Low-Carb Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Reader Contribution by Char Scace
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As the fall harvest and holiday season approaches, I wondered how I would ever survive on my low-carb diet without being tempted to eat every pumpkin pie in sight.  Sure, I did internet searches for a “low-carb” recipe, even found and tried a few. All I can say is “yuck.” So what to do?

Get out your smart phone, evidently. I started looking at my low-carb app and actually started analyzing the individual ingredients that a pumpkin pie requires. I found that real canned pumpkin, not the kind bought at the store, but the kind that your mother-in-law so kindly canned for you last fall, actually has only 3 net carbs for a half cup. Not a bad start.

Now what to blend with it? As sugar is out of the question, I chose to add 2 individual packets of Splenda. Now I had some sweetened pumpkin—still not exactly what I was looking for. I then added 2 tablespoons of softened cream cheese, a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. The final thing I did was add 2 drops of vanilla and blend it. Oh my word—yuck to yum in 2.5 seconds.

This low-carb pumpkin recipe requires only six ingredients. Photo By Char Scace.

This was my tester batch; it came in at roughly 7.5 net carbs. Most prepared pumpkin pies will have about 40 to 45 net carbs per serving. I decided to try a larger batch, so I took one 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese and blended it with 2 cups of pumpkin, 12 packets of Splenda, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I then doled it out into separate ½ cup portions and refrigerated until dessert time. My family loved it. Their only comment was that they missed the homemade crust. I simply told them sometimes you must sacrifice. (Yes, I received some eye rolling.)


Char Scace is a married, busy mother of four with 20 years of professional chef experience.

  • Published on Sep 23, 2013
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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