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This Easy Pumpkin Pie is smooth, creamy and perfectly spiced. Use store bought crust for an easy short cut, or make your own! The must have Thanksgiving dessert for your table.
Pumpkin pie is such an iconic Thanksgiving dessert, and for good reason. The original “pumpkin spice” dessert has a rich, creamy, spiced custard base with a flaky crust. Add whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and it’s the perfect end to the big meal. You may be intimidated to make a pumpkin pie from scratch, but let me tell you, it is actually very easy! Let’s start with the crust – homemade or store bought are both fine!
Should you pre bake a pie crust for Pumpkin Pie?
Whether using store bought or homemade pie crust, I prefer to pre bake, or “blind bake” the pie crust before adding the filling. Blind baking the crust helps it stay flaky and crisp. If you don’t pre bake the crust, it will sometimes get a bit soggy.
How to blind bake a pie crust
After the pie crust is fitted to the pie pan, line it with foil or parchment paper. Fill it with pie weights – or if you don’t have pie weights, you can just use dried beans. Bake in the oven until edges are starting to turn golden and pie crust is getting firm. Remove from the oven and remove the foil and pie weights, then allow it to cool completely before filling the crust.
Easy Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
- Pie Crust – store bought or homemade – either is fine! Make sure you have enough for a 9 inch pie.
- Pumpkin Puree – This recipe uses canned pumpkin because it is consistent and easy. You can use homemade pumpkin puree if you prefer.
- Brown Sugar – since this recipe doesn’t use sweetened condensed milk, we need this to sweeten the pie – it also adds a subtle molasses flavor.
- Eggs – Help the custard set and add richness
- Vanilla extract – a little bit of extra flavor that is less commonly used.
- Spices – Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove make that classic pumpkin pie spice.
- Salt – balances the sweetness.
- Half-and-Half – Makes the pie smooth and creamy. Half-and-half is an American dairy product that is half milk and half heavy cream.
How to make Pumpkin Pie from scratch
Making Pumpkin Pie from scratch is so easy! You can go all the way and make your pie crust from scratch too, or take a shortcut and buy a premade pie crust. Both are totally valid options! Here is an overview of the recipe, which you can find below.
- Prebake the pie crust
- Mix the filling
- Bake until set
- Allow to cool completely before serving
Can you make pumpkin pie ahead of time?
Yes you can, in fact, I recommend it! I always make my pies one to two days before Thanksgiving. This allows them to cool before serving and it gives you one less thing to worry about on the big day!
How long is pumpkin pie good in the fridge?
Homemade pumpkin pie will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can wrap and freeze it for up to six months.
How to store pumpkin pie
Cover and store in the fridge for up to three days. Or, tightly wrap and freeze for up to 6 months.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Easy Herb Butter Turkey
- Cranberry Apple Stuffing
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Fresh Green Bean Casserole
- Make Ahead Gravy
- Classic Cranberry Sauce
Easy Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust for 9 inch pie pan (store bought or homemade).
- 1 and 3/4 cups canned pumpkin puree one – 15 ounce can
- 1 cup half-and-half may substitute heavy cream or half milk and half cream.
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground clove
Instructions
- After fitting pie crust to a 9 inch pie pan, prick the bottom with a fork and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. If using frozen pie crust, skip this step.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line crust with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Fill with dried beans or pie weights; bake until edges are starting to turn golden and crust is firm, 15- 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil/parchment paper and pie weights, allow the crust to cool completely before filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half-and-half, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, spices.. Pour mixture into cooled pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F until set, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack at room temperature for at least 1 hour, then refrigerate to cool completely.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
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