Carrot pie is made with a crisp, flakey pie crust and filled with a velvety smooth carrot filling made with warm holiday spices. It’s all topped with light, pillowy whipped cream. This pie recipe will make you rethink the relationship between vegetables and dessert.
Skip that jar of pumpkin pie filling and pick up a bag of fresh carrots instead. It’s time to unmask this sweet ingredient and bake some magic!
Pie Recipe With Carrots
Carrots are wonderful to add to baked goods and desserts. Just like our carrot cake energy balls, this pie recipe uses up a fresh bag of carrots as an alternative to the typical carrot side dish.
Fall is the perfect time to make this sweet pie. If you have an overabundance of carrots from the garden or found a deal too good to pass on, you now have another way to turn these veggies into something other than a carrot stick.
This recipe is similar to how you would make a pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie. First, by boiling and puree the vegetable, then mix them with warming spices and other ingredients to create the pie filling.
- EASY – The filling is super simple using pantry ingredients. A pre-made pie crust saves a lot of time and tastes just as good.
- DELICIOUS – Carrots are naturally sweet lending perfectly to dessert recipes.
- CHEAP – Carrots and ready-made pie crusts are cheap, convenient, and affordable.
This is a perfect pie for the holiday season including Easter, Thanksgiving or fall harvest, and Christmas. Your guests will love it and this might just become a new family favorite!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy pie recipe with full details in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
CARROTS – You will need 1 ½ lbs of fresh carrots. I do not recommend using frozen carrots as they just won’t have the same flavor.
PIE CRUSTS – A frozen Pie shell is found in most grocery stores and gluten-free options are also available. Or you can make your own using my flaky homemade pie crust recipe.
UNSALTED BUTTER – Unsalted butter should be softened at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
WHITE SUGAR AND BROWN SUGAR– Together, the white and brown sugar create the perfect sweetness.
EGGS – Two large eggs help to hold all the ingredients together.
SPICES – Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and ground ginger are all combined for the perfect warming holiday spice flavor.
VANILLA EXTRACT – Vanilla extract will an extra layer of sweetness.
HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM – You will need 1 cup cream. You can use heavy whipping cream, whole milk or evaporated milk as a substitute. Do not use 1% milk or a low-fat cream will cause the filling to be runny. For a dairy-free alternative, try canned full-fat coconut milk.
Pro Tip: Carrots have a higher concentration of nutrients in their skin and can be boiled with skin on. However, for a smoother texture, you can peel them first.
How To Make Carrot Pie
Save those carrot greens while processing, I’ll tell you why below! Here’s an overview of how to make the recipe with full details in the printable recipe card at the bottom.
- PREP – Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a fork to poke the unbaked pie shells along the bottom a few times, and place them on a baking sheet. Peel and chop the carrots.
- BOIL CARROTS – Add the chopped carrots to a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil then let carrots simmer until they are super soft when poked with a fork. The softer the better! Strain the carrots, and add them back into the pot on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes to help evaporate excess moisture.
- MASH CARROTS – Using a large bowl, add the carrot puree and butter, and begin mashing with either an electric mixer or a hand masher until smooth. It is important to remove as many chunks as possible.
- MIX INGREDIENTS – Add the heavy cream, eggs, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Puree everything together until smooth and creamy with an electric mixer. Add the white sugar and brown sugar and continue to puree. Finally, add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground ginger, and salt. Mix this all together until smooth and well incorporated.
- POUR FILLING – Divide the pie filling equally into both unbaked pie crusts.
- BAKE – With both pies on one baking sheet, place them into the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until pies are slightly jiggly in the center but firm along the rim. Remove from oven and let cool completely before placing in the fridge to chill overnight.
Pro Tip: For a smoother carrot pie filling, you must overboil the carrots until they are very mushy. Then mash them well with an electric mixer. You can also use a food processor or blender to puree the carrots.
How To Store
Leftover pie can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- REFRIGERATE – Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- FREEZE – Cover with plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag and store up to 3 months.
- TO THAW – Place frozen pie in the fridge overnight to thaw. The pie can be served warmed in the oven or cold.
Ways To Serve
Serve this easy dessert after your Thanksgiving dinner with some of these easy toppings:
- WHIPPED CREAM – A can of store-bought real whipped cream or freshly made. For a dairy-free alternative try our whipped coconut cream.
- ICE CREAM – A scoop of vanilla ice cream always tastes wonderful with a slice of pie.
- MAPLE SYRUP – Drizzle real maple syrup on top for a sweet, maple flavor.
- CARAMEL SAUCE – Top with caramel sauce for a delicious flavor.
- TOASTED ALMONDS – Use as a garnish and as an added flavor. I like to use sliced almonds lightly toasted in a dry pan.
Common Questions
Yes! Poking holes will allow the steam to escape and prevent cracking but won’t allow the filling to run out.
Some pie recipes do call for this, and sometimes I will prebake my homemade pie crusts. For this recipe, however, I found that having a tender inner crust adds to the overall texture of the pie.
I prefer to bake my pie the day before to save time the day of. This pie can be served cold or warm so baking the day of will work too.
This sweet carrot pie uses store-bought pie crust with a Fall inspired carrot filling. So easy to make, and the perfect alternative to pumpkin pie. Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream at your next holiday feast!
More Easy Dessert Recipes
If you love homemade desserts then you will love these easy recipe ideas:
- Baked Pears – serve these with ice cream!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Lemon Coconut Squares
Carrot Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 unbaked pie crusts
- 1 ½ lbs carrots - peeled and chopped
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter - softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar - packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream - or evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a fork to poke the unbaked pie shells a few times. Place both on a large baking sheet and set aside.
- Peel and chop the carrots.
- Add the carrots to a pot and fill with enough water to cover the carrots. Bring to a boil and cook until carrots are very soft and easily break apart when poked with a fork. Pour through a strainer to drain the excess water.Add the carrots back to the pot and cook on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes to help release excess water. Stir often.
- Add the carrots to a large bowl along with butter. Use an electric mixer or potato masher to mash the carrots fully. You can also use a food processor for this step.
- Add in the heavy cream, eggs, and vanilla extract. Use electric mixer to mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add the white sugar and brown sugar and mix again.
- Add all the spices and mix again: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground ginger, and salt. Mix until smooth.
- Pour the carrot filling into two unbaked pie crust. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until each pie is slighly jiggly in the center but firm on the outside.
- Let the pie cool completely before placing them in the fridge to chill at least 2-3 hours before serving.
Recipe Notes:
- REFRIGERATE – Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- FREEZE – Cover with plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag and store up to 3 months.
- TO THAW – Place frozen pie in the fridge overnight to thaw. The pie can be served warmed in the oven or cold.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.