Lieff Salonius

Lieff Salonius

MA, (she·her·hers)

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Holiday Recipe: Meg’s Classic Pumpkin Pie Filling with GF Twist

Meg is my late mother. This is her pumpkin pie recipe (GF) but with GF pie base I added, which hers never had. I only found out gluten was making me ill after she passed. So it’s a little her and a little me. It just didn’t smell like Christmas without a pumpkin pie. The pie base can really be used for any open faced pie with some adjustments to the baking of the base.


The base: Gluten-Free Pie Base

  • 1 cup blanched almond flour (I like the finer grind, but course is OK)
  • 3 TBSP swerve or erythriol (monk fruit) sweetener
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 TBSP unsalted melted butter
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

  1. Mix up well with fork.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  3. Grease pie plate.
  4. This recipe makes enough to form a ½ cm base and a little up the sides but not all the way to the top.
  5. Press base into pie plate.
  6. Bake 10-14 minutes until slightly golden.
  7. Base can be used for any pie. It holds up well and doesn’t get mushy.


Meg’s Pumpkin Pie Filling to add to your GF pie base

  • Preheat oven to 450F
  • ¾ cup Erythritol (monk fruit) sweetener
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg (I like fresh ground)
  • ¼ tsp clove powder
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree (I used E.D. Smith’s canned)
  • Secret ingredient: one 12 oz. can of evaporated milk (it took me years to find this missing taste)

  1. Mix the sweetener, salt, spices in a bowl.
  2. Add pumpkin puree. Whisk.
  3. Add evaporated milk. Whisk.
  4. Taste the mix and add extra spices according to your version of a well-spiced pumpkin pie. I usually add a little extra Christmas with more clove powder.
  5. -Pour into your toasted GF pie base that you have already made above.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes at 450F.
  7. Turn down oven to 350F and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool.