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.
Comments
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Thank you for this truly delicious recipe. We made it for Thanksgiving and everyone agreed it was the best pumpkin pie we’ve ever had. The crust was buttery and light and the filling spiced perfectly. This is the only recipe for pumpkin pie I will ever need!
I tried this pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely fabulous! It turned out perfectly – flavor, consistency was great! This is now my go to recipe for the perfect pumpkin pie. I followed the recipe exactly. I did use a frozen crust – but cooked it ahead of time as the recipe called for.
I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone liked it. I should add that none of us are pumpkin-pie lovers, so that’s probably as good a reception as pumpkin pie is going to get. I think I would add a bit more spice the next time, but texture was perfect and silky. I did bake shell the whole way first (something new!) and really like the crispy bottom crust on this pie. Make a tinfoil ring to protect the crust edges from one snug fitting piece of foil before you bake the crust. I tried to piece mine together after partially baking, and it was too hot to mess with much. Ended up with burnt edges, which we cut off. The shame!
Astoundingly good! A little labor intensive, but totally worth it. My first attempt at a “non-boxed” pie. Jenn’s directions are so clear and helpful. Even the 4 harshest critics in my family insisted it was the best pie they have ever eaten, and they were all mad I didn’t make a second pie!
Notes/Adjustments:
-I had to bake the crush about 10 minutes longer than listed, but every oven is different, so, no big deal.
-for a whipped cream topping, I whipped together one pint of heavy whipping cream, 4 tbsp of sugar, and 3tbsp of Carolyn’s Irish Cream liqueur. So tasty!
Thanks for the recipe, Jenn!
This is by far the most delicious pumpkin pie recipe I have ever tried…believe me, I’ve tried them all!! The balance of flavors and consistency is amazing! I scratched my head a bit when I saw the pepper, but it works!
I didn’t have time to pre bake the shell like Jenn, so my crust didn’t come out quite as golden, but the bottom seemed to bake without incident. But honestly, who cares about the crust, this filling is pure heaven! Yet another winner!
I made this for Thanksgiving and thought it was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe! I already had pie crust made, but I look forward to trying your crust recipe next time around. I also made your sweet potato and stuffing recipe — those were also great. I would love a perfected apple pie recipe from you, if you’re looking for another recipe to perfect 😉 My apple pies are always hit or miss.
Hi Courtney, Thanks for your nice words. I will definitely keep in mind that an apple pie recipe is something that would appeal to people. In the meantime, if I come across an apple pie recipe that I really like, I’ll forward it to you!
That is really nice of you. Thank you so much!
This is the best pumpkin pie!! I’ve always made the recipe straight off the Libby’s can. But I saw this and have had fabu
Ous experience with every other recipe off this site so… Anyhow, even though this received doesn’t seem very different , the end result was amazing!!¡! It really is that much better. I haven’t figured out why exactly, yet it is. I compared mine to another pie on Thanksgiving… Big difference!! And, I had a tried and true pie crust recipe which I’ve used for years. I’ll probably be replacing it with this recipe as well for all my pies. Thanks Jenn! Happy Thanksgiving from Sarasota Florida! ¡
My very picky (about not changing tradition) family and even the ones that don’t generally like pumpkin pie said this was definitely an improvement from the original.
I love pumpkin pie and make it every Thanksgiving. This was the BEST ever. Creamy, smooth, no cracks. I ate a piece for breakfast just to be sure and yup, its the best. I’m not much in the kitchen and even I could do this. It will be a favorite for me. And baking the crust first really worked great.
This is by far the best pumpkin pie filling I’ve ever had. By the time I saw this recipe, I’d already made my pie crusts yesterday, but at least I saw it in time to make the filling. We just now had our first piece of pie, and I’ve lost track of how many times my husband said “Mmmmm!”. The richness and mix of spices were perfect. This is now my go-to pumpkin pie recipe.