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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I have looked at a few different recipes and noticed that some use sweetened condensed milk and some use heavy cream. What is the difference? Why do you choose evaporated milk over heavy cream?
Hi Chrissy, I’ve always used evaporated milk in pumpkin pie, but heavy cream works too. Sorry I don’t have a more scientific explanation!
No worries at all! Your explanation works for me! Thank you for responding! I’m so excited to try it. All of your recipes, that I have tried, have been amazing.
Hi! Can you kindly confirm the temperature for baking the pie? I saw a comment that someone baked @ 325 for 60 mins and it was underdone, then she said another set of directions said to bake it at 375. I’m going to bake 2 of these tomorrow!
Hi Pam, the empty crust gets blind baked at 375°F. Once you remove the crust from the oven, reduce the temp to 325°F as that’s the temp that the crust with the filling should be baked. Hope that clarifies!
Hello, would making this pie with a graham cracker crust work? Would directions to pre-bake the crust be the same? Thank you!
Hi Lena, A graham cracker crust would work here. You’ll still need to blind bake it but that initial bake time will definitely be a lot quicker than that of the pastry crust. Please LMK how it turns out!
I’m wondering, can I leave the flour out of this recipe to make it gluten free?
Hi Connie, I wouldn’t just omit it; I’d replace it with gluten-free flour or cornstarch. Hope that helps!
Jenn, please don’t freak out but I want to make your filling recipe and not pre bake my crust (50 years of horror pre bake incidents). I would like to use unbaked shell and the age old time and temp 425 reduced to 350. The usual pumpkin pie filling has 2 eggs. Does the extra egg you use require more or less bake time or does it matter?
Also, you really have more sugar and have flour in your filling, do any of these items effect baking time and temp I want to use as mentioned above in unbaked shell?
No, they wouldn’t affect the baking time.
Hi Marilyn, I really prefer baking custard pies at a lower temp. That said, the extra egg does not impact the baking time.
I have always doubled my eggs in my pumpkin pie and used the age old time and temp that you spoke of, and it’s always turned out perfect. In my experience, the extra eggs do not require more time, they only make the pie a bit more custard-y. Hope this helps. =)
I baked sugar pumpkins and made a purée out of them. Can I use this in the recipe?
Sure – enjoy!
Perfect is an accurate name for this recipe!
Hi Jenn,
I noticed that you used a ceramic pie dish. Normally I use a glass pie dish for my pumpkin pie but for this recipe do you prefer the ceramic? I made your pumpkin filling two years ago and it is now my go to recipe.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family
Hi Debbie, Both work well, so whatever you prefer. 🙂
Hi jen!
Thoughts on a store bought graham cracker crust? Would i need to move from aluminum pie pan to glass dish before baking? My son is the only one who likes pumpkin pie and i already have one in the pantry!
*im making your french apple cake for the rest of us 🙂
Hi, A graham cracker crust would work here. Yes, you’ll still need to blind bake it but that initial bake time will definitely be a lot quicker than that of the pastry crust. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I just tried this recipe for the first time and it was a hit with the fam!
I ended up making 2 of these… One exactly to the recipe and another that was adapted to be wheat-free and lactose-free using gluten-free flour, vegan butter, coconut oil and macadamia milk. Both worked out perfectly! I’m in Australia and canned pumpkin isn’t as readily available so I made my own puree with half a Jap pumpkin which worked a treat. This is definitely a recipe I’ll save! Thank you! 😀
Hi Jenn, I plan to make this pumpkin pie. If I want to add Bourbon would it work & how much do you think? Thanks so much!
Hi Mary Ellen, I wouldn’t change anything here because pumpkin pie can be pretty finicky, but this would be delicious with bourbon-infused whipped cream on top. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try!