Perfect Pumpkin Pie
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If you’re looking for a pumpkin pie that sets beautifully, tastes absolutely delicious, and always gets a “wow,” this recipe delivers every time.
Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving classic, and when it’s made well, it’s hard to beat—a silky, warmly spiced pumpkin filling baked into a flaky, buttery crust. But for a dessert that seems so simple, pumpkin pie can be surprisingly finicky. Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of recipes and run into just about every issue: fillings that won’t set, unsightly cracks, and soggy crusts. Let’s just say the person who coined the phrase “easy as pie” had clearly never baked a pumpkin pie!
The good news is that all that testing paid off. This pumpkin pie recipe checks every box: a crisp, sturdy crust, a smooth, rich filling, and no cracks. And the best part? It’s truly easy to make.
If you’re planning your dessert lineup for the holidays, don’t miss my pecan pie, sweet potato pie, or apple crisp—they’re all wonderful alongside this pumpkin pie.
“I’ve been baking pumpkin pie for what seems like an eternity. The custard always cracks. Not this time…it’s absolutely delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Pie Crust – Use a homemade pie crust or store-bought—whichever you prefer. If using store-bought, opt for the frozen kind in an aluminum pie pan; it’s easier to blind bake and less likely to shrink.
- Pumpkin – Adds rich flavor and a smooth texture. For the best results, go with Libby’s canned pumpkin puree.
- Egg & egg yolks – The whole egg binds the filling, while the yolks bring extra richness and a silky texture.
- Granulated sugar & Light brown sugar – A combination of sugars adds complex sweetness; the brown sugar lends a deeper, molasses-like flavor.
- All-purpose flour – Slightly thickens and stabilizes the filling to prevent unsightly cracks.
- Spices (ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper) – This classic pumpkin pie spice blend gives the dessert its warm, signature flavor, with just a hint of heat from the black pepper.
- Evaporated milk – Makes the filling creamy and smooth, giving the pie a luscious, velvety texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Blind bake the crust. If you’re using a store-bought crust, just follow the package directions. For homemade dough, fit it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan and chill it. Line the chilled crust with parchment, fill it with pie weights (or dried beans), and bake at 375°F until the edges look set. Remove the weights and bake a bit longer until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. Then drop the oven temp to 325°F and you’re ready for the filling.
Pro Tip: Blind baking—or baking the crust before the filling goes in—gives it a head start so it stays nice and crisp once the wet pumpkin filling is added.
Step 2: Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, egg, egg yolks, both sugars, the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and evaporated milk. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Step 3: Assemble and bake. Pour the filling into the warm, pre-baked crust and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center is just set. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
Step 4: Serve. Slice and serve right away, or refrigerate the pie for up to a day before serving. For longer storage, you can freeze pumpkin pie for up to 1 month—just wrap it well. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Holiday Desserts You’ll Love
Perfect Pumpkin Pie
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 (packed) light brown sugar
- 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: If you’re using a store-bought frozen crust, follow the blind-baking instructions on the package. If you’re using a homemade crust, roll out the dough and gently fit it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, making sure it’s snug against the bottom and sides. Chill the crust for at least 30 minutes.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Place the chilled crust on a baking sheet (it makes it much easier to move in and out of the oven). Line 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. Remove the crust from the oven, lift out the parchment and weights, and tent the edges with a few strips of foil folded in half lengthwise to keep them from getting too dark. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. If it puffs up a bit, just press it down gently with a flat spatula—try not to puncture it. Remove the foil, but keep it nearby in case you need it again later.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 and cool: 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Really enjoyed this pie. The use of an egg and 3 yolks intrigued me — thought it sounded like a genius idea. It was. Texture of pie was firm yet smooth. Texture may also be attributed to using 1 1/4 cups evaporated milk instead of a whole can as many Pumpkin Pie recipes do. Plenty of spice taste. I did increase cinnamon to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and did not include the black pepper (just wasn’t brave enough). I used my own crust recipe instead of the one here. Will make again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I normally don’t review or rate recipes but I feel this one deserves a rating. I usually follow the directions on the back of the Libby’s pumpkin can but not this year. I wanted the best pumpkin pie recipe that I could find and this is it.
