This pumpkin pie recipe is the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert.
Pumpkin puree, warm spices, eggs, and evaporated milk create the perfect pumpkin pie filling. It’s all tucked inside a buttery flaky crust and baked until golden.
No Thanksgiving meal would be complete without this dessert but it’s really perfect for any time of year.
‘Tis the season for oversized hoodies, crunchy leaves, and brisk weather. When fall rolls around I’m ready for all things pumpkin (like these pumpkin pie cupcakes)!
Ingredients in Pumpkin Pie
A pumpkin pie is made with relatively simple ingredients. It’s easy to make and best of all, it should be made ahead of time making it a great holiday dessert.
Pumpkin – Pumpkin pie filling can be made with either canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin purée. We find canned pumpkin to be the easiest to work with and it provides consistent results.
If using fresh pumpkin puree, 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 but it’s also easy to make homemade. This warm spice blend contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a bit of allspice and ground cloves. You can substitute apple pie spice or even just cinnamon if it’s all you have.
Evaporated Milk – Evaporated milk is a common ingredient in pumpkin pie, it can be substituted with 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
It’s literally as easy as 1,2,3!
- 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.
- Combine the pie-filling ingredients and whisk.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared crust.
Bake and cool. Voila! 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 cooked remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack.
Tips for a Great Pumpkin Pie
- A sprinkle of flour and sugar keeps the crust from getting soggy.
- Pumpkin pie will be a little bit jiggly when it is done but it should not be wet or wiggly.
- Pumpkin pie can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
How to Store Pumpkin Pie
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.
Add some whipped cream, whipped topping, or fresh vanilla ice cream.
Store homemade pumpkin pie in the fridge since it is made with milk and eggs (and no preservatives). It will keep about 4 days in the fridge (although it never lasts more than a day in my house).
How to Freeze
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
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 eggs
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 10 ounces evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line a 9-inch pie pan with a layer with prepared pie pastry.
- Mix together sugar and flour. Sprinkle on the bottom of the prepared pie shell. Set aside.
Pie Filling
- In a small bowl combine brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs then stir in pumpkin puree followed by the dry ingredients. Slowly stir in the evaporated milk and mix to combine.
- Pour into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes.
- 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.
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Question: Does the tip of adding flour/sugar to crust work with apple pie also?
I will be making the pumpkin pie tomorrow for my family will comment tomorrow.
I haven’t tried the flour/sugar on apple pie, but it should work! I find the brushing of the egg white works well too! Enjoy the pie Shelly!
BEST Pumpkin Pie ever!!!
I absolutely love pumpkin pie! Can 2% milk be used instead of evaporated milk?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but it should be fine Moonie. Evaporated milk does provide a lot of creaminess so it may be less creamy if using 2% milk and may not thicken up properly. If using milk you may want to add a tablespoon of cornstarch to help it set. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
We absolutely give this 5 stars! On Thanksgiving, I usually make the Libby’s or Eagle’s pumpkin pie recipe with a homemade crust. Holly has great recipes, so I decided to give this recipe a try this year. It was a HUGE hit today. The pie had lots of flavor and had a great texture. I’m glad I made an extra for the freezer. This is the only pumpkin pie recipe I will make from now on. Thanks, Holly! :-)
this was so good
What is the oven temperature for the first 15 minutes of baking?
Do I use regular or sweetened evaporated milk?
Tks. I’ll rate this yummy pie after I make it!
Hi Alanna, start with the oven at 425°F and I use regular evaporated milk in this pie recipe. Enjoy!
Not sure where I went wrong but there was too much liquid for the one 9 inch frozen pie crust it seemed like I needed to use 2 pie crusts.
Then the liquid was bubbling and rising in the oven. It didn’t come out how I was hoping :(
Turned out perfectly on the first try! Thank you!
Your recipe sounds very good and very similar to the recipe I use except I use light cream instead of the evaporated milk – this makes the pie a lighter texture thank-you
I am Canadian from Ontario and it is our Thanksgiving. Just made your Pumpkin Pie; very similar
to my recipe but I reduced the milk and added 1/4 cup of Maple Syrup to make it Canadian. It’s in the fridge and I know it will be good since I am serving tomorrow. Love your site,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Rita! Maple syrup is a delicious addition!
Love this recipe❤️❤️
I’ve made this before and it’s excellent!! I’m wondering if I can make it ahead of time and freeze it? Thank you!
You sure can. You can also find this information in the post:
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Pie?
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.
This was my first time making a pumpkin pie from scratch .. I’m so thankful I chose this recipe!
The pie turned out perfect and SO DELICOUS! I will definitely be using this recipe over and over and over again. We loved it
So happy that you love the pumpkin pie recipe Dana!
Should the pie be chilled after being baked
Yes, this pie can be served room temperature or chilled.
I’ve been baking pies for a looonng time and by far this is the best!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!
Very delicious and simple. Just what I was looking for. Thank you so much
will pumpkin pie mix work in place of puree?
We have only made the recipe as written Donald. Pumpkin pie mix has a different texture, so likely wouldn’t produce the same result.
This was an excellent pie! I followed the recipe except for adding pumpkin pie spice. I didn’t have any so I just did a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to add up to the amount in the recipe. I used my own piecrust recipe and added the sugar/flour blend as directed. It was tempting to add the whole can of evaporated milk(13 oz.) as in other recipes, but I didn’t. The pie had a nice custard consistency and the crust was nice and crisp—-not soggy on the bottom like what happens in other recipes. I baked it according to the recipe, and it was done after the 40 min. at 350 degrees.
Is the flour and sugar sprinkled on the crust just supposed to be a dusting or should it be thicker than that?
Hi Karen, it is more of a dusting. You can watch the video just above the recipe for a better idea on what this looked like for us. :)