My homemade pumpkin pie is an easy holiday tradition combining the best pumpkin pie filling with tender pastry! The delicious, warm baking spices make this pie a must-have at my family's Thanksgiving table! Plus, it's a super pie for baking in advance of the holidays!
My Family Favorite Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie is usually associated with the fall season, specifically around Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, but this delicious dessert is delectable any time of year. The holiday season is not the only time of year to enjoy the many delights of pumpkin pie. In my book, it is a year-round reward!
It is easy to make, and a homemade pie is always tastier than the store-bought variety. The love is baked right in, and the taste is fresh and fantastic!
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Whether you're a pro at hosting Thanksgiving dinner and holiday parties or giving it a try for the first time this year, you're sure to find my ultimate guide to planning Thanksgiving a help! Don't forget to safely thaw your holiday turkey early, too!
🥘 Ingredients
Keeping it simple is my strategy, and this pumpkin pie is a cinch to prepare! You can use a ready-made pie crust from the refrigerated section at your local grocery store, or you can make this fabulous, flaky, all-butter pie crust!
I've listed all of the usual suspects in pumpkin pie spice blends here, or you can try my favorite recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice!
Butter Pie Crust
- Flour - 2½ cups of all-purpose flour or an all-purpose flour substitute.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Butter - 1 cup of cold butter (2 sticks, cubed) or a suitable butter substitute (this may affect the texture of your pie crust).
- Water - ½ cup of ice water.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Canned Pumpkin - 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin. I always recommend using Libby's, as it has the least amount of excess moisture.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk or a sweetened condensed milk substitute.
- Egg – 1 large egg or a suitable egg substitute.
- Ground Cinnamon – 1½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- Ground Ginger – ½ teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Ground Nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
- Ground Cloves – ⅛ teaspoon of ground cloves, allspice, or a ground clove substitute.
- Ground Mace (optional) – A pinch of ground mace or a mace substitute.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
Don't forget to take a look at all of my tasty fall baking recipes, desserts that use pumpkin pie spice, and recipes that use up leftover canned pumpkin!
🔪 Instructions
Prep time is quick – just 15 minutes, then the baking magic happens while you tend to your holiday to-dos. You will need your measuring utensils, a mixing bowl, a whisk, a silicone spatula, and a 9-inch pie pan.
One 9-inch pumpkin pie makes about 8 servings, depending on how large you slice it!
Make The Crust
Step 1: Combine and chill. Mix the all butter pie crust ingredients as instructed here.
Step 2: Preheat. Set your oven temperature to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5).
Step 3: Roll & Transfer. Place pie crust pasty in a 9-inch pie pan. Flute the edges or use a fork on the edges if desired.
Step 4: Fill with weights. Line the pie crust pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Add in pie weights, dry beans, or rice to weigh it down, making sure that the weights are evenly distributed.
Step 5: Par-bake. Bake the pastry pie crust for 10 minutes at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5). Remove the foil and pie weights (be careful - they will be hot!). Set aside.
Mix The Filling
Step 6: Combine ingredients. To begin, combine 15 ounces (425 grams) of pumpkin puree, 14 ounces (396 milliliters) of sweetened condensed milk, 1 egg (50 grams), 1½ teaspoons (3 grams) of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon (1 gram) of ginger, ¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) of nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon (0.25 grams) of cloves, and a pinch of mace in a large bowl.
Step 7: Whisk. Mix the filling ingredients together until everything is incorporated and even.
Assemble & Bake
Step 8: Transfer. Next, pour the batter into the par-baked pie crust. Fill ¾ full with the batter.
Step 9: Bake. Set the pie in the middle of your oven's center rack and bake your pie at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for about 55 minutes or until the center is almost set. It will still tend to look a bit jiggly in the center, but that is expected (*see note).
Step 10: Remove and cool. Finally, remove your pie from the oven and place it onto a wire rack. Allow the pie to cool for 3 hours at least, and longer if possible (in the refrigerator). Pumpkin pie tastes best when it is served nice and cold.
🍴 What To Serve With Pumpkin Pie
For the most decadent dessert, serve your pie with a scoop of simple vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon or cinnamon sugar! Additionally, you can top off your slice with some wonderfully sweet homemade chantilly cream or whipped cream for an extra special combo!
Classic fall drinks like apple cider, spiced tea, or even a cappuccino would be extra tasty with a slice of pumpkin pie. Enjoy!
💭 Tips & Notes
- When using rice or beans as pie weights, you can save the baked rice or beans to reuse for par-baking other pie crusts later.
- Be sure to get plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling in a can. Canned pumpkin tastes as good as fresh pumpkin, and it is much easier to work with!
- I suggest Libby brand pure canned pumpkin as it has the lowest moisture content and will yield the best and most consistent pumpkin pies.
- If your pie crust edges are browning too quickly, use aluminum foil strips or pie strips to wrap the pie crust edges around the 25–30-minute mark during baking so they do not burn.
