An easy recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Pie. This pumpkin pie recipe is perfect for the holidays!
You didn’t think I would post a homemade pie crust tutorial and not share a few pie recipes with you, did you? Don’t worry, I have one more pie recipe coming next week! It’s a mini version of a classic that I think you will absolutely love. But first, it’s time for homemade pumpkin pie.
If there’s one thing I look forward to at Thanksgiving, it’s the pumpkin pie. Ok, pumpkin pie topped with a huge serving a whipped cream. Today’s recipe is my absolute favorite recipe for homemade pumpkin pie. One bite and you’ll be wondering why you’ve never made your own pumpkin pie at home. And then you’ll also realize how dangerously easy it is to make your own pumpkin pie.
You’ll start out with a pie crust, you can use a store-bought pie crust or my homemade pie crust recipe. If you’re not sure how to make homemade pie crust, I promise it’s much easier than you may think!
You’ll roll out the pie crust, fit it in the pie dish, then trim and flute the edges. Next, you’ll blind bake the pie crust. If you’re wondering what in the world blind baking means, it simply means to partially bake the pie crust before adding the filling. Blind baking is really great for custard pies (like pumpkin pie) because it helps to keep your crust from turning out soggy. Since you’re partially baking the crust before adding your filling, you’ll have a nice flaky and crisp pie crust.
Also, you want to use pie weights when blind baking the crust. You’ll line the pie crust with some foil or parchment paper, making sure to cover the bottom and sides really well, and fill it with pie weights. Pie weights are just little ceramic or metal balls that help weigh down the crust as it bakes so the pie crust keeps its shape. If you don’t have pie weights you can use dried beans or even dry rice instead.
As for the pumpkin pie filling, it’s as easy as just mixing the wet and dry ingredients, then mixing it all together in one bowl. For the sugar in this recipe, I prefer to use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar because it adds a little extra flavor. You’ll also be using a little flour to help thicken the filling a bit, along with some spices to give your pie that traditional pumpkin pie flavor. Then, you’ll mix together a can of pumpkin puree, some evaporated milk, and three eggs, and mix it together with the dry ingredients. You’ll pour the pumpkin pie filling into the partially baked crust and bake it at 400°F for about 45-50 minutes.
The best way to prevent cracks in your pumpkin pie is to avoid over baking it. I usually bake mine for about 45 minutes at 400°F and remove it while the center is still a little wobbly. While the pumpkin pie cools, the residual heat will continue to cook the pie and the center will finish cooking and firm up.
Don’t worry if you do end up with a crack or two in your pumpkin pie because you can easily decorate the pie to cover it up or just eat it. And I can tell you from experience that even if it has a crack or two, this pumpkin pie still tastes incredible! Since this pumpkin pie is great to make the day before, it also frees up that precious oven space in your kitchen for Thanksgiving.
P.S. If you’re a little short on time, I’ve also included notes in the recipe for making the pie crust and filling ahead of time!
Pumpkin Pie Baking Tips
- You can use a store-bought or homemade pie crust (linked below) for this recipe. My pie crust recipe will make 2 pie crusts, but you can easily freeze the other half to use later.
- It’s also best to blind bake the pie crust before adding the pumpkin pie filling. Blind baking simply means to partially bake your pie crust before adding the filling. Make sure to line the pie dough with parchment paper or foil, you want to cover the bottom and fit it snuggly in the corners and up the sides, and fill it with pie weights. You can also use dried beans or dry rice if you don’t have any pie weights.
- Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges of your pie crust from over-browning. If you don’t have a pie crust shield you can simply use foil to cover the edges instead.
- To prevent any cracks in your pumpkin pie, make sure not to over bake it! Check the pie at the 40-minute mark and then again at the 45-minute mark. I usually bake mine for about 45 minutes and remove it while the center is still just a little wobbly. As the pie cools, the center will finish cooking and firm up.
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 1 store-bought or homemade pie crust
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 and 1/4 cups evaporated milk
Instructions
To prepare the pie crust:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prepare the pie crust by rolling the dough out to 12-inches in diameter. Next, carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate (make sure it's at least 1 and 1/2 inches deep), gently fit it into the pie plate, trim any excess dough, and flute the edges. Line the pie dough with parchment paper or foil, making sure to cover the bottom and fit it snuggly in the corners and up the sides, then fill with pie weights (dried beans or dry rice work well too).
- Bake the pie crust at 400°F for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment paper (or foil) and pie weights. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To prepare the filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree and evaporated milk until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.
To make the pumpkin pie:
- Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the partially baked pie crust. Return to the oven and bake at 400°F for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is almost set (it should be a little wobbly). Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack for 2-3 hours to cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Recipe Notes
Cover the edges of the pie crust with a pie crust shield as needed to prevent them from over-browning.
