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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Making this day before thanksgiving. Are ground cloves a must? I only have whole and just thought I’d ask. Thanks for the pics and presentation. It really is great.
Hi Wendy, It’s fine to leave them out.
Amazing!! I’ve never made a pumpkin pie or homemade pie crust myself so I did a test run of the pie crust and pumpkin pie recipe to make sure I had a rough idea of what I was doing, and it turned out delicious. The texture, the spices, everything! Thanks so much, I’m really looking forward to bringing this to Thanksgiving!
Just a general comment; I haven’t tried these recipes at this time, –This is a lovely website, clear and “polished”‘ in presentation, but also down-to-earth and easy to follow! Puts the reader “right there” with ingredients and organization for putting everything together.
The recipes look very tasty, too.
Thank you for all the hard work and wonderful recipes.
❤️
Really love this recipe and am excited to use it for Thanksgiving this year. My question is can I use a pre-made store bought crust? (Pillsbury) and if so do I still need to par-bake the crust first before adding the filling?
Sure, Jessica. I would definitely still par-bake the crust but follow the instructions on the package for that portion of the recipe. Enjoy!
Thank you for the quick response! The instructions say on the packaging not to par-bake/blind-bake but I’ve noticed almost every single pumpkin pie recipe I’ve looked at in the last 48hrs says to do so. Been a chef for 20+ years but baking and pastries are not in my wheel house or comfort zone to say the very least!!! I don’t want to be the reason that your delicious recipe becomes inedible and thus ruins our Thanksgiving lol. So figured I’d ask if I should or shouldn’t blind bake the crust.
Ha! Look for the directions for the “baked shell” for a no-bake ice cream or pudding pie. Just watch that the edges don’t get too dark as the pie bakes (you can tent them with foil if necessary). 🙂
Could you use this recipe for mini pumpkin pies in muffin tins? I’ve used your recipe before and it was delicious.
Glad you like it, Luke! I’ve never made mini versions of these but I think it should work. The baking time will definitely be different so you’ll need to keep a close eye on them (and I’d still blind bake the crusts). Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Do you know if anyone has tried to make your crust using gluten free flour? If so, does it turn out okay?
Hi Delynn, I don’t see any comments where someone has mentioned making the crust gluten-free. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it (or you could always buy a deep dish gluten-free crust).
Your recipe looks delicious, and I can’t wait to try it! My pie pan is also a 9 inch, but it’s 2 inches deep. Do I need to make any adjustments? Thanks! ~Tracee
No, Tracee, you should be fine with that. Hope you enjoy!
Could you use the McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice … what would the measurement be?
Hi Jana, Sure (I would still add the black pepper in addition to the pumpkin pie spice.) Enjoy!
How much pumpkin pie spice to use?
Hi Leslie, you’ll need a total of 2 3/4 tsp. Just make sure you still add the pepper that the recipe calls for. Enjoy!
Do I cook the pie with the filling at 375 or 325 degrees?
Emily, once you add the filling, it should be baked at 325°F. Hope you enjoy!
QUESTIONS: I have a recipe for pumpkin pie that is very similar to yours, however, there are two differences. Mine has 1 cup dark brown sugar, as opposed to the split light and granulated that you use. I know this makes my pie darker, but what else changes taste and texture-wise moving to those two lighter sugars?
Also, my recipe calls for three whole eggs, yours has 3 yolks and 1 whole egg. What is the difference in taste and texture? Does yours come out lighter, more custard like, etc?
I am interested in trying your recipe next week, but I guess I am trying to figure out what to expect besides it obviously being an outstanding pie based on the reviews here. Thanks for any information you can help me with in my decision making.
Hi Jeanne Marie, Regarding your first question about the sugar, there’s a very slight flavor difference so if you’d prefer to stick with the dark brown sugar, that’s fine. And regarding the eggs, the method I use makes the filling more custard-like and helps to prevent cracking. Hope that helps!