Perfect Pumpkin Pie
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After more than 25 years of cooking professionally—and hosting plenty of Thanksgivings—I’ve made a lot of pumpkin pies. This is the one I make every year, and the one my family looks forward to most.
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 buttery, flaky crust. But for a dessert that seems so simple, pumpkin pie can be surprisingly finicky. Over the years, I’ve tried at least a dozen 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 turns out beautifully, with a flaky crust, rich pumpkin filling, and smooth, crack-free top. And the best part? It’s truly easy to make.
If you’re planning your holiday dessert lineup, don’t miss my pecan pie, sweet potato pie, and apple pie—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: For the best results, I recommend Libby’s canned pumpkin purée.
- Egg & Egg Yolks: The whole egg helps set the filling, while the extra yolks add richness and give it a silky texture.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Using both gives the filling a more complex sweetness, with a subtle molasses note from the brown sugar.
- All-Purpose Flour: Slightly thickens and stabilizes the filling, which helps prevent cracks.
- Spices (ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves & black pepper): This classic blend gives the pie its warm, spiced flavor, with just a hint of heat from the black pepper.
- Evaporated Milk: Gives the filling its rich, creamy texture without making it too heavy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Pumpkin Pie
Blind bake the crust: If using a store-bought crust, follow the package directions for pre-baking the crust. For homemade dough, fit it into a deep-dish pie pan and chill it. Line the chilled crust with parchment, fill it with pie weights (or dried beans), and bake until the edges look set.
Remove the weights and bake a bit longer until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. If the crust puffs up, gently press it back down with a flat spatula. Blind baking gives the crust a head start so it stays nice and crisp once the wet pumpkin filling is added.
Make the filling: Whisk the filling ingredients together until completely smooth, making sure there are no pockets of flour or spices. Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust.
Bake and serve: Bake the pie at 325°F so the custard cooks gently and evenly. It’s done when the filling looks set and dry around the edges but still has a slight jiggle in the center when you nudge the pan—don’t worry, it will continue to set as it cools. If the crust edges start to brown too much before the filling is done, loosely cover them with foil.
Let the pie cool completely before slicing. Serve at room temperature or chilled, with whipped cream if you like.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Pumpkin pie is ideal for making ahead. You can bake it a day before serving, let it cool completely, then cover and refrigerate it overnight. For longer storage, the baked pie can also be frozen; see the recipe card below for full freezing instructions.
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 egg 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 pre-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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Jenn – do you feel this pie can be made a day (or two) ahead, or should it be made same day? Could the crust be baked off early and finished day of?
Thanks,
Valerie
Yes, you can bake the crust in advance and then finish it off the day you’re serving. The whole pie can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Hope that helps!
Best pumpkin pie recipe I’ve ever made and eaten – hands down. We had leftover filling so we made a second “pie” (more like custard as some of the other reviewers said) and it was incredible.
Jenn…just curious about salt content. Are you referring to kosher salt or fine table salt when you mention the measurements in your recipes? You’ve probably addressed this question before…one more time for me please!
Hi Scott, When a recipe of mine says salt in the ingredient list, I am referring to regular/table salt. If it calls for something else like kosher salt, I will specify that in the recipe. Hope that helps!
It does indeed! Thank you for such a quick response! I just posted a review of your pumpkin pie…FANTASTIC!
I’ll echo Brian’s comments below. This will be my fifth year making this pie for the holidays. The spices are perfect (don’t skip the black pepper!) and it has a lovely custardy texture. I have always used fresh pumpkin purée from a blue hubbard, and it always turns out great. I make sure to simmer the purée first to evaporate any extra liquid. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I read once that canned pumpkin puree should be used to make pies rather than homemade puree. Do you have an opinion about this, and if homemade pumpkin is used, are there ways to ensure that it works for pies.
Thank you,
Hi Mary, Homemade pureed pumpkin is fine as long as you get rid of any excess moisture in it before incorporating it into the recipe. Hope that helps!
I have used this recipe for Thanksgiving the past two years and it has been a huge hit both times! It is without a doubt the best pumpkin pie recipe I’ve ever tried. The blend of spices is perfect and it is so creamy! Absolutely delicious! 😋
The pie crust I purchased doesn’t say to blind bake it. Should I just go with 325 for 60 minutes or should I still bake it alone for 20?
I would still blind bake it. 🙂
I am going to try out this pie before Thanksgiving and possibly bring it to my family’s. I only have dark brown sugar, is that alright? Or should I buy light?
Dark brown sugar will be fine. Enjoy!
I used half the sugar, is that ok?
Hi Diane, while technically it should work, it may impact the texture of the filling a bit. Please LMK how it turns out!
This is it. This is the one. I’ve made this pie every year since I found the recipe and it’s the pumpkin pie you’ve always knew was possible but never quite achieved. If Norman Rockwell were a baker, this is the pie he would make. It makes you remember your Thanksgivings growing up on the farm in the 1920s (which isn’t a memory I actually have, but that’s how good it is).
I think what makes Chef Segal’s pumpkin recipes so outstanding is that she’s not afraid to put spice in them. Too many recipes have like 1/2 tsp cinnamon and call it a day. This has a real spice to it (adding the black pepper is genius) but it’s perfectly balanced with the sugar and condensed milk. Same can be said for her pumpkin bread.
Fabulous pie that had us going back for more! We used a pie shell bought at a farmers market and made the filling using half and half cream and a bit of milk instead of the evaporated milk. We had leftover filling as the pie shell was a scant 9″. Will try a deep dish next time! Your recipies are always wonderful and reliable. I also enjoyed the clear instructions and step by step pictures. Thanks so much for your guidance! I had a great afternoon making this pie!
Wonderful recipe! Thank you so much for brightening my day with this amazing dessert!