Weight Loss-Friendly Holiday Pumpkin Pie

Have your pumpkin pie and eat it, too, with this reduced-calorie, lower-sugar, low-fat recipe. It retains all the best parts of pumpkin pie, including the distinct blend of spices, the goodness of pumpkin, the irresistible crunch of graham cracker, and a dollop of whipped topping, but it’s way healthier than your traditional pumpkin pie a la mode. 

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A slice of traditional pumpkin pie can have over 300-400 calories, 40 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of saturated fat before adding ice cream or whipped topping. This recipe adds whipped topping and ends up with only 170 calories, 10 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of saturated fat. Enjoy more pumpkin and spice flavors in this lightly sweetened version, and use a crumbled graham cracker for a crust. 

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Make sure you use canned 100% pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling mix, which has sugar and spices in it. 

Recipe for Weight Loss-Friendly Pumpkin Pie

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients: 

• 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup of unsweetened almond milk
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon of cloves 
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish lightly with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Blend in the pumpkin puree, eggs, almond milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla, and salt.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie dish and gently smooth the top with a spoon, knife, or spatula. 
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the center is set. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or until serving. 
5. To serve, crumble the graham crackers and place them at the bottom of serving glasses. Add the pumpkin pie filling to the top, and top with whipped cream. Another option is to serve the graham crackers dipped in the pumpkin pie filling. 

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Nutrition information per serving: 165 calories; 6 grams of fat; 2 grams of saturated fat; 40 mg of cholesterol; 160 mg of sodium; 25 grams of carbohydrates; 3 grams of fiber; 11 grams of sugars; 3 grams of protein

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