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The Best Pumpkin Pie just so happens to be an ultra-easy dessert recipe. Start with a store-bought crust, whisk together a tasty filling, and bake. No one will guess this is a semi-homemade pumpkin pie!
I love pumpkin pie because it’s not too sweet, just cool and creamy, the perfect way to end a holiday meal. Pumpkin pies are always widely available for purchase at Thanksgiving, and sometimes it’s cheaper to buy one than make one (the Costco one for $5.99 is massive and hard to beat!).
So for those of us who choose to make pumpkin pie from scratch, our motives are clear. We bake for love of it, and for the love of those we feed, and buying a pumpkin pie in the box just doesn’t feel the same.
But because there is always a gray area (with time, responsibilities, and distractions), this recipe meets you halfway. This recipe starts with a store-bought crust (but should you have the time and desire to make it from scratch, please do), and the filling is easy to make.
It’s hard to have the best of both worlds, but recipes like this, my Best Pumpkin Pie, strive to give you the balance that you need as you feed the ones you love.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Pumpkin purée: Seek out canned pumpkin pureé (not pumpkin pie filling).Want to make your own Fresh Pumpkin Pureé? It’s easy: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut your pumpkin in half and remove all seeds and fibrous strings. Cut each half into 2 or 3 pieces, then roast until tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Cool completely, then scoop out the pumpkin flesh from the skin. Blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Finally, drain over cheesecloth or paper towels to remove excess water.
- Pie crust: Make your own pie crust or use a store-bought crust. To make the crust in advance, make the dough, form it into a disk shape, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. To use, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then roll it out. If you have the space, you can roll out your pastry dough, press it into the pie pan, and freeze it, tightly wrapped in plastic. You can bake frozen pie crust straight out of the freezer without thawing.
- Whipped cream: You can make your own whipped cream or substitute store-bought; just don’t skip it entirely as the cream complements the custard pie beautifully.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until beaten. Stir in sugar mixture and pumpkin. Slowly add evaporated milk.
- Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake 15 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack, about 2 hours. Serve or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This easy pumpkin pie recipe makes 8 generous slices. If you’re enjoying it on a holiday alongside other desserts, slices 10 slightly thinner pieces (to save room for that Pecan Pie or Apple Pie, too!).
- Storage: Store your baked and cooled pumpkin pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s delicious cold with plenty of whipped cream.
- Freezer: If you’re looking for a pie that freezes like a dream, try my Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie.
- Try a cracker crust: If you prefer it to a pastry pie crust, The Best Pumpkin Pie filling can certainly be poured and baked on top of Graham Cracker Crust instead.
Recipe FAQs
Pumpkin pie filling is made with pumpkin purée (often canned), eggs, evaporated milk, and warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
Libby’s, perhaps the most popular canned pumpkin around, isn’t really pumpkin at all. Instead, Libby’s uses a proprietary variety of Dickinson squash.
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The Best Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 eggs
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell unbaked, 4 cup volume
- Whipped cream optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until beaten. Stir in sugar mixture and pumpkin. Slowly add evaporated milk. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake 15 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Cool on wire rack, about 2 hours. Serve or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
- Pumpkin purée: Seek out canned pumpkin pureé (not pumpkin pie filling).Want to make your own Fresh Pumpkin Pureé? It’s easy: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut your pumpkin in half and remove all seeds and fibrous strings. Cut each half into 2 or 3 pieces, then roast until tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Cool completely, then scoop out the pumpkin flesh from the skin. Blend in a food processor blender until smooth. Finally, drain over cheesecloth or paper towels to remove excess water.
- Pie crust: Make your own pie crust or use a store-bought crust. To make the crust in advance, make the dough, form it into a disk shape, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. To use, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then roll it out. If you have the space, you can roll out your pastry dough, press it into the pie pan, and freeze it, tightly wrapped in plastic. You can bake frozen pie crust straight out of the freezer without thawing.
- Whipped cream: You can make your own whipped cream or substitute store-bought; just don’t skip it entirely as the cream complements the custard pie beautifully.
- Yield: This easy pumpkin pie recipe makes 8 generous slices. If you’re enjoying it on a holiday alongside other desserts, slices 10 slightly thinner pieces (to save room for that Pecan Pie or Apple Pie, too!).
- Storage: Store your baked and cooled pumpkin pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s delicious cold with plenty of whipped cream.
- Freezer: If you’re looking for a pie that freezes like a dream, try my Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Well shoot. I didn’t see that this recipe was for deep dish pie crusts…something I’ve never seen available in my supermarket. I bought the regular sized pie crusts and couldn’t figure out why there was so much leftover!
Now what to do with all the extra filling…putting it in a mason jar for now, hope I can figure out how not to waste it! Maybe custards?
Hi Amanda, I’m so sorry I didn’t respond to your question. Hoping to answer you now in case another reader has the same question. You can store leftover filling for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Custard sounds delicious, or even making mini pumpkin pies. Sorry again!
Into store bought crust these days, too ! Thank you for sharing this simple solution !