How To Make Pumpkin Pie

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Dessert Person: Recipes And Guidance For Baking With Confidence By Claire Saffitz

How to Make an Easy Pumpkin Pie – The Easiest Way

This new cookbook by former Bon Appétit senior editor Claire Saffitz is a celebration of all things sweet. With recipes for cakes, pies, bars, breads, and so much more, Dessert Person has got the perfect unique treat for anyone. She does an especially good job of demystifying intimidating dishes like tarte Tatin, croissants, and croquembouche. Her pumpkin pie recipe comes with a twist: caramelized honey and browned butter. Take a look at how it went.

How To Make Our Favorite Pumpkin Pie

We take it plain or, when feeling feisty, with a dollop of softly whipped cream. The pie filling is creamy, rich and has just enough sweetness to balance some spice from cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. You can easily go for an extra slice at the end of dinner. Dont tell anyone, but weve even stolen a few bites for breakfast.

Making this pumpkin pie from scratch is easy we think its one of the simplest pies you can make at home.

The filling comes together in minutes and is made from pumpkin puree, eggs, cream, sugar, and fall spices. Everything is mixed together and poured into a pie crust. You can use canned or homemade pumpkin puree in this pie. I love the pie when weve used canned , but making your own puree is easy and means the pie is 100% homemade.

We dont add too many spices either we like how the pumpkin gets a chance to shine. If you love spicier pies, just bump up the spice amounts listed in the recipe below.

For the crust, we use our own homemade pie dough. Our favorite crust calls for 100% butter and is pretty simple to make. You can even make it well in advance and refrigerate or freeze it until you are ready to make the full pie. If you have a favorite store-bought pie crust, then use it. Its completely up to you.

Honorable Mention Most Impressive Pumpkin Pie: Lauren Ko Once In A Tile Pieometry

This pie was absolutely beautiful, and the flavor was even more impressive. It was thoroughly spiced, and the black sesame and black tahini gave it a great savory, nutty flavor. A pie-baking friend tasted it and said it was so good it made her angry which I took as a compliment. Do I ever want to make it again? Absolutely not. It was a ton of work, and finding some of the ingredients was a big challenge. But I would definitely incorporate the flavors of black sesame and black tahini in a future pumpkin pie if I can find them at the store, and the tiled triangle pattern is something I could replicate if I was really trying to show off.

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Why You Should Pre

Pre-baking or blind baking the pie shell ensures that it stays crisp and doesnt get soggy as the filling bakes. The process is well worth it and you will love the crust just as much as you love the filling. Get all of our best tips for blind-baking a crust in our Pie Crust Recipe.

Can I re-use the pie weights? If you are using beans or rice, you can let them cool to room temperature then re-use them. Traditional ceramic pie weights are an investment initially but can last for years and be re-used countless times.

How To Tell If The Pumpkin Pie Is Done

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pie: The Easiest, Best Recipe ...

You can slide a butter knife into the center of the pie, and if it comes out clean the pie is done. You can also use the jiggle test simply jiggle the pie gently and if the center barely wiggles its done. Cool the pie completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Easy Pumpkin Pie: Smooth and creamy, spiced with cinnamon and cloves, this is the pumpkin pie we dream about.

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Pieometry: Modern Tart Art And Pie Design For The Eye And The Palate By Lauren Ko

The beautiful cover alone was enough to make me want this cookbook in my kitchen. But honestly, the complex designs of the pies in this cookbook by Instagram pie artist Lauren Ko had me too intimidated to try my hand at them. Pretty much every pie in this cookbook requires an artistic eye, a steady hand, and a pair of kitchen tweezers. This Cookbook Showdown was the perfect chance to overcome my fears and try her spin on pumpkin pie, named Once in a Tile thanks to its tiled topping. It also has a bold spin on the classic pumpkin flavor: black sesame seeds in the crust and black tahini swirled into the filling. Heres how it went.

Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe Winner: Claire Saffitz Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Piedessert Person

After much debate among my taste testers , Claire Saffitzs pumpkin pie recipe was officially declared a winner. The pastry knocked it out of the park. The filling was deliciously spiced, and the addition of browned butter and caramelized honey gave the pie excellent depth of flavor. It was beloved by dedicated pumpkin pie fans and skeptics alike. This is a pie I would make again and again.

