Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This pumpkin pie recipe makes the best pumpkin pie! It’s incredibly quick and easy to make, with a homemade flaky pie crust and warm fall spices. It’s the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or the holidays!

This pumpkin pie recipe is a longtime favorite, which I originally shared in November 2015. I updated this post in October 2024 with new photos, more success tips and a step-by-step recipe video.

My Favorite Pumpkin Pie Recipe

A slice of homemade pumpkin pie is one of my favorite desserts during the fall and holiday season. This pumpkin pie recipe has been my go-to for years, and many readers have come to love it as well. So many have commented that it’s the best pumpkin pie they’ve ever tasted, and I hope you will agree!

I’ve tested many, many pumpkin pie recipes and what I’ve found is that you don’t need complicated or time-consuming steps to make the best pumpkin pie. To make a delicious pie worthy of your holiday table, it’s as simple as whisking together a few ingredients for the filling, pouring it into your pie crust, and baking the pie. This pumpkin pie is about as easy and delicious as it gets, even for beginning bakers.

This pie starts with my homemade all-butter pie crust, although you can use a store-bought crust if you’re short on time. The pumpkin pie filling is luscious and creamy and perfectly spiced with pumpkin pie spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Even with the homemade pie crust, you can have this pie ready to go in the oven in just about 30 minutes.

The absolute best pumpkin pie. I always get compliments when I use this recipe.

Becca

Is canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin best for pie?

I’ve tested this pie both with canned pumpkin puree and homemade pumpkin puree. Honestly, I prefer this pie with canned pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin has more moisture, so if you choose to use fresh, you’ll want to remove some of the moisture. You can do this by putting the pumpkin puree in a strainer lined with cheesecloth, and then letting it sit in your refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Ingredient Notes

• Pie Crust: I’ve included my easy homemade pie crust recipe in the recipe card below. It requires no dough chilling before rolling out and is very easy for beginners. You can also use a store-bought pie crust.
• Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling/mix, which has spices and sugar added to it.
• Eggs: Three eggs provide structure to help the pie filling set up.
• Brown Sugar: To sweeten the pie. I recommend using light brown sugar.
• Cornstarch: Acts as a thickener to help the pie filling set up.
• Heavy Cream: This recipe uses heavy cream and no evaporated milk.
• Milk: Whole milk is best in this recipe because it makes the filling rich, creamy and thick.
• Spices: You’ll need ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. If you prefer to use pumpkin pie spice, substitute 1 tablespoon of it in place of the individual spices. Be sure to still add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
• Salt: Enhances all of the flavors.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie

Here’s an overview of the recipe steps. Find the full detailed recipe in the recipe card below.

Make the pie crust. You can make the pie dough in a food processor or by hand using a pastry cutter.

Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer it to a deep dish pie dish, trim off any excess dough around the edges, and crimp or flute the edge as desired. Chill the pie crust in the refrigerator while you make the pumpkin filling.

Make pumpkin pie filling. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, heavy cream and milk. Then add the cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt and whisk until well combined.

Bake. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake at 375° for 40-55 minutes. Halfway through baking, check on the pie and loosely cover the pie crust with foil or use pie protectors to prevent the crust from over-browning The pie is done when the filling is set but the center jiggles just a little bit when you wiggle the pan.

Cool pie on a wire rack for 3 hours and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for a few hours or overnight before serving. The pie will continue to set up as it cools.

How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Pie

• Don’t over-bake. Cracks can form in pumpkin pie when it is baked for too long. To prevent your pie from cracking in the center, take it out of the oven when the center is still a little jiggly. The pie will set up more as it cools.
• Let the pie cool at room temperature for 3 hours before putting it in the refrigerator.
• If you do get a crack in your pie, don’t worry! The pie will taste just as delicious. You can hide the crack with whipped cream or pie crust shapes, if desired. To make pie crust shapes, roll out extra pie dough and cut into shapes using small cookie cutters, such as leaf or heart shapes. Bake the pie crust shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.

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4.96 from 25 ratings

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

This easy pumpkin pie recipe makes the BEST pumpkin pie! This is the pie that I make every year for my family's Thanksgiving dessert. It's best made one day ahead, since the flavors develop as it rests in the refrigerator overnight and it tastes even better on the second day. See the notes below the recipe for storage tips, how to use fresh pumpkin, pie crust tips, and more.

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Ingredients

For the crust:

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ▢ 4 tablespoons ice-cold water

For the filling:

• ▢ 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree (1 ¾ cups) , not pumpkin pie filling, or use homemade pumpkin puree*
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ ¾ cup heavy cream
• ▢ ½ cup whole milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

Make the pie crust:

• Place flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. (Alternatively, the pie dough may be made by hand in a large bowl using a pastry cutter to blend in the butter and a fork to bring the dough together.)
• Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the largest pieces of butter are the size of small peas, about 8 pulses. Add the ice-cold water and pulse until the dough just comes together, adding more water by the teaspoonful as needed.
• Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and form into a round disk. Roll the dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough round to a 9-inch pie dish that is 2 inches deep by wrapping it partway around the rolling pin. Gently fit the dough into the pie dish, but do not press it down firmly against the dish. Trim the dough edges as needed around the pie plate and then fold edges under. Use your fingers to crimp the edges of the pie crust as desired. Place pie crust in refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Make the pumpkin pie filling:

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, heavy cream and milk. Whisk until smooth. Add the cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined and no clumps of cornstarch or spices remain.
• Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust. Bake at 375° for 40-55 minutes. Halfway through baking, check on the pie and loosely cover the pie crust with foil or use pie protectors to prevent the crust from over-browning The pie is done when the filling is set but the center jiggles just a little bit when you wiggle the pan. The pie will continue to set up as it cools. (Overbaking can cause cracks in the pie filling as it cools.)
• Cool pie on a wire rack for 3 hours and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for a few hours or overnight before serving. The pie flavor will develop overnight and it will taste even better on the second day.

Notes

• Pie crust: You can use a store-bought pie crust if desired. My pie crust dough recipe can also be made ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months before rolling it out. 
• Fresh pumpkin: If you use fresh homemade pumpkin puree, I recommend draining it to remove some of the moisture. This can be done by placing the pumpkin puree in a strainer lined with cheesecloth and placing it over a bowl in your refrigerator for 1-2 hours. The liquid can be saved and used in place of water or milk in bread recipes. It’s a good source of beta-carotene!
• To use pumpkin pie spice: Substitute 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices. Be sure to still add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
• How to par-bake the crust: (This step is optional, and will give you a slightly flakier/crispier bottom crust. I usually save the effort and bake the pie in an unbaked pie shell.) Prick the crust all over the bottom and sides with a fork. Chill pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, until firm. Cut out a 12-inch round of parchment paper and fit it into the pie crust. Fill with pie weights, dry beans or rice. Bake at 375° F for 18 minutes. Then remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes more, until barely golden brown on the bottom. Add the pumpkin filling and bake pie as directed in the recipe.
• To store: Store pumpkin pie in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap.
• To freeze: Let baked pie cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Serving: 1/8 pie, Calories: 390kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 124mg, Sodium: 197mg, Potassium: 242mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 9145IU, Vitamin C: 2.4mg, Calcium: 96mg, Iron: 2.1mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

I updated the photos of this pumpkin pie in October 2024. Here are a few of the prior photos: