I vaguely remember the first time I made my first pumpkin pie. My father, a diabetic, commissioned me to bake him a sugar-free version so he wouldn’t be tempted by all the sugary desserts during Thanksgiving dinner. I was 11 years old without a mixer, pie plate, or a cookbook to guide me. What I decided to do was follow the pie recipe on the back of a Libby’s pumpkin can and use a frozen pre-made pie shell. I followed the instructions exactly as written and was excited when I saw there no were cracks on the baked custard surface and that my pumpkin pie actually looked just as I hoped it would. My excitement only lasted a brief moment and turned to disgust rather quickly. I took a bite and had to spit it out into a napkin. Pumpkin pie without any sweetener is so bland tasting I thought I was eating store-bought baby food in a jar -yuck!
Over the years I’ve experimented with different recipes and sweeteners in search of the perfect pumpkin pie. I know people have different qualifiers in what makes a good pie. For me, I like homemade pies to be dense with a tad bit more spices than the Costco pie variety. I also like my pumpkin pies not to be too sweet, otherwise I can only eat a sliver of a slice because the pie is so sweet it distracts the flavor of the spiced pumpkin custard.
What I have for you is a pumpkin pie worthy of being your primary Thanksgiving Day dessert. You can never go wrong with a homemade pie considering so many people are used to eating store bought/Costco ones. Friends and family always appreciate scratch baking and this pumpkin pie is the perfect ending to your holiday dinner. Don’t forget to serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a cup of coffee. Enjoy.
- 1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 -9 inch unbaked pie crust (I use a no-roll pie crust)
- Sweetened Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Set a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined.
- Add eggs, evaporated milk, and heavy cream.
- Mix everything until completely smooth (about 3 minutes in my KitchenAid mixer on medium speed).
- Pour pie filling into an unbaked deep dish pie shell.
- Bake the pie for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for an additional 50-55 minutes until the center of the pie does not jiggle (loosely).
- In my opinion, it's best to allow the pie to cool on the counter and then chill it in the refrigerator before serving.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
- **The pie can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator covered.
- Whipped Cream:
- Beat heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until medium peaks form.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Hi Saidy! The crust I love to use with this recipe is my no roll pie crust. It can be found here. https://savorysweetlife.com/no-roll-pie-crust/ The reason I love it is because you make it using a food processor or your fingers and then pat the crust in. I explain everything in the post. Hope this helps.
Alice
I see some complimenting you on your recipe for the crust but I don’t see it on there. Do you have it on a separate post? I’d love to make my crust from scratch rather than buy it ready made from the store. Thanks! So excited to try your recipe!
Hello, I enjoy reading all of your article. I like to write a little comment to support you.
Did you ever come up with a good diabetic pumpkin pie? Sweets are so difficult for a diabetic! Thanks.
This pumpkin pie is always good, thank you so mucho.
<3
Here’s how I prepare fresh pumpkin. It is super easy.
http://homemademothering.com/2011/11/fresh-pumpkin-homemade-pumpkin-pie.html
Made this today with pureed fresh pumpkin and it was delicious!
Hi Sharon: I’ve never cooked with fresh pumpkin so I can’t answer your question.
How do I cook a fresh pumpkin??? My local Central Market was giving away organic pumpkins, so I am excited to make your Pumpkin Pie with my straight from the patch pumpkin!
Thanks
My family made this (well two of these actually) for Thanksgiving and it was great! I posted a link to your recipe on my blog. Thanks so much!
Sheer perfection. I think pumpkin pie must be my absolute favorite kind of pie. I love how you can eat it out of hand, straight from the fridge. : )
Hey Meg and Tabitha: Thanks for your sweet comments. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving Day.
Hey Alice! I tried out your pumpkin pie recipe and no-roll crust (the first pie I’ve made from scratch), and it got rave reviews! Everyone thought your crust was perfectly flaky and that the pumpkin mixture was very smooth and melted in your mouth. 🙂 I will definitely make this again! Thanks SO much for sharing.
I wanted to respond to another’s post about using fresh pumpkin. I used some pumpkin I had cooked in the oven, puréed in a blender, and stuck in the freezer (no doctoring whatsoever). I thawed it in the microwave, pausing once to drain off a little water from melted ice, then used a cup and a half of this puréed pumpkin to substitute for the canned pumpkin. It worked perfectly! I think the trick was to make sure I had puréed the pumpkin really well in my blender… there were no chunks in the pie. The only thing I noticed was that, after the pie had been in the fridge, a little bit of water was sitting on the top. I simply took a paper towel and laid it lightly on the pie to soak up the water. Worked like a charm. I won’t hesitate to use puréed pumpkin again next time. Just wanted to share! Thanks again!
This looks so YUMMY, I’m trying this out for our Thanksgiving this year!! Thank you SO much for sharing!!!
Do you put the filled pie dish on top of the baking pan inside the oven?
Thanks!
Hi Bonnie: I set the pie on the baking sheet and then put them both in the oven. Hope this helps.
After making the 5 pumpkin pies, I was able to try one. It was completely delicious! Even my oldest son -who is not very fond of pumpkin pie- loved it!
This recipe came in the nick of time! My nephew loves pumpkin pie and this year I plan to make him a pumpkin pie yet since I don’t like pumpkin I did not have a real clue. Can’ t wait to try out this recipe!
that is an absolutely gorgeous pumpkin pie! the hue of orange is just beautiful!