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Homemade pumpkin pie is, simply stated, the best dessert for fall! Learn how to make the best homemade pumpkin pie with this recipe. Includes ingredients and bake times for 8″, 9″ or 10″ pumpkin pies. This is one of our best pumpkin recipes for Thanksgiving.
Nothing says fall, Thanksgiving and the holidays like pumpkin pie! This is my sister’s homemade pumpkin pie recipe, taken from her Betty Crocker cookbook. It’s the pie we always have during our family dinners and it’s delicious!
How to Make Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is one of the easiest pies to make! It only takes one crust and you can have the filling mixed up in about 5 minutes. Be sure to buy solid-pack pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. You can adjust the spices for this pie if you’d like. Add a touch more cinnamon or leave out the cloves. It’s up to you!
Do I need to pre bake the crust for a pumpkin pie?
There is no need to pre-bake a pie crust for pumpkin pie. Make your favorite pie crust and place it in the pan unbaked (or buy refrigerated pie dough if you’d like a shortcut). The crust will bake beautifully along with the pie.
Can you substitute milk for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie?
Evaporated milk is the best choice for pumpkin pie. If you don’t have evaporated milk, the next best choice is half and half or heavy cream. Can you use milk in pumpkin pie? Yes, but add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the pie filling to be sure the pie sets up correctly.
Do you need to refrigerate a pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin pies are made with milk and eggs, similar to custard. Because of this, pumpkin pie should be stored in the refrigerator. The pie will generally be okay for 2 hours at room temperature, then refrigerate it.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie – 8″ Recipe
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin
- 2/3 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ¼ cups evaporated milk
Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 35 minutes.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie – 10″ Recipe
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups canned pumpkin
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 2 ¼ cups evaporated milk
Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 55 minutes.
How do you know when a pumpkin pie is done?
Your pumpkin pie should not jiggle when you shake the pie plate gently. It should be firmed up in the center. You can do a knife test and gently push a knife into the center of the pie. It should come out clean. Sometimes the knife test can cause a crack in the top of the pie, but it is the easiest way to test if the pie is done.
Flaky Crust for Pumpkin Pie
We use our grandma’s pie crust recipe for this pumpkin pie. There are three tips we reveal in that article that will help your crust be flaky:
- Use pastry flour, a low protein flour.
- Make sure ingredients are cold. Cold butter and ice water.
- Add vinegar. Vinegar helps to tenderize the crust and also inhibits gluten development
These are the tools I use when I make pie crust.
- Pastry Cutter: I use this tool all the time. It cuts butter into flour perfectly for streusels, crusts and other pastries.
- Pastry Mat:This silicone mat keeps your cupboard clean and makes rolling out pastries so easy.
- Cute Pie Plate: Because if you’re taking the time to make pie, serve it up in style!
- Pie Crust Decorator Wheel: Makes beautiful edges to your pie!
- Pastry Guide:Makes perfectly round crust, every time.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Learn how to make the best homemade pumpkin pie recipe. Ingredients for 8″, 9″ or 10″ pumpkin pies.
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
Total Time 55 minutes minutes
- Unbaked Pastry for 9” pie crust
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups solid-pack pumpkin
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ⅔ cups evaporated milk
Instructions
Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl, beat the eggs using a hand mixer. Beat in remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for an additional 40-45 minutes or until the center is set and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Serve with whipped cream.
Store the cake in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of pie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 9725IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Keyword pumpkin dessert, pumpkin pie recipe, thanksgiving dessert
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FAQs
Sweetened condensed milk is thicker and contains added sugar, so you won't have to add extra sugar and the filling will be very rich. Evaporated milk is unsweetened and has a thinner consistency. This means that you will have to add some extra sugar and that your pie will have a lighter, airier filling.
Can you use regular pumpkins to make pie? ›
Start with the right variety of pumpkins, sugar pumpkins. Large pumpkins that we traditionally think of as jack-o-lanterns aren't ideal for pie as they are very stringy and have a lot of seeds. There really isn't very much “meat” to the larger pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins, also known as pie pumpkins, are sweeter.