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Impossible Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

Bisquick: Bisquick is a premade baking mix most commonly known to be used for pancakes and waffles. But, as in this recipe, it can be used in many more recipes! You can also purchase Gluten-Free Bisquick if you are trying to limit gluten.

Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is canned milk also known as unsweetened condensed milk. It does not contain added sugar like sweetened condensed milk. In a pinch, you could substitute half-and-half for the evaporated milk, but the taste of the pie will probably be richer .

Pumpkin Puree: Make sure you are using pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Of course, this recipe needs some pumpkin pie spice. If you dont have any on hand, its easy to make your own pumpkin spice!

How To Prevent Cracks In Pumpkin Pie:

How To Turn A Whole Pumpkin Into The Best Pumpkin pie
  • Avoid whisking the filling vigorously. Continue whisking after the evaporated milk is added until the bubbles are broken down.
  • Do not overbake An overbaked center is more likely to get dry and crack. Also baking at a lower temperature prevents the cake from rising too quickly then sinking and cracking.
  • Avoid the knife test for doneness this will cause a big crack where you inserted the knife. Instead, test for doneness by giving the pan a little jolt. It should be set at the edges with a slight wobble in the center.
  • Pro Serving Tip: just like with cheesecake, use a damp paper towel to wipe the knife between cuts for clean slices.

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    Ingredients For Pumpkin Pie From Scratch:

    After testing dozens of pumpkin pie recipes, this one has the perfect texture and flavor. The key to getting the right custard-like consistency is in the extra egg yolks. Keep those whites for your next egg white omelet.

    • Pie Crust use 1 pie disk or half of our pie crust recipe
    • Egg white to brush and seal the inside of the crust
    • Pumpkin puree this can make or break your pie. See our recommendation below.
    • 3 Egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg the extra yolks give this a creamy custard consistency.
    • Sugar the combination of light brown and granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness
    • Simple spices salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon are all you need. These make the pumpkin flavors really shine.
    • Vanilla extract adds great flavor
    • Evaporated milk gives the pie a creamy, silky consistency.

    Making The Pumpkin Puree

    It may sound intimidating to create puree from a whole pumpkin, but it’s actually a lot of fun! I like to make extra puree, freeze it, and use it in other recipes throughout the season. To make the pumpkin puree, first cut a pumpkin in eighths and scoop out the seeds with a canning lid:

    Then, simply place the pumpkin sections on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them at 400 F for about an hour. After the pumpkin has baked and it’s soft, gently peel away the skin with a fork:

    Finally, you can use a stand mixer to mix the pumpkin pieces into a smooth puree. So easy!

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    Use Or Freeze Your Pumpkin Puree

    If your pumpkin puree is watery, place it in a strainer and allow to drain. Refrigerate while it drains if this will take very long.

    Use the puree in place of canned pumpkin in any recipe.

    Freezing Pumpkin Puree

    Measure into 1 or 2 cup increments, pack pumpkin puree into BPA free freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Label container with contents and date, and use in 6 months to one year.

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    Canning Pumpkin

    It is not recommended that you can pumpkin puree. The variation in puree consistency makes it too difficult to ensure the proper temperature is reached in the center of the jar. For more information, refer to The Center for Home Food Preservation page here.

    How to Safely Can Pumpkin and Squash:
    • Cut pumpkin or squash in half
    • Remove seeds and peel to remove skin
    • Cube flesh into 1 chunks
    • Cook 2 minutes in boiling water
    • Place cooked pumpkin or squash cubes in canning jars
    • Fill jars with hot liquid from cooking pumpkin
    • Place sterile lids on jars and screw on rings until finger tight
    • Process jars of pumpkin or winter squash in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 55 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts
    • To use, drain liquid from jars before pureeing pumpkin for recipes

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    Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering The Elements Of Good Cooking By Samin Nosrat

    How to Make Pumpkin Pie (with Pictures)

    If youve been keeping up with past Cookbook Showdowns, youve likely heard about my deep, enduring love of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. This is my number one favorite and most recommended cookbook. It not only has tons of useful recipes it actually teaches you how to create and improvise recipes by balancing flavors and components of the dish. In fact, Nosrats recipes reigned supreme in the apple pie and buttermilk biscuit showdowns. I was honestly a bit hesitant to include her pumpkin pie recipe. If she won for a third time, I worried readers might think I was biased. Lets see what happened when I tried Samin Nosrats classic pumpkin pie recipe.

