Welcome to fall at Lifeway, as we share one of our most-loved seasonal dessert recipes with you. Our Probiotic Pumpkin Pie with Farmer Cheese Whipped Topping is a delightful dessert that awaits you to enjoy this holiday season. This recipe is inspired by the classic pie we all know and love, but it’s made unique with the creamy indulgence of a Lifeway Farmer Cheese whipped topping. Picture the perfect blend of velvety pumpkin purée, warm spices, and a heavenly cloud of Lifeway Farmer Cheese goodness, all nestled in a flaky crust.
Get ready to elevate your dessert game and treat your taste buds to a symphony of cozy flavors, all boosted with the protein and probiotics you love from Lifeway Kefir and Farmer Cheese.
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for optimal digestion and gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health. Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1.
Lifeway Kefir is packed with a variety of vital nutrients important for overall health, including bone and muscle health; these include vitamin D3, K, calcium, and vitamin B12. Along with our probiotic-rich kefir, Lifeway also offers artisan-made Farmer Cheese,a creamy, high-protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support healthy muscles and a healthy microbiome. Lifeway Farmer Cheese is easy to spread, free of gums and thickeners, and contains no added salt or sugar for optimal health benefits.
Prep Time: 45 mins Servings: 6-8
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 8 tbsp. chilled Lifeway Kefir Butter*
- 4 tbsp. ice-cold water
For the Filling
- 15-ounce can (1 ¾ cups) pure pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup Whole Milk Plain Kefir
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch, arrowroot starch, or potato starch
- 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. salt
For the Farmer Cheese Whipped Topping:
- 2 cups of Lifeway Whipped Farmer Cheese**
Directions
Pie Crust:
- Place flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the chilled kefir butter*, and pulse to blend thoroughly until the butter is in small crumbs. Add the ice-cold water and pulse until the dough just comes together, adding more water by the teaspoonful as needed.
- Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and form into a round disk. Roll the dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough round to a 9-inch pie dish that is 2 inches deep by wrapping it partially around the rolling pin. Trim the dough edges as needed around the pie plate and then fold edges under. Use your fingers to crimp the edges of the pie crust as desired. Place pie crust in refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- In a large bowl, combine pumpkin purée, eggs, Lifeway Plain Organic Whole Milk Kefir, and brown sugar/coconut sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add the cornstarch (or potato starch), cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes. Halfway through baking, check on the pie and loosely tent the pie with foil or use pie protectors as needed to prevent over-browning of the crust. The pie is done when the center jiggles just a bit when you wiggle the pan. The pie will continue to set up as it cools.
- In the meantime, prepare the Farmer Cheese Whipped Topping.** Store in fridge until ready to use.
- Cool the pumpkin pie on a cooling rack for at least three hours. Once the pie has cooled, top it with the Farmer Cheese whipped topping and enjoy!
- Find Our Kefir Butter Recipe Here!. Tip: It helps to prepare this ahead so it's chilled and ready to go!
- Find Our Whipped Farmer Cheese Recipe Here!
