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Homemade pumpkin pie is a best-loved recipe, and a must during the holidays delivering a perfectly spiced pumpkin filling and flaky crust!
a Holiday Favorite
Homemade pumpkin pie is the quintessential fall dessert, a beloved tradition for many families, including ours. This pie recipe has been our go-to for several years and is one our mom has made for Thanksgiving for decades.
The secret to its success lies in the perfect balance of flavors, with a touch of sweetness and spices. Add the flaky, buttery crust, and this pie is PURE PERFECTION! We know you’ll love it just as much as we do.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Family Favorite. This Thanksgiving dessert recipe has been made by our family for decades that tastes amazing and is a holiday must-have.
- It’s simple. Use our Easy Pie Crust or store bought, and the rest of the process is easy as pie (literally!) Plus, it takes just a few minutes to prep.
- It can be made ahead of time. For busy holidays, it’s great to have some recipes made in advance to lessen the craziness of the day.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
BAKE TIME: 1 hour
- 4 large eggs – room temperature eggs will incorporate better than cold ones
- 1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin puree – This is canned pumpkin puree and NOT canned pumpkin pie filling – we typically use store-bought Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree.
- 3 cups evaporated milk – NOT sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ cups granulated sugar – You can also add 1 cup + 1/2 cup brown sugar for added flavor.
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon – you can replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with an equal amount of Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts – store-bought or homemade Pie Crust
Want Fresh Pumpkin Puree?
Puree it using a blender, or mash by hand. Once pureed, this pumpkin puree from scratch recipe can be used in your recipes!
- Take a baking pumpkin (1½ pound pumpkin will yield about 2 cups of puree), and split it in half using a knife.
- Scrape out all of the seeds and bits with a spoon, and place the halves cut side up on a foil-covered baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven at 325°F for 30-40 minutes for a small pumpkin, and about an hour for a larger one (If the flesh is still thick and hard to scrape, it needs to roast longer). Scrape out all of the flesh.
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- FILLING. In a large bowl, lightly beat 4 eggs with a hand mixer on low speed until well blended. Add 1 can pumpkin puree, 3 cups evaporated milk, 1½ cups sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix until well blended.
- CRUST. Place 2 unbaked pie crusts in two 9-inch pie pans and poke holes in the crusts with a fork to prevent bubbles. Crimp edges of each crust.
- BAKE. Divide the pumpkin mixture evenly between pie crusts and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Top your pie with Whipped Cream, sugared nuts (Candied Pecans are great!) or a scoop of ice cream (Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel Sauce, or cinnamon).
Make Mini Pumpkin Pies
Use our Mini Pumpkin Pie recipe or use the pie crust for this recipe to stamp out disks that will fit your mini pie pans and fill with the pumpkin pie filling. Bake in a 375°F preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes.
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Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Homemade pumpkin pie is a best-loved recipe, and a must during the holidays delivering a perfectly spiced pumpkin filling and flaky crust!
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs with a hand mixer on low speed until well blended. Add pumpkin, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Mix until well blended.
- Place pie crusts in two 9-inch pie pans and poke holes in the crusts with a fork to prevent bubbles. Crimp edges of each crust.
- Divide filling evenly between pie crusts and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Video
Notes
Make ahead of time. Pumpkin pie can be kept loosely covered in the refrigerator for 3–5 days.
Suggested toppings. Dress your pie up with whipped cream, peanut brittle, sugared nuts (pecans are great!), a scoop of ice cream (vanilla, caramel or cinnamon) on each slice, mini chocolate chips or chocolate sauce.
Store. After pulling a pumpkin pie out of the oven, it has to sit and cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, Homemade Pumpkin Pie can be left at room temperature for about two hours. Beyond that, store the pie in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for 3-5 days.
Freeze. Wrap it tightly in a couple layers of plastic wrap (and one layer of foil for good measure), and store on a flat shelf in the freezer for a month, or two at most. When you’re ready to eat the pie, let it thaw in the fridge. It will take at least 12 hours, so plan accordingly!
Nutrition
Calories: 268kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.004g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 315mg, Potassium: 188mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 185IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 140mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQs
Why Does My Pumpkin Pie Crack on Top?
- There are several reasons why a pumpkin pie may crack such as overbaking, insufficient moisture in the pie, rapid temperature changes, and incorrect pan placement in the oven. If cracks do occur you can always cover it up with a generous dollop of whipped cream before serving.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe?
- Temperature. Your oven temperature is correct. An independent oven thermometer is more exact than the one in the oven.
- Give it space. Baking on the lower rack will help fully cook the crust without over-baking the filling.
- Jiggle test. When done, the edges will look done, while the pumpkin filling in the center will be a bit sunken and jiggle like Jell-O. Take it out, set it on a wire rack, and let it cool. The center will continue to cook and set before cooling off completely.
Why Does the Pie Crust Separate From the Filling?
- This is pretty normal! When custard pie fillings (like pumpkin) cook and cool, they typically shrink and separate.
How to Store Pumpkin Pie?
- After pulling a pumpkin pie out of the oven, it has to sit and cool to room temperature. Once cooled it can be left at room temperature for about two hours. Beyond that, store the pie in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for 3-5 days.
How to Freeze?
- Store either as a whole pie, or in individual slices
- If you start making this easy pumpkin pie recipe to freeze: Bake it in a disposable aluminum pan—this will allow it to freeze quicker (the quicker, the better).
- Regardless of what type of pie dish you bake it in, let your pie cool completely before putting it in the freezer. Otherwise, steam and moisture will get trapped under the crust and ruin the texture.
- Wrap it tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap (and one layer of foil for good measure), and store it on a flat shelf in the freezer for a month, or two at most.
- Thaw. When you’re ready to eat the pie, let it thaw in the fridge. It will take at least 12 hours, so plan accordingly! Thawing at room temperature will make it thaw too quickly, resulting in a soggy crust.
This is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe, so easy to make and homemade is always the best.
One of my go-to Halloween desserts! It’s rich in flavor and savory. Everyone loves it!
This pumpkin pie was amazing! And so easy to make! Cannot wait to make this again!
I’ve made your pumpkin pie 4x and every time my guests raved about it
This is my Thanksgiving go to now
Thank You
This recipe sounds yummy and I can’t wait to try it. I have to say, in my opinion, canned pumpkin is a sorry substitute for fresh pumpkin. I have an easy way to prepare a fresh pumpkin. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Put half, cut side down on a plate and microwave in 8 minute intervals, alternating between halves, allowing the first steam cut side down while the second half cooks. The peeling will become darker and soft when the meat is cooked. Cool and scoop it out.
There is nothing quite like using fresh pumpkin, it’s true! Thanks for sharing how you cook it. Hope you enjoy the pumpkin pie!
This was such a delicious pie. It was super easy. The only thing I wish was included in the recipe, is the size of pie shells to use. I bought 2 frozen pie shells and I still had almost half of the filling left over
MY FAMILY LOVED IT! A PERFECT TREAT FOR PUMPKIN SEASON!
What a delicious recipe, and perfect for fall! Looking forward to making this again and again this season!