Pumpkin Pie from Scratch Recipe

This pumpkin pie from scratch starts with a butter crust and a simple custard of pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk or cream, and warm spices. It works with homemade pumpkin puree or with one 15-ounce can, and the quantities are sized to fill a standard 9-inch pie plate without overflowing.

Two steps keep the pie from the usual faults. The crust is par-baked under pie weights before the filling goes in, so the bottom bakes crisp instead of pale and soggy. And the pie comes out of the oven while the center still has a slight wobble. The custard finishes setting as it cools; baking it until firm in the middle is what causes cracks.

Homemade puree holds more water than canned, so it is drained in a cloth-lined sieve before measuring. The crust is one batch of this flaky all-butter pie crust. Allow at least 3 hours for the pie to cool and chill before slicing.

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

A 9-inch pumpkin pie with a par-baked all-butter crust and a spiced custard of pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar and evaporated milk, baked at 375°F until the center just wobbles.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Chilling and cooling time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8 slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 1 single 9-inch flaky all-butter pie crust 1 disc of chilled dough

Filling

• 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree: drained homemade puree or 1 can (15 ounces) plain pumpkin
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream

Method

 

Prepare the puree and crust

1. If using homemade puree, spoon about 2 1/4 cups of it into a sieve lined with a clean cloth or a double layer of paper towels, set over a bowl. Let it drain for 30 to 60 minutes, until it is as thick as canned pumpkin, then measure out 1 3/4 cups. Canned pumpkin needs no draining.
2. Roll out the chilled pie dough to a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fit it into a standard 9-inch pie plate (about 1 1/4 inches deep) without stretching it. Trim the overhang to 1/2 inch, fold it under and crimp the edge so that it stands up above the rim.
3. Freeze the shaped crust for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third.
4. Line the frozen crust with a sheet of parchment paper or foil, pressing it into the corners, and fill it to the top with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Set the plate on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edge is set and just starting to color. Lift out the paper and weights and bake for 5 minutes more, until the bottom looks dry. Take the crust out and lower the oven temperature to 375°F.

Fill and bake

1. While the crust bakes, whisk the 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl until smooth.
2. Whisk in the 2 eggs, then gradually whisk in the 1 cup evaporated milk or cream until the filling is smooth and evenly colored.
3. Pour the filling into the warm par-baked crust, stopping about 1/4 inch below the crimped edge.
4. Bake at 375°F, still on the baking sheet, for 45 to 55 minutes. Start checking at 40 minutes. The pie is done when the outer 2 to 3 inches of filling are set and slightly puffed and the center still wobbles slightly, like gelatin, when the plate is nudged. An instant-read thermometer in the center should read about 175°F. If the crust edge browns too fast, cover it with a ring of foil.
5. Cool the pie on a wire rack for 2 hours, until close to room temperature. Then refrigerate it, loosely covered, for at least 1 hour more before slicing. It slices most cleanly after several hours or a night in the refrigerator.

Notes

In place of the four spices, use 2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice. For a deeper flavor, replace 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar with packed light brown sugar.

The recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups of filling, which fits a standard 9-inch pie plate. If the crust has shrunk and a little filling is left over, bake it in a buttered ramekin alongside the pie for 20 to 25 minutes.

These par-baking steps are the partially baked option from the crust recipe. The base is left unpricked so the liquid filling cannot seep underneath it.

Pumpkin pie is an egg custard. Move it to the refrigerator after the 2-hour cooling period and keep it there, loosely covered, for up to 4 days. Serve it cold or let slices stand at room temperature for a few minutes.

Make-ahead: the pie can be baked a day in advance and refrigerated. The pie dough keeps in the refrigerator for 2 days, and drained puree keeps for 3 days.