Perfect Pumpkin Pie
This perfect pumpkin pie recipe features a buttery, tender, and flaky all-butter crust, paired with a smooth, creamy pumpkin filling. Baked in a deep-dish pie plate, it offers an extra generous serving of that rich, spiced pumpkin goodness. It’s ideal for holiday gatherings or any fall occasion!
When it comes to a perfect pumpkin pie, homemade is always so much better than anything you’ll find at the store. The flavor is fresher, the texture smoother, and it’s made with real ingredients. By making it yourself, you can control everything from the spices to the amount of sugar and more. Plus, there’s something so satisfying about creating a dessert from scratch.
A few simple tips can help you achieve pie perfection. You’ll have a homemade pumpkin pie that’s truly a showstopper!
For the pumpkin pie, I always reach for a deep-dish pie plate. Why? Because it gives you more of that creamy, spiced filling we all crave! The pumpkin filling is a luscious blend of vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg, creating that cozy, warm flavor that screams fall. The texture is extra smooth and velvety—just the right balance of creamy and custardy. When paired with a golden, flaky all-butter crust, it’s pure pie perfection. And don’t forget the finishing touch: a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Ingredients
- pie crust
- pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). It’s the foundation for the creamy, custardy filling.
- brown sugar
- The molasses in brown sugar gives the pie a richer, more complex sweetness than white sugar.
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- Cinnamon and nutmeg are so lovely in pumpkin pie.
- vanilla extract
- heavy cream
- For a rich, creamy texture, heavy cream is what gives the filling that smooth, silky consistency. It helps make the pie velvety and indulgent.
- milk
- To balance the richness of the cream, a bit of milk lightens the texture of the filling.
- fresh whipped cream, for serving
Tips for Pie Crust Success
For the perfect pumpkin pie, you’ll want to start with a single pie crust. You can use my Homemade Pie Dough recipe (which makes enough for two crusts). After you make the full batch, you can use the second crust for something else—maybe a savory quiche (🍳) or a Nectarine Galette. (Add 1-2 Tablespoons of sugar to the pie crust, it you want. You’ll only need one for this pumpkin pie.)
Now, let’s talk about a key step to getting that beautiful, golden, crisp crust: blind baking. Blind baking is simply the process of partially baking the crust before adding the filling. This step helps avoid the dreaded “soggy bottom” and ensures your crust bakes up perfectly golden and crisp, not pale and soggy. It’s a simple trick that makes a huge difference in the final result, so don’t skip it! Trust me, it’s worth the extra effort
Tips For the Perfect Pumpkin Pie
- Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin filling.
- Pumpkin puree is simply cooked and pureed pumpkin, while pie filling contains added sugars and spices that we don’t need. This way, you can control the flavor and season it to your liking.
- Canned pumpkin actually gives you more consistent results than homemade pureed pumpkin. If you cook and puree the pumpkin, the pumpkin pie may not turn out consistently well. Different pumpkin varieties can have varying moisture levels, which may affect the consistency of the pie filling.
- Warm the pumpkin filling first.
- This tip comes from America’s Test Kitchen, and it really works!
- Before pouring your pumpkin filling into the pie crust, cook it on the stovetop for a few minutes. I tested it by baking two pies with the exact same ingredients—one with cold filling and the other with the filling pre-cooked. The pre-warmed pie baked 25 minutes faster, came out smoother, had no cracks, and the crust stayed perfectly golden. The cold-filling pie took longer to bake, had cracks, and the crust got overcooked and tough. Warming the filling just makes everything come together faster and more evenly.
- Use the right combination of milk, cream, and eggs for a creamy filling.
- For a rich, smooth pumpkin filling, I recommend a mix of milk, heavy cream, and eggs. You can use 3/4 cup of each to keep it light and creamy. I personally like using 2/3 cup milk and 2/3 cup heavy cream for a slightly richer, silkier texture that makes every bite melt in your mouth.
How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Pie
To avoid cracks, the key is to bake the pie just right—not too long, and not too short!
- As I mentioned earlier, warming the pumpkin filling before pouring it into the pie crust helps the pie bake faster. This is crucial to reduce the risk of cracks. The quicker bake time means a smoother, more even surface.
- Don’t over bake the pie!
- You want the edges to be set, but the middle should still have a little jiggle when you gently shake the pie. The center will continue to set as it cools. Be sure to turn off the oven before it’s fully firm. This prevents the filling from overcooking and cracking.
- Lastly, avoid sudden temperature changes.
- After baking, I like to turn off the oven and leave the pie inside for a few minutes with the door cracked open. This lets the pie cool down gradually, preventing any shock that could cause cracks.
Making the Pie in Advance
One of the best things about this perfect pumpkin pie is how convenient it is. It’s a real time-saver, especially when you’re prepping for a big meal. You can make both the pie crust and the filling ahead of time. In fact, I love prepping the pie crust a day or two in advance. Even the pumpkin pie itself can be made the day before. All you have to do on is serve it!
- You can make the pie crust up to a few months in advance and freeze it.
- You can also store it for a few days in the refrigerator. Store it rolled out and in the pie dish, or just stored in a disc.
- Either way, make sure to cover it tightly with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a freezer ziplock bag. This is important so it doesn’t absorb any odors and doesn’t dry out.
- You can also bake the pie and store it in the refrigerator, covered well, for 3-4 days. You can even freeze the already baked pumpkin pie. Cool it completely before placing it into the freezer, covered tightly, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw the pie in the refrigerator. (Make sure to remove the foil or plastic first, so there aren’t any water droplets soaking into the pie as it thaws.)
Craving Pumpkin? Here Are More Recipes You’ll Love
PrintPerfect Pumpkin Pie
This perfect recipe for pumpkin pie, has an all butter, tender, flaky crust and a smooth, custardy pumpkin filling. Baked in a deep dish pie plate creates an extra generous portion of pumpkin.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled (I freeze it first)
4-5 Tablespoons ice water
Pumpkin Filling:
1 1/2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filing) (22.5 oz total)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups milk
4 large eggs
Instructions
Prepare the pie crust.
- Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse to combine until the butter is pea sized.
- Add the water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps.
- Dump the dough onto the counter and gather together into the shape of a disc. Wrap in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Roll out the pie dough on a well floured surface and then gently ease into the bottom of a deep dish pie plate. Crimp the edges of the dough. Chill the pie dough in the pie plate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place parchment paper inside the chilled pie plate on top of the pie crust, add dry beans or pie weights and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and bake the crust for another 5 minutes, uncovered.
While the pie crust is baking, make the pumpkin filling.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the pumpkin puree with the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until the pumpkin filling becomes glossy and more concentrated.
- Add the milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
- Place the eggs into the same blender or food processor that you used to combine the pumpkin ingredients, pulsing for just a few seconds, until the eggs are combined. With the engine running, slowly pour some of the hot pumpkin mixture into the blender/food processor, mixing so that the eggs don’t curdle. Once you’ve added at least half of the pumpkin mixture to the eggs, pour everything back into the saucepan, mix to combine evenly.
- When the pie crust has finished blind baking, pour the pumpkin filling into the pie crust and return to the oven.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, until the edges have set and the center is still just a little bit jiggly. This will depend on your oven and on the size of the pie plate that you use, so watch the pie closely instead of trusting the time. You may have to bake for an additional 5-15 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open, so that the pie gradually cools off.
- Serve the pie with whipped cream. Store the pie in the refrigerator.
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Barbara Caldwell
This looks delicious!! My mother always used extra eggs and milk and/or cream or half and half in her pumpkin pies which made them very custardy. Always so yummy!!