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Homemade pumpkin pie is, simply stated, the best dessert for fall! Learn how to make the best homemade pumpkin pie with this recipe. Includes ingredients and bake times for 8″, 9″ or 10″ pumpkin pies. This is one of our best pumpkin recipes for Thanksgiving.
Nothing says fall, Thanksgiving and the holidays like pumpkin pie! This is my sister’s homemade pumpkin pie recipe, taken from her Betty Crocker cookbook. It’s the pie we always have during our family dinners and it’s delicious!
How to Make Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is one of the easiest pies to make! It only takes one crust and you can have the filling mixed up in about 5 minutes. Be sure to buy solid-pack pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. You can adjust the spices for this pie if you’d like. Add a touch more cinnamon or leave out the cloves. It’s up to you!
Do I need to pre bake the crust for a pumpkin pie?
There is no need to pre-bake a pie crust for pumpkin pie. Make your favorite pie crust and place it in the pan unbaked (or buy refrigerated pie dough if you’d like a shortcut). The crust will bake beautifully along with the pie.
Can you substitute milk for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie?
Evaporated milk is the best choice for pumpkin pie. If you don’t have evaporated milk, the next best choice is half and half or heavy cream. Can you use milk in pumpkin pie? Yes, but add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the pie filling to be sure the pie sets up correctly.
Do you need to refrigerate a pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin pies are made with milk and eggs, similar to custard. Because of this, pumpkin pie should be stored in the refrigerator. The pie will generally be okay for 2 hours at room temperature, then refrigerate it.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie – 8″ Recipe
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin
- 2/3 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ¼ cups evaporated milk
Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 35 minutes.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie – 10″ Recipe
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups canned pumpkin
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 2 ¼ cups evaporated milk
Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 55 minutes.
How do you know when a pumpkin pie is done?
Your pumpkin pie should not jiggle when you shake the pie plate gently. It should be firmed up in the center. You can do a knife test and gently push a knife into the center of the pie. It should come out clean. Sometimes the knife test can cause a crack in the top of the pie, but it is the easiest way to test if the pie is done.
Flaky Crust for Pumpkin Pie
We use our grandma’s pie crust recipe for this pumpkin pie. There are three tips we reveal in that article that will help your crust be flaky:
- Use pastry flour, a low protein flour.
- Make sure ingredients are cold. Cold butter and ice water.
- Add vinegar. Vinegar helps to tenderize the crust and also inhibits gluten development
These are the tools I use when I make pie crust.
- Pastry Cutter: I use this tool all the time. It cuts butter into flour perfectly for streusels, crusts and other pastries.
- Pastry Mat:This silicone mat keeps your cupboard clean and makes rolling out pastries so easy.
- Cute Pie Plate: Because if you’re taking the time to make pie, serve it up in style!
- Pie Crust Decorator Wheel: Makes beautiful edges to your pie!
- Pastry Guide:Makes perfectly round crust, every time.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Learn how to make the best homemade pumpkin pie recipe. Ingredients for 8″, 9″ or 10″ pumpkin pies.
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
Total Time 55 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- Unbaked Pastry for 9” pie crust
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups solid-pack pumpkin
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ⅔ cups evaporated milk
Instructions
Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl, beat the eggs using a hand mixer. Beat in remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for an additional 40-45 minutes or until the center is set and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Serve with whipped cream.
Store the cake in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of pie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 9725IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Keyword pumpkin dessert, pumpkin pie recipe, thanksgiving dessert
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FAQs
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).
What makes a good pie pumpkin? ›
Sugar Baby Pumpkin
Also known as Sugar Pie pumpkins, these thin-skinned squash are smaller (4-8 lbs.) and have a sweet, dense flesh with a fine-grained, smooth texture. The cooked flesh is a bit drier, which makes a great pie filling.
What happens if you forget to add sugar to pumpkin pie? ›
If you forgot to add sugar to the pumpkin pie filling (from scratch) is it still going to turn out okay? It will not be very sweet. So offset the blah with a salted caramel glaze or a sweet cream topping or even a butterscotch layer of pudding. Put together a nutty streusel topping with maple syrup or brown sugar.
What can you 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 heavy cream or evaporated milk better for pumpkin pie? ›
During my testing of pumpkin pies, I tried lots of different milk options – heavy whipping cream, regular milk (I used 2% in my testing), sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Ultimately, I found heavy whipping cream to be the best. It produced the creamiest pie in my opinion.
Is pumpkin pie better with condensed milk or evaporated milk? ›
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.
Which canned pumpkin is best for pie? ›
Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
In this taste test, our Test Kitchen pros found that the biggest name in the pumpkin game does, in fact, make the best canned pumpkin on the market. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin is a favorite among our culinary crew.
What is most pumpkin pie filling made of? ›
Store-bought pumpkin pie mix (sometimes labeled "pumpkin pie filling") is a shortcut for making homemade pumpkin pie. It contains puréed pumpkin plus added spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. It also contains sugar and other chemical additives.
What are 2 types of pumpkins perfect for pies? ›
Pumpkin Varieties for Cooking
Flesh of carving pumpkins are generally stringy, watery and bland, but can be used for making pies. The best varieties for making pumpkin pies are Baby Bear, Cinderella, Jarrahdale and Fairytale.
What happens if I put too much evaporated milk in my 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.
If the recipe doesn't use enough spice, or if the spices were old enough to have lost much of their flavour, or if the mixture isn't well balanced, then the pie is not going to taste right and could be quite bland.
Why is it important to let the filling sit overnight before baking pumpkin pie? ›
For better pumpkin pie, refrigerate the filling overnight
To that end, we've found that refrigerating pumpkin pie filling overnight before using it not only enhances the spices' flavors, but also mellows them. Any “sharp edges” disappear, and you're left with a smooth meld of complementary flavors.
Is evaporated milk the same as heavy cream? ›
Evaporated Milk – With a similar consistency, you can use a 1-to-1 swap of evaporated milk for heavy cream in most sweet and savory dishes. Its flavor is richer with unique caramelized tones and is not a lower-fat option, but evaporated milk makes do in a pinch.
Why use evaporated milk in pumpkin pie? ›
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 the difference between Libby's pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling? ›
While the canned pumpkin puree is just canned pumpkin, the Libby "Canned Pumpkin Pie Filling" also has sugar syrup, natural flavoring, salt and spices.
What happens if you use milk instead of evaporated milk? ›
Yes, you can substitute regular milk for evaporated milk in an Instant Pot recipe, but keep in mind that the texture and flavor may be slightly different. Evaporated milk is thicker and has a slightly caramelized taste due to the heating process, so your dish may be a bit thinner and less rich if you use regular milk.
Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk? ›
Substitute Regular Milk for Evaporated Milk
The milk you have in the refrigerator is the best substitute for evaporated milk because it can be concentrated, much like the product you find on grocery store shelves. To make your own evaporated milk, pour 2/3 more milk than called for in the recipe into a saucepan.
Can you replace evaporated milk with regular milk in baking? ›
Regular Milk
For the most foolproof evaporated milk substitute, make your own: Into a saucepan, place approximately 60 percent more milk than called for in the recipe, bring it to a boil, and gently reduce it until the desired amount is reached. Cool the mixture, then move on with the recipe.
What is a substitute for evaporated milk in a recipe? ›
Simply simmer whole milk in a saucepan on medium-low on the stove, stirring so it doesn't burn, until the mixture has reduced by 60% and then let it cool. You can expect that one and two-thirds cup of regular milk will yield one cup of evaporated milk, and it will take about 25 minutes to reduce down.
