How to Make Pumpkin Pie

Guide Note: How to Make Pumpkin Pie offers tips, tricks and variations on how to make pumpkin pie.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

  • Nothing says autumn like freshly-baked pumpkin pie. Be the hit of your next holiday party by baking one from scratch. It's not nearly as hard as you imagine. All it takes is a pumpkin, your standard issue baking ingredients and a leisurely afternoon.

What You'll Need for the Pie Crust

Use unbleached all purpose white flour. (Creative Commons photo by Belinda Miller)
Use unbleached all purpose white flour. (Creative Commons photo by Belinda Miller)

Ingredients You'll Need

  • 1 1/4 Cups Unbleached All Purpose White Flour
  • 1/8 Tsp Salt, Any Variety
  • 1/2 Tbsp White Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup very cold Unsalted Butter or Shortening, cut into cubes
  • 4 Tbsp Ice Water

Equipment You'll Need

What You'll Need for the Pie Filling

A sugar pumpkin makes a great choice for pies. (Photo by Andrew Beierle)
A sugar pumpkin makes a great choice for pies. (Photo by Andrew Beierle)

How to Choose a Pumpkin

  • When it comes to making pumpkin pie, steer clear of the kind of pumpkins you use to make a Jack-O-Lantern. Pie pumpkins are smaller and grown specifically for eating. They're not always orange, either! Pie pumpkins weigh approximately 2-4 pounds and include the sugar, cheese and milk variety of pumpkins. (Sometimes grocery stores will just label them "pie pumpkins.") One pumpkin equals approximately 1 cup of puree, which is enough for one pie.
  1. Choose a small pumpkin made for eating not carving.
  2. The pumpkin should be firm, free of blemishes and have its stem intact.
  3. Pumpkins can be stored in a cool, dry area for a month.
  4. Do not refrigerate your pumpkin or wrap it in plastic.

Ingredients You'll Need if You're Making Your Own Pumpkin Puree

    • The cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg can be replaced with 1 3/4 teaspoons of generic "pumpkin pie spice" sold in the baking section of most grocery stores.
Pumpkin Pie Spice (Creative Commons photo by Stephen Witherden)
Pumpkin Pie Spice (Creative Commons photo by Stephen Witherden)

Equipment You'll Need if You're Making Your Own Pumpkin Puree

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Bowl for Draining Pumpkin Puree
  • Roasting Pan
  • Basting Brush (Spoon or Paper Towel)
  • Potato Masher, Blender or Food Processor
  • Sieve
  • Coffee Filters or Paper Towels
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Electric Mixer

Ingredients You'll Need if You're Sticking with Canned Pumpkin

    • The cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg can be replaced with 1 3/4 teaspoons of generic "pumpkin pie spice" sold in the baking section of most grocery stores.

Equipment You'll Need if You're Sticking with Canned Pumpkin

What You'll Need for the Whipped Cream

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream (Creative Commons photo by Stephen Witherden)
Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream (Creative Commons photo by Stephen Witherden)

Ingredients You'll Need

  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 Cup White Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Equipment You'll Need

  • A whisk requires a little more elbow grease than the other methods, but all three ways will give you delicious, fresh whipped cream.

Step 1: Make the Crust

Pie Crust and Rolling Pin (Creative Commons photo by Kimberly Vardeman)
Pie Crust and Rolling Pin (Creative Commons photo by Kimberly Vardeman)
  1. Whisk together the flour, salt, and about a tablespoon of white sugar.
  2. Cut the butter into small cubes. Using your appliance of choice, mix the butter in until the mixture takes on a coarse, lumpy consistency. It's fine if a few small chunks of butter remain.
  3. Continue to mix, drizzling in cold water until the dough is solid and can be lifted and handled without splitting apart.
  4. Roll the dough into a ball.
  5. Seal the dough in plastic wrap, eliminating as much air as possible, and refrigerate at least one hour. You can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it longer, even for days, if you want.
  6. Remove the dough and cover it in some flour. Put some extra flour down on the surface you will be working on.
  7. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough and work it into a circle until it is a few inches wider than your pie pan on each side. It shouldn't be thicker than about a centimeter.
  8. Form the dough into your pie pan, taking care to avoid tearing it. There are a few different strategies for doing this. Videojug recommends rolling the dough over your rolling pin and rolling it out over the pie pan. You can also place a large sheet of wax paper under the dough to make it easier to lift.
  9. Cover and refrigerate the pie shell until you're ready to fill and bake.

Frozen and Prepackaged Pie Crusts

  • If you just want to get to the baking, there are many brands of prepackaged pie crusts and pie crust mixes. They work just fine, even if they don't give you that homemade taste and sense of accomplishment that comes with making your own crust. Just follow the instructions on the box to prepare your crust.
  • Amazon.com has a wide variety of pie crusts available.

