The dominant texture of this Low FODMAP Pumpkin Cobbler is like a soft, creamy, pumpkin pie. Not a classic cobbler, not a cake or a pudding. Sort of a combination of all three – with some brown sugar streusel on top, too! It is easy to make, very homespun and a welcome addition to a Thanksgiving or fall meal, but due to the use of canned pumpkin, can be enjoyed any time of year.
Pumpkin Cobbler Inspiration
The original recipe for this was not gluten-free, nor lactose-free and appeared in my second cookbook way back in 1999. It is out of print now, but if you can get a copy of Bake It To The Limit you will find many delicious recipes that can be easily converted to be low FODMAP. And if you have any questions, you can always write me and ask!
Ugly Delicious
The cobbler is not the prettiest dessert in the world. In fact, it is fairly homely. Don’t let that deter you. If you like pumpkin and brown sugar and crunchy, buttery streusel, you are going to love this Low FODMAP Pumpkin Cobbler.
Great question especially since one cobbler doesn’t necessarily look like another. What they have in common is that they are all easy to make, homespun desserts. There is usually some sort of a cakey component. Sometimes this can take the form of a biscuit topping; sometimes it’s more piecrust like, or, in this recipe we have gone for a more cake-like texture. In addition to that there will be another component that will be juicy and complementary in texture and flavor. Very often it will be fruit, as in a peach cobbler, or in this case pumpkin in the form of a pumpkin pie-like filling. Cobblers do not have a bottom crust but very often the cake-like component becomes interspersed with the filling.
Ingredients For Low FODMAP Pumpkin Cobbler
Very basic ingredients are used in our Low FODMAP Pumpkin Cobbler such as butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, spices etc.
There are a couple of ingredients that I want to call your attention to:
- Canned Pumpkin – I have a lot to say about canned pumpkin, not only from a FODMAP perspective, but especially from a baking/cooking perspective. Check out our Explore An Ingredient: Canned Pumpkin, for a more complete treatise.
- For our purposes here, just know that this recipe works very well with Libby’s brand solid-pack pumpkin. It is much richer, thicker and smoother than any other canned pumpkin that I have ever used and cannot vouch for using a different kind. And please, do not try to substitute home-cooked fresh pumpkin. It will not work.
- Heavy Cream – You can use lactose-free heavy cream if you can find it, but the serving sizes of our cobbler mean that the amount of conventional cream will not be a FODMAP issue. So, your choice. For those in the U.S., just use regular heavy cream, since lactose-free heavy cream isn’t available. You might enjoy reading our articles, DIY Lactose-Free Dairy and All About Cream & FODMAPs.
How To Make Low FODMAP Pumpkin Cobbler
This recipe is unlike any other. There is no creaming of sugar and butter. There is no cutting in of cold butter to dry ingredients. There are even several steps where you don’t even combine things – you just kind of layer them up and leave them be. Trust me and follow along.
The assembly technique is unconventional. It begins with melted butter poured into a pie plate.
Then the flour, milk, sugar, baking powder and salt are whisked together.
It will look like pancake batter.
Pour it over the melted butter in the pie plate, but do not mix together.
Then whisk together the filling ingredients – I use the same bowl I used for the base.
Now scrape the pumpkin mixture on top of everything. The don’t do anything! Don’t stir the components together – leave them be.
The topping is a streusel and comes together quickly, especially since I call for melted butter. Just stir the ingredients together in a bowl.
Scatter the streusel all over the top.
Then the cobbler is baked until golden and set. The cake components and the moist, spiced pumpkin filling intermingle to become more than a sum of the parts.
Low FODMAP Pumpkin Cobbler
The dominant texture of this Low FODMAP Pumpkin Cobbler is like a soft, creamy, pumpkin pie. Not a classic cobbler, not a cake or a pudding. Sort of a combination of all three – with some brown sugar streusel on top, too! It is easy to make, very homespun and a welcome addition to a Thanksgiving or fall meal, but due to the use of canned pumpkin, can be enjoyed any time of year.
Ingredients:
Cobbler Base:
- ¼ cup (½ stick; 57 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (73 g) low FODMAP, gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) lactose-free whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Filling:
- 1, 15- ounce (425 g) can of solid-pack, canned pumpkin purée, such as Libby’s
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) lactose-free whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (54 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Streusel Topping:
- 1/4 cup (54 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2- ounces (55 g) whole walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
- 1 tablespoon low FODMAP, gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Preparation:
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Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat a 9 1/2-inch (24 cm) deep-dish ovenproof glass pie plate with nonstick spray or ceramic baking dish of similar volume.
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Make the Cobbler Base: Pour melted butter in baking dish. Whisk together the flour, milk, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Pour over the melted butter in the pie plate; do not combine. Set aside.
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Make the Filling: Whisk together all of the filling ingredients until thick and smooth. Dollop over base. Do not stir together. The mixture will look mottled, with the base coming up here and there. That's the way it should be.
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Make the StreuselTopping: Combine all of the topping ingredients together in small bowl. Scatter over cobbler.
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Bake for about 45 minutes or until cobbler is golden, the sides are set, and the center is still slightly soft (like when baking a pumpkin pie).
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Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm. This is best served the day it is made and can be reheated.
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A little bit of unsweetened or lightly sweetened whipped cream is a nice touch.
Notes:
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
• Butter: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested butter. Monash states that a low FODMAP Green Light portion is 1 tablespoon or 19 g and also states that “butter is high in fat and does not contain carbohydrates (FODMAPs)”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 1 tablespoon or 19 g. Both recommended serving sizes are presented as part of healthy eating guidelines, not as maximum FODMAP serving size. Fat can affect guy motility and trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Eat to your tolerance.
• Lactose-Free Dairy: Lactose-free dairy, such as lactose-free milk or lactose-free cream cheese, has lactase enzyme added that breaks the disaccharide molecules and creates a more digestible dairy product, from a lactose perspective. The resulting product is not dairy-free, but it is lactose-free. Some products might have miniscule amounts of lactose remaining, but the amount is small enough for the product to be labeled as lactose-free. For instance, Breyers Lactose-Free Vanilla Ice Cream states it is 99% lactose-free, while Lactaid Vanilla Ice Cream states it is 100% lactose-free.
• Pumpkin, canned: Monash university has lab tested canned pumpkin and it is low FODMAP in ⅓ cup (75 g) portions. We always use Libby’s solid-pack pumpkin and feel that it gives superior results in our recipes.
• Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is ¼ cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
This is a great recipe to swap out traditional pumpkin pie. My family and I actually like it better cold! I used toasted pecans on top. It’s pretty sweet so a little goes a long way.
So glad you took advantage of making this simple, rustic dessert! Love the “cold” tip.