Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie

This Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie uses up sourdough discard for a fun twist on the iconic Thanksgiving dessert. This homemade pumpkin pie uses sourdough discard both in the buttery and flaky pie crust and inside the traditional custard filling that is naturally eggless!

If you’re looking for more pumpkin recipes, check out some of my other favorites like Frosted Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Eggless Pumpkin Spice Scones, Soft Baked Pumpkin Spice Cranberry Sandwich Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Pop Tarts With Pie Crust, or Buttermilk Pumpkin Waffles.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

• Recipe Name: Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie
• Ready In: 4 hours 57 minutes
• Makes: 9-inch pie
• Main Ingredients: salted butter, all purpose flour, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice
• Flavor Profile: cozy, spiced pumpkin with a slight tang and fluffy whipped cream
• Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils
• Difficulty: Medium
• Why You’ll Love It: homemade pumpkin pie without eggs

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Twist on a Classic: There’s no denying that everyone expects to have pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. But traditional pumpkin pie can get tiring. You will love this twist on a classic, my organic pumpkin pie made with sourdough discard tastes familiar enough to pass for pumpkin pie, but just different enough for people to wonder what the secret ingredient is!
• Uses Sourdough Discard: I love any recipes that uses sourdough discard as it eliminates waste! This organic pumpkin pie made with sourdough discard uses sourdough discard both in the pie crust and in the filling!
• Eggless: Traditional old fashioned custard is made with egg yolks and flour. So while a traditional pumpkin pie would have eggs, I use cornstarch and sourdough discard in this to mimic the combination of flour and eggs in traditional custard. This eggless pumpkin pie is even easier than an egg filled pie as there’s no worry of over whipping your eggs!
• Whipped Cream: Two words: whipped cream. Any organic pumpkin pie that has homemade organic whipped cream on top is a win in my book! It’s incredibly easy to whip up some fresh whipped cream and it will make this Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie that much better!

This is another collab with my friend Hannah at Make It Dough! I knew we had to create a homemade pumpkin pie made with sourdough discard for Thanksgiving. And, Hannah had not had a good relationship with pumpkin pie in the past, so I was up for the challenge! We also wanted to create an eggless pumpkin pie made with sourdough discard because traditionally pumpkin pie has eggs.

So, this recipe is not only double tested by both of us – check, it also is an eggless pumpkin pie – check, and it uses sourdough discard – triple check! I have made so many pumpkin pies in my bakery days, I can't even count them. So, I knew I could create an Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie that would taste just like the traditional dessert you love but with a sourdough twist.

Why This Recipe Works

Pumpkin pie is traditionally a custard. And, not to brag, but custards are kinda one of my things. At my bake shop we made a little thing called Sweet Cream Pie in a Jar – that we were known for. If you know, you know. I have probably made hundreds of thousands pounds of custard in my life, somewhere around there.

Traditional custard (I'm going to be snobby here, and say the good stuff) is made with only egg yolks, cream, and flour. Eggs and flour will thicken and help set custard, and the cream creates a rich flavor to match the perfect melt in your mouth texture.

So, adding sourdough discard into homemade pumpkin pie is actually a really good idea as sourdough discard has flour in it. Sourdough discard also acts as a binder, and it's actually a really good egg replacer in baked goods. I still use heavy whipping cream and I add a little bit of cornstarch to help set this pie, and you have a delicious Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie!

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: My favorite is Cairnspring Mills as it's fresh milled flour.
• Sourdough Discard: You can use your sourdough discard straight from the fridge. If you don't have sourdough discard, you can still make this eggless pumpkin pie by replacing it with 1 to 1 parts all purpose flour and water. So, that would mean mixing together 28 grams of all purpose flour and 28 grams of water, use that in place of the sourdough discard.
• Pumpkin Spice: I use my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix, but store bought is also fine.
• Brown Sugar: I use homemade light brown sugar for flavor. This gives this organic pumpkin pie more flavor and a darker color than using traditional cane sugar. This is how we made pumpkin pie at my bake shop.
• Cornstarch: Organic cornstarch is used as a thickener in this recipe. If you are avoiding corn, you can use tapioca, arrowroot, or potato starch.
• Pecans: I top this pumpkin pie with pecans, but chopped walnuts would also be delicious too.

