Ultimate Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Ultimate Pumpkin Pie Recipe (1)

Total Time
About 2 hours, plus 1½ hours’ chilling
Rating
4(2,939)
Notes
Read community notes

The type of pumpkin used to make canned pumpkin purée is very close to sweet winter squashes like butternut and honeynut. Making your own fresh purée from these varieties will give you the best possible pumpkin pie, one that’s both ultracreamy and richly flavored. Just don’t be tempted to halve the whole squash and bake it still in the skin. Cutting it into cubes allows for the most evaporation and condensation for the best texture and taste. If using a glass or ceramic pie pan, you might want to parbake the crust. Since glass doesn’t conduct heat as well as metal, the crust may not cook through if you don’t parbake.

Featured in: The Absolute Best Pumpkin, Apple and Pecan Pies for Thanksgiving

Learn: How to Make a Pie Crust

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • 2pounds butternut squash (1 small squash), peeled, seeded and cut into 1½-inch chunks (about 3 cups), see Tip
  • 1cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
  • 2tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough
  • Dough for a single 9-inch pie crust
  • 3large eggs
  • cup/132 grams light brown sugar
  • teaspoons ground ginger
  • teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • teaspoon ground allspice or pinch of ground cloves
  • 1tablespoon bourbon or dark rum, or use 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½teaspoon fine sea salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

375 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 368 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Ultimate Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Place two racks in the oven: one in the lower third and one in the upper third. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and heat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread butternut squash on it. Drizzle squash with 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream, sprinkle with granulated sugar and dot the top with butter. Roast on the upper rack, stirring once or twice, until squash is very tender, 40 to 50 minutes.

  3. Step

    3

    Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch metal pie pan. Fold over any excess dough, crimping the edges. Transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (This helps the crust hold its shape so the edges don’t slump.)

  4. Step

    4

    When the squash is soft, transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes (and up to a few hours). Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.

  5. Step

    5

    In a food processor or blender, purée the squash with the remaining cream until smooth. Add eggs, brown sugar, spices, bourbon and salt, and pulse to combine. The mixture should be very smooth.

  6. Step

    6

    Pour mixture into the chilled pie shell. Carefully transfer pie to the hot baking sheet on the bottom rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 300 and continue to bake until the crust is golden and the center jiggles just slightly when shaken, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Tip

  • If you are buying peeled, cubed squash, you will need 1¼ pounds. If you want to substitute canned pumpkin, you will need 1½ cups (the remaining purée in the can is great stirred into oatmeal).

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4

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2,939

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

RP

Three helpful tips: 1- blind bake the crust so the finished pie doesn’t have a soggy bottom2- use kabocha squash 3) roast the squash whole, let it cool and scoop out the seeds then flesh (tastier& much easier than cubing & roasting)

Ria

Don’t scrimp on the spices, use cloves and allspice. Also add a pinch of mace. Makes all the difference in the end result.If you mix the filling at least 24 hours in advance (we do 2 days) and keep it sealed in refrigerator, this allows the spices to “bloom” and all the flavors meld thoroughly throughout the pie filling.I have to make two of these pies every year so there is enough for my husband and two sons. On occasion I’ve been known to make a couple extra so everyone else has plenty too

Alice

Re-read the recipe. It calls for baking 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then lowering the temperature to 300 degrees and baking an additional 35-45 minutes longer or until the center is slightly jiggly. Key words here are the two separate oven settings and the phrase “35-45 longer” at the lower temperature; knowing all ovens bake differently just be mindful how yours works and use a baking thermometer. Hope this helps.

Charles

It’s helpful that you specify a two-pound squash, but it would be more helpful if you specified how much purée we want to end up with. 3 cups is just meaningless when you’re talking about 1 1/2 inch dice. Why not be consistent, since you’re giving other ingredients by weight and do the same here. ? The answe is 350 grams of pulp.

Joeomar

The recipe is correct, you do NOT need to blind bake the crust if you use the right equipment. I use these "non-stick" pie pans that are a very dark gray, the dark color absorbs heat far better than a glass or shiny aluminum pan. Not only does the bottom of the crust turn deep gold and crisp, I've found it actually cooks the filling better so I have less problems with a runny filling.

Roberto

you absolutely must include a bit of mace in the mix of spices. there's nothing like it and when it's missing then the pie is just not right

Gail G.

