Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie with Streusel Topping

This is the gluten-free pumpkin streusel pie to make when you want something that looks and tastes special without adding extra work. The filling bakes up silky, the thick cinnamon-brown sugar streusel adds great crunch, and you can choose from two gluten-free crust options; both tested and flaky. It’s the kind of pie that gets requested again before the first one is even finished.

If you are looking for the perfect gluten-free holiday pie to bake this fall or during the Thanksgiving holiday, Mr. Fearless Dining recently declared this one of his favorite pie recipes. He loved it so much, he said I can’t share it with my neighbors. If he loved it this much, I knew you would want this recipe as well.

Pumpkin pie has always been a holiday staple at our house, but I wanted something with a little more personality and more texture, more flavor, more “wow, I need another slice,” as my husband said. This gluten-free pumpkin streusel pie gives you the creamy pumpkin filling everyone expects…plus a thick, buttery crumble topping that keeps things interesting.

This gluten-free pumpkin pie with streusel recipe can be made with my new Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Pie Crust or my popular classic Gluten-Free Pie Crust recipes. If you are looking for more ways to use your gluten-free sourdough discard, here are my favorite gluten-free sourdough discard recipes.

Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps:

For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.

• Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Cup4Cup flour blend. I haven’t tested other blends, but my classic gluten-free pie crust recipe, linked above, has been tested with quite a few flour blends, which should also work in this recipe. You may need to adjust moisture levels because every flour blend performs so differently depending on its ingredients. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
• Binder – If your blend does not contain a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Learn Why Binders are Important in Gluten-Free Baking.
• Sourdough Discard – If you don’t have a sourdough starter, see the section above. I feed my starter on a 1:1 ratio. If your discard is thicker or runnier, you will need to adjust your wet or dry ingredients to make up for or remove some liquid.
• Butter – I tested the recipe with frozen unsalted butter. Use plant-based butter if you are dairy-free.
• Pumpkin Puree – I tested this recipe using canned pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
• Brown Sugar – Use light or dark brown sugar.
• Eggs – Use large eggs.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Streusel Pie (Step-By-Step)

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk to blend.

Step 2: There are two ways to blend in the butter. Use a pastry blender to chop the butter into little bits or freeze your butter and use a cheese grater to shred the butter.

👀 Sandi Says: If you shred the butter, halfway through shredding, toss some of the flour mixture over the butter. It helps prevent the shreds from sticking together.

Step 3: Combine the egg, sourdough discard, lemon juice, and water in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until the sourdough discard is fully incorporated, with no lumps. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Step 4: Mix the wet and dry ingredients into the pie dough. Wrap the dough and refrigerate to chill. You want to keep the butter bits as cold as possible. Those cold butter shards melt as the crust hits the heat. The escaping steam pushes up flaky layers. This is how we get a tender, structured crust even without gluten.

• Dry dough? Add 1 to 2 tsp cold water.
• Sticky dough? Knead in 1 to 2 tsp flour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Step 5: Sprinkle a little flour on a silicone mat, then place the dough on it. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circular shape, about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 6: Spray a pie pan with gluten-free baking spray (Note: PAM Baking Spray is not gluten-free.) Hold the dough on the silicone mat over the pie pan, then gently peel it off and slide it into the pie pan.

Step 7: Use your thumb and index finger to form a V shape on the outside of the crust. With the index finger of your other hand, gently push the dough outward from the inside of the rim into that V to form a slight ridge or wave. Repeat this process all the way around the dough edge.

Par Bake:

I poked little holes in the bottom because I par-baked the crust for a few minutes before adding the pumpkin. Bake the crust for 10 minutes and then remove it from the oven. You can use pie weights if you prefer, but this crust only bakes for 10 minutes, and I found the bottom stays flat in this short bake.

Pumpkin Filling:

Step 8: Add all of the pumpkin filling ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until it is creamy.

Step 9: Pour the pumpkin filling into the pie crust, then use a spatula to spread it evenly.

Step 10: Add the butter, flour, and brown sugar to a bowl and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture. Sprinkle it over the pie filling. I like large crumbles, and to do this, I grab a handful of the crumble and squeeze it. I drop the big chunks over the pie filling. (If you prefer regular-sized crumbles, you can omit doing this.)

Step 11: Bake the pie for 35-40 minutes, until the crust and crumb topping are both golden. Place the pie on a cooling rack and allow it to cool fully. Wrap the pie in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Serve slices of pie on Thanksgiving, plain or topped with either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Tips For Success:

Making this pie is easy, but these tips will help your pie turn out perfectly. For more pie tips, check out my Gluten-Free Pie Troubleshooting Guide.

• Use cold ingredients. Cold butter, eggs, and water.
• If the pie dough feels sticky, wrap it back up in plastic wrap and chill it. The stickiness means the butter shreds are melting into the dough, and you don’t want this to happen.
• If the edges of the crust are getting too brown, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pie while it finishes baking.

Frequently Asked Questions:

More Gluten-Free Pie Recipes:

Pie makes a delicious dessert for any occasion. Here are more delicious gluten-free pie recipes to try:

• Easy Gluten-Free Apple Pie
• Gluten-Free Pecan Pie (so decadent!)
• Mom’s homemade Gluten-Free Blueberry Pie
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Pecan Pie (aka Derby Pie)