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.
Susan wrote on November 19, 2010
The pumpkin will absorb the water the soaking water. I would not recommend dehydrating this after you make it. I have no idea what the out come would be.
deborah wrote on November 19, 2010
Can someone tell me If when making the raw pumpkin pie if I add the pumpkin AND the water it is soaking in into the vita mix. I assume so. I see the filling calls for 3 cups and the dehydrated pumpkin is soaked in 2 cups of the water and the final cup is added in 2 stages when blending so I assume I add the pumpkin and its water but can can someone confirm please.
I would also like to dehydrate after I complete it so can someone give me and idea how long would be good?
thanks so much,
deborah
Ally wrote on November 18, 2010
I made this pie and it was sooooo good. Impressed every person I gave it to :). I had no pecans, so I soaked a combo of cashews, almonds and sunflower seeds. I also used raw coconut oil instead of coconut butter. It came out perfect, but for thanksgiving I will definitely be using the ingredients listed in the recipe, just to see! Thanks.
Cliff Champion wrote on October 30, 2010
I made a video post showing how to make this recipe! It’s dedicated to you Susan!
AND, I just took it over to a Raw Vegan Halloween Potluck, and it VANISHED within seconds! Rave reviews all around!
ALSO, I made it 100% raw by switching out the 1/4C maple syrup with 1/4C soaked dates! Worked like a charm!!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Best,
Cliff
http://www.youtube.com/user/lerawconteur?feature=mhum
Erica wrote on October 20, 2010
This recipe is fabulous! I’ve had other raw pumpkin pies but nothing that tastes close to the tried and true original like this recipe. I used 3-4 dates to sweeten the pie filling instead of agave nectar and made other subtle adjustments to achieve the right consistency. Dehydrating the pumpkin before soaking makes all the difference. Thank so much Susan!
Erica wrote on October 18, 2010
What’s the most effective way to remove the skin from a raw pumpkin? Slicing it off, even with an excellent knife, is very time consuming…
Susan wrote on October 18, 2010
I use a vegetable peeler.
Nikki wrote on October 14, 2010
Susan- I just made this and it is better than the cooked version! You are a raw culinary genius!! This is the 3rd or 4th of your recipes I’ve tried and they all rock!! Thanks so much!!
P.S. I didn’t need the water to make it turn over or smooth out in the blender… it came out great!
Eva wrote on October 11, 2010
Thanks for your reply, you know what….it actually tastes better today! Almost like it needed to sit a day….but next time I will make sure to follow the instructions exactly as I trust your recipes are excellent!
My son topped his with maple syrup and asked for seconds today – so I take that as it did turn out afterall
Thanks again!!!
Susan wrote on October 10, 2010
When you start changing the ingredients…such as using the whole amount when making half the recipe, it will throw everything off. I have made this many times, as have quite a few other people. I am not sure what to tell you…Mine set up beautifully. It will never have exactly the same consistency of a baked pumpkin pie…