This easy pumpkin pie recipe features a smooth, custardy filling that comes together quickly with just 8 basic ingredients. What makes my recipe unique is that it replaces the evaporated milk with heavy cream for a richer, creamier bite.
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The Pumpkin Pie Recipe I Always Return To
There’s hardly a Thanksgiving dinner in America that doesn’t include pumpkin pie — and if there is, I don’t want to be a part of it.
Growing up, pumpkin pie was my all-time favorite, and it still is today (right along with pecan pie and berry pie, of course).
I’ve made countless pumpkin pies over the years. I’ve tried versions spiked with different spices, with booze, and ones made with evaporated milk (following the back of the Libby pumpkin can which I gotta say is not bad).
But this pumpkin pie recipe is the one I always come back to. Baked in a buttery, flaky homemade pie crust, with a soft and creamy custard filling, it’s the pie I will continue to make over and over again.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Add an extra egg yolk to the filling for a more luxe taste. Fat = flavor, remember?
Use a 9-inch glass Pyrex pie dish. I’m all about making things look pretty so I’ve used all sorts of different pie dishes. Fluted, ceramic, aluminum, and the fanciest pie tins I could find at Williams Sonoma. But for the best-bronzed crust, even baking, and most pie crust bottoms aka least sloped sides, I’ve found that nothing really beats a glass Pyrex dish. Plus, who’s looking at the dish when you have a gorgeous pie?
Brush the pie crust with whisked egg white before filling. So the crust doesn’t get soggy, brush with the reserved egg white which will act as a barrier and ensure a crisp bottom crust.
The Ingredients You’ll Need for the Crust and Filling
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- One 9-inch unbaked pie dough — Sure you could use a store-bought pie crust for this recipe (and I certainly have before) but considering how easy it is to make from scratch in the food processor, why wouldn’t you? Here’s my recipe for my no-fail, all butter pie crust.
- Eggs — Bind the pumpkin pie filling together and give it a nice custardy texture
- Granulated sugar — You could use brown sugar if you wanted.
- Heavy cream — Gives this pie a rich creaminess.
- Canned pumpkin — I love making homemade pumpkin puree, but I’ve come to discover that for pie it’s best to use canned pumpkin. Unlike real pumpkin that you cook yourself, canned pumpkin is consistent in its moisture content so that this recipe cooks the same pie after pie.
- Warm baking spices — Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are my favorites to use. You could add ground cloves as well if you wanted, but a little goes a long way, so I wouldn’t do more than ¼ teaspoon.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie From Scratch
- Make the pie crust. Always chill the pie crust for 30 minutes before rolling it out. A cold pie crust will hold its shape better and won’t slump in the heat of the oven. If the crust is too hard to work with, let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes, and then try rolling it out again.
- Roll out the pie dough, then transfer to your pie dish. To avoid cracks in the edges of your dough, use your fingers to make indentations along the outside circle of the pie disc before rolling.
Heidi’s Tip: You don’t have to par-bake or pre-bake the pie crust. The filling cooks at the same rate as the pie crust so there’s no need to do so ahead.
- Make the filling. Beat your eggs lightly, being careful not to over-aerate so the filling doesn’t gain too much loft and overflow. Adding too much air to the eggs will change the consistency of the filling from custardy to cakey, causing it to rise and fall in the oven. Then, whisk in the remaining ingredients.
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F for about 45 more minutes. Baking the pie in an extra hot oven sets the crust so it won’t slump or fall and gives the custard a head start in cooking too.
- After baking for 30 minutes at 350°F, gently tent the crust with strips of aluminum foil or a pie crust shield. Be careful not to dent the custard filling.
How Can You Tell When Pumpkin Pie Is Done?
When done, the center of the pie should be jiggly and not totally set. Keep in mind that as the pie cools, the custard will continue to firm up.
Flavor Variations to Try
To change up the flavor a bit, try adding any of the following:
- Chocolate chips
- Freshly-grated ginger
- A tablespoon or two of bourbon, rum, or All Spice Dram
- Drizzle the top of the baked pie with salted caramel sauce and/or toasted pecans or hazelnuts
- Top with whipped cream and some freshly grated nutmeg
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9" pie crust
- 3 large eggs , with 1 egg divided
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 15 ounces canned pure pumpkin puree*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Roll out one disc of dough to ¼" thickness. Fit the dough into a 9" pie plate, flute the edges, and refrigerate until you are ready to fill it.
- In a large bowl, lightly whisk 3 egg yolks and 2 egg whites. Reserve the additional egg white in another small bowl and set aside. To the whisked eggs, add the cream, sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator. Whisk the reserved egg white with a fork and brush the bottom of the pie crust with the egg white. Fill the pie crust with the pumpkin filling and carefully move it to the oven.
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 30 more minutes. Check the crust and lightly tent with pieces of foil or a pie crust shield if it's browning too much, and cook for 15 more minutes. The filling should still be slightly jiggly in the center and will set as it cools.
- Allow to cool for 2 hours or overnight before serving. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Storage Tips
Because pumpkin pie is made as a custard with eggs and heavy cream, refrigerate the pie for 2-3 hours at room temperature. The pie should stay good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Pumpkin pie can be frozen and then thawed in the refrigerator for 12 hours before eating.
More Easy Pumpkin Desserts to Try
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