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It wasn’t Thanksgiving Day unless I woke to the smell of rice pilaf baking in the oven of my childhood home. I wish I could tell you some flowery story about how that tradition started since I can’t attribute it to our culture. But somewhere growing up, my father decided to incorporate this simple dish, native to a variety of cultures, including Latin America! This Thanksgiving, I’ll finally be sharing that recipe with you as part of my holiday recipe series. But today, I’m going to show you my twist on the traditional pumpkin pie recipe!
If you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving for family and/or friends, you understand how labor intensive the process is. Any dishes you can prepare ahead of time will make it easier for you to enjoy time with your guests, rather than spending it in the kitchen. Dessert is the perfect dish to create the day before, particularly if it is a pie, which often tastes better once refrigerated.
When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, we prefer to take a gourmet twist on traditional recipes. Pumpkin pie is a staple and we’ve made varied versions of this popular Thanksgiving dessert over the years. Since everything looks pretty in a mason jar, I decided to make a layered pumpkin pie in a jar! My mother-in-law is in town this week, and since she follows a gluten-free diet, I brainstormed different ways to achieve the thick, creamy texture of traditional pumpkin pie and what I personally find to be the best part…the crust! Our local Walmart has a generous gluten-free section and I was able to find Gluten-Free Flour and Gluten-Free Oats which I used to create a crumble as my bottom layer. A bit of flour inside the pumpkin pie mix helped with the consistency and I topped the pie with an easy sweet meringue recipe that I found on Spoonful! Since many pumpkin pie recipes call for heavy cream or sweetened condensed milk, I substituted almond milk so that my son is able to enjoy these.
Here is my dairy-free, gluten-free pumpkin pie in a jar recipe including all of the ingredients you’ll need!
- 1 15 ounce can of pumpkin
- 1/4 cup + 2 T brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 T gluten-free flour
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 T Molasses
- Crumble:
- 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of vegan butter
- Meringue:
- 3 egg whites
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup sugar
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
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Combine pumpkin, sugar, spices, salt, and flour in a large bowl
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Add eggs, almond milk, vanilla, and molasses
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Mix until combined
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Layer the bottom of each mason jar with the crumble mixture
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Pour pumpkin mixture on top of crumble mixture
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Place jars in a baking tray filled with approximately 1-2 inches of boiling water
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Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
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Remove from oven and add a layer of prepared meringue
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Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown
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Allow to cool and then store in the refrigerator
While this dessert is a bit time intensive, it is not complicated and the result is well worth it. Just be sure to prepare these the day before so the flavors can meld and they have time to set. I personally love the crunch the crumble adds since my favorite part of any pie is the crust. The pumpkin pie itself is smooth, creamy, and spicy, which is how I like it balanced by the light, sweet meringue that tops it. Your guests will love the taste and look of this pumpkin pie in a jar. And, you don’t even have to tell them the recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free!
We’re moving backwards through our Thanksgiving Meal Ideas but stay tuned over the next several days as I show you how to make an easy rice pilaf. I’ll also show you what to do with all of those Thanksgiving leftovers!
How do you prepare for Thanksgiving so that you can enjoy time with friends and family? What are your favorite recipes? I’d love to share them below!
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