Easy Pumpkin Pie

Personally, Thanksgiving does not feel complete without a slice of pumpkin pie for dessert.  Sure, there are always other desserts around… brownies, cookies, cakes… but you can have those anytime of the year.  How often do you have pumpkin pie as a dessert option?

I have been bringing pumpkin pie to my family’s Thanksgiving feast for years now.  Of course, I always prepare a lighter, reduced fat pie.  Over the past couple of years, I have been experimenting with recipes.  I actually made the crust last year instead of buying a pre-prepared crust.  However, it was sort of a huge mess because I have a tiny food processor (waiting to get a nice food processor when Cory and I register for our wedding).  So, this year I opted for the pre-prepared pie crust.

I adapted my recipe from Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe…

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
• 1 can (12 ounces) fat free evaporated milk
• 1 graham cracker pie crust
• whipped cream (optional)  

Directions

Mix sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, egg whites, and pumpkin.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Decrease temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes.  Cool before serving.

Notes: 

1. I reduced the sugar content from 3/4 cup sugar in the original recipe to 1/3 cup of sugar.  I think pie often gets a reputation for being too sweet. Cory and I both agreed this was at a great sweetness level.
2. I substituted 4 egg whites for 2 eggs which lowered the calorie and fat content.
3. I used fat free evaporated milk instead of regular evaporated milk which again lowered the calorie and fat content.
4. I decreased the salt content by 50%.
5. I substituted pumpkin pie spice for ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves in the original recipe.  Can you believe my local grocery store was out of ground cloves?!  I guess that is what happens when you wait two days before Thanksgiving to grocery shop.  Seriously, I have never seen the grocery that crowded on a Tuesday night!

Nutrition Facts

The nutritional stats will vary depending on the different brands used.  Based on the pumpkin, fat free evaporated milk, and graham cracker crust that I used…

One serving (1/8 pie):

200 Calories

5 gm Fat

According to CalorieKing.com, the average pumpkin pie made from a recipe is 316 Calories per serving and 14 gm Fat per serving (1/8 pie).  Therefore, my lighter pumpkin pie is 37% lower in Calories and 64% lower in Fat than the average pumpkin pie!  Just in case you were wondering, 1 serving (1/8 pie) of the average pecan pie made from a recipe is 503 Calories and 27 gm Fat.

Naturally, I had to have a little sample of my recipe before I shared it with you…

I think this recipe is a winner!!! I can’t wait to share it with my family

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Kasey