Make this diabetic-friendly pumpkin pie for those times you can't (or don't want to) use cane sugar.
Dessert - Food - Holidays - Pie

Diabetic-Friendly Pumpkin Pie

Last updated on October 15, 2023 by Liza Hawkins

This diabetic-friendly pumpkin pie sweetened with stevia is the great addition to a Thanksgiving feast. Make it when you can’t (or don’t want to) use cane sugar!

This diabetic-friendly pumpkin pie, sweetened with stevia, is the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving feast. Make it when you can't (or don't want to) use cane sugar!

Years ago I was anointed “pie maker” for both families’ Thanksgiving dinners and I chose two classics to bake: pumpkin pie and apple pie.

There was a twist, however, with making sweets for my in-laws: they’re diabetic.

Unlike my husband who is also diabetic, my in-laws stayed away from anything with real sugar in it. I’ve found that everyone with diabetes has a body that reacts differently to various foods in terms of blood sugar spikes and lows.

With my husband, we’ve learned that he can eat things with real sugar, he can eat carbohydrates, and his blood sugar is just fine.

What we control is portion and how many carbs he’s eating (which after all this time of watching and measuring, happens to be regular portions).

This has made me VERY happy because I really don’t like to use artificial sugar substitutes, since they’re often made by or made from chemicals.

On the other hand, sugar substitutes, like products made from the stevia plant, have finally become mainstream. So when I was cooking for my in-laws, and I needed something to replace cane sugar, stevia’s the route I went.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Make this diabetic-friendly pumpkin pie for those times you can't (or don't want to) use cane sugar.

The ratio of stevia for cane sugar is one-to-one in terms of recipes, and while the flavor doesn’t taste exactly the same as cane sugar (I get a lingering aspartame taste), it’s okay — and it’s natural.

The pumpkin pie I made is a close take on the Silver Palate Cook Book recipe, with the exception of using whole milk instead of half-and-half and cream, and stevia instead of cane sugar.

(I’m not against half-and-half and cream, I simply forgot to buy it and didn’t have time to run back out to the store.)

Also, the recipe calls for a little brown sugar, and I happened to have some Splenda brown sugar mix in my pantry, so I used it. I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, “Liza, you just said you don’t like sucralose. And here you are using Splenda brown sugar mix!”

It’s true.

The reasons I used it are simple:

  1. It was in my pantry.
  2. The recipe only calls for a little.
  3. My in-laws ate stuff with sucralose and aspartame all the time already.

Once it’s gone, I won’t be replacing it.

And, in hindsight, I could have used molasses as a substitute.

Oh well.

So, PUMPKIN PIE! Doesn’t it look pretty?

Make this diabetic-friendly pumpkin pie for those times you can't (or don't want to) use cane sugar.

PS: I often cheat when it comes to pie crust and use pre-made from the fridge section, but I do occasionally make homemade easy pie dough.

PPS: Check out my traditional easy pumpkin pie if you don’t need a diabetic-friendly recipe.

No one ever said the holidays had to be full of difficult and time-consuming recipes. The best celebrations are had over simple holiday recipes that taste great and are easy to prep and make. Cheers!
Yield: 2 pies

Diabetic Friendly Pumpkin Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

This diabetic-friendly pumpkin pie, sweetened with stevia, is the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving feast. Make it when you can't (or don't want to) use cane sugar!

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 28-ounce can of pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup granulated stevia
  • 1/4 cup Spenda brown sugar mix
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • pecan halves, for garnish
  • 2 refrigerated pie crusts

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two 10" pie plates with the pie crusts. Crimp the edges.
  2. Whisk the eggs and the sugars together with a mixer for 1 minute, until it's light and frothy. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt, and continue mixing for one more minute. Add the milk and mix it until it's *just* incorporated, about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture equally into each of the prepared pie plates.
  3. Bake the pies for 10 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the heat to 325°F and continue baking them for 1 hour (or until the middles are set and just a tiny bit jiggly).
  4. Remove the pies from the oven and garnish the outsides with pecan halves.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 151mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 4g

Hi, I'm Liza — a self-proclaimed word-nerd who loves getting lost in whimsical stories and epic movies. I have laid-back, practical attitude towards life and am always on the hunt for good eats, easy recipes, binge-worthy shows, relaxing road trip destinations, the perfect fizzy gin cocktail, and time to finish my novel!

45 Comments on “Diabetic-Friendly Pumpkin Pie

    1. I agree about the Swerve. It’s the best. I make chocolate pudding with it and it tastes like it as sugar in it. Might be hard to find locally(my Safeway has it) but amazon has it.

  1. I bake diabetic friendly desserts for the local Meals On Wheels service. I’m going to bake 8 pumpkin pies using your recipe for 48 servings to their clients. I’ll let you know how big a hit it was!

    1. Hi Greg! I love what you’re doing re: Meals On Wheels! And, do not have the dietary info — it’s just not part of what I watch and jot down as I’m pulling together a recipe. That’s not much help, is it? If you do end up making this for your clients, let me know how it goes!

      1. I baked and delivered 8 of your 10″ pumpkin pies this morning to Meals on Wheels, packaged in individual servings, 6 to a pie. We’ll know soon enough if they were a hit!

  2. When you say ground stevia, does that mean like the granulated stevia you can buy at the store or did you take an actual stevia leaf and ground it up?
    I am trying to make this but have granulated stevia in hand

  3. Do you have any nutritional information? My son was just diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and we’re trying to decrease the carbs and sugar as much as possible. Also how about using a lower carb milk like Fairlife?

    1. Hi Deborah! We’ve never used Fairlife before, but whole milk has few carbs than other less fatty dairy products. I calibrated the nutrition in the recipe card, but not sure it will have exactly what you’re looking for.

  4. .I’ve been using Fairlife milk and it’s great! Comes in nonfat, 2% and whole. It really is much less sugar and – bonus – a lot more protein. Keeping fingers crossed that it stays on the market

  5. They filter it to remove some sugars and to concentrate the protein and calcium. They describe this on their website. Apart from that, I don’t know how natural the process is (e.g., what the filters made of). But for me, a diabetic who LOVES milk, it’s a great product and I’m willing to tolerate a little mystery.

  6. Might be a silly question, but does this recipe make 2 pies? I see the carb count with it at over 50 carbs per serving, which is definitely out of my husband’s range for a dessert. I notice that it is a 28 ounce puree and two crusts, which leads me to believe it may be for two pies. The traditional Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe is 38 carbs, super confused.

    1. Not a silly question! I wrote this a long time ago, and it seems there is a typo — it is for two pies, but I managed to write it as one. I’ll get it updated! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note!

  7. Really wish you had done the recipe for 1 pie instead of 2. Also you don’t make it clear enough it makes 2. Easier to double, not as easy to reduce.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.