Classic Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Homemade classic Pumpkin Pie is a Thanksgiving favorite! This traditional recipe uses a homemade pie crust and can be made with canned or fresh pumpkin.

Why this recipe works:

There’s absolutely nothing ground breaking or earth shattering about this pie recipe. It’s about as basic, standard, and classic as you might get.

Now, I know the easiest thing to do is buy one of those gigantic pumpkin pies at Costco that only cost a few dollars, but I honestly don’t think anything compares to a homemade pie.

There are definitely a few tips and tricks you can follow to ensure your pie turns out perfectly. I’ve been making this recipe for over three decades! Hopefully this info will be helpful as you make this classic pie.

How to make it:

I always create my own recipes or I start with a basic recipe and make it my own. This is the one exception. I start with Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe – you know, the one on the label of the can. Of course I put my own tweaks on the process.

1. The first thing you must do is make your crust and I highly recommend making my all-butter homemade pie crust. You’ll need to do this ahead of time since the dough needs at least an hour to rest.
2. Roll your dough out into a large uniform disk and place it in the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Go ahead and make the edges as pretty as you desire.
3. The pumpkin filling is a combination of sugar (both granulated and golden brown), pumpkin pie spice, eggs, pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, and a pinch of salt. Everything is mixed together in a large bowl and poured into the pie shell.
4. You’ll start the pie out in a super hot oven for 15 minutes, then you’ll reduce the heat and continue cooking until the pie is set. Allow the pie to cool and enjoy!

Pumpkin pie baking tips:

This is a rather straight forward recipe, but there are a few things you need to know in order to create the best pumpkin pie ever!

• When I bake pies, I like to have my oven rack set in the lower third of the oven. This allows the bottom crust and filling to cook without the top of the pie getting overly brown.
• If you made my butter pie crust, you’ll need to set the pie on a baking sheet in the oven. The butter will melt and ooze all over your oven creating a smoky mess.
• It’s all about the jiggle. Sometimes the hardest part about baking a pumpkin pie is knowing when it’s done. The trick is to give it a shake. In now way should the middle look wet, but it should have a bit of jiggly movement to it. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

What does it taste like?

I would guess that 99% of Americans know what pumpkin pie tastes like, but if you’ve never had it, I’ll try to describe.

This pie is very custard like. The filling is sweet and creamy and the pie crust adds a nice chew.

There are really two types of people: those who love pumpkin pie and those who don’t. Most people love the taste, but the texture is what determines how much they actually like it.

Canned pumpkin puree or fresh?

I’ll admit that most of the pies I made growing up were a result of me opening up a can of pumpkin puree.

I do, however, think a pumpkin pie made with fresh pumpkin puree that you made yourself is so much better.

To make your own pumpkin puree, you just need to:

• cut a pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds
• either place it face down on a baking sheet and roast in 435 degree F oven until the flesh is super soft, or you can cook on the rack in the Instant Pot with a cup of water until tender
• mash the pumpkin puree
• remove as much moisture as possible either by draining with a cheesecloth or refrigerating the puree and allowing the moisture to separate.

What is the best pumpkin for a pie?

Everyone will tell you to buy a “pie pumpkin” or a “sugar pumpkin”. They are totally fine and do the trick. They are also readily available at the grocery store.

My favorite pumpkin for cooking, however, is a cinderella pumpkin. The flesh is super thick, meaning there’s a lot of “meat” in each pumpkin. They are also incredibly sweet and flavorful.

I make this pie recipe every fall along with a classic pecan pie, a sweet potato pie, and a classic apple pie!