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    Pumpkin Pie Spice Ingredients

    Making your own homemade pumpkin spice is as simple as blending together these four ingredients:

    Cinnamon- Cinnamon is a highly delicious spice. Cinnamons distinct flavor is loaded with antioxidants and not only has great ant inflammatory properties, it adds great flavors to pancake and waffle mixes, coffee, and granola.

    There are two types of cinnamon.

    Ceylon or also known as true cinnamon and

    Cassia or the cinnamon that is most commonly used today and what people refer to as cinnamon.

    Ginger- Ginger is one of my new favorite spices. It is among one of the healthiest and most delicious spices out there. It goes great with roasted carrots and can be found as ginger root or in ground form.

    Nutmeg Nutmeg has a warm and slightly nutty flavor, often used in desserts and drinks. Another one of my favorite spices. I have to admit, I love making cauliflower alfredo and sprinkling a little nutmeg as a garnish. Its flavor adds a little something extra to the dish.

    Cloves: Cloves can be found both in whole and ground. Cloves are a sweet and aromatic spice that is one of the main ingredients in gingerbread cookies. It is a versatile spice you can use also to season hot beverages and fall dishes.

    This Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe is delicious and nutritious way to spice up your foods.

    The possibilities are endless.

    And the time comes that you run out of this delicious simple and easy recipe, you can whip up a new batch in just minutes.

    How To Avoid Cracked Surfaces On Pumpkin Pie

    This is a problem I kept running into. They were never severe, and when the pie was cooling it always deflated a bit so the cracks would largely self heal.

    But it annoyed me enough to persist with trying to solve the problem of cracked Pumpkin Pie, and heres how I resolved it:

    • Dont overbeat the eggs Once you add the eggs, dont whisk to death because it creates air pockets in the filling which = cracked surface.

    • Add eggs last, one by one I thought whisking eggs first would reduce air pockets but in fact, it created more and made the cracks worse!

    • BANG the bowl before pouring into the pie crust this will make bubbles rise and pop on the surface

    • LOWER oven temp baking temperatures vary wildly from recipe to recipe. For me, I found that by using a lower temperature, the filling sets more slowly and avoids cracks. Whereas at much higher temperatures , the filling would puff up early on in the bake time, causing cracks. .

    And that, my friends, concludes The Pumpkin Pie Project once and for all. Im so happy with it, its all my Pumpkin Pie dreams come true.

    Serving with a generous dollop of cream is not an option, its essential! The extra texture, that extra hit of creaminess. its the perfect finishing touch. Nagi x

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    Fresh Or Canned Pumpkin In Pumpkin Pie

    I tested this recipe with both and I truly liked the pie using canned pumpkin better. The canned pumpkin pumpkin pie was a little more sturdy when baked for the same amount of time. The pie baked with fresh pumpkin puree tasted grainy and a little herbaceous? I prefer using fresh pumpkin puree in savory recipes, not desserts. This is your call, you can use either fresh or canned pumpkin.

    Cooking And Using Pumpkins For Self

    How to Make Pumpkin Pie Crust From Scratch

    DIY pumpkin puree might take some time, but it really isnt difficult to do. You dont necessarily need a food processor or expensive kitchen gadget to puree your pumpkin. The flavor is delicious, one small pumpkin should make 1 or 2 pies, and youll have some tasty roasted seeds to munch on when youre done. In addition, knowing how to prepare your homegrown pumpkins is a great way to increase self-reliance and save money!

    Use whatever pumpkin or winter squash you have on hand to make a variety of savory and sweet dishes that your family will enjoy this fall.

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