I’ve been on a pie roll lately (no that’s not a thing but I’ll look into a recipe for it) – a custard pie roll, to be exact. This season I’ve made pumpkin pie, butternut squash pie, pumpkin-coffee pie (yum), egg custard, and a few days ago it was carrot. After making all these pies, you know what? Carrot has to be my favorite.
I got these little 5″ pie pans and am loving them. Just cut a pie recipe in half to fill them.
It tastes similar to pumpkin pie!
Now don’t get me wrong; I have loved pumpkin pie since I was little, and I still do. It’s a staple for Thanksgiving, and when you think of fall it always comes to mind.
I’ve roasted pie pumpkins and made them out of the can. (Do yourself a favor and make it from fresh if you’re able to; the canned pumpkin isn’t even actual pumpkin and doesn’t taste anything like the real thing). When pumpkin season rolls around I make sure to buy a few, roast them, and freeze the puree so I’m not without real pumpkin on hand.
For this carrot pie I wanted to try and do it the same way as my pumpkin pie, only instead subbing in roasted carrots. All the spices were just about the same; I added in a touch more powdered ginger (ginger goes great with carrot) and a little less sweetener (carrots have more sweetness than pumpkin). The sweetness and flavor of the carrots ended up coming through perfectly, and the texture was great – a bit more textured than pumpkin pie and I wanted it that way. If you don’t want that extra texture you can blitz it all in your blender before filling your pie shell, but, I definitely suggest pureeing the roasted carrot in your food processor and hand whisking the ingredients together. The texture is superb.
Keto or low carb?
Although carrots aren’t considered low-carb or keto, I suggest that you not hold yourself back from baking one of these carrot pies, indulging in a slice, and then quickly giving the rest to your family to eat because you won’t want to stop.
Might I suggest swapping out half of the carrots in the recipe with pumpkin? It will lower the carb content, and yet still have the carrot flavor.
Embrace the carrot!
– in moderation if you’re on keto – and let me know if you try my carrot pie, and what kind of pie you prefer?
Carrot Pie | Better-Than-Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 low-carb pie crust cooled. (I’m working on a recipe post, but for now, you can find a bunch of recipes for them online)
- 15 oz. carrots roasted and pureed
- 3 eggs
- ¼-½ cup sweetener preferably powdered – you can do this with something like a bullet. (I like 5 Tablespoons of erythritol. Remember that carrots are naturally a bit sweeter than pumpkin, so cut back on the sweetener a bit. If you’re not sure, start with less sweetener, mix together everything but the eggs, then taste.)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 10 oz heavy cream half & half, almond milk, or mixture of any combination
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch if not low carb/keto
Instructions
CARROT PREP:
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Peel carrots and put into casserole dish. No need to chop them small; they’re going to be pureed anyway.
- Cover with foil and roast for 45-50 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a fork. Take out and put into a food processor. Puree until very smooth. Cool to at least room temperature.
MAKE THE PIE:
- Turn oven down to 325°.
- Add carrot puree, sweetener, pumpkin pie spice, salt, vanilla, and optional cornstarch to a bowl. Whisk well.
- Add eggs and whisk well. Add in cream and give one last good whisk. Mixture will be thin.
- Pour your custard into a 9″ pie shell, and bake for about 1 hour, to 1 hour and 20 minutes. (You will know when your pie is done, when you shake it gently. The outer 2 inches will be well set and the middle will still be just a bit jiggly. The timing will just depend on how thin or thick your custard was when you poured it into the shell. Just keep an eye on it)
- Turn off the oven and crack open the door a little bit. Let it cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and (if you can), let it cool down at room temperature for 3 hours. Then pop it into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (It’s best overnight).
Notes
