This pumpkin pie recipe is the perfect bake-ahead fall dessert.
It’s easy to make with pumpkin puree and spices all tucked inside a buttery flaky crust and baked until golden.
No holiday meal would be complete without a slice of pumpkin pie.
‘Tis the season for oversized hoodies, crunchy leaves, and brisk weather. When fall rolls around I’m ready for all things pumpkin!
Ingredients in Pumpkin Pie
This pumpkin pie recipe is made with simple ingredients. It’s easy to make and best of all, it should be made ahead of time.
Pumpkin – Use canned pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie mix) in this recipe as it is easiest to work with. I find the results are always consisent with canned pumpkin.
If using fresh pumpkin purée, line a strainer with paper towel and let the puree drain for at least an hour. This helps ensure it is very well drained to help the pie set up properly.
Spices – Pumpkin pie spice can be purchased at almost any store. If you don’t use it often you can make your own homemade version with cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves. You replace the pumpkin pie spice in this recipe with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Evaporated Milk – Evaporated milk is has a nice creamy consistency, be you’re not using sweetened condensed milk. It can be repalced with half and half or cream if needed.
Eggs & Sugar – Large eggs should be at room temperature. A combination of brown and white sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Pie Crust – I prefer homemade pie crust but of course, you can use store-bought pie dough (or even a graham crust). The crust does not need to be pre-baked (or blind-baked) for this recipe.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie
- Line a 9-inch pie plate or pie dish with a prepared pie crust and add a sprinkle of flour and sugar to the empty crust.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pie-filling ingredients.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared crust.
- Bake and cool. Top it with heaps of whipped cream!!
How to Know When Pumpkin Pie is Done
Pumpkin pie will still have a slight jiggle when it’s fully cooked. It should not be wet or wiggly. Overcooking can cause cracks so once it’s cooked remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack.
How to Store Pumpkin Pie
Fridge: Store homemade pumpkin pie lightly covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Pumpkin pie can be served at room temperature or chilled (or even heated a little bit in the oven). My preference is room temperature so I remove it from the fridge about 2 hours before serving.
Freezer: A baked pumpkin pie can be made ahead of time and frozen. Bake as directed below and cool completely. Cover well with plastic wrap and freeze. To serve, thaw for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator.
More Thanksgiving Pies
Did you love this pumpkin pie recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 9-inch pie crust unbaked
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 10 ounces evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Adjust one rack to the lower third of the oven.
- Line a 9-inch pie plate with a single prepared pie crust. Crimp the edges as desired.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of sugar and flour. Sprinkle the mixture on the bottom of the prepared pie shell and set aside.
Pie Filling
- In a small bowl combine brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Stir in the pumpkin puree to combine. Add the brown sugar mixture and evaporated milk. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie shell and place it on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until set.
- Cool on baking rack until completely cooled (at least 2 hours).
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert, Pie
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Is the filling supposed to be liquidy?
Hi Ava, the filling will be on the liquidy side until baked. You can check out the video just above the recipe for a better idea on the texture it should be before baking. :)
Hi Holly, I am gonna make ur pumpkin pie recipe and I would like to do ur homemade pie crust. Now knowing I have to bake the crust before hand is it less time for the pumpkin pie so it doesn’t burn or what is the best way to do it. Please let me know. Can’t wait to make this. :)
Sorry made a mistake on my email
Even with a homemade crust, the crust does not need to be be pre-baked. You can line the pie plate with the raw dough and then fill it as directed before baking. Enjoy the pie!
Hi Holly,
Can this be made ahead of time and frozen?
Thank you!
Yes, you can (you can also find info in the post)
Yes, a baked pumpkin pie can be made ahead of time and frozen. Bake as directed below and cool completely. Cover well with plastic wrap and freeze. To serve, defrost at least 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Holly, thank you for sharing this fantastic pumpkin pie recipe. It was delicious. So creamy and the spices were perfect. The tip for sprinkling the sugar and flour mixture in the bottom of the pie crust worked like a charm to keep the crust from becoming soggy. I have tried several differ pumpkin pie recipes over the years and this one is a keeper. Search ended. I will be making two for Thanksgiving. Thanks again. Have a nice Thanksgiving.
So happy to hear that Jen! I am glad the pie crust tip worked for you :)
This pie sounds great. Can’t wait to make it this Thanksgiving. Could you tell me how I can keep the crust from getting too toasted while baking??
Thanks
You can either cover the edges with foil once they start to brown or use a pie shield.
Never have sprinkled sugar & flour on the pie crust before the filling. What is the reason for that?
In the narrative, it is explained that adding a touch of flour/sugar to the crust before adding the pumpkin helps keep the crust from being soggy (or you can brush the crust with a bit of egg white instead). Enjoy JeanAnn!
This pie could not be any simpler. Neat trick with the sugar and flour on the crust.
Glad you think so Debra! Enjoy.
Yummy can’t wait to taste it this year.
I hope you love the pie Deb!
Hello Holly. Thank you for the pumpkin pie recipe. Just curious if you have one with step by step instructions using fresh pumpkin
Hi Patti, follow this recipe on homemade pumpkin puree and use it in this recipe for a fresh pumpkin pie!
Delicious! My husband has never liked pumpkin pie. He loved it.
I’m so glad your family loved this recipe!
I made this today from homemade pumpkin puree.It was delicious perfect amount of spice.
I’m so glad Tammy!
Hello. Trying this pie for the holidays. Is there a suggestion on using an electric mixer vs mixing by hand with a wisk to avoid bubbles? Or can I just go easy and use the electric?
Either will work just fine Karen. Enjoy!
It’s been years since I made a pie, and it was delicious! No cracks!
So happy to hear you loved the pumpkin pie Colleen!
the recipe and I’m making it for Thanksgiving and meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time so let’s hope they like it. I’ll be back to comment after the holiday to let everyone know how they liked it.
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out Geri!
How many pies does this make? Is it just 1 pie?
This recipe makes 1 pie.
I bought frozen pie crust. Does it need to thaw before adding the ingredients and baking? I would love to make my own pie crust but I just can’t get it right.
You don’t need to thaw frozen pie crust before it is used. It will bake perfectly!
Do you bake the crust first or it cooks while the filling cooking?
You do not bake the pie crust separately Rachel.
Just a quick question….why do you sprinkle on the flour and sugar onto the crust before adding on the other ingredients? This pie sounds so delicious….will definently be trying it for the holidays. Thanks so much! :)
It keeps the crust from getting soggy. Enjoy!
This was my first time making pumpkin pie! It was a huge hit. Very nice, easy recipe and tastes amazing.
So glad you loved it Kristy!
Hi. Great recipe. My Mom always used a can of sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk. The taste was sensational & so much better than evaporated milk. I loved it & so did everyone else. She actually took our Halloween pumpkin after Halloween was over, sliced it & baked it for pumpkin puree. She was a gourmet cook & I really miss her cooking.
Sounds delicious, thank you for sharing!