Pumpkin Pie
intro
Creamy, warmly spiced pumpkin custard baked in a flaky buttery crust, this iconic fall dessert is a beloved staple at Thanksgiving and holiday tables.
Ingredients
Steps
Make the pie dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine 180g all-purpose flour and 1 tsp fine sea salt. Add 113g cold cubed unsalted butter, and use your fingertips to rub butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Drizzle in 60ml ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gently until the dough just comes together with no dry patches. Shape into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll and line crust
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Remove chilled dough from the fridge, place on a lightly floured work surface, and roll into a 12-inch circle that is ⅛-inch thick. Carefully drape the rolled dough over a 9-inch standard pie dish, pressing it gently into the bottom and up the fluted sides. Trim overhanging dough to a 1-inch border, tuck excess under itself, crimp the edge decoratively, and prick the crust bottom 15 times with a fork to prevent bubbling.
Blind bake the crust
Line the inside of the crust with a sheet of parchment paper, and fill with 500g (2 cups) of pie weights or dried beans to hold the crust flat. Bake on the middle oven rack at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes, then carefully lift out the parchment and weights, and bake for 5 more minutes until the crust is pale golden and set. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes while preparing the filling.
Mix pumpkin filling
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 425g unsweetened pumpkin puree, 2 whole large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ⅛ tsp ground cloves, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until completely smooth. Slowly pour in 397g sweetened condensed milk, whisking constantly until the filling is uniform, with no lumps or streaks of spice.
Bake the assembled pie
Pour the smooth pumpkin filling directly into the cooled, partially baked pie crust, spreading gently into an even layer. Reduce oven temperature to 175°C (350°F), place the pie on the middle rack, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The pie is done when the outer 2 inches of filling are fully set, but the very center 2 inches jiggles slightly like firm Jell-O when the dish is nudged.
Cool and set pie
Remove the baked pie from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely at room temperature for 2 hours, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (or overnight) before serving to allow the custard to fully set.
Tips
2.Avoid overbaking the pie! The jiggly center will finish cooking as the pie cools; overbaking causes unsightly cracks and a rubbery, dry custard texture.
3.For perfectly clean, neat slices, dip a sharp knife in hot water and wipe it dry with a paper towel between each cut when serving chilled pie.
OMG this pumpkin pie was the star of our family Thanksgiving dinner last week! I was nervous because I’ve never made pie crust from scratch before, but the instructions were so straightforward. My grandma even asked for the recipe, which is the highest compliment possible! SO good, will be making this every year from now on.
Wait, do I have to use fresh pumpkin? I only have canned puree in my pantry right now, will that turn out okay? I don’t want to mess this up for my friend’s potluck this weekend!
Game changer! I added a tiny bit of extra cinnamon and a pinch of cardamom to the filling and it blew everyone away at our office harvest party. The only heads up is my crust took a little longer to blind bake than the recipe said, maybe because my oven runs cold? Still turned out chef’s kiss.
My kids loved it! I was worried the spice level would be too much for their little palates so I cut the ginger and cloves in half, and they gobbled up slices so fast I barely got a bite for myself. Super easy to prep even with kids running around the kitchen causing chaos, 10/10.
Tasted great but my filling came out a little runny? I followed the cook time exactly, let it cool for 2 hours like it said, but it was still super soupy when I cut into it. Any idea what I did wrong? I used canned pumpkin, if that makes a difference.
Brought this to our neighborhood block party last weekend and people were coming up to me all night asking for the recipe! The crust is so flaky, the filling is perfectly spiced – not too sweet, which I love. I topped it with a little homemade whipped cream and it was chef’s kiss. Already have requests to make two of these for our Christmas dinner too!
First time ever making a pumpkin pie, I’m a total beginner and this was so much easier than I thought it would be! I was intimidated by homemade crust but the step by step for folding the butter in made it turn out so flaky. Only thing is I accidentally used salted butter for the crust, oops, but it still tasted fine? Maybe just cut the added salt next time.
Is it too early to make this for the third time this month? Asking for me, because I already have a can of pumpkin in my hand ready to go. My husband makes fun of me but he’s the one who eats half the pie in two days so he can’t say anything 😂
Solid pumpkin pie recipe, but I wish there was a note about covering the crust edges! I left mine exposed the whole bake time and they got pretty burnt, had to cut them off. Tasted great otherwise, the filling was perfect, just a bummer about the crust.
Swapped the regular all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend for the crust and it turned out AMAZING! I’ve had so many bad gluten free pie crusts that fall apart or taste like cardboard, but this one held together perfectly and was so buttery. My whole family (even the non-gluten free folks) loved it. 10/10 will be on our holiday table for sure.
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it? I’m trying to get all my Thanksgiving meal prep done early this year so I’m not running around like a crazy person the day of. Would love to knock pies out a week ahead if possible!
Made this for our Sunday football watch party instead of the usual cookies and chips, and it was gone by halftime. Didn’t even get a picture of it before people dug in. The nutmeg in the filling really hits different, way better than the store bought pies I usually grab from the grocery store. Will be making this again next weekend for sure.
Tested this out with a couple vegan swaps to bring to my friend’s vegan Thanksgiving – used coconut oil in the crust instead of butter, swapped the eggs for flax eggs, and used coconut milk instead of evaporated milk. It was shockingly good! Even the non-vegans at the test run were going back for seconds.
I was so stressed hosting Friendsgiving for the first time this year, and this pie recipe saved the whole dessert spread. It looked like it came straight from a bakery! I topped it with some candied pecans and a dollop of maple whipped cream, and my friends were raving about it all night. Totally less intimidating than I thought it would be, even for a medium difficulty recipe. So happy I found this!
I added a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper to the filling like my abuela used to do, and it gives it the best little warm kick at the end! People were trying to figure out what the secret ingredient was all through dinner. This base recipe is perfect for tweaking to your own taste, love it.