Pumpkin Pie

How To Make Pumpkin Pie

Here are the simple steps that will show you how to make pumpkin pie you’ll be proud to serve. Follow the recipe for all the specifics:

Make the Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry

Use a fork to mix oil with the flour and salt. Add water until a dough is formed. Press the pastry in the bottom and up the side of a glass pie plate with your fingers—there is no need to roll it out with a rolling pin.

Mix the Filling

With a whisk mix the eggs (it breaks them up quickly) with the sugar, spices, pumpkin, and milk.

Fill the Pastry-Lined Pie Plate

Place the pie plate on the oven rack before pouring in the filling. This will help prevent spilling any of the filling transferring the pie to the oven. The pie plate will be very full to get that beautifully filled crust when baked.

Bake the Pie

Bake for 15 minutes before reducing the oven temperature to complete the baking. The pie is done when a knife can be inserted in the center, and it comes out clean.

Cool the Pie

It’s important to use a cooling rack and cool your pie completely, which will take about 2 hours. Once the pie has cooled, it will be very easy to get those classic shaped pieces out of the pie plate.

Whip the Cream

Beat whipping cream and sugar in a chilled bowl to create the most volume of billowy whipped cream possible. Spoon the whipped cream onto the pie before serving or add dollops to the slices when cut and plated. For a fancier presentation (as we did in the photo), spoon the whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a wide star tip and pipe it in concentric circles to create little whipped swirls on the pie.

Pumpkin Pie Variations and Toppings

There are so many ways to make homemade pumpkin pie extra-special. Try one of these ideas:

Spice It Up: Add a sprinkling of cinnamon over the whipped cream mounds, for extra eye-appeal and a warm, sweet spice. To make a light and even sprinkle, spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon into a fine-mesh strainer. Then use a spoon to tap the handle of the strainer while holding it over the cream for a dusting of delight.

Add a Cookie or Candy: Set a small, decorated sugar cookie or candy on the whipped cream to add holiday interest and sparkle. You can make your own cookies or pick them up from the store. Or look for seasonal holiday-shaped chocolates to adorn your pie.

Get Nutty: Top the baked pie (or just the whipped cream) with pecan halves or chopped pecans.

Cranberry Gems: Dip fresh cranberries in a little white corn syrup mixed with a tiny bit of water; roll in granulated sugar and let dry on paper towel-lined cookie sheet. Place them gently on the whipped cream, along with a small sprig of fresh mint.

Pie Crust Shapes: Cut either refrigerated pie crust or homemade pie crust pastry with small cookie cutters in the shape of leaves for the fall, turkeys for Thanksgiving, or any other shape you wish. Bake until golden brown; cool, and place on top of the pie before adding the whipped cream.

Looking for other easy pumpkin pie recipe variations? Try one of these delicious recipes:

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese pie is a beautiful, marbled pie that’s part pumpkin pie, part cheesecake filled.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie is just the ticket if you’re looking for a gluten-free pumpkin pie that delivers exceptional texture as well as flavor.

Impossibly Easy Mini Pumpkin Pies are quick-to-make, individual bite-size pies, ready in under an hour.

Using Fresh Versus Canned Pumpkin

We prefer using canned pumpkin over fresh pumpkin, for so many reasons. Canned pumpkin is picked and packed when the pumpkin is at its peak flavor. It also has a smooth texture (without any lumps or fibers), to give your pumpkin pie a smooth texture and the best flavor. And it saves time, rather than having to cut, cook, and mash your own.

If you want to use fresh pumpkin, be sure you’re using smaller pumpkins labeled “pie pumpkins“(not to be confused with other, more frequently found pumpkins that are meant for carving or decorating). Carving pumpkins do not have a rich pumpkin flavor and can be fibrous when cooked, resulting in pumpkin pie filling that has stringy, fibrous pieces in it.

Peel and seed pie pumpkins and cook them until they are very tender. Drain and mash them until smooth. You’ll need about 1 3/4 cups cooked pumpkin to equal one 15-oz can.

Using This Recipe with a Premade Crust

This simple pumpkin pie recipe will be even quicker to the oven if you start with a pre-made crust. And if you’re intimidated by making your own crust, this is a wonderful way to delve into making a pie for the first time. Substitute one refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crust (from a 2-crust box) for the pat-in-the-pan pastry ingredients. Soften and ease into the pie plate as directed on the package. Flute the edge as desired. Omit step 1 and continue on with recipe as directed in step 2.

More Pumpkin Recipes

If you’re a fan of pumpkin, indulge in these delicious pumpkin spice treats any time you get the craving:

Pumpkin Bars: Scrumptious moist, tender pumpkin and raisin bars made easy with Bisquick™. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, this yummy recipe feeds a crowd.

Pumpkin Layered Magic Cake: A pumpkin spice and cake magically layer themselves during baking. Topped with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, it’s the perfect way for cake lovers to savor the flavors of pumpkin pie.

Storing Leftover Pumpkin Pie

If you’re lucky enough to have leftover pumpkin pie, here’s how to store it, so it will taste as fresh as the day you made it:

Wrap leftover pumpkin pie with plastic wrap in the pie plate or place it in covered food-safe storage containers. Store it in the refrigerator up to 4 days. You can enjoy it cold from the fridge or let pieces warm about 15 minutes at room temperature before eating.

Baked pumpkin pie can be store in the freezer up to 1 month. Wrap the baked and cooled pie with plastic wrap in the pie plate, then wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Or you can wrap baked and cooled slices individually with plastic wrap and foil. Thaw unwrapped pumpkin pie in the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before serving.