Now I did try to use already made pie crust and let me say don’t waste your time! To start they didn’t fit my pie pans, they shrunk quite a bit when I baked them. So I gave up and made the pie crust from this recipe as well and I will continue to use this crust recipe for all my pies. Not only was it extremely easy to make, but it rolls out very well. I normally hate making my own crust as it turns out thin and tears easily but not this one, and the blind baking is definitely a must. I will never make another pie without first blind baking.
I have to be honest I hate pie crust, even as a kid I could not eat it, but I had no problem eating all the good filling; my mom used to get so mad because I would pick all the pecans out of the pecan pie (I ate all the pecans on the pie not just mine… sorry mom) but this year I gave that pie crust a try and I will say I think I am hooked on this one!
Best Pumpkin Pie I’ve ever made! Thank you – thank you – thank you Jenn for this fabulous pie recipe!!!
I followed your recipe exactly (except I forgot to cut the extra dough from the edges, I just folded all under and crimped). In the past, I have always ended up with raw or soggy half cooked pie dough in the bottom of pumpkin pie crust. NOT with this recipe. I bought a pie weight (still not sure if I liked it as it still puffed up on the bottom- will try beans next time) and followed your instructions for baking the crust to a tee. I didn’t have any problem with the sides slumping as others have said because I put my pie plate with pressed in crust in the freezer as instructed. It worked great. No cracks, just a beautiful pie that tasted fabulous. Everyone that had a piece of this pie LOVED it. The crust was perfection too. I think I might be making this crust for all of my pies.
Thank you again Jenn, for sharing your wonderful recipes with us on your blog! Every recipe I’ve ever made has been a winner.
I made 2 of these pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, and the name is very fitting. Both pies came out perfect! The texture of the pie is smooth, and the flavor is off the hook! The hint of pepper is the secret ingredient, that really enhances the flavor.
It was fun asking my family to try to guess the secret ingredient. My daughter, who’s a big foodie, actually guessed it!
I used this filling recipe and it’s the BOMB! The texture is fantastic and no crack! I love your recipes; everything I have tried so far has been great. (I will try the pie crust too one of these days…. maybe when I retire 😉
I have one question. Our family loves *very* spicy pumpkin pie – when I first asked my mom for the recipe she said “use the one on the can and double the spices”. I loved the addition of pepper to this one, and the balance of spices you have, and I wanted to make it as written the first time, and it is delicious. But if you wanted to make it spicier, how would you personally tweak the spices? I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have switched up the spices in my pumpkin pies, never to have the exact taste I’m looking for, so I thought I would ask your opinion!
Thanks again for this yummy recipe! ❤️
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Betty! If I were going to make a spicier pumpkin pie, I’d use the measurements in this recipe and multiply by 1.5. If you try it, please lmk how it turns out.
Good idea, will do. Thank you!
I made this recipe and another one for a side by side taste test. This recipe edged out the other but it was close. This recipe has a custard like texture with a balanced yet delicate spice profile. Definitely a keeper. I’ve been asked to see if I could merge the two recipes to capture the top qualities of both. That will be fun. 🙂
The flavor of this pumpkin filling is the best ever! Rich and spicy and so simple. Do not leave out the pepper – that little bit of heat (it’s just a little bit) is perfect. I made the pie for Thanksgiving yesterday and it was a big hit. Everyone loved it. My new go to! Thank you.
Great
I did fine until I pre-baked the crust and the sides shrank into the bottom of the pan and ruined everything. Lucky I had someone else bringing pie over for Thanksgiving!
Oh no! I’m sorry you had trouble with the crust, Brian. Did you weight it with dried beans or pie weights?
Best pumpkin pie I have ever had, and I don’t really like pumpkin pie!