Perfect Pumpkin Pie
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Pumpkin pie: seemingly simple, yet often a challenge! This recipe promises success with a buttery, flaky crust and a delicately spiced, smooth pumpkin filling that stays perfect—no unsightly cracks!—as it cools.
For such a seemingly simple dessert, pumpkin pie can be tricky to get right. Over the years, I’ve tested at least a dozen recipes and have encountered every pitfall: fillings that won’t set, unsightly cracks, and soggy crusts. Whoever coined the term “easy as pie” had obviously never baked a pumpkin pie! Part of the challenge with pumpkin pie is that there are a lot of variables. First, there’s the type of pan you use: ceramic, glass, and metal all behave differently. Second, no homemade pie crust is ever the same. Finally, similar to cheesecake or flan, pumpkin pie filling is a custard, which means you have to remove it from the oven while it’s still a little jiggly, which makes it difficult to gauge doneness. Take it out too early and it never sets up; cook it too long and it cracks down the center. Sometimes, even perfect timing doesn’t prevent that dreaded crack!
“I’ve been baking pumpkin pie for what seems like an eternity. The custard always cracks. Not this time. And, not only does the the pie look great, its absolutely delicious! Thank you.”
In this foolproof recipe, I use my favorite homemade pie crust, which is deliciously buttery and easy to work with. To avoid a soggy crust, I blind bake it until it’s thoroughly dry before adding the filling. To prevent those unsightly cracks in the filling, I’ve tweaked the traditional recipe: a bit of flour for stability, replacing some whole eggs with yolks for richness, and baking at a low temperature for even cooking. The result? A perfect pumpkin pie that’s forgiving, even if you leave it in the oven a tad too long.
What you’ll need to make Pumpkin pie
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Blind Bake The Pie Crust
If using a homemade crust, roll it out and fit it snugly into a 9-inch deep dish pie pan, then chill for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and place it on a baking sheet (this makes it easy to move in and out of the oven).
Cover the crust with a piece of parchment paper and fill it about three-quarters full with dried beans or pie weights.
Bake for 20 minutes. Take the crust out of the oven and remove the parchment paper and beans/pie weights.
Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the dough is dry and golden. Don’t worry if the bottom puffs up; just press it down gently with a flat spatula, taking care not to puncture it. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
If using a store-bought crust, simply follow the blind-baking instructions on the package.
Step 3: Make The Filling
While the crust finishes cooking, combine the pumpkin pie filling ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk until smooth.
Step 4: Bake the Pumpkin Pie
Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust.
Bake the pie for 50 to 60 minutes, until the filling is just set. It should look dry around the edges and the center should jiggle just slightly if you nudge the pan. The pie will look a little puffed when it comes out of the oven, but it will settle as it cools.
Cool the pie on a rack (leave it on the baking sheet) to room temperature, a few hours. Slice or refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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“This is my new go-to pumpkin pie! I was a bit skeptical of the black pepper, but decided to include it, and to follow the recipe exactly…This pie is absolutely delicious, not too sweet, not too spicy, just perfect!”
Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie: seemingly simple, yet often a challenge! This recipe promises success with a buttery, flaky crust and a delicately spiced, smooth pumpkin filling that stays perfect—no unsightly cracks!—as it cools.
Ingredients
- 1 Homemade Pie Crust or 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie crust shell (thawed)
- 1 (15-oz) can pure pumpkin (about 1¾ cups)
- 1 large egg
- 3 large eggs yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1¼ cups evaporated milk (you'll need one 12-oz can but you won't use all of it)
Instructions
Blind Bake the Crust
- For homemade crust: Roll out the dough and gently fit it into a (9-inch) deep-dish pie pan, ensuring it's snug against the pan's edges and bottom. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Remove the chilled pie crust from the refrigerator and place it on a baking sheet (this makes it easy to move in and out of the oven). Cover the crust with a piece of parchment paper and fill about three-quarters full with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Take the crust out of the oven; remove the parchment paper and beans/pie weights and tent the edges with a few strips of foil folded in half lengthwise (this will protect the edges from getting too dark). Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the dough is dry and lightly golden. Don't worry if the bottom puffs up; just press it down gently with a flat spatula, such as a pancake turner, taking care not to puncture it. Remove the foil but don't throw it away; you may need it again.