Libby’s canned pumpkin is the best brand. The closest to fresh, and a nice bright orange. It’s actually better than fresh; well puréed and less watery, and so much easier. The difference in taste will be negligible.

Jesse

I needed to cook this way longer than the recommended time. At 45 minutes on 300 my crust was just beginning to color but the pie hadn’t set at all. 60 minutes in and it’s finally beginning to set but is more than a little jiggly in the center still.

jf brady

The reason she cubes the squash is that the outside caramelizes, giving a richer flavor. That’s the whole reason I’m trying this. Turning the cut side down steams it which is altogether different.

Annie B.

I'm big fan of blind baking too but just learned via the Apple Pie Video that a metal pie tin will give a crisper crust, and placing that metal pie tin onto a preheated "cookie sheet" is even better. Hate those soggy bottoms! I have always used Pyrex, but am eager to give metal a try.

KPS

A little black pepper in the filling is nice. I like to make the filling the day before baking to let the flavors meld even more.

Becky

Freezing the pie crust first is a good alternative to pre-baking. This works great pumpkin and other one-crust pies. That quick burst of heat at 425 will help reduce the soggy-bottom problem. I make my crust and the filling days ahead! Poor the filling into the frozen crust and pop in the oven Thanksgiving morning.

Joan M

The pie is tastier if you make the filling a day before baking it. The spices taste richer that way.

Sue

Butternut will do if that's what you have, but a hubbard or kabocha-style squash has a richer flavor and denser texture (less water in the pie = smooth, buttery texture) and are far and away my favorite for pie. Kabochas used to be a bit tricky to find in the States but are fairly common now--leaps and bounds better than pumpkin or butternut.

Karen

Thank you, Melissa Clark, for this recipe. This is the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever made. First, the crusts are good, and watching your videos that showed how you move it while rolling was helpful. I weighed the flour and realized I’d always used too much. Great crust. I’d always used pie pumpkins—butternut is much better. Third, I loved the slightly carmelized flavor. Fourth, the pie was beautiful when cooked, and the spices were great. I had no fresh ginger (sigh), but next time….

John

I’m sorry, I’ve gone through many pumpkin pie recipes over the years, including roasting my own sugar pumpkins, kabocha, and other squash varieties for the filling. I’ve never had a result that tasted any better than a quality can of organic pumpkin purée. It’s just not worth the effort.

KLG

This recipe took about 3 times longer to cook than described and was not remarkably tasty even then. Very disappointing.

Kate in Colorado

This was really good, but didn’t completely set up, even with 50 mins in the oven.

zcooks

Wow. As a Libby’s or die person, I have to say, never using Libby’s again. This pie was exceptional and far superior in texture and flavor.

Susan K

This turned out fabulous but I would use the food processor rather than the vitamix blender next time. The powerful blender seemed to whip the cream resulting in an overly thick filling that didn’t really fill the crust. Still got rave reviews about the taste and doing the crust in the metal pan as instructed was the best crust I’ve made in years. I used a pumpkin pie spice blend for the spices.

Michael

300 degrees was far too low for my two pies in the oven to cook. Even the 10 to 15 min extra recommended for two pies in the oven - instead of just one - was not enough. I had to raise the temperature to 350 and bake for another 20 min or so. However, by then, the crust on the rim was overcooked and tough.

JamerCooks

This pumpkin pie recipe is amazing! It's so creamy and flavorful. my guests were surprised to hear it's roasted butternut squash. So long canned pumpkin puree!

jennifer

If you use a dark, non-stick pie pan, freeze the rolled out dough in the pan for 30 minutes before cooking, and don’t forget to turn the heat up for 10 minutes immediately after putting it in the oven, you will not have a soggy bottom. Agree that using a mix of orange squash, including some of the heirloom varieties, really amps up the flavor, as does using fresh vs. powdered ginger. I also made my filling 36 hours ahead of time to allow the flavors to bloom and save time the day of cooking.

mrs.whitsker

This was delicious!!! Totally tasted like pumpkin to us. I used a frozen pie crust to cut down on the amount of work since I had to work with peeling and cutting up a whole butternut squash. I had no problem with the crust being soggy, however time, I might try homemade crust for an even better result!

