The Best Pumpkin Pie recipe balances fresh pumpkin flavor with the perfect blend of spices for a creamy fall pie with an iconic taste.
I have so much to be thankful for, a fact which is never is it more apparent than around the holidays. I’ve lived through lean times, times of abundance, and all of the times in between. Through it all, I try to remember to live each day with intention, and find something that I’m thankful for in each day. We’ve often told our boys that every single “thing” in our house–including the house–could disappear, and yet as long as we were together, we would be just fine. Family matters. Stuff is just…stuff.
Since my boys were little, we’ve made a Tree of Thanks every few years to celebrate Thanksgiving. We take turns writing what we are thankful for on differently colored leaves before gluing them on to our tree. Sometimes our leaves say something we are especially thankful for, like a new job, or a new family member. Other leaves give thanks for simple things like books or pizza. I love looking back at our old trees to see what we were thankful for at that moment in time. All of the trees have one leaf in common though–the leaf that says Our Family.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love nothing more than embracing the traditions and gathering around the table to share a meal with friends and loved ones. Last year was the first year in the previous ten that we didn’t travel downstate to have dinner with Bacon Slayer’s family. His mom has always hosted the holiday, but decided last year that it was a bit much for her to continue. BS and his siblings decided to celebrate amongst their immediate families, which left our family without travel plans for the first time in over a decade.
For the first time in my adult life, my usual Thanksgiving contributions of homemade crescent rolls, classic apple pie, and perfect cheesecake weren’t going to be enough. Suddenly, I was in charge of cooking an entire Thanksgiving feast all by myself! Well, not all by myself. I do have five willing sous chefs that will take direction as I give it in the kitchen. No big deal, right? For goodness sake, I’m a food blogger!
I can certainly handle roasting a turkey and coming up with a few easy side dishes. The thing I was most worried about? Pumpkin. Pie.
I realize that it sounds crazy for me to freak about having to make a pumpkin pie, seeing that I’m a certified Pie Girl and all. The truth is, my sister-in-law always made the pumpkin pies, so I never really thought about it. In fact, up until last year, I’d never baked a pumpkin pie in my life. Fer realsies. So, last year I did what my SIL does and followed the recipe on the back of the can. The pie was good. Just good. I knew that I could bake a really great pie, though. I wanted to come up with the BEST Pumpkin Pie recipe.
After a few trials over the past year, I think that I’ve done it. I scrapped the canned puree and made my own from one of those cute little pie pumpkins in about 10 minutes. Then I ditched the canned milk in favor of fresh milk and creamy half & half. It was in tweaking the spices that I stumbled across pure genius. I took a nod from my favorite Pfeffernusse spiced snowball cookies and added a little white pepper to the mix…and it was brilliant in pumpkin pie!
The Best Pumpkin Pie recipe balances fresh pumpkin flavor with the perfect blend of spices in a creamy, iconic fall pie that brings even more to be thankful for to the table. This Thanksgiving, Friends…hold your family close. Hug your friends. Go on a hike. Play a game of flag football, if that’s your thing. Just enjoy each other’s company. Most of all, relish in all that you have to be thankful for while sharing a fat slice of pie with your people.
Don’t just make any ol’ pumpkin pie…make The Best Pumpkin Pie recipe!
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Kirsten Kubert
Yields One 9-inch Deep Dish Pie
The Best Pumpkin Pie recipe balances fresh pumpkin flavor with the perfect blend of spices for a creamy fall pie with an iconic taste.
2 hr, 30 Prep Time
1 hrCook Time
3 hr, 30 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- For the Pie:
- 1 recipe 5 minute homemade pie crust
- 1 C. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 ¾ C. (15 oz. can) 100% pure pumpkin puree , homemade or prepared
- 2 eggs
- 1 C. half & half
- ½ C. 2% milk
- For the Egg Wash (optional):
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbs. cold water
- Additional granulated sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Prepare the pie crust according to directions. Once crust is chilling in the refrigerator per the directions, roll out one disk of the dough to line a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold and crimp the overhang of dough, as desired. Chill the pastry lined pie plate while preparing the filling.
- Prepare the pumpkin filling by whisking the sugar with the cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves, white pepper, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Add the pumpkin puree and eggs to the bowl, beating vigorously to combine while eliminating any lumps. Slowly pour in the milk and half & half, stirring as you pour, until incorporated.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the chilled pie shell until ½-inch from the top of the pie. Bake the pie at 425 degrees F in the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes.
- After the initial 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Continue baking at the lower temperature for 40 to 50 more minutes or until the edges of the filling are set, with no more than a baseball sized amount of filling in the center being jiggly but not wet. The center of the pie will continue to set as it cools. Cool on a wire rack.
- While the pie is cooling, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the other disk of pie dough to less than ¼-inch thickness. Cut out enough festive shapes to cover most of the finished pie. Whisk the remaining egg with the cold water to create an egg wash. Lightly brush the egg over the shapes. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired. Bake the cut outs at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cut outs cool on the baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes before arranging them on top of the (still cooling) pumpkin pie.
- Once the pie has cooled, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
No deep dish pie plate? No problem! Extra pie filling may be baked in lightly buttered custard dishes at 375 degrees F until set.
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