Cinnamon Streusel Topped Carrot Pie

Thanks for sharing!

This carrot pie is topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel. It is a fabulous combination that will make you wonder where carrot pie has been your whole life!  It’s perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving or just because!

Carrots aren’t just for side dishes and soups, they make great desserts as well. It doesn’t have to all be cakes and cupcakes. Carrots make a wonderful pie filling as well.

This pie is filling with a smooth carrot based filling that is wonderful on its own. But the buttery streusel topping takes it to the next level. You are going to love this fun and different dessert.

Happy pi day, everyone!  In honor of 3.14 we eat pie on 3/14.  It is one of those fun little days that just begs to be celebrated. 

In high school, we had pie carry ins on March 14.  Now my blogging friends and I celebrate with our own smorgasbord of pie!

Usually I am not super into making pies  For some reason I can never get a pretty crust.

It makes me feel self conscious and annoyed that it’s never as pretty in real life as what it is in my imagination.  The thing is, they are almost always delicious. So I forge on and bake them every once in a while anyway.

Lately I have been baking them more frequently than normal.  I would like to say that practice makes perfect and my pie crusts are beautiful now.

But that would be a lie and I could never forgive myself to lying to you.  They are tasty and fun and that is what matters.

Each of the pies I have been baking recently are worthy of the pie day celebration.  There was the taste of the tropics pie that was loaded with pineapple and coconut.

That was one of my finalists to post today.  I also recently remade a french silk pie and my fun and different kiwi and cream pie.   So I felt like I was warmed up and ready.

Last year my choices came down between my not your mama’s chocolate pie and the one I went with, savory spinach and cheese pie.  My friend Val from Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids just made a couple of those chocolate pies not too long ago and now I want to make another!

With all of these great pies swirling in my head, I couldn’t wait to get baking.  I love to do something a little bit different to celebrate the day of pie, so I knew a carrot pie would be fun.

Last year our rows of carrots in the garden were big producers.  We got busy and neglected them a bit longer that we probably should have.

The carrots were still good, just HUGE and we had a ton of them. We are not ones to let anything go to waste, so my husband sliced them and stuck them in the freezer.

I got busy looking up recipe inspiration.  That’s when I first saw a couple of recipes for carrot pie.  I had never heard of such a thing, but really it makes perfect sense.

You cook and puree the carrots and after that it really isn’t much different than making a sweet potato or pumpkin pie.  I found a few recipes that sounded good, so I took a little inspiration from each and mixed in some of my own flavor preferences.

I thought it would be good as it was, baked and with a bit of whipped cream. But something told me it needed a little bit more.

Of course I am not one to say no to the voice that says take it to the next level, so I gathered up some ingredients and whipped up a cinnamon streusel to sprinkle over the top.  I am glad I did!

The results were similar to those Thanksgiving staples, but it had a distinctly carrot flavor that made it stand out.  The streusel was a perfect buttery addition that added a nice contrast in flavor and texture. 

Of course a little maple whipped cream would be perfect on top, or a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.

Now I need to know, have you ever had a carrot pie?  What are your favorite kinds of pie?

Thanks for sharing!