You are going to love this recipe for Pumpkin Pie. Making it is quite simple once you get the hang of it, and it truly is the best pumpkin pie out there. Trust me, I’ve made a few trying to get to the perfect and best pumpkin pie recipe to share with you!
Pumpkin pie is a must-have for Thanksgiving dinner. This is the pie that everyone expects you to serve at the end of that big turkey meal, and they won’t be satisfied until they’ve had their slice of pie with a big dollop of whipped cream.
I like to serve many types of pies at my Thanksgiving table, and also at any holiday gathering. That way, everyone can choose what they like. Often, my family members will want to try a little bit of everything.
Chocolate Pudding Pie, Pecan Pie, NY Style Cheesecake, Apple Pie, and Oatmeal Pie are other must-make desserts for Thanksgiving for us, and my favorite dessert plate has a slice of each!
Are you planning your Thanksgiving menu? You will definitely want to check out all of my Thanksgiving Recipes, including ones for the main dish, sides, breads, and desserts.
Why you’ll love this Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Traditional Recipe: This recipe for pumpkin pie is a very traditional one. While all cooks may have different ways of making their pumpkin pies, they all have a crispy crust and a baked custard filling, along with the expected spices in a pumpkin pie. Your pie will come out just like your ancestors’ pies did. While I love this traditional pumpkin pie, I also had to make a recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake too. Make both, you won’t regret it!
- Buttery, Crispy Crust: A pie with a bad crust is just not a good pie. This recipe uses an all-butter pie crust that is flaky, tender, buttery, and crispy. I love an all-butter pie crust, and use it for almost all of my pies. It’s particularly good in this Peach Pie.
- Yummy Pumpkin Spice: You know it’s officially fall when everything you see is pumpkin spice flavored! I am particular about the ratios of spices used in my pumpkin spice, so for this recipe we are skipping the bottled spice blend and opting instead to add the individual spices. This gives us the exact warm, spicy flavors that we want. If you are planning to make more than one pie, or other pumpkin desserts, make up a batch of my Pumpkin Pie Spice to save time.
Canned or Fresh Pumpkin for Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie can be made from either freshly cooked and pureed pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree. I’ve tried both, and honestly, I prefer making this pie with canned pumpkin. For one thing, it’s way easier. Cooking my own pumpkin adds a lot of time to this recipe. Canned pumpkin is also always the perfect consistency and I get the perfect pumpkin pie filling every time. If you have some pie pumpkins to use, by all means, use them! Here’s how to make Homemade Pumpkin Puree.
I also like to save fresh pumpkin for more savory pumpkin dishes, like this Instant Pot Stuffed Pumpkin packed with steak and rice.
Ingredients Needed for Pumpkin Pie
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pie Crust: Our homemade pie crust needs just four ingredients: Flour, butter, water, and salt.
- Eggs: Eggs create a custard for this pumpkin pie filling, and help the filling to firm up while baking.
- Granulated Sugar: This gives us the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Pumpkin Puree: 1 can of pumpkin puree goes into our filling. Make sure to buy pumpkin puree rather than canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Salt: A bit of salt balances out the sweetness and amplifies the flavors of the spices.
- Pumpkin Pie Spices: Ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg come together perfectly to create the best pumpkin pie ever!
- Evaporated Milk: This blends everything together and makes the filling smooth and creamy.
- Egg Wash: one egg plus a splash of water creates an egg wash that we’ll use to brush the edges of the pie.
How to Make a Pumpkin Pie
Crust for Pumpkin Pie:
- Cut in the Butter: In a medium bowl combine flour and salt. Add the cubed butter and mix into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Make Dough: Add the ice cold water a tablespoon at a time to the flour mixture until the dough comes together. If needed, add more water until everything comes tougher.
- Chill: Wrap the crust dough with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Roll: Once the pie dough is chilled, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick and transfer the filled pie dough gently to a 9 inch pie dish. Trim excess edges and pinch to create a crimped pattern.
