Pumpkin Pie Recipe
on Nov 21, 2019, Updated Jul 10, 2024
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This Pumpkin Pie Recipe is for a classic holiday dessert staple that is super easy to make at home for your loved ones and has all the warming, sweet, lovely layers of flavor you love in pumpkin pie!
Which team are you on: team pumpkin pie or pecan pie for holiday meals? Or maybe you have a different dessert that you crave this time of year — I’d love to hear what it is in the comments below! To me, pumpkin pie is just a classic. It’s got all the warming fall flavors we love this time of year, and it’s a go-to for any holiday celebrations.
Honestly, I feel like making pies from scratch gets a bad rap because they often look so intricate and beautiful, but secretly, they’re one of the easiest sweet treats to bake and great to travel with or feed a crowd! This pumpkin pie is no exception — the filling mixes up quickly and has the most scrumptious flavors, and then you just bake it for about an hour and you’re set!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This pie is way easier than you might expect to make from scratch!
- Pumpkin pie is known for its rich and creamy texture and sweet warmth, which are perfect for the coming colder seasons.
- To prevent a soggy bottom crust, blind-bake (pre-bake) the pie crust before adding the filling. Line the crust with parchment paper or foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans to keep it from puffing up.
- Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving. This allows the filling to set properly and helps prevent cracking, leaving you a perfect pretty pie.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pie crust — homemade pie crust completely elevates your pies
- Pumpkin puree — try this easy homemade pumpkin puree
- Sugar – you will need regular granulated sugar and brown sugar
- Eggs
- Pumpkin pie spices — cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
- Milk — I use 2%
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie
- In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree and sugars. Beat in eggs.
- Add the spices, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Add the cream and milk, and stir well.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie pan and bake.
Pumpkin pie’s filling has a thick texture, almost like custard or pudding, and it has warming spices. It’s not too overpowering or too sweet.
My pumpkin pie is made of pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, vanilla, cream, and 2% milk.
I think that canned pumpkin puree is a close replacement for homemade. Just make sure that if you use store-bought puree, there’s nothing else added to it. You want 100% pumpkin.
Your pumpkin pie may be gritty if you cook it in a too-hot oven. The egg proteins in the filling form moisture-trapping nets, and if the oven’s too hot, they contract and separate from each other into curds, giving the pie a grainy and wet texture.
Expert Tips
- If the edges of your pie crust are browning too quickly during baking, cover them loosely with strips of aluminum foil or use a pie shield. This allows the center of the pie to continue baking without over-browning the crust
- You can store leftover pie in the refrigerator. Fruit pies and custard-based pies (like pumpkin pie) should be refrigerated to keep them fresh. Cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap to prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
- If you’d like you can use evaporated milk, which adds richness to the filling without making it overly heavy. It’s a traditional ingredient in pumpkin pie recipes that contributes to its smooth texture.
More Dessert Recipes To Consider
Dessert Recipes
Easy Apple Hand Pies
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Apple Pie Filling
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Derby Pie
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Apple Crumble
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 single pie crust
- 2 cups pumpkin puree, (15 ounce can) or homemade
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup milk, (I used 2%)
- Whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Roll out the pie crust if it isn’t in the pie shell yet. Add it to a deep dish 9-inch pie plate, and trim and crimp the edges.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Beat in the eggs.
- Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Add the cream and milk, and stir well.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie pan.
- Bake the pie for 10 minutes. Without removing the pie or opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F., and bake for an additional 45 to 55 minutes, or until the pie is set and the top is golden.
- Remove from the oven, and let the pie cool for 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
- Store leftover pumpkin pie in the refrigerator. It will keep well for several days. Serve chilled or bring to room temperature before serving.
- When making pie dough, mix and handle it as little as possible. Overworking the dough can make it tough. Mix just until the ingredients come together, and handle it gently when rolling out.
- After making the pie dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or longer) before rolling it out. This allows the gluten to relax and the dough to firm up, making it easier to roll and less likely to shrink during baking.
- The spices can be substituted with a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice blend.
This pumpkin pie recipe was perfect for our Thanksgiving. The recipe was simple. My family loved the blend of spices. They were the perfect combination. We followed the instructions to bake & cool 30 minutes than eat at room temperature. The texture was a bit softer than I’ve traditionally had. But I preferred it this way. We loved how the spices were not overpowering, but a perfect balance. We used the pie crust recipe listed. It had great flavor & flake, but it didn’t hold a scalloped edge as well. Next time we will pick a different edge. All in all, best pumpkin pie we’ve ever had.