Pumpkin Pie

Holiday meals may be all about the turkey, but they aren’t complete without pumpkin pie. Now, I know hosting a party isn’t easy.

Between cooking and stuffing the bird to making dozens of side dishes, who has time to prepare dessert?

Fortunately, making this pumpkin pie is a piece of cake! There’s no need to make pie crust from scratch and the filling comes together sooo easily.

Best of all, you can make it days ahead, so you won’t have to worry about it on the day of.

Give your friends and family something extra to be thankful for.

This pumpkin pie is wonderfully sweet, silky, and sinfully delightful. It’s a definite show-stopper.

Pumpkin Pie 

It’s rich, creamy, and mind-blowingly delicious. This pumpkin pie has everything you love in the classic dessert.

Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to put together. It’s so easy that you don’t even need to make your own crust.

Yup, there’s absolutely no judgment in using store-bought crust!

Plus, the filling is super simple. Just combine pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, milk, and spices, and voila!

That’s all there is to it! You can leave the rest to your trusty oven. Hosting a holiday party has never been easier. 

Ingredients

Unbaked deep-dish pie crust. Of course, you can make your own pie crust from scratch. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a pre-made crust, either! 

Granulated sugar. For that lovely sweet flavor.

Ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The perfect pumpkin spice combo.

Salt. To bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.

Eggs. Helps bind the pie filling and gives it lift. 

Pumpkin puree. This recipe calls for Libby’s Pure Pumpkin puree, not filling. It’s the best out of all the canned purees out there! Fresh pumpkin puree works, too. 

Evaporated milk. For that rich flavor and extra smooth and silky texture.

Tips for Making the Best Pie

• While you can use any brand of canned pumpkin puree, I highly recommend Libby’s. Out of all the brands out there, I find it has the best texture, color, and pumpkin flavor. 
• Use room temperature ingredients so they blend easily and more smoothly.
• Use a glass baking pan to help you see the crust’s progress as it bakes.
• What makes pumpkin pie so gorgeous is that smooth silky filling. Avoid cracks by whisking the filling vigorously until you get a smooth mixture.
• Also, do not overbake the pie. The perfect temperature and duration is 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and then 40 to 50 minutes (depending on your oven) at 350. 

The high temperature will speed up the cooking process. You won’t want to go beyond that, otherwise, the filling will crack and be too dry.

That’s why you have to reduce it to a lower temperature after 15 minutes.

• Do not underbake the pie, either. If you take it out of the oven too early, the filling won’t set and will crack down the center.
• Do not perform the knife test to check for doneness, because this will cause a huge crack in the pie. Just give it a little jiggle to see if it’s done. The edges should be dry. The middle should be set, but still a little wobbly. 
• The filling will look a bit puffy, but it will settle as it cools. That said, don’t slice the pie too early! Give it at least two hours to set before serving.
• This recipe calls for evaporated milk, but for a sweeter, thicker pie filling, you can use sweetened condensed milk. Just omit the sugar from the recipe.
• You can use fresh pumpkin puree for this recipe, too. Cook the flesh of a sugar pumpkin and mash it into a puree. 
• If the pie crust edges are getting too brown and the filling isn’t cooked yet, cover the sides with aluminum foil. This will prevent them from burning.

Can Pumpkin Pie Be Made Ahead?

Definitely! You can whip up this pie one to two days in advance. That means less work for you on the day of your gathering!

In fact, making it ahead of time gives you a better tasting pie.

It allows the pumpkin, milk, and spices to meld with one another, making the filling taste even more magical. 

Cover the pie with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate. You can serve it either at room temperature or chilled.

Can I Use Pumpkin Pie Filling?

You can use pre-made pumpkin pie filling in a pinch. But keep in mind that fresh is best!

Nothing beats the goodness of homemade pumpkin pie filling. You’ll want to serve nothing but the best, so might as well make the extra effort. 

Don’t worry, making pumpkin pie filling from scratch is very easy.

All you need is to combine pumpkin puree (whether canned or fresh), sugar, eggs, milk, and autumn spices.