I got home from happy hour the other night and I had a sugar craving that needed attention. I couldn’t quite muster the energy to get back out, so I decided to play pantry chef instead. I’m so glad I did! These Frozen Pumpkin Pie Jars are the product of that craving and I think the world is a better place with these guys in there!

Perks of the Frozen Pumpkin Pie Jars

1. I made these with the items in my pantry, fridge and freezer. This means these ingredients must be easy to find and perhaps you can even whip up a batch now?
2. These are actually pretty healthy and delicious! So you can crush a craving and get some good macro and micronutrient nutrition in here as well! See below for all the nutrition creds and details.
3. These take like 5 min to make, literally faster than running out to the market for a pint of ice cream.

Now that I’m sure I’ve sold you on my delicious and healthy holiday creation, let me show you how easy they are to make…

Healthy Holiday DessertRecipe: Frozen Pumpkin Pie Jars

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 1 Frozen Banana
• 1 scoop Vanilla Protein
• 4 oz Silken Tofu
• 2 T Pumpkin Puree
• 4 Ice Cubes
• 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions: Add all ingredients to your high speed blender or food processor and mix until well combined. I used my BlendTec Twister Jar and it took a while to get going but eventually blended into a creamy pumpkin dream.

Toasted Oat Topping

• 1/4 cup Oats
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Dash of Sea Salt

Directions: Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well (your hands work best) and make sure the oil coasts all the oats well. Place foil on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 5 min. I actually placed them directly on foil and tossed in the toaster oven and it worked like a charm!

Assembly

Divide half of the topping between the two 8oz mason jars. Divide the pie filling in between the two and top with remaining topping.

Serving and Storing

Because the filling only takes 5 minutes to make, I’d suggest toasting your topping ahead of time and then mixing up and assembling your jars just before you serve. The tricky part is that if you freeze them for too long, they are hard as a rock. If you don’t serve right away, they get soupy (but at least you have a spoon on hand!)

Nutrition

This recipe makes 2 servings with 225 calories, 6.4g fat, 3.5g fiber, 11.5g sugar (less than half of normal ice cream) and 18g protein. Plus, they pack the micronutrient profile of a side of veggies with 48% vitamin A, 18% calcium and 12% of your daily iron needs! Take that Ben & Jerry’s!

What’s your favorite holiday dessert? Can I play pantry chef and healthy it up for you?