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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this is the best pumpkin pie i’ve ever had. everytime i make it( which is at least once a month) i get outstanding compliments. never again will you look for another pumpkin pie recipe.
This is the first pumpkin pie I have ever made and, I have to say, the most delicious pumpkin pie I have ever tasted! Thank you for a winning recipe. This was a hit!
This is my go-to recipe every Thanksgiving! Comes out perfect every year!!
I’d like to use freshly grated nutmeg. Should the amount be reduced?
Hi Maret, I’d suggest about 1 – 1.5 tsp. fresh nutmeg. Hope you enjoy!
Hello! I’ve made this pie three times now, they’ve all turned out very good. I’ll be making it again for Christmas. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
I’m also planning on making mini pies (5” aluminum pie tin) for My coworkers, any idea on how many mini pies I can get from your recipe?
Hi Dawn, glad you enjoyed this enough to make it for your co-workers. I would guesstimate that you’d be two 5-inch pies from this.
Taste of the pie filling was good, but cooking time was way off. Baking a crust for 40 minutes is too long, then baking the whole pie for an additional 60 minutes was way too much time. The pie did not set after 60 minutes , I had to bake my pie an additional 45 minutes. So a total of 2.25 hours is too much time to bake a pie. Very disappointed, the crust was overbaked .
flavor was good-but cooking time was way off- first one was very undercooked using recommended time and oven temperature, second was was better using libby’s pumpkin pie cooking time! 325 degrees does not work!
Help! Can I use half & half instead of evap milk?
Hi Annie, It should work, although I can’t guarantee the top won’t crack (if it does, whipped cream will solve the problem!).
I have never made a pie from scratch since I always thought it was easier just to buy the frozen crust but boy am I glad I took a chance with this recipe! It was so easy to make and came out not only beautiful but it tasted amazing! Everyone was saying how good it was and how flaky the crust was, they just couldn’t believe I made it. I also made the perfect apple pie and that was just mind blowing! I just made the tres leche cake and thats soaking as we speak. I love every recipe i try from Jennifer! AMAZING! I wish I could rate it higher than the 5 stars!
I have been cooking/baking for my entire life, 50+ years. I followed your recipe exactly as you wrote it. Pie weights and all. While the flavor of this pie was very good, the texture not and crust hard. Adding the two tablespoons of flour to the filling causes it to be too thick and not a creamy consistency as one would expect in pumpkin pie. It is like adding too much flour to making gravy; it goes from gravy to pudding. It did solve any cracking problems, but it ruined the consistency and creaminess of the pie. I would rather have some cracking and just cover it with whipped cream and yet it be smooth and creamy as it should. Also, an all shortening based pie crust is much lighter and flakier than most all butter. Then you had us bake the crust first for 40 minutes, then another 60 with the filling. That is nearly two hours. The crust was light golden for me, as I covered the ends with foil, but all that heat from baking for so long made it hard as a rock. My pie looked exactly like yours, I even had the same pie plate, but I was embarrassed on the end result for my guests. It was not creamy like pumpkin pie should be, and the crust was hard. Honestly, it was the worst pumpkin pie I ever had.
Whatever you say. Over 100 people disagree with you, including me, so maybe you should question your “50+ years” of cooking experience.
What’s the deal? This has always been a place where cooks could freely express different experiences and opinions without getting put down in return. Let’s keep this a friendly place where we can enjoy each other’s company.
This definitely is the Perfect Pumpkin Pie! I first made it for a work potluck Thanksgiving and, afterward, people stopped by my office to say how good it was. One person even asked if I’d make another one for her Thanksgiving dinner!
I did make 1 intentional change though – I cut the sugars in half and it still turned out amazing. One unintentional change was that I didn’t have quite enough ginger and was completely out of nutmeg – and it was amazing!
Thank you for creating such a delicious pumpkin pie recipe!
Would this recipe work with fresh pie pumpkin? If so, should it be the same measurement as the canned (15 oz.) once you’ve steamed, peeled, and puréed it?
Hi Christopher, A few readers have commented that they’ve used fresh pumpkin successfully, but I’ve never prepared it that way. If you use it, you’d need the same amount as the canned. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!