Remember when years ago I made this butternut squash pie and was completely obsessed with it? No? Well, I was. It was so unbelievably creamy. Like so creamy I would eat it in the morning, whenever I wanted dessert or whenever I was super thirsty and didn’t feel like drinking water. There’s water in that cooked butternut squash.
Well, this time I decided to make almost the same pie, but to make a paleo version of it. It’s again vegan, because 1. consuming more plants is better for us than not consuming any plants and 2. because I don’t know how to bake pies that have eggs, milk, butter, meat or fish in them. Also, it’s very tasty.
Now this pie, I don’t know. You know how people always say their new stuff is better than their old ones? I’m not one of those people. To be honest, this pie didn’t turn as great as the last one that wasn’t paleo (there were oats in it). I didn’t make a crumble to top it and the crust didn’t make me cry tears of joy. Howeverrrrr, it was still super delicious and I ate most of it in one sitting. Not only because I hadn’t had lunch, I just couldn’t stop eating it, so I’m sharing the recipe. Don’t hate mmkay? In case you want to make it, here’s the how-to.
Preparing To Make Paleo Vegan Butternut Squash Pie
The first thing you need to do is meditate for 10 minutes, so that when you go to your favorite grocery store you keep your focus. Look ice cream! And cherries in November!
No. You want butternut squash. Alright? Stay focused on the butternut squash, eye of the tiger, hug it tightly and walk out of there buying it. Don’t steal it, like I did with that snickers bar when I was 8. Or was I 28? We’ll never know.
You need a smaller one. And also check whether you have these ingredients at home – coconut oil, coconut flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg from Family guy (<- like Meg from Family guy? okay, okay…as if your jokes are comedy material…).
If you don’t have these, I guess it’s time to take a hard look at yourself and realize that you’re probably not a perfect paleo vegan person. After a small beat up, forgive yourself and go get those other ingredients as well. Preferably organic and more expensive than a diamond ring that is not made out of zirconia.
Got them? Now it’s time to go home and make this pie.
How To Make Healthy Butternut Squash Pie
First on the agenda: dealing with the butternut squash.
You need to shave it, deseed it, chop it in teeny tiny cubes and then boil it in rainwater. Or use regular water from the tab or the tub. Now I remembered how when we were kids my grandma didn’t have any warm water in her house, so to bathe us she’d put out buckets full of water and warm them in the sun. I got very nostalgic here.
While the butternut squash is being tortured in the boiling water, you get the unique opportunity to make the “crust”. Simply mix some honey, almond flour, coconut oil, coconut cream (top part in coconut milk can), coconut flour, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a bowl until you get a crumbly mixture. Add some water – it should start to stick better together, but still be crumbly. That’s your dough.
Spread it out in a springform pan using your bare hands like an animal and flatten it out to the edges. I recommend not using too big of a pan for this pie, as the crust might turn out too thin otherwise.
Now that the squash is cooked and you’ve got your “crust”, it’s time to make the filling.
Drain the squash, add coconut cream, coconut oil, spices, coconut sugar and 1/2 tsp coconut flour. Now, you need to turn these ingredients into a baby puree. If you’re very physical you can probably use a masher for this or if you’ve already become half-robot like myself – use a hand blender, food processor or a blender to turn these ingredients into delicious baby food. I used my hand blender aka immersion blender and blended everything in the pot where I cooked the butternut squash. That’s why the cooking pot looks so dirty if you’re wondering and judging me for being disgusting.
Okay, now that it’s all silky smooth like Chewbacca’s hair, have a taste and adjust for spice and sugar – if you want. If you trust me, then proceed without tasting, but remember what your parents taught you: Trust No One.
Then spread that baby food over the crust and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Let this thing cool off and put it in the fridge overnight, so that the baby food can turn into a creamy, delicious filling. When you wake up, slice and have it for breakfast or if you don’t want to start your day with cake, maybe have it later for dessert. Can’t tell you what to do.
Tips
- It’s important to let the pie cool off and refrigerate, so that the texture becomes “right”, I recommend doing it for at least 4 hours, but I hope you do it overnight and I hope for you, you sleep more than 4 hours.
- If you don’t want to look at the cracks in the pie and imagine how ants probably live inside, you can chop some of your favorite nuts, mix them with honey or maple syrup (to keep it vegan!), a pinch of salt and maybe a little bit of cinnamon and put them on top of the pie before baking. This will cover the pie and become a nice topping. Now that I think about it, I definitely recommend doing this.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days, can’t guarantee it will be good on the 4th day.
- Instead of coconut sugar you can use soaked and pureed dates, maple syrup or honey (vegetarian version) – it will give the pie a different type of sweetness.
- This is probably not really a pie, but it’s delicious anyway. Can’t tell you why this information is a tip.
Now I present to you: the actual recipe.
Paleo Vegan Butternut Squash Pie
Delicious healthy butternut squash pie that is vegan, gluten-free and paleo! This healthy dessert is a perfect treat for the holidays, or whenever you're in the mood to make yourself a pie and eat it for breakfast during the upcoming week. I'm not judging.
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash (about 3 cups chopped = 2 cups puree)
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup and 1/2 tsp coconut flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- optionally: a pinch ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 5 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 3 Tbsp coconut cream (top part in a coconut milk can)
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Cut, peel and chop the butternut squash in cubes. Boil it in water until ready (about 10 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180C.
- Make the crust: Combine almond flour, 1/2 cup of coconut flour, 1/2 tbsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp coconut sugar in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp coconut oil and 2 Tbsp water and mix until you get a crumbly mixture that sticks together. Spread that mixture in a springform pan and cover the base with the mixture pressing it down to make the crust, as if you're making the crust for a cheesecake.
- Making the filling: Once the butternut squash is done, drain the cooking water very well. You can process the filling either directly in the pot using a hand blender or a masher (if you're ready for some arm exercise) or transfer the squash and the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Whichever method you choose - add the 1 tbsp cinnamon, the ginger, nutmeg, cloves, coconut cream, 3 Tbsp coconut oil, 4 Tbsp coconut sugar and 1/2 tsp coconut flour. Then give yourself time to ask the question: Could I have used a whole coconut instead of all of its parts disected? I guess some questions will remain a mystery for centuries to come.
- Spread the filling over the crust, top with chopped walnuts or pecans if you want. Bake at 350 / 180 for 20-30 minutes.
- Let the pie cool off and put it in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours. Slice and enjoy with your favorite toppings!
Notes
Instead of butternut squash, you can make this pie with pure pumpkin puree - you'll need about 2 cups.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260 Total Fat: 19g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 4mg Carbohydrates: 20g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 13g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 5g
If you do make this pie after the seductive infomercial and the highly professional tutorial, I hope you like it. Seriously make the topping as explained under “tips” so that the ants don’t start a family inside those cracks. Okay, if you do make it – let me know how it was and whether you have questions.
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