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Chai Spiced Butternut Squash Pie with Gluten-Free Nut Crust Recipe

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Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Pie, with chai spices no less! And a unique gluten-free nut crust recipe. It’s all so dreamy!  This pie tastes like the perfect blend of pecan pie and pumpkin pie — only it’s neither one and even better!gluten-free butternut squash pie with one slice removed and on purple plateI remember the Thanksgiving when I was in culinary school.  I was in my third month of the pastry course, and I made pie after pie for my family’s feast.

Each one was more elaborate and prettier than the next.Whole gluten-free butternut squash pie with purple, blue, green striped napkinI distinctly remember making dozens of intricately detailed maple leaves out of pie crust dough, and making fillings that took days to prepare.  And I loved every single second of it.

Almost 20 years, a husband, two kids, and a demanding puppy later, I don’t quite have that sort of time anymore. One whole Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Pie with one slice removed That’s why this Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Pie is rustic looking — and to me that means it’s a bit messy — but only in the coolest, most beautiful way.

Yes, the top edges of the crust might fall apart a bit while serving – that’s okay!  This gluten-free nut crust recipe is so unique and delicious that you certainly won’t mind a few crumbs falling out of place.

Ground pecans and walnuts in a food processorWhile I can’t spend several hours delicately using the back of my paring knife to make tiny veins in the pie crust dough maple leaves, I can spend an hour or so assembling this sort of scrumptious pie.

Most of the prep time for my Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Pie is refrigeration and baking time.One whole Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Pie with one slice removedAnd let me tell you, it’s really scrumptious!  The gluten-free nut crust recipe is made almost entirely of nuts and it tastes like a delicious pecan pie — in and of itself!

Nut crust pressed into a light blue pie plate.

Imagine topping that with another delicious pie — full of creamy, sweet butternut squash and chai spices.  I’m telling you, this is really over the top!One whole Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Pie with one slice removed and one slice on purple plateFYI, this pie was more orange in color the day it was baked.  The next day it’s equally as delicious, but less orange, and more brown.  Again, it’s rustic. 😉

And if what you really want is pumpkin pie, here’s another gluten-free recipe with a twist: Salted, Spiced Caramel Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust.

Gluten-Free Pecan-Walnut Pie Crust pressed into a light blue pie dish.Though I think this crust is quite special, if you really want to save time, you can of course use a prepared pie crust of your choice!

Enjoy every last bite of this oh-so-delicious Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Pie with it’s divine gluten-free nut crust recipe!

5 from 3 votes
Chai Spiced Butternut Squash Pie with Gluten-Free Pecan-Walnut Crust -- This pie tastes like the perfect blend of pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Only it's neither one and even better!
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Chai Spiced Butternut Squash Pie Recipe with Gluten-Free Pecan-Walnut Crust
Prep Time
3 hrs 45 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 10 mins
Refrigeration
45 mins
Total Time
5 hrs 40 mins
 
This pie tastes like the perfect blend of pecan pie and pumpkin pie -- only it's neither one and even better!

For this recipe, the butternut squash can be roasted two days ahead of time -- and should be roasted at least 6 hours ahead. Here's How to Roast a Butternut Squash. (It is not included in the prep time for this recipe. You can also purchase butternut squash purée.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes, pies for Thanksgiving
Servings: 10
Calories: 412 kcal
Author: Valentina K. Wein
Ingredients
For the crust
  • 2 cups pecans
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling
Instructions
For the crust

  1. Add the pecans and walnuts to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and blend until it's just becoming -- but isn't quite -- a paste. They should be somewhere between a powder and paste.

  2. Add the processed nuts to a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix until everything is evenly blended and then press it into a 10-inch pie plate.

  3. It will be about 1/2-inch thick, thicker than a typical pie crust. Be sure to bring the crust on top of the top edge as it will shrink a bit during the baking time.

