Easy Healthy Pumpkin Custard – low carb, keto, dairy-free, AIP

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This healthy and delicious keto pumpkin custard recipe is like a crustless pumpkin pie, but so much easier! This sugar-free pumpkin pie custard is so simple to make, you can enjoy it any day, but it’s fancy enough for special occasions.

pumpkin custard in glass jars with spoons.
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Pumpkin Pie Flavor Anytime

Pumpkin pie is an all-time fave in our house. In fact, my sons pretty much feel that as long as I make our favorite vegan pumpkin pie, they don’t care if we have anything else for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Make that FOUR pumpkin pies. At least.

Yes, I really do that.

My family will eat it and well, why clean up more than once?

Bulk baking is totally a thing in my home.

So if you love pumpkin as much as I do, and you especially LOVE pumpkin pie, then here’s the answer. You can have pumpkin pie flavor ANYTIME with this super simple recipe.

Anyhow, years ago, I saw this recipe for pumpkin custard and was thrilled that it meets our family’s special diet needs.

It’s dairy and egg-free so our son with those life-threatening food allergies could have it. Plus it’s gluten-free (we’ve all been off gluten for a while now).

I just knew I needed to make it. So I did. And made it better, if I may say so, by mixing up the spices and with and way fewer carbs.

In fact, the family loved this Paleo Pumpkin Custard so much that I made 4 batches and watched in completely disappear in 2 days.

It seriously tastes like a pumpkin pie and is great for special diets including low-carb.

Paleo Pumpkin Custard - healthy, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, AIP, low-carb & THM:S

Ingredients

Here’s what you will need to make this delish and healthy custard.

  • Pumpkin
  • Gelatin – this creates that custard texture for your pumpkin. If you’re vegan, agar agar will work well too. I like Great Lakes or Perfect Supplements. Get 10% off at Perfect Supplements with code WNM.
  • Coconut Milk – responsible for adding the dairy-free creaminess to this pumpkin custard. I recommend full-fat for the best texture. You can also use any other dairy-free milk (like my Easiest Almond Milk) or regular milk. Coconut and cashew milk will give the creamiest results.
  • Stevia – Use whatever sweeteners you like–any should work. See Recipe Notes for more information.
  • Salt – balances out the sweetness and brings out the flavor of the custard.
  • Vanilla – enhances the flavor of the custard.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice

Special Diet Substitutions

Where to Buy the Jars In This Post

Several readers have asked about them, so here’s a link to the super cute jars pictured in this post. You can of course use traditional ramekins or any other small (or large) container for serving this custard.

Recipe Notes

Plastic Wrap for Chilling: Sometimes when making custard, it’s recommended to chill the custard with plastic wrap on top in order to prevent “custard skin”. I don’t do this because I kind of like the “custard skin”, and I don’t like plastic wrap. It’s your call if you want to use it or not.

Time-Saving Tip: The smaller dish you use, the faster your custard will firm up. So if your kiddos (or you) are hankering for a treat asap, then use very small ramekins, like these.

Sweetener Types: When using sugar alternatives, using more than one can help with the flavor. One great option is a monk/erythritol blend like Lakanto. Erythritol can work also but you’ll need about 30% more. Xylitol works but adds some carbs.

Sweetener Amounts: If using honey or maple syrup as your sweetener, decrease the amount by about 25% since they’re about that much sweeter than sugar. For the “other sweetener” part, if using honey or maple syrup, you’ll use 3 tablespoons. If substituting for the stevia, use 9/16 cup.

Stevia Tips: Pure Stevia Extract is up to 300 times as sweet as sugar, so be very careful when measuring it. This post talks about how to use stevia. If using another sweetener, substitute about 4 tablespoons for every 1/16 teaspoon of stevia.

Shelf Life

This custard should keep in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.

Topping Options

Pumpkin custard tastes fabulous on its own but tastes extra special with dairy-free ice cream, or this dairy-free whipped cream substitute on top. Crushed-up Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or Pumpkin Cookies would be fantastic too.

pumpkin custard in glass jars.

More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

If you love pumpkin (like we do!), then be sure to check out these other healthy pumpkin recipes:

pumpkin custard in glass jars.

Easy Pumpkin Custard – paleo, low carb, vegan option

This Easy Pumpkin Custard tasted like pumpkin pie and it’s healthy enough to eat all year round. Great as a dessert, snack, or even breakfast!
5 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: AIP, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo, THM:S, Vegan
Keyword: pumpkin custard
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chill: 4 hours
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 144.4kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Sprinkle the gelatin over water and stir thoroughly to avoid clumping. Let it sit until it gels up.
  • While it's gelling, combine pumpkin, coconut milk, spices, and sweeteners in a pot until quite warm but not simmering.
  • Remove pan from heat.
  • Once the gelatin is somewhat solidified, whisk it throughly into the heated pumpkin mixture.
  • Pour the blended pumpkin mixture into desired serving dish.
  • If you would prefer to avoid "custard skin" on the top of your custard, put plastic wrap on top so that it directly touches the custard.
  • Refrigerate until firm and enjoy.

