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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Jenn–this is indeed the PERFECT pumpkin pie. I don’t know if it’s the egg yolks or what, but it is by far the creamiest texture I’ve ever had in a pumpkin pie. Brava! I will not make a different recipe ever again…this is it! Thank you. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Since it was just me and my husband this year, we couldn’t wait to try it and sneaked a piece last night! 😉 The spices were right, the texture was the best and with a little cream on top–sublime!
Happy Thanksgiving!! 🦃🍽🍁
Thank you for your wonderful recipes that my family adores. I made this pie today and I was wondering what I did wrong because it didn’t puff up when baking and I feel like the middle portion is not set…not runny either, but very soft and creamy. Any tips would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Amy, It sounds like it may need to cook a bit longer. Could your oven temperature have been a bit off, or were you baking it alongside something else in the oven?
Thanks so much for responding even on Thanksgiving! Hope you had a wonderful one with your family 😊I wasn’t baking anything else, but next time I’ll try to bake it longer and I will double check my oven temperature. Thanks for your help!
We loved this pie. I did cheat and use a pre-made crust but the filling was perfect. I had some filling leftover and didn’t want to throw it away so I froze it and plan to make a tart with a cheesecake layer next week.
If you don’t have parchment paper can I use aluminum foil instead?
Yep 🙂
So the crust is currently blind-baking in the oven, but when I took the parchment off, the whole bottom had stuck! I tried to fix the holes and just now popped it back in for the other 20 minutes.
This always happens to me when I blind-name (the dough either falls and slumps down or the bottom sticks (or both)). Any tips? I’m going to continue with the recipe but would like to know if there is anything to prevent this from happening again.
Thank you!!
Hi Carolina, Do you mean the paper stuck to the crust? If so, are you by chance using wax paper instead of parchment?
Hi Jen,
Second year in a row making this perfect pumpkin pie! However, I accidentally added 6 tablespoons of cold water to crust instead of 4 🙁 my dough still stuck beautifully together. However, will this affect my dough?! 🙁
Happy thanksgiving!
It’ll be fine, Sarah – you can add more flour when rolling it out if necessary.
It’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks! After countless attempts making a decent pie crust, I gave up and used premade crusts. This Thanksgiving I tried your recipe for pumpkin pie and it turned out awesome! I have to admit it wasn’t the prettiest edges on the crust but it was delicious . Thank you Jenn.
Jen, I decided to brave making a pastry pie crust for the first time since I’ve had such great success with all your recipes 😊. My crusts (2) developed a crack in the final baking after taking out the pie weights. One crust developed a crack on the side, the other on the bottom. I assume I can fill them with the pumpkin and finish the pies, but any recommendations for next time?
Hi Nancy, I’m honestly not sure why it happened, but you can easily fix it. Make a smooth paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
Thanks, Jen. I will keep that note on my recipe. I needed to get the pies done, so baked them as is. They sure look good, but but I’m guessing they might be a bit sticky in the pan where the cracks were. Can’t wait to try them tomorrow!
I only have sweetened condensed milk. Can I just leave out the sugar?
I don’t recommend it, Pheme. I’m sorry!
I too only have sweetened condensed milk. What can I do?
It won’t work here, Kim. Sorry!!
Hello! So excited to try this recipe. I only have a regular/standard size pie pan, will this work?
Thank you!
Hi Janey, you can use a regular pie plate for this — you will just have some leftover filling and crust.
Thank you so much for responding!! Do you think a tart pan will work
Yep 🙂