Kim

I used a store bought pie crust that I didn't pre bake enough. It ended up filling two crusts! I also used canned pumpkin. It came out well, no cracks. It has a different flavor than any pumpkin pie I've ever had. More creamy and the mix of spices and *rye* because that's what I had, was really nice. The filling was paler and less pumpkiny. Woul love to try with the squash.

Pokey

I wanted to love this pie. Made the filling the day before and when I put in the pie rust, it was "gloppy". It never smoothed out and didn't set up in the amount of time suggested. 300 seems too low--maybe 325 to 30.The top looked so bad I didn't take it to Thanksgiving dinner. It probably tastes good but the top looked like a truck ran over it from trying to smooth it out. Maybe I put too much squash in the mixture? Be sure to measure the amount-- 350 grams cooked pulp recommended.

zooey

Upset because the filling is sooo good. Par baked the crust and baked the whole pie an additional 10-15 minutes past what it said (yes I understood the temperature and time instructions) but the crust still isn’t crisp at all…. Looked like it was golden brown but now that I’m eating the pie it’s not baked how I want.

Charly

This is hands down most flavorful pumpkin pie filling I’ve ever made. I’m sold on roasting the filling from fresh butternut. I wished I had used more squash though, I could have easily added another cup of filling to the 9inch pie crust, it was a bit lower sitting in the crust than I would have preferred. Great flavor though.

EW

Made this with a small Japanese pumpkin, and it was absolutely delicious - best pumpkin pie I’ve ever made. I only had a silicone pie pan, which wasn’t ideal, but still got the job done

TexasTea

My crust came out doughy rather than flakey =(

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Ultimate Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is condensed milk or evaporated milk better for pumpkin pie? ›

As the name suggests, sweetened condensed milk makes the pie sweeter and gives it a denser, creamier texture. Evaporated milk, on the other hand, yields a lighter, airier result. Evaporated milk isn't sweetened either, which is why you can't simply swap one thickener for the other.

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.

What can I use instead of evaporated milk for pumpkin pie? ›

While many recipes call for it, you can absolutely make an outstanding pumpkin pie without evaporated milk. If your recipe calls for one can of evaporated milk (as most do), you can substitute 1 ½ cups of cream or half and half, or a combination of the two. You can also use milk (any kind from whole to skim).

Should pie crust be prebaked for pumpkin pie? ›

For a guaranteed browned bottom, prebake the pie crust.

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.

What happens if you use evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk? ›

For the most part, if you find yourself without condensed milk on hand, you can substitute an equal amount of evaporated milk. The consistency will be the same, but since evaporated milk is unsweetened, you'll need to add sweetener to match the recipe's intended flavor profile or to suit your personal preference.

Should I bake the bottom pie crust first? ›

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.

Why do people use evaporated milk in pumpkin pie? ›

Did you know that pumpkin pie is usually made with evaporated milk? It's because evaporated milk has a stronger taste compared to regular milk. The pie boasts a rich, velvety texture and a complex, satisfying flavor.

Why does pumpkin pie call for evaporated milk? ›

Eggs: Two eggs add moisture and act as a binding agent, which means they help hold the pumpkin pie filling together. Pumpkin: Of course, you'll need a can of Libby's pure pumpkin. Evaporated milk: A can of evaporated milk lends richness and helps thicken the pie filling.

What is a substitute for heavy cream in pumpkin pie? ›

A combination of half-and-half and butter makes the best all-around heavy cream substitute. Both heavy cream and half-and-half are made from cream — the distinction is that half-and-half is a mixture of cream and milk and has about a third as much as fat.

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.

Why is it important to let the filling sit overnight before baking pumpkin pie? ›

Refrigeration Is The Secret To A More Flavorsome Pie

As your bowl of pumpkin pie filling sits in the fridge overnight, it allows time for the spices to undergo blooming. The liquid in the filling helps unlock the spices, enabling them to distribute their essence more freely throughout the mixture.

Is it better to make pumpkin pie the day before? ›

Make Ahead: Pumpkin pie can be made one day ahead of time and refrigerated. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be made ahead, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. If you freeze it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.

Can you use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk in pumpkin pie? ›

📖 What is Condensed Milk

It's a fantastic replacement for pumpkin pie without evaporated milk but do note that in recipes with pumpkin and sweetened condensed milk no other sugar needs to be added.

Should I use evaporated milk or condensed milk? ›

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."

Which is better condensed milk or evaporated milk? ›

Here's the difference between evaporated milk vs. condensed 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.

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