- For frozen crust: Follow the instructions for blind-baking on the package.
- After blind-baking the crust, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Make the Filling
- In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, egg, egg yolks, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and evaporated milk. Whisk until smooth, then pour the filling into the pre-baked crust.
- Bake the pie for 50 to 60 minutes (at 325°F), until the filling is just set. It should look dry around the edges, but the center should jiggle just slightly if you nudge the pan. Keep a close eye on the pie as it bakes; if ever the crust looks like it's browning too quickly, tent the edges with foil strips. Let the pie cool on a rack (leave it on the baking sheet) to room temperature, a few hours. Slice or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make Ahead: Pumpkin pie can be made one day ahead of time and refrigerated.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be made ahead, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. If you freeze it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. The pie can be frozen after baking for up to 1 month. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 335
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Sugar: 27g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Sodium: 287mg
- Cholesterol: 103mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I am soooo pleased with this recipe! I am going to stop making various pumpkin pies from different recipes and just make this one from now on – it had enough spice to be interesting and a little complex, but was also classic and wonderful (and the texture was spot on too!). I definitely didn’t find it to be overly sweet at all (like one reviewer said) and thought it was perfectly balanced. I used a store-bought frozen GF crust but blind baked it like Jenn suggested and it made a big difference in the quality of the pie overall. It was a deep dish-sized crust so I did bake the pie a little extra to get it set, but that was no problem at all. Highly recommend this recipe and will be making it again for all my future pumpkin pie needs! Thank you, Jenn!
Perfect Pumpkin Pie is right! Delicious with homemade whipped cream.
Great recipe. I only gave it a 4-star rating because I feel it’s too sweet. After making the pie a couple of times, I now just omit the granulated sugar altogether, and the 1/2 cup brown sugar is enough. Also, I feel that the initial 20min blind bake is enough. I find doing the extra 15 min without the pie weights makes the crust too dry. If you’re looking for a way to avoid cracks in the pie filling, this is it. But you need to make sure your oven is at the right temperature, as evidenced by several of the comments. Use a thermometer to check the temperature, as custards are finicky.
Followed the recipe as written, using a frozen pie crust. It was delicious! And this was my first ever pumpkin pie without a crack! Thanks, Jenn!
Absolutely delicious. Funny I questioned the pepper but it was spot on. It is a bit denser pie- as opposed to a custardy pie but it got rave reviews.
Thank you!!! I was so right to come to your site to see what your recipe was. hugs
The inside was good and did not crack but I didn’t care for the pie crust at all. It was not flaky and added extra steps.
For those of who who had trouble with this pie setting up, just wanted you to know that I had to bake mine for AT LEAST and hour and a half to ensure the filling was cooked through and “just” jiggly in the center. I used a homemade all-butter pie crust instead of Jenn’s recipe since I didn’t have Crisco, but par-baked it per her instructions. The crust didn’t burn, nor did the center crack, and the pie had an almost floral-like flavor that was amazing! Family said it was the best they’ve ever eaten!
I would check the actual temperature in your oven, if I were you.
I was super excited! But, it cooked and cooked and cooked it until it was set around edges, about 80 minutes and thought it was going to firm up but never did. Was soupy in the middle. Not a hit at Thanksgiving.
Hi. Living in Europe my family celebrates Thanksgiving this next Saturday, allowing for everyone to get together. Would it be ok to make this pie Thursday evening (tonight) for Saturday lunch time? Thank you. Will rate it when we’ve enjoyed it but it seems to be a keeper!!
Hi Isabel, sorry I’m weighing in too late to help but will answer anyway — while I think this is best if eaten within a day, what you suggested should be fine. Enjoy your lunch today!