Raw Pumpkin Pie
Fair warning on this one…it is a little time consuming but boy, is it worth it. I have had a couple of “pumpkin” pies that are made with cashews and carrots with pumpkin pie spice. They were good but tasted like carrot pie with cinnamon and nutmeg! Wanting a real pumpkin pie, but knowing that the challenge would be to get the starch taste out of it to make it palatable, I dehydrated it and then, softened it up again! Never going over the 116 degrees, the enzymes, vitamins and minerals are still intact!
Pumpkin is full of carotenoids which are really good at neutralizing free radicals. Pumpkin is also high in lutein, which helps protect your eyes and prevent macular degeneration. Full of antioxidants, pumpkins also have a lot of common nutrients, like iron, zinc, and fiber. Good for you and so good to eat! You will need to start this the day before. Actual time making it is not bad, but you will need to do a little soaking and dehydrating.
Raw Pumpkin Pie
SERVES 12
Crust
- 2 cups pecans (previously soaked and dried)
- 4 dates (soaked until soft)
- Put pecans into food processor with dates. Process until well ground.
- Press into 8″ tart pan
, wrap with plastic wrap or paper towels and place in refrigerator.
Filling
- 1 medium sugar pumpkin (not the kind you carve for Halloween) about 5 cups chopped
- 3 cups water (divided)
- 1/2 cup agave (or liquid sweetener of your choice)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (not raw but used in raw food cooking)
- 1/2 cup coconut butter
- 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- The day before you will start preparing the pumpkin. This is important because if you used the pumpkin completely raw, it would have a very unpleasant starchy quality to it.
- Peel the pumpkin and slice in half. Slice into 1 inch slices. Chop the slices into pieces that are about 1/8th inch thick. So, the slices will look like a 1″ square that is 1/8″ thick.
- Place on dehydrator screens and dehydrate at 116 for about 3-4 hours. Make sure you remove them before they are hard!
- Place dehydrated pumpkin in a bowl. Cover with 2 cups of the water and let sit for about 3 hours. You can do this the night before and just put it in the refrigerator and leave it.
- Soak the cashews and dates at the same time and you will be ready to rock in the morning!
- In the food processor, place all ingredients except the remaining 1 cup water and cashews. Process until it becomes a mash.
- Add the cashews and process until well mixed.
- Transfer half the mixture to the vitamix. Add 1/2 cup water and blend until smooth. This will require some patience and the plunger but the results are well worth it.
- Repeat with remaining filling and 1/2 cup water. Mix the two batches together then spoon into the crust. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours before serving.
Diane wrote on December 20, 2015
Hi Susan,
If I don’t have a dehydrator, what other way would remove the starch taste from the pumpkin? Cannot wait to try this recipe!
Jennifer wrote on October 29, 2014
Thanks Susan, my dinner guests absolutely LOVED this pie and couldn’t believe it was “raw.” Rave reviews from picky Alabama pie lovers. I added a touch of vanilla (extract and pure ground powder – I love vanilla) and topped it with Cashew Kream. You continue to influence my raw cooking in the kitchen, ever since I purchased your Rawmazing book from B&N a couple of years ago. Thank you!
kate wrote on October 29, 2014
Do you add the 2 cups water that you soaked the dehydrated pumpkin in?? Wasn’t clear whether you drain the pumpkin or not.
thanks,. k.
Bea wrote on October 28, 2014
Susan,
Curious, what is the purpose of dehydrating the pumpkin and then re-hydrating it? Does it break down starches or what etc….? I’ve never seen this done before. Just trying to learn!
Thanks!