Low-Carb Christmas Tree Pie (Gluten, Dairy & Sugar-Free)

Festive and colorful without any artificial coloring. And creamy and sweet without any dairy or sugar! This Low-Carb, Paleo & Vegan Christmas Tree Pie is sure to make spirits bright.

It’s no secret I’m obsessed with this Christmas Tree Pie, you guys!

Chewy BROWNIE crust, SILKY vanilla cream filling, and it’s dressed up like a CHRISTMAS TREE? Love LOVE.

If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you probably remember I made one of these last year. But NOW, it’s new and improved… NO SUGAR. I took away the maple syrup, the dates, and the powdered coconut sugar to bring you a LOW-CARB tree pie that’s JUST as delicious as before! Heck YES. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.

Holiday Survival

I’m on a mission to help people on special or restricted diets NOT feel left out or deprived.

So you can eat gluten, dairy, eggs, sugar, soy, corn, dyes, or additives (etc, etc)? (me neither) Surviving the holidays when sweets are EVERYWHERE is tough! The potlucks, holiday parties, the giant trays of cookies at the office (ughhh), and especially Christmas dinner! It’s not Christmas without dessert, right?! 

But never fear, Pretty Pies is here! I’m here to help you through the holidays, friend. I’ve got your back. Don’t worry. YOU GOT THIS. And it’s gonna be dang delicious.

Pass on the conventional stuff you can’t eat and make your own. Bring it with you! That’s what I do, and I’m always so glad to have a dessert I CAN actually have when everyone else is gobbling up their gluten/dairy/Sugar loaded plates soaked in red dye #40 lol.

GOODBYE CARBS

How in the world did I reduce the carbs in this pie from roughly 24 to 4 g per slice? It was actually pretty easy.

1. Monkfruit! I swapped pure maple syrup for Lakanto monkfruit-sweetened maple syrup (which is sugar-free and tastes delicious!)
2. But the previous chewy no-bake brownie crust was made with medjool dates. Ahh dates, they’re so good, but definitely NOT low carb (with ONE HUNDRED TEN carbs per cup. Oh em geee!!) So I subbed almond butter and more monkfruit for that sticky gooey sweet quality that dates have.
3. To reduce the carbs even further, I swapped half the cashews with almonds. (ps, cashews are totally fine for a low carb diet. In moderation.) The result is still SUPER creamy and delicious. This pie is actually lighter and fluffier than last year’s tree pie. I love it!

I was nervous about how it would all taste, but it’s SO GOOD. My whole family was saying Mmmmm with every bite and asking for seconds. Saying it tasted like it really had sugar in it! 

Don’t fear the green!

I love colorful food, but I don’t use artificial food coloring in my recipes because they’re full of junk (and actually linked to all kinds of potential health issues. Yikes!) So I’m always on the lookout for natural ways to create vibrant color. Using FOOD to color food 🙂

So here’s how you get this gorgeous green: SPINACH. Don’t get turned off, guys. I PROMISE you can not taste it. AT ALL. It actually makes the pie lighter.

All you taste is the sweet creaminess flavored with vanilla and a hint of coconut, paired with the chewy chocolatey crust. Pure deliciousness. And the little bursts of sweet crunch from the pomegranate, YUM!

Does all that spinach count as a serving of veggies?? lol Might as well! My favorite way to get my greens in.

Tip: Blend your mixture for several minutes until no more green specks show.. just a uniform color. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides as needed.

Pom Pretty

OK, can we just stop a sec and gaze at those ruby red pomegranate arils? Don’t they look like gorgeous gems? Ahhh so pretty. And the contrast with the green. HEART EYES.

If you’re intimidated at the thought of pomegranate, don’t be. It’s easy. See how to easily remove the seeds here.

And don’t worry about the sugar content of the pomegranate ornaments. You’re only putting on 1 Tbs on each slice, which barely adds anything. I calculated about 0.3 net carbs for the poms.

They’re just too pretty to leave off (even if you don’t like pomegranate, haha)! 

I hope you don’t feel deprived of treats this Christmas. My wish is that you’ll make something delicious that you can fully enjoy. Something fun and festive, colorful and delightful, and healthy to boot! 😉

Click the image below to save this recipe on Pinterest:

Low-Carb Christmas Tree Pie

Silky smooth vanilla cream on a chewy brownie crust, decorated with whipped cream ribbons and pomegranate ornaments. No one will know it's low carb, GF & DF!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 10 slices

Author: Emily

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chocolate Brownie Ccrust

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts
• 5 Tbs almond butter
• 3 Tbs cacao powder
• 2 Tbs Lakanto maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of pink salt

Vanilla Cream Filling

• 1/2 cup blanched almond slivers - soaked
• 1/2 cup raw cashews - soaked
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbs Lakanto maple syrup
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs coconut oil - melted
• 4 big handfuls baby spinach
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract - (+ a few drops of almond extract, optional)
• Pinch of pink salt

Garnish

• Whipped coconut cream
• Pomegranate Arils

Instructions

To make the crust:

• Pulse walnuts in a food processor a few times to break them up. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until finely ground and the mixture sticks together.
• Press firmly into a pie plate. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:

• (Use nuts that have been soaked in hot water for 2 hours.) Drain, rinse and shake dry. Blend nuts thoroughly in a food processor for several minutes.
• Scrape down the sides, add spinach and blend again until color is uniform.
• Add remaining ingredients and blend smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness.
• Pour filling over crust and tap pie plate on the counter a few times to release air bubbles. Cover and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
• Garnish with whipped cream (recipe below) and pomegranate. Enjoy! & serve.

Notes

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate and Lakanto affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you).

Lakanto Maple Syrup available here  (Enter code PRETTYPIES at checkout for 20% off)

My favorite Raw Cashews from Amazon

Organic virgin coconut oil from Amazon

To store: Keep refrigerated for up to 6 days, or frozen (without garnish) for 1-2 months in an airtight container.

To make coconut whipped cream: Use a can of coconut cream or coconut milk that has been refrigerated overnight. Scoop out the solid white cream into a mixing bowl (reserving the water for a smoothie). Add 6-8 drops Lakanto Vanilla Monkfruit Drops or 2 tsp powdered monkfruit + 1 tsp vanilla. Whip with a hand mixer (or whisk) for about 15 seconds until light and fluffy. Transfer to a baggie and snip off the corner to pipe it on.

Nutrition Facts

Low-Carb Christmas Tree Pie

Amount per Serving

Calories

369

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

36

g

55

%

Carbohydrates

 

13.1

g

4

%

Fiber

 

6.4

g

27

%

Sugar Alcohol

 

3.7

g

Net Carbs

 

3

g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Tag @emily.likes.food #prettypies!