Classic Pumpkin Pie

My Classic Pumpkin Pie is velvety smooth and creamy, perfectly spiced, and so easy to make!  The perfect dessert for the holidays, and the only pumpkin pie recipe you’ll need.

This Classic Pumpkin Pie recipe is such a classic dessert during our holidays, and SO delicious!  We love Fall desserts, like my Apple Crisp, and Pecan Pie.   This is one of my Dessert recipes you’ll definitely want in your collection!

PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE

Between my all time favorite, Pecan Pie, and this Classic Pumpkin Pie, it’s hard to tell what I’ll be the most excited for on Thanksgiving!

After all, the pie is almost more revered than the main course… as in it’s just not Thanksgiving without pie, specifically PUMPKIN pie.

This pie is smooth and creamy, packed with plenty of warm spices, and just begging for a dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon!

I’ll admit, this isn’t a ground-breaking recipe.  It’s a very common, classic, pumpkin pie.  Still insanely delicious, but you won’t find anything earth-shattering in this recipe.

But be on the lookout next year for some other types of pumpkin pie, as my creative wheels have been spinning like crazy, and I don’t have time to get them all tested, photographed and up here on the site before this upcoming holiday.

As we head into the holiday season, and you start planning out your menus; I encourage you to add this pumpkin pie recipe to the list.  Trust me, everyone will love it and probably want more than one slice.

HOW TO MAKE A CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE

1. Line pie pan.  Roll out and line a pie pan with pie crust.  Decorate edges as desired, then refrigerate while you make the filling.
2. Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, just add the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar, and whisk until combined.  Whisk in spices, then evaporated milk.
3. Bake. Pour filling into crust and cover the crust edges with a pie crust shield or use foil to make one.  This keeps the crust from burning or getting too browned.

This pie is baked in two stages, the first 15 minutes are baked at 425°F.  Then reduce the oven temperature (while the pie is still in the oven), and bake 40-50 minutes at 350°F until set.

1. Cool.  Cool the pie in the pie pan on a cooling rack until room temperature.  Then serve or refrigerate.

ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS

• HOW TO KNOW IF PUMPKIN PIE IS COOKED – pumpkin pie has a custard filling, which can be a bit tricky.  Gently give the pie pan a little nudge when the baking time has elapsed.  The outside should be set and look dry and the filling should jiggle a little in the center, but not be wet and super jiggly all over.  Think the consistency of Jello wiggling.  Remember not to cut the pie right away… pumpkin pie needs time to set, which happens during the cooling and refrigerating process.  It’s so tempting to try a bite, but be patient… it’ll be worth the wait!
• BLIND BAKE – a lot of pumpkin pie recipes call for the crust to be blind-baked for 10-15 minutes. This just means that you bake the crust UNfilled first, then fill it and bake it longer at a lower temperature. The reason for doing this is to create a crisper crust on the bottom of the pie.  I’ve never noticed a soggy bottom on this recipe, so I don’t mess with blind baking the crust.
  • If you’d like to blind bake the crust, preheat the oven to 375°F.  Add pie crust to the pan and line it with parchment paper.  Fill it about halfway with dried beans or pie weights and bake about 15 minutes.  Remove the parchment paper and beans and bake another 5-7 minutes. Let the crust cool while you prepare the filling, then proceed as written.

• CRACKING TOPS – the reason cracks appear on the top of your pumpkin pie is from the pie being a touch over-baked.  The eggs tighten as they cook, and the longer they’re cooked, the more they tighten. Alas, sometimes even with the best of intentions, you get a few cracks, like mine.  No worries though, once a slice is topped with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, no one will know!

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

• BOURBON – if you like the smoky taste of bourbon, you have to try adding some to this pie!  Add about 2 Tbsp of bourbon, no other changes are needed, and you’ll end up with a fabulous pumpkin pie with a warm Fall twist!
• SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK – a lot of folks swear by using sweetened condensed milk in their pumpkin pies, so if you’d prefer to use it, just omit the evaporated milk and the sugar.

• STORE-BOUGHT CRUST – we LOVE the flakiness and taste of my homemade pie crust, but I know not everyone wants to make their own.  Store-bought crusts work well too.
• HEAVY CREAM – if you don’t have evaporated milk, or would prefer not to use it, feel free to swap it out for 1 1/3 cups of heavy whipping cream.  I don’t recommend using regular whole milk or half and half, as the texture of the pie isn’t as great.
• CARAMEL – we love to drizzle some caramel sauce over the top of this pie… so decadent!
• TOPPINGS – a slice of pumpkin pie goes SO well with some vanilla ice cream (try my bourbon vanilla ice cream!), or some whipped cream.

MAKING PUMPKIN PIE AHEAD OF TIME

Pies are great to make ahead of time, so you can absolutely make this whole pie a day ahead, although I wouldn’t go longer than that.

You can also combine the filling ingredients ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator for a day.

STORAGE

Leftover pie should be covered, refrigerated, and consumed within 4-5 days.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

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• Pie Pan – I have several of these pie pans, they’re great!
• Glass Pie Dish – if you prefer a glass pie dish, this is a great brand that works well.
• Pie Crust Shield – made with oven safe silicone, this shield is adjustable and resusable.
• Mixing Bowls – I love these stainless bowls with the non-slip bottoms and handles!

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