I developed this recipe for a Thanksgiving dinner feast feature that appeared a few years ago in Natural Health magazine using 10 of Dr. Oz’s favorite “superfoods”—this one included 2 “superfoods”, persimmons and pumpkin.
Unlike ordinary holiday-style pumpkin pie, this deliciously decadent version is milk and gluten-free and very, very low in added sugar (most recipes call for three times the sugar used here!) Magically, this Persimmon-Pumpkin Pie recipe still manages to maintain that sinfully desirable quality that makes pie oh so pleasing. This is thanks to the use of persimmons, which are naturally super sweet when ripe. Unlike adding extra empty-calorie sugar, incorporating persimmons into your pumpkin pie filling boosts sweetness along with adding lots of antioxidants (especially vitamins A and C) as well as phytonutrients and fiber too. Persimmon-pumpkin pie is a great way to get your sweet “fix” minus the sugar.
When selecting Fuyu persimmons, look for ones that are ever so slightly soft. Do note that if the flesh turns brown they have oxidized and have gone past the point of optimum quality. Enjoy!
P.S. If you want a healthy but more traditional pumpkin pie recipe check out my dairy-free, gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe HERE.
Persimmon-Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Crust
Serves: 6
Crust
- 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
- 1 3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened unsulfured shredded coconut, divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt (such as Real Salt)
- 3 tablespoons Agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons organic extra-virgin coconut oil (such as Barlean’s)
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free Garbanzo Fava Flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill)
- Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325 degrees.
- Place the macadamia nuts, 1 cup of the shredded coconut vanilla extract, salt, Agave nectar and extra virgin coconut oil in a food processor or high speed blender; process until ingredients are well combined. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl and mix in the remaining 3/4 cup shredded coconut and flour.
- Lightly oil a 9-inch round pie pan and press the mixture into the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Persimmon-Pumpkin Filling
- 3/4 cup dried figs or dates
- 3 ripe Fuyu persimmons, cut in half and flesh scooped out, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (or roasted fresh pumpkin)
- 3/4 cup organic coconut milk
- 4 organic, pastured eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
- 1/4 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or date sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt (such as Real Salt)
- Position rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cover the figs (or dates) with boiling water and let stand about 10 minutes. Drain, chop and set aside to cool for several minutes.
- Place the figs, persimmons, pumpkin, coconut milk, egg yolks, ginger root, all-spice, brown sugar and unrefined sea salt in a food processor or high speed blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the persimmon-pumpkin mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake the pie for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. (Note: pie is best served chilled)
Yummy for your tummy! I had to do a web search for Fuyu Persimmon to even know what it looked like. This is the first time I have ever heard of this fruit. If I have the time amidst all of the preparations and arrangement I will be making starting today, I will pick up the ingredients for this pumpkin pie. I hope the super market has this fruit; It sounds like an exotic fruit. If it is as sweet in taste as this article would indicate, then I think it should taste much better than regular pumpkin pie because the standard kind of pie tastes kind of bland to me, which is why I think most people dab a slab of whip cream on top. Am I right?
You are Colleen. Let me know how it went and what you thought!
I love this idea for a great dessert for Thanksgiving that will be a healthy alternative. How does it taste by the way? Does it taste like real home made pumpkin pie or does it have a unique flavor? The closer I am to the real pumpkin the better chance I will have of getting them to eat it. I also was thinking that the coconut crust that you gave us the recipe for sounds like it would be a great alternative to regular pie crust with any kind of pie filling. Do you think that is true? I mean it seems like it would be lower carb then a regular pie crust and lower calorie for that matter. Let me know what you think. Do you happen to have any great recipes for substituting Christmas cookies?
Hi John,
Yes – the coconut crust could be for just about any pie and work great. Regarding Christmas Cookies, we have a whole section dedicated to cleaning favorites up:
https://cleancuisine.com/category/eat-clean-recipes/healthy-dessert-recipe-eat-clean-recipes/healthy-cookie-recipes/
Merry Christmas!
This looks great if you can go off of the picture. I used to have a pumpkin cheesecake recipe that was low calorie and low carb, it doesn’t look like this one has very many carbs as well sense the crust is made out of coconut and macadamia nuts. I am always looking for desserts and dishes for holidays that are healthy but still taste good and I think your site is going to be one of the places I come for such a thing. It amazes me that society is trying to be so health conscious but at the holidays they throw that right out the window. Thank you for sharing this recipe I look forward to trying it Thanksgiving. Can you tell me if this tastes like pumpkin pie or does it have a distinct flavor?
Charles – It has that hint of the flavoring but it is still pumpkin pie. Great also for the other holiday too! Enjoy.
Ivy Can you share with me what to do with the egg listed in the crust ingredients There is nothing mentioned
in the directions below Thanks
Oh my gosh Joyce! I am so glad you caught that!!! There must have been a mistake when it got typed in WordPress—there is actually NO egg in the crust. I am fixing right now. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention.
Hi Gary – Hope your family enjoyed the holiday. We do love using coconut oil in our baking and cooking for a number of reason. Here is our article all about that: https://cleancuisine.com/is-the-saturated-fat-in-coconut-harmful/
I used the crust recipe for a regular pumpkin pie. It was delicious! There is one problem with the recipe though. It talks about adding coconut oil, but it’s absent from the list of ingredients. I added 1tbsp, which doesn’t seem enough. I would like to know the correct amount before I bake it again.
Hi Tatyana, Thank you SO much for catching this mistake and bringing it to my attention. I just fixed the recipe— there should be 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin coconut oil in the crust but no coconut oil in the pie filling (you should use 3/4 cup coconut milk for the filling though.) So sorry for the mistake. And thank you again for getting in touch. Happy Holidays!
Hi Ivy,
What can I do with the leftover filling? Can I just put it in a ramekin and make a crust less pudding?
Thanks,
Kaneez
Hi Kaneez! I’m so sorry for the delay getting back to you, just now getting to comments because we were away on a cruise. But yes, you could definitely put it in a ramekin and make a crustless pudding. You could also try freezing it as popsicles =)