What is most pumpkin pie filling made of? ›
Store-bought pumpkin pie mix (sometimes labeled "pumpkin pie filling") is a shortcut for making homemade pumpkin pie. It contains puréed pumpkin plus added spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. It also contains sugar and other chemical additives.
Is it better to make pumpkin pie the day before or day of? ›
Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.
What happens if I put too much evaporated milk in pumpkin pie? ›
Pies with too much evaporated milk formed blisters on top.
Though the interior of the filling had a great, creamy texture. The flavor was ever-so-slightly muted and had a hint of milkiness to it.
Why use evaporated milk in pumpkin pie? ›
Evaporated milk: A can of evaporated milk lends richness and helps thicken the pie filling.
What happens if you use pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin puree? ›
Pumpkin pie filling shouldn't be used in place of pumpkin puree since the finished dish will be too sweet. You can always set the can aside to make a quick pumpkin pie another day.
Can I use my jack o lantern pumpkins for pie? ›
Of course you can also use it to make a delicious pumpkin pie! Family members that enjoy sweet potato fries will likely be excited to try the pumpkin version.
What pumpkins make the best pie? ›
The pumpkins we eat, often labeled pie or sweet pumpkins, are smaller and less watery than the ones used for decorating. Heritage varieties that are good for cooking include Baby Pam, Autumn Gold, Fairytale and Cinderella pumpkins.
Is Libby's pure pumpkin the same as pumpkin puree? ›
Most canned pumpkin is pureed pumpkin. It's been cooked and canned, but you'd have to cook it anyways to make it soft enough to puree. As long as you get plain canned pumpkin without added seasonings, it's the same as what you would make at home.
While the canned pumpkin puree is just canned pumpkin, the Libby "Canned Pumpkin Pie Filling" also has sugar syrup, natural flavoring, salt and spices.
Is Libby's pumpkin real pumpkin? ›
Libby's, the quintessential canned pumpkin brand, uses a proprietary strain of the Dickinson pumpkin variety in their product, which is also often called a Dickinson squash. On Libby's website, it states that their product is 100 percent pumpkin.
Does pie crust need to be prebaked for pumpkin pie? ›
But if you sigh in disappointment when your first bite reveals a bottom crust that's pale and pasty rather than golden brown, try this: Prebake your crust before adding the pumpkin pie filling. Contrary to what you might think, baking the crust again once you've added its filling won't cause it to burn or toughen up.
How do you keep the bottom crust of pumpkin pie from getting soggy? ›
Often, blind-baking solves this problem. If you're making a single crust custard-filled pie, like a pumpkin pie, bake the pie dough first before adding filling to allow some of the moisture in the crust to evaporate. You can also totally blind-bake fruit pies.
How to get a crisp bottom crust on pumpkin pie? ›
How to Prevent a Soggy Bottom Pie Crust
- Blind Bake the Crust.
- Choose the Right Rack in the Oven.
- Brush the Bottom with Corn Syrup or Egg White.
- Put the Pie on a Hot Cookie Sheet.
- Make a Thicker Crust.
- Add a Layer.
- Consider a Metal Pie Pan.
As Leal explains: "Evaporated milk offers creaminess without sweetness and is suitable for savory dishes and some desserts. On the other hand, sweetened condensed milk is intensely sweet and used in desserts and sweet treats, thanks to its thick, syrupy texture."
Is condensed milk better than evaporated milk? ›
Evaporated milk and condensed milk are both shelf-stable canned milks that are easily found at most grocery stores. The main difference is that condensed milk is very sweet, and evaporated milk is unsweetened.
Should I use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk? ›
While we don't recommend substituting condensed milk for evaporated milk or vice versa, you can make your own condensed milk when you're in a pinch. Simply heat together 1½ cups of sugar and one can of evaporated milk until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Can I use condensed milk in pumpkin pie instead of evaporated milk? ›
No. Pies that use evaporated milk also add sugar in some form to the recipe and using sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated will make the pie overly sweet. This recipe used both.