- Blind Bake: Place parchment paper in the middle of the pie dish followed by aluminum foil. Fill pie with dried beans or pie weights. Blind bake as directed in the recipe card below.
- Cool: Remove the pie dish to a cooling rack. In a small bowl combine one egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush the pie edges with egg wash and then set the pie shell aside.
Tip!
Blind baking the crust for pumpkin pie is the most important step. This keeps the bottom of the crust from getting wet and soggy!
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- Prepare the Filling: In a medium bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Beat the eggs until the sugar is dissolved. Next add the pumpkin puree, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Bake: Pour the filling into the blind baked pie crust and bake as directed in the recipe.
- Bake at Reduced Temp: Turn the oven down and continue baking until the center of the pie is set. See recipe card for detailed baking instructions.
- Cool: Allow the pie to cool down for at least two hours, and serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.
Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Pie
- Blind baking the crust is an important step to avoid a soggy bottom on your pumpkin pie.
- Pie Weights. Use either a bag of dried beans or pie weights to hold the crust down while blind baking. If you don’t you’ll end up with a puffy crust.
- In place of evaporated milk, you can use whole milk or heavy cream.
- Brown sugar can be used instead of white sugar. This will give the filling a warmer sugary flavor.
- If your pie dough is too crumbly and won’t hold together, add a bit more water until it does.
- Make sure you chill your pie dough before rolling it out for the best flaky crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m all about shortcuts if they work for you. You can buy refrigerated pie dough at the grocery store and use that to make this pie. Just make sure to follow the instructions and blind bake it before filling it.
Cracks on the top of a pumpkin pie generally happen because the pie was cooked too long. Again, follow the baking instructions and you should have a crack-free pumpkin pie. Sometimes baking is temperamental though, so if you do get a crack or two, don’t worry. Just cover those cracks with whipped cream and enjoy!
Yes. Store your pie in the fridge until ready to serve. You can allow the pie to come to room temperature by setting it on the counter for an hour or so if you prefer to enjoy it that way. Any leftover pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Thanksgiving Desserts
All Thanksgiving Recipes ➜
Wishing you wonderful holidays full of amazing desserts! Make sure you pin this recipe so everyone can enjoy it with you!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Pumpkin Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter chilled
- 3-4 tablespoons ice cold water
For the filling:
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ¼ cup evaporated milk
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
To Make the Pie Crust:
- In a medium bowl combine flour and salt. Add the cubed butter and mix into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the ice cold water a tablespoon at a time to the flour mixture until the dough comes together. If needed, add more water until everything comes tougher.
- Wrap the crust dough with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Once the pie dough is chilled, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick and transfer the filled pie dough gently to a 9 inch pie dish. Trim excess edges and pinch to create a crimped pattern.
- Place parchment paper in the middle of the pie dish followed by aluminum foil. Fill pie with dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 400°F/200°C. Then remove the pie weights, foil, and parchment paper. Pierce the base with a fork to release the steam and bake again for 10 more minutes until the bottom sets.
- Remove the pie dish to a cooling rack. In a small bowl combine one egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush the pie edges with egg wash and then set the pie shell aside. Don't switch off the oven.
To Make the Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- In a medium bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Beat the eggs until the sugar is dissolved.
- Next add the pumpkin puree, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Gradually stir in the evaporated milk and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F/180°C, and continue baking for 40-50 minutes until the center of the pie is set.
- Allow the pie to cool down for at least two hours, and serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.
Notes:
- If your pie dough is too crumbly and won’t hold together, add a bit more water until it does.
- Make sure you chill your pie dough before rolling it out for the best flaky crust.
- Blind baking the crust is an important step to avoid a soggy bottom on your pumpkin pie.
- Use either a bag of dried beans or pie weights to hold the crust down while blind baking. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a puffy crust.
- In place of evaporated milk, you can use whole milk or heavy cream.
- Brown sugar can be used instead of white sugar. This will give the filling a warmer sugary flavor.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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