The Best and Easiest Pumpkin Custard

We all can eat dairy products at my house, and we prefer for it to be raw. Raw cream is sometimes scarce at our local farm. So, when we want a creamy treat made without dairy, I make my no-bake, dairy-free pumpkin custard.

My husband and I love to grow our own pumpkins. My favorite variety so far is “Winter Luxury”. That variety is small to medium sized, which makes them manageable to cut into. That is important to me. The flavor and texture is amazing, so excellent for a no-bake dairy-free pumpkin custard!

We have been fairly successful keeping them into the winter months. Even so, I buy canned pumpkin too, from time to time. Once we eat all our home grown ones and other local farm grown ones, or if I am in a hurry, canned pumpkin is a good option.

I bought these pumpkins, and more besides, from a local farmer. He was selling them for one dollar each, so I stocked up a little. I believe these may be “Small Sugar” pumpkins.

Why dairy free for this no-bake pumpkin custard?

We, at my house , love raw dairy because of the myriad of health benefits. I recommend you research the benefits of raw milk yourself. We buy ours from a lovely small farm where the Jersey cows are eating grass. Staying small helps to make it possible to keep the cows in clean living conditions. This helps to keep the cows healthy which makes their milk high quality.

Because I prefer raw dairy, when I can get no raw cream, I like to make mostly dairy free treats.

There are so many options to use as substitutes for dairy products, my favorite being coconut products. This recipe for no-bake dairy-free pumpkin custard uses melted coconut oil to whip up with the pumpkin.

Also, the addition of gelatin and collagen combined with the coconut oil makes a silky smooth consistency that is amazing.

Gelatin and collagen are top notch additions to our diets and they are ingredients that I strive to include in my daily life.

Good quality collagen and gelatin contribute to gut, heart, and skin health. Those are just a few of the benefits!

Why no-bake for this dairy-free pumpkin custard?

I think no-bake recipes are really smart because they are so easy, they are usually just whipped up in my Vitamix and poured into a dish and refrigerated. I also like them because they require gelatin instead of eggs to set up into custard, which provides a reason to include gelatin.

We have a small flock of chickens, but in the winter they lay very few eggs. We also buy plenty of eggs from the grocery store or a local farm source, but there are times when we are running low. I like to make no-bake recipes for that reason, as well.

Stevia or maple syrup?

I follow the Trim Healthy Mama plan, so I use stevia to sweeten all the treats I personally eat. My husband and my kids also eat stevia sweetened foods, but there are some foods that are just for my kids. So, in their treats I will sometimes include maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar.

If you prefer maple syrup, it will still turn out well set and delicious to substitute 1/4 cup maple syrup for the stevia.

So, on to the recipe for no-bake dairy-free pumpkin custard!

1. Wash a medium pumpkin in cool water, and then cut carefully around the stem with a good sharp knife.

2. Cut your pumpkin in half from top to bottom and scrape out the seeds and as much of the stringy membranes as you can.

3. Rub 1tsp. coconut oil all over each half of the pumpkin and put it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, or it is lightly brown on edges and a butter knife can easily slice into the middle of the pumpkin halves.

5. Scrape roasted pumpkin out of shell with a spoon and measure about 29 ounces and set aside.

6. Next, boil water in a pan or tea kettle to use for the gelatin.

7. Measure 1 Tbsp. gelatin powder into bowl.

8. Add 3 Tbsp. cool water to gelatin and stir very well.

9. Stir in 3 Tbsp. hot water from kettle. Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water.

10. Put about 29 ounces of pumpkin into blender. Add 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp pure stevia powder ( like this one), gelatin mixture, 3 Tbsp. collagen powder, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and 2-3 tsp. cinnamon powder to the blender. Blend on high until completely pureed.

11. Pour pureed custard into a medium serving bowl and sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for two hours until cool and set into custard.

12. Scoop into a dish and top with a few chunks of chocolate. (My kids like it with that addition!)

What no-bake recipes have you tried? Tell me below!