For whatever reason, I hate-follow a bunch of keto-focused influencer accounts on Instagram. They’ll lure me in with a bunch of meat, then hit me with a bell-pepper-as-bread “sandwich,” a monstrosity I have been familiar with since the Weight Watching days of my very early 20s. They’re also obsessed with microwaveable, crustless “pumpkin pies,” which inevitably contain too many eggs and spoonfuls of sugar-free sweetener. Those desserts taste bad, but this single-serving crustless pumpkin pie tastes good, and you can make it in your microwave.
The problem with the keto pies is not the microwave, or the fact that they are crustless, but the insistence on using a whole egg for a single serving, which is far too much egg. That, coupled with alternative sweeteners, gives the dessert a displeasing, rubbery texture, and pumpkin pie should be smooth and creamy, regardless of the crust situation.
By swapping out the eggs for a little cornstarch, and sweetening the batter with real sugar (and a little bit of sweetened condensed milk), you get a dense, silky, pumpkin pie filling that cooks up in under three minutes. All you have to do is mix everything together, pour it into a ramekin or coffee cup, and nuke it for a few minutes. The filling will rise and fall dramatically, finally settling down with a slightly concave surface, perfect for filling with a pile of whipped cream.
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- Whipped cream, for serving
Add all ingredients to a small or medium mixing bowl and whisk to completely combine. Pour into a greased ramekin or coffee cup and microwave on full power for 2-3 minutes, until the top is dry and kind of wrinkly. Let sit in the microwave, door open, until cool enough to touch, then transfer to the fridge for at least an hour. Serve with whipped cream.