Protein Pumpkin Pie: Crustless, 14g Protein a Slice

Picture Thanksgiving night. The dessert table is full, you take a real slice of pumpkin pie, you eat it at the table with everyone else, and that is the end of it. No second trip to the kitchen at 10pm, no "well, the weekend is shot," no Monday restart. And on January 2nd your jeans are still loose. That is what this pie is for. It is a crustless pumpkin pie with 14 grams of protein a slice and about 150 calories, 10 minutes of hands-on work, and a custard that sets in the oven while you do literally anything else.

Why a Protein Pumpkin Pie Works for Fat Loss

Pie is not what derails the holidays. The spiral after the pie is. One slice turns into "today doesn't count," and today turns into the whole long weekend. A dessert that fits your numbers cuts that story off at the first line. You ate the pie. It counted toward your protein. You are done.

The numbers matter. A typical slice of bakery pumpkin pie runs around 300 calories with 4 or 5 grams of protein, and most of those calories are crust and sugar. This version is about 150 calories with 14 grams of protein. Same spice, same custard, same spot on the dessert plate.

This is also why I never tell clients to "save up" for the holiday by eating less all week. Showing up to the table starving is how one slice becomes four. Eat your normal meals, hit your protein, and then have the pie. That is the whole idea behind losing fat without starving for it. Deficits are earned, and Thanksgiving week is not the week to force one.

Crustless Protein Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Protein 14g  |  Fat 3g  |  Carbs 16g per slice, about 150 calories (recipe makes 6 slices)

Prep: 10 minutes hands-on. Bake: 40 to 45 minutes. Chill: at least 1 hour. Adapted from 12 Minute Athlete's mini crustless pumpkin protein pie, reworked for Prime Protein.

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree (plain puree, not pie filling)
• 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 scoops Cinnamon Roll or Vanilla protein powder (I use Equip Prime Protein, 30% off with code COACHCAM)
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch pie dish.
2. Put every ingredient in a blender and run it until the cottage cheese disappears completely and the batter is silky.
3. Pour it into the dish and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until it has puffed and the center is just set with a slight wobble. It will sink as it cools. That is normal, not a mistake.
4. Let it cool on the counter, then chill it for at least an hour before slicing. Top each slice with a spoon of Greek yogurt or a little whipped cream if you want it (log it).

Macros are calculated for Prime Protein at 21 grams of protein a scoop and will shift a little by flavor and brand. Log the bag you actually used.

What Makes the Macros Work

Cottage cheese is the quiet hero. It replaces the evaporated milk and heavy cream in a classic pie, adds protein, and blends into a texture nobody at the table will clock as cottage cheese. The eggs do the setting, which is why this pie holds a clean slice without a crust to lean on. The two scoops of protein powder carry the rest of the protein and do part of the sweetening, so 3 tablespoons of maple across six slices is plenty. And skipping the crust is where most of the savings come from.

Tips for a Crustless Pumpkin Pie That Sets

Buy pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Filling is already sweetened and spiced. Use a blender, not a whisk. Any curd of cottage cheese left behind shows up as a lumpy bite. Pull the pie while the very center still wobbles a little. It keeps setting as it cools, and protein custards that go too long turn spongy and crack. Then actually chill it the full hour.

Swaps and Variations

Cinnamon Roll and Vanilla are the two flavors to use here. Cinnamon Roll makes it taste like pie with cinnamon whipped cream already on top, and Vanilla gives you the cleanest pumpkin flavor. Salted Caramel works if you want a caramel pumpkin version. Skip the chocolate flavors, they fight the pumpkin. Want it higher carb for a training day? Crumble half a graham cracker over your slice or serve it with sliced apple. Want more fat and more staying power? Add a real dollop of whipped cream or a tablespoon of chopped pecans. No cottage cheese in the house? Plain Greek yogurt is the closest swap. Expect a tangier, slightly softer set.

How to Fit It Into Your Day

On Thanksgiving, plan it in instead of hoping for the best. A protein breakfast, a normal lunch, a dinner plate built around the turkey, then a slice of this. At 3 grams of fat it leaves room for the gravy and the butter on the rolls, and at 16 grams of carbs it fits next to the stuffing. The day after, a slice with a scoop of Greek yogurt and a coffee is a 25-plus gram protein breakfast that tastes like dessert.

Meal Prep Notes

This one is made for prep. Bake it Tuesday or Wednesday of Thanksgiving week so the oven is free on Thursday. Covered in the fridge it keeps about 4 days. Cut all six slices once it is cold so a slice is a grab, not a decision.

Here is the shift. The holidays were never the problem. Eating too little all week, then losing control at the table, and calling it a willpower problem, is the problem. Eat the damn food, protein first, and the pie stops being a threat. If you are ready for a coach to build your numbers around the life you actually live, holidays included, apply for coaching here.

The Protein I Use (and Its Biggest Sale of the Year)

This pie is built around Equip Prime Protein. It is a gut-friendly, dairy free, whole food sourced protein made from grass-fed beef isolate, with naturally occurring collagen and gelatin. No whey, no gluten, no soy. No gums. No sugar alcohols. No fake sweeteners. Nothing artificial, ever. Every flavor comes in a regular and a stevia-free version, and I buy stevia-free because I cannot stand the aftertaste. Cinnamon Roll is the flavor for this pie, and it is my favorite in the whole lineup. Vanilla works too, and Peanut Butter, Chocolate Churro and Banana are the others I always keep on the shelf.

Equip's Black Friday sale runs Thursday, November 19th through Monday, November 30th: 40% off subscriptions and 30% off one-time orders through equipfoods.com/COACHCAM or with code COACHCAM at checkout. It is the biggest sale they run all year, so it is the time to stock up. Grab Cinnamon Roll for this pie and Salted Caramel for my pecan pie protein bars. That is an affiliate link, so I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It is the only protein I recommend to my clients. If you already have a powder you like, any scoop in the 20 to 25 gram protein range works here, just log what you used.