Gluten Free Mini Pumpkin Pies

Overhead shot of Gluten Free Mini Pumpkin Pie on a plate with sugared cranberries ready for sharing.

Gluten Free Mini Pumpkin Pies

For holiday baking and easy sharing, my Gluten Free Mini Pumpkin Pies feature a crispy, no soggy bottom, pastry and creamy center, balanced spice and not too much sugar. They're baked in a muffin tin for perfectly sized individual mini pies. Check out my get ahead tips to get a jump on dessert prep for pumpkin mini pie bliss! (for dairy free follow * within the recipe) | Read notes above in the blog post for more tips!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword Gluten Free Mini Pumpkin Pies, Holiday, Mini Pumpkin Pies

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 37

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 2

Servings Mini Pies

Calories 150kcal

Author Traci York

Ingredients

For the Pastry (enough for 12 mini pies + decorative cut outs):

1/3 cup (50 grams) Milk plant or dairy, I use unsweetened homemade cashew milk
1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup (150 grams) Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour I use Bob's Red Mill (make sure your blend includes xanthan gum)
1/4 cup (30 grams) Tapioca Flour
1 tablespoon Organic Cane Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
4 ounces (114 grams) Unsalted Butter 1 stick, just from the refrigerator. *for dairy free use 1/2 C (98g) solid at room temperature coconut oil

For the Pumpkin Filling:

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (170 grams) Pumpkin Puree fresh made or from a can (not pumpkin pie)
1/4 cup (55 grams) Half and Half OR unsweetened homemade cashew milk OR full fat coconut milk. If using coconut milk, open the can and whisk until all the solids are incorporated into the liquid. I don't recommend using store bought plant milk as it's mostly water and the custard will not set.
1 Whole Egg
3 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar packed
2 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice I use Frontier Co-Op

For Garnish (optional):

Sugared Cranberries
A Dusting of Pumpkin Pie Spice
Whipped Cream or Coconut Cream

Instructions

Make the Pastry:

Whisk the nut milk and apple cider vinegar together in a spouted measuring cup. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade, add the gluten free flour, tapioca flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse 5-6 times to combine. Add the butter *or solid coconut oil for dairy free and pulse until chunky, about 7-8 pulses.
With the processor running, add the milk mixture, holding out about one to two tablespoons, and process about 10-15 seconds or until the mixture starts to come together (it will look crumbly). To see if the dough is ready, grab a fist-full and squeeze. If it doesn't hold together, add the remaining nut milk, one Tbs at a time. Process again and retest until it clumps in your fist.
Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. It will be loose and crumbly. Use the parchment paper to work the dough into a pliable piece, press and fold the bits together - folding and pressing the dough over and on top of itself until the dough comes together in one piece.
Shape into a smooth thick disk by patting and rounding into a 1-2" thick (2.5-5cm) disk. You want the pastry to be smooth with no cracks if possible. Wrap snugly in the parchment paper and refrigerate for at least one hour (the pastry can be made ahead and rest in the fridge for at least two days or store it in a covered container and pop it in the freezer for up to two weeks).
*For dairy free, rest the dough wrapped in parchment at room temperature for about 15 minutes. The dough should be tacky, not sticky. If it's sticky, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes, then bring it back out to soften a bit. It's easier to roll at room temperature.

Roll Out and Pan the Pastry:

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and let it set to warm up a bit. It'll be easier to work with if you can give it about 30 minutes at room temperature. *For dairy free, the pastry needs to be at room temperature to work with as well, so it's ready just after about 15 minutes of resting.
Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan (affiliate link) by throughly oiling it with pan spray or coconut oil. Set aside.
Generously dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll out the pastry to just under 1/8". Add flour to the top of the pastry as needed to prevent sticking. *For dairy free, roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper using very little flour for dusting as needed.
Dust a 3 1/2" pastry/cookie cutter (affiliate link) with flour then cut 12 discs (an inverted glass can be used here). It takes me two times rolling the pastry out to get 12 discs plus cut outs, so collect the leftover pastry, knead and reshape it then re-roll as needed. Cut any decorative shapes you'd like at this time too. Set those on a small parchment lined sheet pan.
Line each cup with a pastry disk gently nudging the disk into place by pushing the top edges down and into the cup. The pastry will not fill the cup all the way to the top. Pleat the edges as needed and press the pastry into the sides of the cup. It's okay if the bottom of the cup is somewhat rounded.
*For dairy free, the dough will be crumblyish. When lining the muffin cups, patch any tears with small pieces of dough, using a touch of water to 'glue' the pieces together as needed. It's sorta like working with play dough.
Once all the cups are pastry lined, use the tines of a fork to dock the bottom of the dough, then pop the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 400F (204C). Freeze the pastry and any cut outs for at least 15 minutes.

Drain the Pumpkin (if needed):

If using homemade puree, strain the pumpkin. For canned, if the pumpkin purree is firm, there's no need to strain it.
While the pastry is freezing, arrange a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth over a small bowl. Scoop the pumpkin into the strainer and allow it to set for at least 15 minutes, stirring occassionally, to drain off excess liquid. Discard the liquid. Set the puree aside.

Bake the Pastry:

Par-bake (blind bake) the pastry cups on the center rack in a 400F oven for 16-17 minutes. The cups will be golden when ready. *For dairy free par bake the cups for 18-20 minutes (for dairy free, the crust will be more of a creamy color), until puffy and fragrant.
Immediately after removing the pastry cups from the oven, use the bottom of a shot glass or back of a spoon to gently press the bottom of the pastry down, smoothing it down to make more room for the filling.
Bake the Decorative Shapes: For the decorative cutouts, brush with milk then sprinkle sugar on top. Bake on a parchment lined sheet pan while the pastry par bakes for about 8-12 minutes or until goldenish - keep an eye on them - the smaller the cutout the quicker the bake.

Make the Filling:

While the pastry is par baking, make the pumpkin custard filling.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the pumpkin, milk, egg, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk the ingredients together until they are smooth and creamy. Set it aside.

Fill the Pastry and Finish the Mini Pies:

Just after the cups come out of the oven, fill each cup with about 2 Tbs (22g) of the pumpkin pie filling. Each cup should be filled to the top interior edge of the pastry.
Place the filled mini pies into the oven and reduce the temperature of the oven to 300F (150C). Bake the mini pies for 18-20 minutes just until the center is set (it will not be wobbly).
Cool the mini pies at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before gently using an offset spatula or knife to lift the mini pie out of the pan. The center will still not be set so be careful here. Or, let the pies cool completely in the pan, before enjoying.
Cover and refrigerate for up to two days. The pastry tends to get soggy however, the longer they set in the fridge.
Serve with vanilla bean whipped cream or coconut cream, a dusting of pumpkin pie spice and sugared cranberries.

Notes

To Prepare Ahead: A. Make the pastry up to two weeks in advance and store it in the freezer. Or, make the pastry two days ahead and store in the refrigerator. B. Prepare the recipe all the way through sliding the pastry lined cups into the freezer. If storing in the freezer for more than a few hours, place the entire pan in a plastic bag. Then, the only thing you'll need to do before finishing the mini pumpkin pies is to par bake the crust, whip up the filling and bake the assembled mini pumpkin pies.

A Note on Kitchen Equimnet: I enthusiastically recommend an external oven thermometer! and weighing your ingredients for best outcome.

Recipe Inspired By: Grand Central Baking Book

Nutrition