kind of pareve gluten-free crust, such as those made with nuts.
Sorry, I must have missed that. I don’t need to go gluten free so I’ll use my mother in laws gingersnap recipe. Thanks!
One little question. When you crack the over door open to let the pie cool, I am assuming that you turn the oven off at this point, yes? It does not state that in the instructions, but it makes no sense if you do not turn it off. Am I correct?
Phil
Sherri, for sure, if you’re not worried about gluten free you can use any pareve gingersnap recipe. Making the crust from homemade cookies will taste even better!
Phil– yes, turn the oven off. I thought that was implied in “let the pie cool,” but I will clarify the recipe just in case there is any confusion.
I got it, but you never know, someone will follow exactly as you wrote it and forget to turn it off! Thanks for a great recipe.
Is the sauce pan step necessary? My dairy p pie recipe is very similar (cream instead of soy milk) and it does not require this step. Is it a matter of the corn starch needing to thicken? Thanks!