This persimmon pie is paleo and vegan and it is such a nice seasonal treat to enjoy in the fall. Persimmons are naturally high in pectin, and they gel up really nicely when pureed and used as a base in the pie. There is absolutely no need to add any eggs or gelatin as pectin in the persimmons will do all the magic for you.
This persimmon pie is a great stand-in for a traditional pumpkin pie and I personally love it. It’s also soooo easy to make! As all you need to do is peel and puree the persimmons, blend them with the other filling ingredients, and pour it into the par-baked crust and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. It’s a much faster process than if you are making pumpkin pie from scratch.
IMPORTANT Note for Buying Persimmons: This recipe calls for FUYU persimmons which look a lot like orange tomatoes, though are not in the nightshade family. There are different varieties of persimmons and the fuyus are sweet with notes of cinnamon and they are ready to eat any ripeness, even when totally firm. But this is not the case for the hachiya persimmons which are also orange but more oblong shaped. The hachiya persimmons taste very astringent and bitter unless allowed to get to super squishy ripeness almost bordering on going bad, at that point the hachiyas will give you good flavor and sweetness. To play it safe and make sure I am going to enjoy this pie with zero bitterness I only use fuyu persimmons. And a trick for speeding up the ripening on of fuyu persimmons is to place them in the freezer whole, and when you defrost them the next day they will have “ripened” more and the skin will slide of easily. I often stock up on fuyu persimmons in the fall and keep them in the freezer whole for uses later in the year. Photo below is of fuyu persimmons.
For those on a starch-free diet. I have found persimmons to be similar to apples in the way some test starchier than others with iodine, and I think it has to do with both the variety grown and proper ripening time. I consider persimmons to be a “low starch food” but cannot guarantee they will always test “starch-free”. I consider persimmons to be less starchy than pumpkin.
Persimmon Pie
Course Pie
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Author Andrea Wyckoff
Ingredients
Persimmon Pie Filling Ingredients
1 1/2 cups “Fuyu” persimmon puree – from about 5 persimmons see fuyu notes above
1/2 cup coconut milk full fat
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
1 teaspoon ginger juice
1 paleo pie crust see list below for AIP pie crust options
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Paleo Pie Crust Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond flour
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup coconut oil or palm shortening
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pinches sea salt
optional: line bottom of pie pan with a circle of parchment paper or grease pan with a little coconut oil.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325*F.
Mix pie crust ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
I recommend lining a pie pan with a cut out circle of parchment paper. You can also try using some coconut oil to grease the pie pan.
Using your hands press the pie crust dough into the pie pan, and work it until its nice and even.
Par-bake pie crust at 325*F for 10 minutes.
Peel persimmons, if there are any seeds remove them.
Blend persimmons into a puree using a high speed blender or food processor.
Add in remaining pie filling ingredients and blend.
Pour into par-baked pie crust.
Bake pie at 325*F for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool before slicing.
I love to top it with my recipe for vegan coconut whip.
Recipe Notes
*AIP Notes: Omit Vanilla and Pie Spice for full AIP. Feel free to use any pie crust you’d like with this recipe. I tried to make a starch-free, nut-free, egg-free crust and did not have much luck, though check back in the future and I hope to come up with one someday!