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker's Tips

• When making the curst, be sure to dissolve the sourdough in water. This will help combine it completely! For more tips on making pie crust, visit my article How to Make Pie Crust with Sourdough Discard for a more in-depth explanation.
• Use an aluminum pie pan or cast iron pie pan for the best results! These two options bake pie incredibly well and you won’t end up with soggy crust. Glass or ceramic pie dishes are not ideal and could prevent crust from baking properly. Read more and get my top picks in The Best Nontoxic Pie Pans to Bake With.
• Always place pie dish on a baking sheet before baking. With pumpkin pie being a liquid custard, if something goes wrong it can leave your oven a mess! Better safe than sorry!
• If you don’t have pie weights, you can easily use rice or beans! I don’t even have fancy pie weights; I just have a jar filled rice that I have deemed as my “pie weights”. It’s a cheap and easy way to get the same results! I prefer rice over beans as the beans can smell when they bake, but either one will work!
• Do not fill the pumpkin pie too much! This is super important as it will bake up and rise a bit. So, you just want to fill the liquid custard to right below your fluted pie edges, it may not look totally full, but that’s perfect! If you have extra custard, pour it into small soufflé dishes and bake it along with the pie!
• Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting into it. Pumpkin pie is custard based and it needs time to set before you can cut into it! I prefer to bake pumpkin pie at night and let it sit overnight so I know it’s completely set. This is always what we did for pumpkin pies at my bake shop to ensure they were ready.

How to Make Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie

Step 1

Making the Crust: In a small bowl, mix the sourdough discard and water until it’s combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, and cane sugar. Turn on low for two to three rotations to combine the dry ingredients.

Remove the butter from the fridge and chop into small cubes. The smaller the cubes, the flakier the crust: Cut the stick of butter into four and then chop into small cubes from there. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture.

Turn the mixer on low and slowly start to incorporate the ingredients. Gradually turn the mixer to medium speed. Once the butter mixture looks like wet sand, immediately add in all the sourdough and water mixture. As soon as the dough comes together, stop the mixer.

Have a piece of plastic wrap ready and form it into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch pie pan well with butter.

Rolling Out Pie Crust: Remove the pie dough from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. Roll out the into a disk that is 1/4-inch thick, it should be about 11-inches in diameter. Place the pie dough into the pie pan and press lightly to form against the pan. It should be large enough that the dough folds right over the top of the pan.

Roll the excess dough into the pie pan so it’s even with the edges of the pie pan. Flute the edges by using your thumb and index finger of your right hand to pinch the rolled edge of dough and push your index finger of your left hand into it to create the “flute”. Continue around the entire pie to flute the edges.

Step 3

Parbaking: Place a piece of parchment paper into the pie pan and form it to the sides. Add rice or pie weights and parbake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights and bake for another 5 minutes. Press down the crust if it bubbles up in the middle.

Step 4

Making the Filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the pumpkin, heavy whipping cream, light brown sugar, and sourdough discard. Mix on low until combined.

With the mixer still on low, slowly add the cornstarch while still mixing, this will help prevent it from clumping. Add the pumpkin spice and continue to mix until combined.

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Fill only to right below the fluted edge! Even if you have more filling, do not use it if it’s too full as this will result in an exploded pie! If you have extra filling, add into small soufflé cups and bake along with the pie!

Step 5

Baking the Pie: Place the pie (and soufflé cups) onto a baking sheet and bake for 32 to 36 minutes or until the pie looks somewhat set, it may still be a little jiggly in the middle. Allow to cool completely, at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. (Little soufflés may be done earlier if you have them.) *Make sure to check the notes for high altitude times.

Allow to cool completely, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 6

Making Whipped Cream: To make the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the heavy whipping cream, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix, starting on low to avoid splattering, and gradually increase speed as the mixture thickens until you’re at full speed. Whisk until stiff peaks form.

Top pie with whipped cream and chopped pecans.

Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie FAQ's

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

If you're planning a Thanksgiving menu, try some of these recipes that pair perfectly with this Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie!

• Cocktail hour or dessert time is made better with drinks like Cranberry Mocktail With Coconut Water, Sparkling Apple Cider Mimosas, or Sparkling Apple Cider Bourbon.
• Try Roasted Herb Butter Turkey, Savory Mustard Herb Ham, or Apple Cider Honey Baked Ham for the main attraction.
• Sides like Bone Broth Mashed Potatoes, Honey Butter Dinner Rolls, or Sourdough Crescent Rolls are always a hit!
• If you want to add more to the dessert table, try Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, Pumpkin Spice S’More Bars, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, and Apple Berry Pie.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

Slow Cooker Turkey

Pumpkin Pie Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

Brown Butter Apple Pie Without Eggs

Simple Cranberry Kale Salad with Homemade Dressing