Pie crust may be made 2-3 days in advance, wrap tightly and refrigerate until ready to use. The pumpkin pie filling may also be made up to one day in advance, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prep time does not include cooling time.
Pumpkin pie filling slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour
If you’re looking for a mini version, try my Mini Pumpkin Pies next!
It’s not Thanksgiving for me without a big slice of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream, and this is making me excited for next week! This pie looks perfect, Danielle, and your tips are great! I don’t always blind bake because sometimes I’m lazy, but blind baking makes the crust so much flakier and delicious!
Thank you, Marcie! It’s definitely not Thanksgiving for me either without a big slice of pumpkin pie 😉
Pumpkin pie is a dessert necessity for me this time of year, along with a gigantic pile of whipped cream! This is getting me so excited for Thanksgiving, Danielle! I’ve made pies with pumpkin in it before but never a classic pumpkin pie, so this looks perfect! I’m totally using the recipe the next time I need to make this pie! YUM!!
This is the most perfect looking pumpkin pie I’ve seen! It’s just gorgeous. I want a Thanksgiving do-over so I can eat some more 😉
I think a Thanksgiving do-over sounds like a good idea 😉
This looks PERFECT! You are the pie master! I am not. I am terrible at pie, and especially terrible at making them look pretty! Lol.
THAT pie crust is perfection Danielle! What an absolutely gorgeous pie!
Thank you, Jess!
this is the first recipe suggestion I’ve ever seen that calls for a 45-minute 400-degree bake time as opposed to 1 hour split at 15 minutes at 425 and the remaining 45 to 50 minutes at 350. Naturally with my own for each 9-inch deep-dish pie I usually use one cup of sugar or brown sugar 2 teaspoons of cinnamon half a teaspoon of salt three-quarters of a teaspoon nutmeg allspice clove and Ginger two eggs and a can of evaporated milk for the filling if you have tried that style of a recipe before how does it differ in flavor from your own?
I’ve never tried your particular recipe, Ken, so it’s hard to say how the flavors would differ.
Have done the blind pie crust bake before; it works great! Good reminder. Happy eating everyone!
Thank you, Rita! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I ran short on time (as usual!) and I needed some more mini deserts to accompany the wonderful mini pecan pies so I mixed up this pumpkin pie filling and continued on with the mini crusts I was already making…these turned out wonderfully as mini pies! Huge hit along with the pecan minis! I can’t wait for the next mini pie! How about some mini apple pies!! 😉 great job Danielle! I love your site!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the pie recipes, Stephanie! I made the pumpkin pie again for Thanksgiving, but I’m going to try this one out as mini pies next time now 🙂 And thank you for the suggestion about the mini apple pies, I have added it to my list!
How long did you bake the minis for? Thanks!
Hi Stacey! I have a mini pumpkin pie recipe that’s made in a regular muffin pan: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/mini-pumpkin-pies/. The baking time is around 20 minutes for a regular muffin pan. For a mini muffin pan I’d guess around 10-15, but I’m not quite sure.
I so want to try this! A lot of recipes call for two eggs, like Libby’s, which is fine, but I’m curious to see how the extra egg makes a difference. I’ve also only tried making pie crust once, with bad results, but I’m going to try your recipe. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hope you enjoy the pie, Tiffany!
Great pumpkin pie. Feedback from family was thus was three best yet. Baker feedback- blind baking timing was spot on. However I did forget the 5 min put it back in and still turned out beautifully flaky. Pie insides so structurally sturdy that shortly out of the oven (family can’t wait) it still held form. Thank you. This is going in the family recipe cabinet.
So glad to hear your family loved the pie, Jamie!
Hi, I was wondering if I can use a frozen pie crust?
And how do you recommend I do it? Do I still bake
It before?
Thank you!
You can use a frozen pie crust, but you’ll need to thaw it out overnight in the refrigerator. Once it’s thawed, just fit in into your pie dish and blind bake (partially bake) the crust. The instructions for blind baking are in the recipe 🙂
I made this exactly as the recipe said but I have extra filling was this supposed to make 2 pies?
Was your pie dish deep enough? I typically use one that’s 1.5-2 inches deep and it makes one pie. If you have some extra filling left, you can bake it in some ramekins or a muffin pan.
I am making this pie next week for Thanksgiving! I already have pumpkin pie spice which contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. How much of the pumpkin pie spice should I use? 1 teaspoon?
I would use about 2 teaspoons, maybe up to 2.5 teaspoons if you really love extra spices in your pumpkin pie.
