Pumpkin Pie Recipe

It’s Finally Here: My Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe

After sharing dozens of pumpkin recipes over the past few years, I’m finally caving and sharing the big one, the one I get requests for daily this time of year but have always shied away from… pumpkin pie!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know this recipe took quite a few tries to nail down and that I avoided this recipe for years because, well, while I don’t like pumpkin, I absolutely loathe pumpkin pie. I know, I said it! In order to make sure this one turned out absolutely perfect, I had to enlist the help of Zach as well as half a dozen other taste-testers, while my pumpkin-snob-self turned up my nose at each one. Tack on being pregnant and particularly pumpkin-averse and I had a rough few weeks getting this one just right.

BUT, we did it! After rigorous research, testing and taste-testing this is the perfect pumpkin pie.

Rich, smooth, sweet, and perfectly spiced, my pumpkin pie recipe is utterly divine… at least that’s what they tell me (I did try it myself! I even tried it at the end of today’s video so you can see for yourself!). It’s also incredibly easy to make, which was important for me since this pie is typically made around Thanksgiving when you’re probably juggling dozens of other recipes at the same time.

We start out with my chilled homemade pie crust, which is filled with a velvety pumpkin custard. Then top it all off with piles of pillowy homemade whipped cream, of course. I know you’re excited for this one, so let’s get right to the details!

What You Need

There are a few unique twists in my easy pumpkin pie recipe, including swapping in brown sugar for granulated and using heavy cream instead of evaporated milk. This results in a beautiful texture and flavor that truly makes this the best pumpkin pie recipe. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Pie dough. Blind bake your pie crust before filling to avoid a soggy bottom. I highly recommend using my easy pie crust recipe for best taste, but you could use a pre-made crust if that’s what you prefer.
• Pumpkin. Make sure you use pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. When you check the ingredients on the can, the only ingredient listed should be pumpkin–nothing else. I recommend canned pumpkin for this recipe for best results.
• Brown Sugar. I expected to use a blend of granulated and brown sugar, but found that all brown sugar provided a depth that pairs beautifully with the spices without being too much.
• Vanilla. I add a good bit of vanilla extract to give my pie a rich, smooth flavor.
• Spices. After MUCH taste testing, I decided ginger, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg provided the perfect flavor (not surprisingly, all the same spices used in my pumpkin spice recipe). Some pumpkin pie recipes use cloves as well, but in my opinion (and in that of many of my taste-testers!) the cloves overwhelmed the flavor of the pie and gave it too much of a gingerbread taste.
• Salt. Just a pinch of salt adds balance to the flavor while keeping things from being too sweet.
• Eggs. Pumpkin pie is a custard-based pie, and we need eggs to form our custard. Ideally, they’ll be room temperature when you add them. Make sure you lightly beat them before adding them to the rest of the filling; I’ve found that being too rough when combining the eggs and the filling can cause cracks, so be gentle.
• Cream. I considered and tested a number of different options to make the filling for this recipe including evaporated milk, whole milk, cream, and even condensed milk. High fat cream won out every time. It makes a smooth, perfectly textured pie. Heavy cream, double cream, or whipping cream will work.

How to Make the Best Pumpkin Pie

1. Begin by blind baking your pie crust, this is important for preventing a soggy crust! You’ll simply pre-bake the crust before adding the filling until its golden brown by baking it in the pie tin and filling with pie weights.
2. Combine all pie filling ingredients except the eggs and cream. Working one at a time, lightly beat each egg before gently incorporating into mixture by hand. Do not over-mix! Just as with my cheesecake, I’ve found that being too rough when combining the eggs can cause cracks or a less-than-smooth texture.
3. Gently stir in heavy cream until the batter is smooth and incorporated. Don’t use an electric mixer for this step. We want to be gentle!
4. Pour filling into warm crust and bake at reduced heat (325F) for 55-60 minutes, until center is almost or completely set. Cool until pie reaches room temperature before transferring to fridge to chill for 4-6 hours. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!