Crustless pumpkin pie?

[The Librarian]

I don't like pie crust - never have. But I'm married to someone who loves pumpkin pie. Any good recipes out there for a crustless pie? Can I just use my regular filling recipe (the one on the can of pumpkin with some additions) or do I have to do something different? There are a ton of recipes online, but I trust ones recommended by fellow CHers! Thanks.

[jsaimd]

Make pichet ong's graham cracker crust with lime or christina tosi's oatmeal cookie crust - both are delicious with pumpkin pie. But yes, of course you can do it without, but it is just pumpkin custard. Try also pumpkin flan, pumpkin panna cotta, pumpkin creme brulee etc. for options you both may enjoy. You can serve with shortbread cookies, ginger cookies, britlle or even crumble to make it more pie like. I often will make pie pastry and crumble it a bit to serve with a dish.

[sueatmo]

You know, you could make the pie in a crust, serve it to your DH for him to eat as is, and serve yourself to eat only the filling. Alternatively, I don't see why you can't bake pumpkin pie filling in a well oiled pie plate without a crust. People make crustless quiches all the time. This is similar. And here is a link to same: http://tinyurl.com/44jzeo8

[mamachef]

There's been a recipe circulating for many years, widely known as Pumpkin Crack. What you do is follow the pie filling recipe on the (lg.) can of pumpkin (not the pie filling mixture) and pour it into a 13 by 9 baking pan. Now crumble a box of yellow cake mix atop that, top that w/ a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts, and top the whole shebang with a full cup of melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes; until filling is set but not hard and topping has become streusel-y. This stuff is amazing, and deserves it's name.

[ipsedixit]

Is pie really pie without a crust?

[nemo]

I'm with you, Ipsedixit. Maybe OP could get a 7- or 8-inch pie plate, make a real pie with crust, and use the leftover filling in Pyrex custard cups (water bath a good idea).

[Caitlin McGrath]

I've done that - taken the filling I usually use with crust and baked it without, either in ramekins or pyrex pie plate. Don't start it at a higher temperature, bake it lower the whole time. For extra insurance, you can do it in a water bath, as in any other custard recipe.

[HillJ]

I love this recipe for pumpkin custard:
http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/pum...
and the water bath method Caitlin mentions above is the way to go.

[todao]

"Crustless" pumpkin pie = pumpkin custard ....

[AnneMarieDear]

Here's a recipe from a gluten-free blogger who loves to bake. Her recipe calls for 1/4 c gluten-free flour but, of course, you can just use regular.

http://glutenfreeeasily.com/crustless...

[The Librarian]

Happy ending. I used the above recipe which is just like one on the can of pumpkin and is exactly what I wanted. I may experiment by leaving out the flour next time because it changes the texture slightly. I also caramelized 1/2 cup of sugar and poured it in the bottom of the pie pan before I added the filling. Came out like a combination of pumpkin pie and creme caramel and completely negated any calories saved by leaving out the crust - oh well. Lots of compliments from the pie lover. Thanks!

[AnneMarieDear]

So glad it was a success! Caramelized sugar on the bottom sounds absolutely delicious. I'll be trying that soon. Thanks for the idea!

[sarahjay]

Could you make it in a crumb crust? I think a gingerbread crumb crust would go great with pumpkin.

[oldunc]

How are you defining pie? You could make a bowl of pumpkin pudding, but it wouldn't likely fool your spouse.