  4. Place the prepared crust in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes, and during that time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  5. Once the oven is preheated and the pie has refrigerated for at least 45 minutes, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until it's becoming golden and is sizzling, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Keep the oven on.
For the filling
  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use a whisk to blend the 4 cups of butternut squash (see notes) purée with the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, potato starch, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and pinch of salt.
  2. Once the crust is about room temperature, pour in the filling. Keeping the filled pie on the baking sheet, place it in the (still) preheated 350 degree F oven and very loosely, cover it with a piece of foil. (The foil should not be wrapped around the pie plate, it should be sitting on top, more or less.) Bake it this way for 1 hour, then remove the foil and bake until it's set, about 10 more minutes. When you move the baking sheet, it should no longer jiggle in the center. You can also stick a wooden skewer int he center -- it should come out clean when it's done. (Cooking times may vary.)
  3. Cool to room temperature and serve.
Recipe Notes

If your squash purée isn't smooth, you can blend it in a food processor with the blade attachment for about 30 seconds.

To save time, you can buy butternut squash purée at some stores. I've seen it at Trader Joe's.

If you don't have, or can't get potato starch, you can use corn starch. Mix 1 tablespoon with 1 tablespoon of water, before adding it to the filling.


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Comments

    • Truthfully, if you didn’t know, you would assume it’s pumpkin. 😉 I just love using freshly roasted butternut and it takes on the spices so nicely.

      Reply

  4. Well if this doesn’t take the cake (I mean pie). I love that it takes two expected holiday pies (pumpkin and pecan) and mashed them into one pie that’s totally new to me. GREG

    Reply

  5. Valentina, this was so delicious – thank you so much for sharing it at our meeting. The funny thing is my family came to visit right afterwards and everyone loved it so much they were arguing over the last slice! I just shared this link with my mom and my sister. : ) Great seeing you!

    Reply

    • Oh my gosh, Jeanne, that’s SO nice! Thanks you! I’m so happy everyone liked it and thank YOU for sharing you delicious pies and your gorgeous home with all of us! XOXO

      Reply

  6. If I were going to use a different crust for this filling would you recommend traditional or graham cracker? We don’t need gluten free in our house.

    Reply

    • Hi Shannon, yes absolutely. I think a traditional pie crust would be great! Graham cracker delicious also, so whichever you prefer. Enjoy!

      Reply

  8. Hi Valentina,

    Thanks for this recipe. I tried this at home and was amazing. Everyone loved it. The only problem is that I burnt the crust a bit. :-#

    But that’s alright, I’ll (hopefully) improve my technique on the next attempt. 🙂

    Cheers!
    Raf

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Rafael. I’m so happy you enjoyed the pie and everyone loved it. Yay! (If you think the crust is getting too dark during the baking time, cover it loosely with foil, by almost just placing it on top, not wrapping it.) Thanks again for sharing, and for reading and trying my recipes. 🙂

      Reply

  9. Made the pie as directed for tomorrow’s dinner.. Have not cut it yet. Looks like your picture. However, I had to bake MUCH longer and when tested with tooth pick, it never came out clean????? The tooth pick did come out clean on outer part of pie. Will let you know after tomorrow’s dinner.

    Reply

    • Hi Deanna. I made this pie tonight also. 🙂 As I say in the recipe, baking times can vary — I’m sorry it took so long, and that the toothpick test didn’t work. I would guess it’s cooked through even though it didn’t come out clean, since it baked so long. I hope it’s delicious, and that it’s a hit tomorrow. LMK! Happy Thanksgiving. ~Valentina

      Reply

  10. Follow-up Yes, it was a hit, flavor outstanding. The crust did not stay crisp, was it supposed to? Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you offer. Plan on making Chai spiced Carmel Coffee Cake next

    Reply

    • So happy to hear it! Not the crust isn’t super crispy, but it should’ve stayed solid and together. Thanks for the report.Cheers! 🙂 ~Valentina

      Reply

    • Hi Zed, I don’t specialize in vegan baking — however, my advice (and sort of an assumption), is that you could use coconut oil (melted first), for the crust instead of the butter, and a flax egg (1 tablespoon of flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg). Keep in mind I haven’t tested this, but I’m optimistic. Let me know how it goes if you try it. Thanks for checking out the recipe. 🙂 ~Valentina

      Reply

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