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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My family loves pumpkin pie. I HAD my favorite recipe for pumpkin pie that I baked for Thanksgiving every year until I found your PERFECT pumpkin pie last year. (Now this is my favorite recipe). Your recipe is so delicious, just perfect and was a big hit last Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone loved it. I even baked 4 more pumpkin pies the next day for my neighbors. I give a 15 out of 10 score for this PERFECT recipe.😀
This was truly the perfect pumpkin pie. I generally do not enjoy pumpkin pie but my family likes the occassional slice of pie. The recipe was very easy to follow and there wasn’t a single thing I would change except next time I will make two. The pie disappeared quickly between my husband and I. In fact, there wasn’t any left for the next day. This recipe encouraged me to sign up for your newsletter! Thank you for such fantastic recipes!
This was SOO delicious. The flavor was spot on and I absolutely loved it! It received rave reviews from the guests at my Thanksgiving.
That being said the center did not cook very well. I followed the directions almost to the letter – I did not TENT with foil – but I did bake it according to the instructions. I had seen in another recipe, that you can cook the pumpkin pie filling on the stove-top for a little while before baking. I might try that next time, and lend my results.
All in All, I will be, making this pie again. One guest said, it was reminiscent of the pie that she grew up with!
Thanks Jenn for an awesome recipe!
This pie stole the show at Thanksgiving! I made mine with fresh pumpkin puree and it was delicious. Best recipe I’ve found yet!!
Jenn making the pastry now . Do I butter the pie dish before putting the pastry in?
Hi LeeAnn, No need to butter the pan. Enjoy!
Thank you . I have made probably 100 pies this was the best I have ever made .
Can you substitute some of the spices for allspice? How much would you use? Thanks
Hi Dawn, You could replace the cloves with allspice or just add 1/8 teaspoon allspice, if you like.
Oh ok, so can I just use 1/8 teaspoon allspice instead of any of the spices? I don’t have any ginger!
Yes, that’s fine Dawn. 🙂
We’re in Australia & I can’t easily buy crisco shortening. Can I substitute lard for the recipe? I can purchase that in the grocery store. This is my first attempt at pie crust so I hope this substitution will work out fine-what do you think? Hoping to attempt for this Christmas dinner.
Sure, Tracy – lard will work well. Enjoy!
Wow! Well I successfully made my first pie & it turned out awesome. Your pics & write ups are perfect. I love when you say in the one section that “it will seem all wrong” & it did seem wrong but since you had pics & I knew what to do I just continued on step by step & had a really successful pie turn out. My hubby said this was the best pumpkin pie he ever ate. I thought it was amazing & I really couldn’t believe I made it – lol. You’ve helped my confidence in the kitchen so much Jenn – I’m thankful for your website!!!! p.s. the pie crust was a bit finicky & I’m in Australia so the lard was starting to melt while I was trying to get it in the pie dish. It looked a bit more rustic than your picture but it tasted so much better than buying a store bought crust. Thank you!!!
I made this pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving. My son, who is a chef said, this was the best pumpkin pie he had ever had. Thank you for a wonderful and very good recipe.
I made this pie for Thanksgiving and it was great! My family generally likes the pumpkin pie more heavily spiced so I doubled the spices in the filling. The crust came out really well too! I always struggle rolling out the crust but this on every was definitely my most successful attempt because it was easy to roll out. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Made this pie for Thanksgiving and it was perfect. Pie crust was easy to roll out and the filling wasn’t too sweet and it had a very nice flavor to it.