This classic Pumpkin Pie Recipe is the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert. Watch the video tutorial and learn how to make pumpkin pie with a buttery, flaky crust and the best filling.
We love pumpkin recipes from our decadent Pumpkin Cheesecake to Pumpkin Bread. If you are a fan of pumpkin flavors, this homemade Pumpkin Pie is a must-try. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
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The Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe
There’s no store-bought pie that even comes close to this homemade pumpkin pie. It’s worth the effort to make one from scratch (especially for Thanksgiving) and this one is epic. We’ve even turned this recipe into Mini Pumpkin Pies. Here’s why everyone raves about this pie:
- The Best Pie Crust – we use our go-to pie crust to make a tender and flaky crust. Pre-baking will make all the difference in the final taste and texture of the crust. Follow the tips below for success.
- The Filling – there is tons of great pumpkin flavor because of the ingredients we recommend that really highlight the pumpkin flavor.
- The topping – we added rum into the whipped cream that will keep everyone guessing and makes the flavor exciting.
Pumpkin Pie Video Tutorial
Pumpkin Pie is a staple on the holiday table and we honestly love it all Autumn and winter long. It’s so comforting. Make sure you try the whipped cream – it’s so simple to make and infuses every bite with tons of flavor.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie
After testing dozens of pumpkin pie recipes, this one has the perfect texture and flavor. The key to getting the right custard-like consistency is in the extra egg yolks. Keep those whites for your next egg white omelet.
- Pie Crust – use 1 pie disk or half of our pie crust recipe
- Egg white – to brush and seal the inside of the crust
- Pumpkin puree – this can make or break your pie. See our recommendation below.
- 3 Egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg – the extra yolks give this a creamy custard consistency.
- Sugar – the combination of light brown and granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness
- Simple spices – salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon are all you need. These make the pumpkin flavors really shine.
- Vanilla extract – adds great flavor
- Evaporated milk – gives the pie a creamy, silky consistency.
The Best Pumpkin Puree
We highly recommend Libby’s brand 100% pure pumpkin puree. There is a good reason everyone recommends using Libby’s and after several tests using different brands and even organic purees, Libby’s wins for:
- Best Texture – it’s super thick and concentrated
- Rich Color – the deep orange hue will give you the best-colored pie once it’s baked.
- Pumpkin Flavor – because it’s very concentrated and well-drained, the pumpkin flavor really comes through in your pie.
- Versatile – we also use it for pumpkin recipes like Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Cupcakes and Pumpkin Pancakes.
Tools You Will Need
You don’t need any fancy equipment to make a homemade pie. These are our favorite tools for making pie.
- Pie Pan – use a 9 to 9 1/2” glass pie pan
- Rolling Pin – we love the French rolling pin style
- Parchment Paper – to crinkle and use under pie weights
- Pie Weights – use either ceramic pie weights, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of dried beans, or white rice to pre-bake the pie crust.
Should I pre-bake the crust?
Pre-baking or ‘blind baking’ the pie crust is important for pumpkin pie because it ensures that it stays crisp and doesn’t get soggy as the filling bakes. The process is well worth it and you will love the crust just as much as you love the filling. Get all of our best tips for blind-baking a crust in our Pie Crust Recipe.
Can I re-use the pie weights? If you are using beans or rice, you can let them cool to room temperature and re-use them. Traditional ceramic pie weights are an investment initially but can last for years and be re-used countless times.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie
Making a pumpkin pie is easier and takes less time than you think! The best part is, you can pre-bake the crust a day or two ahead and even completely bake and refrigerate the pie two days ahead.
- Prepare the crust – roll chilled pie dough to a 12″ circle, transfer to a pie pan, crimp the edges and freeze 30 minutes.
- Blind-bake crust – line the frozen pie crust with a circle of crinkled parchment paper and fill 3/4 full with pie weights. Bake at 425˚F for 17 minutes, remove pie weights, prick all over with a fork, brush with egg white and bake another 5 minutes.
- Make the Filling – Whisk together all filling ingredients then add evaporated milk and whisk until smooth. Bake at 350˚F for 60 minutes then cool pie to room temperature.
- Whipped Cream – beat 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form then add sugar, rum, and vanilla and beat until medium/stiff peaks form. Pipe over cooled slices of pie.
Common Questions:
If the only thing stopping you from making a pumpkin pie is the crust, then by all means use a store-bought deep-dish pie crust.
We have tested with and without pre-baking and the crust was significantly better (flakier and crisper) when pre-baked. If you decide not to pre-bake then you’ll want to bake at 425˚F for 15 minutes then reduce to 350˚F and bake another 45-50 minutes.
We prefer to make pies that require a pre-bake in a glass pan because you can see the progress of the crust as it bakes, but a ceramic pie dish will also work.
Once the pie is at room temperature, you can wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator for 12 hours before serving.
How to prevent cracks in Pumpkin Pie
- Avoid whisking the filling vigorously. Continue whisking after the evaporated milk is added until the bubbles are broken down.
- Do not overbake – An overbaked center is more likely to get dry and crack. Also baking at a lower temperature (350˚F) prevents the cake from rising too quickly, then sinking and cracking.
- Avoid the knife test for doneness – this will cause a big crack where you inserted the knife. Instead, test for doneness by giving the pan a little jolt. It should be set at the edges with a slight wobble in the center.
