Pumpkin Pie Recipe with Homemade Crust

This pumpkin pie is a smooth, spiced custard of canned pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and evaporated milk, baked in a homemade all-butter crust. It bakes at 425°F for 15 minutes, then at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes, and gives 8 slices.

The part people forget is the chill. The baked pie needs at least 3 hours in the fridge before it slices clean, so I almost always bake it the day before Thanksgiving. I have made this one dozens of times in different ovens, and it is the version that tastes the way people expect pumpkin pie to taste: warm, softly sweet and well spiced.

Pumpkin Pie Timing, Start to Slice

• Crust: about 15 minutes to mix, then at least 1 hour in the fridge
• Filling: 5 minutes of whisking while the shaped crust chills again
• Bake: 15 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then 35 to 45 minutes at 350°F (175°C) without opening the oven in between
• Cool and chill: cool on a rack to room temperature, then at least 3 hours in the fridge
• Total: plan on about 6 hours, most of it hands off, or bake it 1 to 2 days ahead
• Filling formula: one 15 oz can pumpkin puree, one 12 oz can evaporated milk, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup packed brown sugar

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The Crust: Cold Butter and Two Chills

Whisk 1¼ cups flour with ½ teaspoon salt, then cut in ½ cup of cold, cubed butter until it looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits left. Those bits of butter are what make the crust flaky. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, usually 3 to 4, and stop as soon as the dough holds together when you squeeze it. For a deeper walk through the dough, my pie crust recipe covers it step by step.

Flatten it into a disk, wrap it and chill it for at least an hour. That rest firms the butter again and relaxes the flour, so the crust rolls without cracking and does not shrink in the oven.

Roll it on a lightly floured counter into a 12 inch circle and ease it into a 9 inch pie plate without stretching it. Trim, crimp a tall edge, and put the plate back in the fridge while you make the filling. Cold pastry going into a hot oven keeps its shape.

Why This Crust Is Not Blind Baked

The custard goes straight into the raw, chilled crust. The first 15 minutes at 425°F are there to set the pastry before the filling can soak in. To help the bottom, bake the pie on the lower rack on a baking sheet that preheated with the oven. A store-bought crust works too when time is short; chill it in the plate the same way.

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Mixing a Smooth Pumpkin Custard

Whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger and ¼ teaspoon cloves first, so the sugar and spices are fully mixed into the pumpkin. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then slowly stir in the evaporated milk and vanilla. Stir, do not whip. A foamy custard bakes with little bubbles and a spotty top.

There is no nutmeg here on purpose; it tends to take over the other spices. Only have pumpkin pie spice? Use 2¼ teaspoons to replace the three ground spices; it will taste a little more like nutmeg.

Use pure pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. Canned gives the steadiest texture. If you use homemade pumpkin puree, drain or cook it down until it is as thick as canned, or the custard can weep.

This makes about 4 cups of filling, which fills a standard 9 inch plate right to the top. A deep plate or a tall crimped edge gives you room. If the custard reaches the rim, stop and bake the rest in a buttered ramekin at 350°F until set, about 20 to 25 minutes.

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Evaporated Milk or Heavy Cream?

Some bakers swap the evaporated milk for heavy cream. Cream gives a silkier, richer slice. Evaporated milk has less fat and more milk protein, so the custard sets firmer and holds a sharp edge when it is cut cold from the fridge. For a pie made a day ahead, I stay with evaporated milk.

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Two Oven Temperatures and the Wobble Test

Pour the filling into the cold crust and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F without opening the door and bake 35 to 45 minutes more. Start checking at 35.

Give the pie a gentle nudge. The outer ring should look matte and set, and only a 2 to 3 inch circle in the middle should jiggle, moving as one piece like set jelly. If it ripples like a liquid, give it 5 more minutes. A thin knife pushed in about an inch from the center should come out clean; an instant-read thermometer in the center reads about 175°F.

Check the crust edge at the halfway point. Once it is deep gold, cover it with a ring of foil or a pie shield for the rest of the bake. Ovens differ, so trust these cues over the clock.

Cracks, Soggy Bottoms and a Weeping Top

• Cracked top: the pie baked past the jiggle stage or cooled too fast. Pull it while the center still wobbles and cool it on a rack away from drafts. A layer of whipped cream hides a crack.
• Pale, soggy bottom: the crust went in warm or the oven was not fully hot. Chill the crust, preheat a baking sheet on the lower rack and bake on it.
• Liquid on top after chilling: usually wet homemade puree or an underbaked center. Blot gently with a paper towel; next time bake until the center sets.
• Shrunken crust: the dough was stretched into the plate or not chilled. Ease it in loosely and chill again before filling.

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Cooling, Storing and Making It Ahead

Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate it for at least 3 hours. Do not cut it warm. The custard keeps setting as it cools, and a warm slice slumps across the plate.

You can bake it 1 to 2 days ahead and keep it loosely covered in the fridge; the spices taste fuller on the second day. For clean slices, use a sharp knife and wipe it between cuts. Leftovers keep in the fridge, tightly covered.

I do not freeze a whole pie, because the custard turns slightly grainy and the crust softens. Single slices are fine: wrap each one in parchment, then foil, freeze, and thaw overnight in the fridge.

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Serving It and Pies to Bake Alongside

It needs nothing on top, but a spoonful of softly whipped, lightly sweetened cream balances the spice. Vanilla ice cream works too. On a Thanksgiving table it sits well next to a pecan pie or a sweet potato pie, and I have paired it with chocolate pudding pie for the chocolate people.

For a crowd, pumpkin pie bars use a very similar spice base under a crunchy streusel. For something lighter, pumpkin chiffon pie is airy and mousse-like, and for a dairy-free guest there is a vegan pumpkin pie. The same crust works under an apple pie too.

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Quick Answers for Pie Day

Do you have to blind bake the crust for pumpkin pie?

Not for this recipe. The custard goes into a chilled raw crust, and the first 15 minutes at 425°F set the pastry. Baking on a preheated sheet on the lower rack helps the bottom crisp.

How do you know when pumpkin pie is done?

The edges are set and only a 2 to 3 inch center jiggles as one piece. A knife an inch from the center comes out clean, and the center reads about 175°F.

Can I use a store-bought crust?

Yes. Fit it into a 9 inch plate, chill it while you mix the filling, and bake exactly as written.

How long does pumpkin pie need to chill?

At least 3 hours in the fridge after it cools to room temperature. Overnight is even better for clean slices.