- Once fully cooled, move your pie to the refrigerator. Pumpkin pie should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
🥄 Make Ahead Options
Holidays are always a hectic time in the kitchen. To save yourself a few precious minutes and a lot of stress, you can make the dough for the pie crust up to 2 days in advance.
Wrap the ball of pie dough tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge until it's time to make your pie.
🥡 Storing
Since your pumpkin pie (and all custard pies) has eggs in the filling, it should be refrigerated between servings. Wrap the pie with aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Freezing
First, wrap the pumpkin pie tightly or place it in an airtight container. Your pumpkin pie will freeze well for up to 1 month. Just let it defrost in the fridge before serving.
Check out my in-depth guide to freezing pumpkin pie for more thorough instructions!
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❓ Recipe FAQs
It should be noted that not all pumpkins bake the same! While any pumpkin made for eating could technically be made into a pie, they won't all taste good. If you have a pumpkin that is great for carving, it won't be too satisfying in pie form as they are stringy, watery, and bland.
The pumpkins that will make the perfect puree for baking are ones that are flavorful, sweet, and have a nice texture! I recommend heirloom sugar pumpkins like Fairytale, Jarrahdale, Dickinson, and Long Pie varieties for best results!
If you've ever purchased a store-bought pumpkin pie, you may have noticed that it was sitting at room temperature and not in a refrigerated section. These commercial pies contain additives to make them room temperature safe. However, homemade pumpkin pies need to be refrigerated.
The USDA advises that any egg-based pie must be refrigerated and cannot sit at room temperature for more than two hours. The reason is that bacteria can grow quickly if the pie is kept between the temperatures of 40°F (4°C) and 140°F (60°C).
Pumpkin pie contains a ton of important vitamins and minerals! In fact, it has vitamin A, potassium, vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B12, folate, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, calcium, and iron.
Pumpkin pies are also higher in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. So indulge yourself on special occasions if you're watching your waistline. 🙂
🎃🍂 More Tasty Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - Sweet pumpkin cookies are packed with tons of rich chocolate chips.
- Pumpkin Streusel Bread - Pumpkin pie spice gives this sweet, quick bread tons of flavor.
- Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte - This amazing drink is made up of espresso, milk, pumpkin, and warm spices.
- Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins - Incredibly moist muffins are the best way to start off your day.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - The best spice to complement your favorite pumpkin treats.
- Best Pumpkin Seed Butter - A fantastic alternative to traditional nut butter.
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📖 Recipe Card
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pie Crust
- 1 butter pie crust (or store bought pie pastry 9 inch)
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 can pumpkin (15-ounce can)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14-ounce can)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves (or allspice)
- 1 pinch ground mace (optional)
Instructions
Pumpkin Pie Crust
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5).
- Place 1 butter pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan. Flute the edges or use a fork on the edges if desired.
- Line the pie crust pastry with tin foil or parchment paper. Add in pie weights, dry beans, or rice to weigh it down making sure that the weights are evenly distributed.
- Par-bake the pastry pie crust for 10 minutes at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5).
- Remove the foil and pie weights (careful - they will be hot!). Set aside.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- In a large bowl combine together the 1 can pumpkin, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 large egg, and spices (1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 pinch ground mace, or my pumpkin pie spice). Whisk till well combined.
- Pour the batter into the par-baked pie crust. Only fill the crust to about ¾ full with the filling.
- Bake your pumpkin pie at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for about 55 minutes or until the center is almost set. It will still tend to look a bit jiggly, but that's OK. *If your crust edges are browning too quickly, use aluminum foil strips or a pie crust shield to wrap the pie crust edges around the 25-30 minute mark during baking.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Allow the pie to cool for 3 hours at least, and longer if possible. *Once fully cooled, move your pie to the refrigerator. Pumpkin pie should not sit out at room temperature for more than two hours.
Notes
- When using rice or beans as pie weights, you can save the baked rice or beans to re-use for par-baking other pie crusts later.
- Be sure to get plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling in a can. Canned pumpkin tastes just as good as fresh pumpkin, and it is so much easier to work with!
- I suggest Libby brand pure canned pumpkin as it has the lowest moisture content and will yield the best and most consistent pumpkin pies.
- If your pie crust edges are browning too quickly, simply use aluminum foil strips or pie strips to wrap the pie crust edges around the 25–30-minute mark during baking so they do not burn.
- Once fully cooled, move your pie to the refrigerator. Pumpkin pie should not sit out at room temperature for more than two hours.
- To store: Since your pumpkin pie (as well as all custard pies) has eggs in the filling, it should be refrigerated between servings. Wrap the pie with aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- To freeze: First, tightly wrap the pumpkin pie or place it in an airtight container. Let it defrost in the fridge before serving.
Tina says
Dreamy pumpkin pie, yummy!