Pro Serving Tip: just like with Cheesecake, use a damp paper towel to wipe the knife between cuts for clean slices.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
If you love a traditional Thanksgiving menu, these are our top recipes for your holiday feast.
- Juicy Roast Turkey
- Turkey Gravy
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Cranberry Sauce
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole
Classic Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Pie:
- 1 pie crust, (1 disk or half of our pie crust recipe)
- 1 egg white , (to brush inside hot crust)
- 15 oz pumpkin puree, room temperature (Libby’s brand works best)
- 1 large egg, plus 3 egg yolks, room temp
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (break up any clumps before adding)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 oz evaporated milk, room temperature
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 Tbsp golden rum
Instructions
Prepare the Pie Crust:
- Roll 1 chilled pie disk to a 12” diameter circle. Transfer to a 9” glass pie pan.
- Fold the excess dough behind the crust under at the edge to build up the edge for crimping then crimp the edge. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate 1 hour, which will help the crust bake more evenly without sliding down.
Blind Baking the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line the center of your chilled pie crust with a 9-10″ ring of crinkled up parchment paper and fill about 3/4 full with dry beans or pie weights. Bake 17 minutes or until edges are starting to turn golden.
- Remove pie weights, prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork, brush the inside of the pie crust with egg white and place back in the oven without weights for 5 minutes or until the center looks dry. The egg white creates a barrier so the filling doesn’t soak into the crust. Cool completely to room temp before adding the filling.
Make Pumpkin Pie Filling and Bake:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, egg and yolks, brown and granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon until well combined.
- Add evaporated milk and whisk until blended and all of the bubbles are gone from the batter. Tap bowl against the counter a few times to knock out any extra bubbles. Pour into pre-baked and cooled crust.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350˚F and bake 55-60 minutes until the pie is nearly set. It should be completely set at the edges with just a slightly loose center. It should be barely wobbly like a cheesecake.
- Cool completely on a wire rack until room temp (3 hours) then serve or refrigerate if not serving the same day.
Make the Rum Whipped Cream:
- In a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed with the whisk attachment or egg beaters for 1 minute until soft peaks form.
- Add 3 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 Tbsp rum, and 1/2vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until medium peaks form.
Perfect as always! Great way to use pumpkin from the garden!
Wanting to make this for Thanksgiving today. I don’t have a pie pan. Can I use a smaller baking sheet/jelly roll type pan and do pie squares? If so, what temp and how long do you think?
Hi TM! I’m not sure how that would work. Feel free to experiment with it. If you have cupcake/muffin tins, you can use my Mini pumpkin pies recipe.
Is this meant to be baked with dropping the oven temp from 425 to 350 immediately before putting it in or should I let the oven cool off to 350 first?
Hi Lauren! You can put the pie in the oven and then drop the temperature. There’s no need to wait for it to cool down. I hope you love the recipe!
Love this pie recipe! Made it many times. One thing I do think is confusing about the directions, is when blind baking the crust. It says to brush crust with egg white and bake for 5 minutes. Then it says “ While it’s still hot, brush the inside with egg white…and then cool.” This makes it sound like you should be brushing with egg white and baking and then brushing with egg white a second time and cooling. I had to go watch the recipe video to see what to do.
Hi Shirl, thank you for pointing that out. We brush on the crust while it’s hot and I had a duplicate instruction in there. Sorry for any confusion on that. I hope you totally love the pumpkin pie recipe!
Can I make the pumpkin pie on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? If so, how do I keep it fresh until Thanksgiving? Will it taste the same making it in advance? Thank you!
The USDA says that pumpkin pie will last safely in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Keep it covered well or in an air tight container for freshness and so it does not go stale. This pie still tastes great even after a few days of making it.
I’ve never made pumpkin pie before, so I closely followed the directions and did not change a thing. It came out perfect! I received several requests for the recipe–which I was happy to accommodate!
Thank you.
That’s wonderful, Jackie!
I noticed when you cut the pie for the tasting you sliced one slice. In the shot where you tasted it there was more pie missing. I have that same problem around my house and don’t know how to stop it. Any ideas?
Haha! This definitely does not last long in our household.
Would it be possible to substitute sweet potato instead of pumpkin? I looked at the sweet potato casserole to help with adjustment. Thank you.
I haven’t tested that version yet to advise. We’d like to know how it goes if you give that a try!
I do sweet potato interchangeably with pumpkin all the time. Interested in this recipe because I like the pie denser and use less egg and milk (evaporated, regular if I’m out of evaporated, cream and milk–once I even used softened ice cream because it turned out there was no milk of any kind in the house, just reduced the sugar and egg), and this uses extra egg yolks instead of 3 whole eggs so might achieve the same thing.
We’d love to know how it goes if you try this soon.
Made this today using a Pillsbury pie crust blind baked it. Then make the pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin that I baked and then drained it and made your pie. It was delicious and definitely will make again. Thanks.
Hi Karen! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Should I cover the edge of the crust after pre baking ? I wouldn’t want the edges to burn.
Hi Jessalyn. You could if your edges start to burn.
Have made this two days in a row because my family devoured the entire pie the first day. Also used your butter crust recipe. Everything was perfect. As usual, once I follow your recipe, it becomes my go-to recipe for that dish.
Aaaw, thank you so much for your good comments and review. I appreciate it!