Notes

    • Plastic Wrap for Chilling: Sometimes when making custard, it’s recommended to chill the custard with plastic wrap on top in order to prevent “custard skin”. I don’t do this because I kind of like the “custard skin”, and I don’t like plastic wrap. It’s your call if you want to use it or not.
    • Time-Saving Tip: The smaller dish you use, the faster your custard will firm up. So if your kiddos (or you) are hankering for a treat asap, then use very small ramekins, like these.
    • Sweetener Types: When using sugar alternatives, using more than one can help with the flavor. We love Lakanto. (Get 20% off Lakanto with code wholenewmom.) Erythritol can work also but you’ll need about 30% more. Xylitol works but adds some carbs.
    • Sweetener Amounts: If using honey or maple syrup as your sweetener, decrease the amount by about 25% since they’re about that much sweeter than sugar. For the “other sweetener” part, if using honey / maple syrup, you’ll use 3 tablespoons. If substituting for the stevia, use 9/16 cup.
    • Stevia Tips: Pure Stevia Extract is up to 300 times as sweet as sugar, so be very careful when measuring it. This post talks about how to use stevia. If using another sweetener, substitute about 4 tablespoons for every 1/16 teaspoon of stevia.
    • Vegan Option: If you’d like a vegan pumpkin custard, use the same amount of agar powder instead of gelatin.
    • THM: This recipe is an “S” if you’re on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
    • AIP: Use coconut sugar, maple syrup or raw honey instead of stevia and the low-carb sweeteners for an AIP option.
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Nutrition

Calories: 144.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.1g | Protein: 2.7g | Fat: 11.8g | Saturated Fat: 10.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.52g | Sodium: 100.9mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 4.8g | Vitamin A: 10300IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1.4mg | Net Carbs: 6g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

The above nutrition facts are estimates only. Please read my Nutrition Disclaimer here.

Enjoy the easy pumpkin pie goodness anytime! Would love to hear what you think about it!

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Recipe Rating




 

148 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was a hit with my family! I served it with a coconut shortbread & coconut whipped topping- YUM!

  2. Have you ever posted your pumpkin pie recipe? I need a tried and true vegan pumpkin pie recipe forThanksgiving, and your site is my go-to! Every recipe I have tried from you has worked well and tastes delicious!

    1. I haven’t! I have to figure it out. Working on it!! I’ll see if we can get it done before Christmas!

      1. 5 stars
        Adrienne, I have great news for you! I found a recipe that uses silken tofu and it turned out great! My son and daughter in law both liked it, so my goal was met. I love traditional pumpkin pie and this was every bit as yummy, so I will be making it for Christmas as well. I used your crust. And that was a win as well!! Thanks!

        1. That is so great! Hopefully I’ll have that up soon. It’s a little complicated but I’ll get it done! Making some paleo brownies right now that I hope turn out well :).

    1. Yes, you sure can. I will update the post to state that that’s an option. Thanks for reading and I hope you like it!

  3. Hello,… Just came across this pumpkin custard recipe, and it looks good. What is the calorie and carbs breakdown ?? I am trying to go as much carb and dairy free as possible. Thanks for your website.

    1. Hi there! Thanks for reading! We are working on getting that functionality going — sorry it’s taking awhile. We had a big tech mess to deal with and are trying to clean that up first – thanks for your patience!

  4. Sorry, I see someone else already commented about the gelatin. I will look again for the Vegan option! Thanks!

  5. Gelatin is not Vegan, it is an animal byproduct. What do you suggest to use in place of it?

    1. Hello Linda. Thanks for reading and for commenting. There is vegan sub in the recipe — perhaps you missed it. Hope you try it and it works for you!

  6. Taste needs something; I added more salt, but lemon juice hit the spot. Will that affect its setting?
    (I used 3/4 C honey, and 1T brown sugar since it is what I had… more salt helped, but thought of sauces with coconut milk and lime juice, so tired the lemon juice.)

  7. This recipe was very good. I used only 1/2 the sweetener one time and the regular amount another time. Both were delicious! I highly recommend. Thanks for posting!

      1. If I increased the water and/or milk for the protein powder, do you think I would need to add more geletine? Thanks!

        1. If you add more liquid and you add more powder I don’t see why you would but it depends on how much you add.

    1. If you want to use only stevia extract, use 3/8 tsp + 1/32 tsp. I don’t use packets so please check a conversion chart if you wish to do that. The flavor will be better if you do that. Hope you like it!

  8. I am also very confused about the sweeteners. I like to use a few dif kinds, by it would be helpful if you listed what you use and then in parenthesis put your other option. For example..
    1/8 tsp stevia
    1/2 c honey (or maple syrup)
    1/4 tsp erithrytol (or other low carb sugar like xylitol)

    I can’t figure out if the honey you listed is meant to be in addition to the stevia and also if the xylitol is in addition to those or another option.
    And instead of putting substitutes in parnethesis, you could just have a note at the end explaining potential substitutes. That way, we can get an idea of exactly how much sugar or substitute sugar you’re using. Thanks! And hope to try this recipe tomorrow 🙂

    1. I just updated the recipe – does that help? There are 2 sep sweetener entries. 3/8 tsp stevia and 1/8 cup another sweetener. Please let me know if that helps and I can adjust more later. Thanks!

  9. Hello, how much does one batch make approximately, in cups? Trying to figure out how many batches to make for a crowd 🙂 Can I just multiply the ingredients, or will I have to make each batch separately?
    Thank you!

    1. Hello there. If you add up the liquid ingredients you will get approx the amt that it makes. The sweetener will add some bulk. Yes, you can just multiply. enjoy!

  10. I just tried this recipe, using 1 T. agar and 3 Tbsp erythritol. It was super easy and set up perfectly, but I will use more spices next time :). And there will be a next time! I wonder if one can use almond milk instead of coconut milk?

  11. I’m not sure about the sweeteners. Are all the sweeteners listed as an option? Stevia, 3/4 cup of honey, maple syrup, coconut or 1/8 cup other sweetners? Sorry just confused. Also will it matter if I just use like Knox gelatin? Will use your suggested gelatin next batch.

    1. I just adjusted the recipe to make it easier to read. Let me know if that helps. You can use any gelatin. I just choose healthier options made from animals that are raised in a healthier manner.

      1. Which sweetener do I use? Do I just select one, whichever one I choose to use? Say 3/4 cup of honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar?

        Sorry I guess my brain isn’t working today! 🙂