Pumpkin Pie
An easy recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Pie. This pumpkin pie recipe is perfect for the holidays!
You didn’t think I would post a homemade pie crust tutorial and not share a few pie recipes with you, did you? Don’t worry, I have one more pie recipe coming next week! It’s a mini version of a classic that I think you will absolutely love. But first, it’s time for homemade pumpkin pie.
If there’s one thing I look forward to at Thanksgiving, it’s the pumpkin pie. Ok, pumpkin pie topped with a huge serving a whipped cream. Today’s recipe is my absolute favorite recipe for homemade pumpkin pie. One bite and you’ll be wondering why you’ve never made your own pumpkin pie at home. And then you’ll also realize how dangerously easy it is to make your own pumpkin pie.
You’ll start out with a pie crust, you can use a store-bought pie crust or my homemade pie crust recipe. If you’re not sure how to make homemade pie crust, I promise it’s much easier than you may think!
You’ll roll out the pie crust, fit it in the pie dish, then trim and flute the edges. Next, you’ll blind bake the pie crust. If you’re wondering what in the world blind baking means, it simply means to partially bake the pie crust before adding the filling. Blind baking is really great for custard pies (like pumpkin pie) because it helps to keep your crust from turning out soggy. Since you’re partially baking the crust before adding your filling, you’ll have a nice flaky and crisp pie crust.
Also, you want to use pie weights when blind baking the crust. You’ll line the pie crust with some foil or parchment paper, making sure to cover the bottom and sides really well, and fill it with pie weights. Pie weights are just little ceramic or metal balls that help weigh down the crust as it bakes so the pie crust keeps its shape. If you don’t have pie weights you can use dried beans or even dry rice instead.
As for the pumpkin pie filling, it’s as easy as just mixing the wet and dry ingredients, then mixing it all together in one bowl. For the sugar in this recipe, I prefer to use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar because it adds a little extra flavor. You’ll also be using a little flour to help thicken the filling a bit, along with some spices to give your pie that traditional pumpkin pie flavor. Then, you’ll mix together a can of pumpkin puree, some evaporated milk, and three eggs, and mix it together with the dry ingredients. You’ll pour the pumpkin pie filling into the partially baked crust and bake it at 400°F for about 45-50 minutes.
The best way to prevent cracks in your pumpkin pie is to avoid over baking it. I usually bake mine for about 45 minutes at 400°F and remove it while the center is still a little wobbly. While the pumpkin pie cools, the residual heat will continue to cook the pie and the center will finish cooking and firm up.
Don’t worry if you do end up with a crack or two in your pumpkin pie because you can easily decorate the pie to cover it up or just eat it. And I can tell you from experience that even if it has a crack or two, this pumpkin pie still tastes incredible! Since this pumpkin pie is great to make the day before, it also frees up that precious oven space in your kitchen for Thanksgiving.
P.S. If you’re a little short on time, I’ve also included notes in the recipe for making the pie crust and filling ahead of time!
Pumpkin Pie Baking Tips
- You can use a store-bought or homemade pie crust (linked below) for this recipe. My pie crust recipe will make 2 pie crusts, but you can easily freeze the other half to use later.
- It’s also best to blind bake the pie crust before adding the pumpkin pie filling. Blind baking simply means to partially bake your pie crust before adding the filling. Make sure to line the pie dough with parchment paper or foil, you want to cover the bottom and fit it snuggly in the corners and up the sides, and fill it with pie weights. You can also use dried beans or dry rice if you don’t have any pie weights.
- Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges of your pie crust from over-browning. If you don’t have a pie crust shield you can simply use foil to cover the edges instead. I prefer to cover the edges of my pie crust once I’ve blind baked the crust and added the filling.
- To prevent any cracks in your pumpkin pie, make sure not to over bake it! Check the pie at the 40-minute mark and then again at the 45-minute mark. I usually bake mine for about 45 minutes and remove it while the center is still just a little wobbly. As the pie cools, the center will finish cooking and firm up.
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 1 store-bought or homemade pie crust
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 and 1/4 cups evaporated milk
Instructions
To prepare the pie crust:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prepare the pie crust by rolling the dough out to 12-inches in diameter. Next, carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate (make sure it's at least 1 and 1/2 inches deep), gently fit it into the pie plate, trim any excess dough, and flute the edges. Line the pie dough with parchment paper or foil, making sure to cover the bottom and fit it snuggly in the corners and up the sides, then fill with pie weights (dried beans or dry rice work well too).
- Bake the pie crust at 400°F for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment paper (or foil) and pie weights. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To prepare the filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree and evaporated milk until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.
To make the pumpkin pie:
- Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the partially baked pie crust. Return to the oven and bake at 400°F for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is almost set (it should be a little wobbly). Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack for 2-3 hours to cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Notes
Pumpkin pie filling slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour
If you’re looking for a mini version, try my Mini Pumpkin Pies next!
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