I followed the recipe exactly…..pie filling looks nice but the crust edge is burned black! I even had the edge covered the entire time! I should have known baking it at that high temp might have produced that outcome. I am embarrassed to bring my 2 pies to the dinner but have no choice …will just tell everyone to try to ignore the crust.. Next time I will reduce the temp after 15 minutes like my old recipe states. I sure hope it tastes good.
I’m sorry to hear that, Helene. Is it completely burned or just slightly to where you can possibly scrape some of it off?
I’ve made this several times and never had issues with the crust burning. Have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer before. I’m wondering if your oven may run a little hot and that’s why? Also, I find that sometimes pie crust shields don’t fully cover the edges of the crust, so I like to use foil sometime to make sure the edges are covered well.
I did have a thermometer and silicone shields…..maybe because I used glass??? But the day is saved by my DIL’s excellent suggestion…..I am cutting off the crust edge and piping the outer edge with a cream cheese frosting….it will look nice. And I found a good recipe that is not overly sweet on pintrist. Wish me luck!
Im not quite sure it would be the glass dish, I’ve used them before too. You’re DIL’s idea is wonderful though! If you want something a little less sweet I have a homemade whipped cream recipe that pipes well too. Here is a link: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/homemade-whipped-cream/. But I think the cream cheese frosting would be great as well. Best of luck and hope everyone enjoys the pie! 🙂
Unfortunately I found out the hard way silicone shields stink! So if that’s what you used, that might be the problem, maybe? I always use good old aluminum foil and have yet to have burnt edges. However, I also do NOT blind bake my shells. Great idea to use the cream cheese icing! Daughter in law for the win!
Thanks for sharing, Angel! I find aluminum foil to work the best as well and easy to use 🙂
This is very much like my Grandma’s recipe (I am 65 so it’s pretty old). Two things different, she used Mexican vanilla and two teaspoons Hershey’s cocoa powder. The color is beautiful because of the cocoa in addition to cutting any bite from the pumpkin.
I’ve never tried adding cocoa powder, but I’m intrigued. I may need to try that out sometime!
I just finished baking this for Thanksgiving tomorrow. When you say, “pie will be wobbly in the middle,” how wobbly is wobbly? Lol!
I don’t want to run the chance of it not setting but don’t want to burn it either. I baked it for 45 mins.
Hi Amanda! The edges of the pie should be set. the center will *look* set but be slightly wobbly if you move it. The residual heat will continue to cook the pie and it will set up.
I have this in the oven right now. Am using a GF pie crust for the first time and used my GF flour mix in the filling. Will give everyone an update after tomorrow.
I’d love to hear how it turns out with the gluten free crust and flour, Donna!
Made this pumpkin pie haven’t tried it yet but it looks really good and did It win an all butter pie crust
Hope you enjoy the pie, Liz!
I baked the pie as specified and after 42 minutes at 400 degrees it was way over done. I used a pie shield and under the pie shield the edges were burnt and frankly the pie was a little overdone, but edible. My oven is not too hot. After this I baked your delicious oatmeal raisin cookies at 350 for 12 minutes. The cookies were perfect. I love this recipe, but next time like other pumpkin pie recipes, I will start the pie recipe at 400 for 15 minutes and then turn it back to 350 for the rest of the time. Or bake it at 350 for longer than specified. By the way I prebaked the crust and the crust was fine (400 degrees at 13 minutes).
I’m sorry to hear that, Lauren. I’ve made this pie several times and never had any issues with it being overbaked. I do like to use aluminum foil to cover the edges of the pie crust, I find that it works better than a pie shield. I also think it would be fine to adjust the oven temperature to see if it helps next time you make it though. I’m glad to hear you liked the taste of the pie and the oatmeal cookies too! 🙂
Made this, my first pumpkin pie attempt, around Thanksgiving last year. My grown son came by and said, “Can you make this, this, and this for a dinner I’m going too?”. One of the “this'” was a pumpkin pie. Found this recipe, sounded good, so I tried it. Loved it and so does everyone else. Great recipe!!!
I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed the pumpkin pie, Terrie! I make this every year for the holidays! 🙂
I made this recipe last year for Christmas and my husband loved It so much he asks for IT every weekend lol so i make two pies once a month! I am making them right now yummy ? can’t wait for my pies! Thank u so much for sharing this wonderful recipe! I use frozen pies and still comes out delicious
That’s wonderful to hear, Monica! 🙂 I tend to only eat pumpkin pie around the holidays, but it’s my favorite so I definitely need to make it more often. I’m glad you both love it!
Made this today.. soooo amazing! And really quick and simple.
So glad you liked the pumpkin pie, Madison!
would you have any suggestions/adaptations high altitude?
I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, but King Arthur flour has a great guide for how to adjust recipes for high altitude.