Cheesecake-Style Pumpkin Pie

In honor of Canadian Thanksgiving, I'd like to share this novel and nutrient-packed pumpkin "pie" made in the style of a cheesecake. With a toasted pumpkin seed base, and pumpkin seeds, soy or pea milk, and protein powder blended into the pumpkin filling, this cheesecake-style pumpkin pie is protein-rich and packed with nutrition, making it suitable for dessert, an afternoon snack, or even breakfast. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, this nutrient-dense "pie" is full of warm fall flavors that any fall food-lover can appreciate. Top with whipped coconut cream or yogurt, crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds, and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice or cinnamon to make it extra luxurious. Enjoy!
Yield: 8 servings of 1 slice each, or an 8-inch (20cm) round "pie"
Macros (per serving): 315 calories | 17g protein | 23g fat | 5g net carbs
Prep: 30-40 minutes | Bake: ​10 minutes base + 40 minutes filling | Cool: 1-2 hours
Equipment: a small or mini food processor, a high-powered blender, and an 8-inch (20cm) round springform pan or loose-bottom cake pan. If halving the recipe, use a 6-inch (15cm) pan.
Storage: refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Base Ingredients:
  • ¾ cup (120g) pumpkin seeds, toasted ✎
  • 3 Tbsp (45ml) water​
  • 1 Tbsp (7.5g) flaxseed meal, I prefer golden
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 Tbsp (14g) vanilla protein powder ✎
  • 1 Tbsp (15ml) melted coconut oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice
Filling Ingredients:
  • 1 cup (240ml) unsweetened soy or pea milk
  • ¾ cup (120g) pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup (60ml | 54g) melted coconut oil, melted butter (and don't heap salt), or neutral-flavored oil of choice
  • ¼ + 2 Tbsp (72g) allulose or equivalent in sweetener of choice (probably ✎)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp pumpkin spice ✎
  • ¼ tsp turmeric (optional)
  • heaped ¼ tsp salt 
  • 1 x 15-ounce (425g) can unsweetened pumpkin purée​
  • ¼ cup (28g) vanilla protein powder ✎
Base Directions:
If you don't need to toast your seeds, you can skip step 1 and preheat the oven just before starting step 3. If you're using store-bought toasted pumpkin seeds that are salted, omit the salt from the base ingredients.
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the pumpkin seeds out in rimmed baking sheet. When the oven is heated, toast for 5-7 minutes. Monitor to prevent burning. Allow to cool for a few minutes before using.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together the flaxseed meal, water, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside to gel for about 10 minutes.
  3. When the pumpkin seeds are slightly cooled, put them and the protein powder in a small or mini food processor and pulse until roughly the size of breadcrumbs.
  4. Drizzle the oil and the flax gel mixture over the pumpkin seed crumbs and pulse briefly to incorporate. Don't over-process. If some wet or dry patches remain, mix these in by hand.
  5. Press the base into the bottom of an 8-inch (20cm) round springform pan or loose-bottom cake pan. I use a small silicone spatula for this. If you prefer to use your hands, you may need to oil them a little to prevent sticking. I like to line the bottom of my pan with parchment to prevent damaging the coating of my pan when cutting the pie/cake. I buy precut round pieces or parchment for ease of use.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.
​Filling Directions:
  1. While the base is baking, put all filling ingredients, apart from the pumpkin puree and protein powder, in the jug of a high-powered blender and blend to smooth.
  2. Add the pumpkin puree to the blender and blend to fully incorporate.
  3. Add the protein powder to the blender and blend to fully incorporate.
  4. Put the filling atop the baked base and spread into an even layer. The base needn't be cooled first.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes.
  6. Transfer from the oven to a wire cooling rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Then, transfer to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours.
  7. Slice into 8 servings and enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
Optional toppings: whipped coconut or plant-based cream, yogurt, chopped nuts or seeds (I prefer toasted ones), toasted coconut, and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
✎ Notes:​
  • You can toast your own pumpkin seeds, which is what I always do, or buy toasted ones. Making the recipe is a little quicker if you buy toasted seeds. If your toasted seeds are salted, omit the salt from the base ingredients. Toasted seeds add a nice flavor and texture to the base, but if you're not particular about that, you could also use raw seeds.
  • The vanilla protein powder in the base and filling add not only protein, but also sweetness and flavor. If you prefer to use a plain pea or soy protein powder, you could do this and add additional sweetener and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the filling. I do not suggest adding allulose to the base as it will likely burn. I'd opt for either no sweetener in the base or a little pure monk fruit or stevia. It may be possible tp omit the protein powder from the recipe entirely, but I have not tried this myself. If you wish to do so, I would suggest adding an additional 2 tablespoons (20g) pumpkin seeds to the base and replacing the protein powder in the filling with ¼ cup (30g) chickpea flour. These swaps would aim to provide similar quantity of base/filling and texture to that of the original recipe. Note that making these swaps would results in slightly different macros per serving - 325 calories | 14g protein | 24g fat | 6.5g net carbs.
  • I first created this recipe many years ago when allulose was not available and my sweetener of choice was pure monk fruit powder. I used ¼ teaspoon in that original recipe. In this revised recipe, I have not only used allulose, but have also increased the amount of milk, oil, and pumkpin puree slightly. Thus, I cannot guarentee that the texture will be the same with pure monk fruit powder as it is now with allulose. I have not tried making this recipe with another granulated sweetener, but I assume that it would work fine with erythritol, xylitol, or a sweetener blend that uses one of these as the primary ingredient. The texture of the filling might be slightly different as allulose tends to retain moisture like regular sugar does. I'd use these granulated sweeteners in the same quantity as the allulose. If you try another sweetener, please let us know how it turns out.
  • Pumpkin spice is a common spice blend in North America. If you can't buy it in stores where you are, there is a recipe in my first book, or various recipes available online. Or, you can just use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves instead of the pumpkin spice.
  • Macros for this recipes are calculated with national nutritional data (i.e. NCCDB & USDA entries in Cronometer) for all ingredients apart from the pumpkin seeds (Bob's Redmill), flaxseed meal (an average of pre and post-2025 NCCDB data), and protein powder (Vega Sport Vanilla).
  • Macro numbers are rounded. Numbers equal to or greater than 10g are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g. 10g, 11g, 12g, etc.) and numbers below 10g are rounded to the nearest 0.5g (0.5g, 1g, 1.5g ... 9g, 9.5g). Any numbers below 0.5g are given as is (e.g. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.). Calories are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.