Pumpkin Tahini Pie

Pumpkin pie is an all-time holiday dessert classic, but maybe it’s time for a glow up. For Thanksgiving this year, Cookdap challenged 5 of our favorite bakers to upgrade our basic pumpkin pie recipe. The rules? The base ingredients needed to stay the same, and the bakers could only use five additional ingredients. Check out the rest of the pumpkin pie recipes from our challenge, here.

The inspiration for this pie came from a very unlikely source: soup! After having an incredible savory pumpkin-tahini soup, I became obsessed with this flavor combination. It was all the things: nutty, toasty, creamy, earthy, and just so delicious.

But how would that flavor combo hold up in a dessert? Especially one as classic as pumpkin pie? Would it work? I mean: If pumpkin can dual-wield in both sweet and savory dishes, why can't tahini?

After some trial and error in the kitchen, I discovered that the answer to this is, in fact, a resounding yes! It was all about finding the right amount of tahini vs. pumpkin vs. spice and sweetness in order to not have one ingredient overpower the other. The end result was a pie that was perfectly balanced in both flavor and texture.

And while it's hard to improve on a truly delicious classic like pumpkin pie, this new tahini version sure gives tradition a run for its money. At first glance, the tahini may seem like a strange addition — I mean, it's sesame paste, after all — but when paired with the pumpkin and sweetness of this pie, it provides a whole new level of flavor and complexity that is indescribable.

So, if you're looking for a new and incredible way to make over a very classic dessert, give this Pumpkin Tahini Pie a try. You won't regret it.