Pumpkin Pie Pudding

This creamy, lightly-sweetened pudding is a perfect dessert option for pumpkin pie season – all the familiar spices and flavors, but without a crust to worry about. It’s simple to make, and you can make it well ahead of time in case you’ll be busy after dinner: it needs an hour or two to chill in the fridge anyway. The tapioca starch gives you a thick, pudding-like texture, and the almond (or coconut) milk makes it creamy even without any dairy at all.

Nutritionally, this is also a good choice for dessert, because it doesn’t rely on a whole lot of nuts (which can be irritating to the digestive system and also high in Omega-6 fats), and it’s even based on a vegetable. Pumpkin is high in iron, and Vitamins A, C, E, and K; it also has quite a bit of magnesium. And the fat in the egg yolk and the “milk” helps you absorb all that good stuff.

Top it off with some chopped nuts and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, or go a little crazy with the whipped coconut milk cream (you can get instructions here if you don’t know how to make it).

Pumpkin Pie Pudding Recipe

SERVES: 4 PREP: 15 min. COOK: 8 min.

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Ingredients

• ½ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin purée;
• 1 ¾ cup almond or coconut milk;
• ¼ cup raw honey;
• 2 tbsp. tapioca starch;
• 1 tbsp. water;
• 1 large egg;
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract;
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon;
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg;
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger;
• ⅛ tsp. ground allspice;

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, combine the water and the tapioca starch until the starch is dissolved.
2. In a saucepan, mix together the coconut milk, the egg, and the honey.
3. Bring the coconut milk mixture to a boil while whisking constantly. Then pour in the water-tapioca mixture while continuing to whisk.
4. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
5. In a bowl, combine the pumpkin purée with all the remaining ingredients, and whisk until well blended.
6. Slowly add the pumpkin purée mixture to the coconut milk, whisking constantly, and place over low heat.
7. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Divide the pudding evenly among dessert bowls and chill until pudding is set, 1 to 2 hours.