Step 2: Prepare the Filling

  • While pre-packaged pumpkin puree is always available to you, don't be afraid to make your own. All you need is a little extra time to allow your pumpkin to roast.

How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash the exterior of the pumpkin with cool water.
  3. Remove the stem from the pumpkin by pressing on it with your thumb or inserting a spoon under it for leverage.
  4. Cut the pumpkin lengthwise.
  5. Scrape out the seeds and stringy fibers from the center of the pumpkin using a metal spoon. (Save the seeds for roasting!)
  6. You can leave the pumpkin in halves or cut into quarters if desired.
  7. Coat the surface of the pumpkin with vegetable oil.
  8. Place pumpkin halves (or quarters) cut side down in a roasting pan.
  9. Add 1 cup of water to the pan.
  10. Place the pumpkin in the preheated oven.
  11. Bake for 60-90 minutes.
  12. The pumpkin is done when the flesh is tender. Check its progress by poking the flesh with a fork.
  13. Remove pumpkin from oven and allow it to cool to the touch. (Approximately 15 minutes.)
  14. Scrape the flesh out of the pumpkin and discard the skins.
  15. Mash the pumpkin flesh with a potato masher, mixer, blender or food processor until it attains a smooth consistency.
  16. Drain the moisture from the puree by placing it in a sieve over a bowl lined with a paper towel or coffee filters.
  17. Cover the puree in the sieve with plastic wrap.
  18. Place covered puree in the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow puree to drain.
  19. After draining, the puree is ready to use. It can be stored for 24 hours in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
  • Microwave Directions: Place pumpkin halves or quarters into a microwave safe dish, add a cup of water and cover. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Check for tenderness and continue recipe from #13 as described above.

How to Make Pie Filling

  • If you plan on baking your pie immediately after mixing the pie filling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you mix.
  1. Combine 1 tbsp of flour with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Stir until they are even distributed.
  2. Add brown sugar and flour mixture to pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin).
  3. Then add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream.
  4. Beat with electric mixer until well blended.
  5. Stir 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ginger and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg into pumpkin mixture.
    • Or add 1 3/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp of salt.
  6. Add 1/2 cup of corn syrup.
  7. Beat with electric mixer until all the ingredients are mixed.
  8. Add the 3 beaten eggs and 1 tsp of vanilla to mixture.
  9. Use your electric mixer to beat the filling again the ingredients are well blended.

Step 3: Pour the Filling and Bake the Pie

  • If you plan on serving your pie on the same day you bake it, remember that you'll need at least 2-3 hours for the pie to cool. Consider making the pie the day before and refrigerating it.
Check the pie for doneness. (Photo by Mahalo)
Check the pie for doneness. (Photo by Mahalo)
  1. If you haven't already, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Pour pumpkin filling into the unbaked pie shell.
  3. Place pie in preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes.
  4. After 30 minutes, check to see if the crust is too brown. If it is, place a piece of foil over the pie. Remove the foil for the last ten minutes of baking so the crust will finish browning.
  5. After 50 minutes, check if the pie's done by inserting the tip of a table knife one inch from the center of the pie.
    • If it comes out clean, the pie is done.
    • If there is pie filling on your knife, cook for another five minutes, then check again.
  6. Remove the pie from the oven.
    • The pie's center should jiggle a little when you first take it out of the oven. The center will set from the residual heat after it is taken out of the oven.
  7. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating or serving. This takes approximately 2-3 hours.
    • Pumpkin pie can be eaten at room temperature, cool or slightly warmed. It's ideal to eat the pie on the day it's baked. If it is left sitting too long, the moisture from the filling will soften the crust. However, the pie can be refrigerated for approximately three days. Do not freeze the pie.

How to Bake Pastry Trimmings

  1. After you've taken your pie out of the oven, turn the temperature up to 400 degrees.
  2. Roll out pastry trimmings.
  3. Use cookies cutters to cut out shapes.
  4. Transfer pastry shapes to a baking sheet.
  5. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
  6. Place on top of pie.

Step 4: Make Whipped Cream

Pie garnished with pastry cutouts. (Creative Commons photo by Mike DelGaudio)
Pie garnished with pastry cutouts. (Creative Commons photo by Mike DelGaudio)
  • Pumpkin pie is typically served with a dollop of whip cream on the side. Whipping fresh cream is actually quite easy to do, so why not give it a try?

How to Whip Cream

  1. Whip 2 cups of heavy cream quickly with a wire whisk until the cream thickens slightly.
  2. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract.
  3. Continue to whip until cream forms soft peaks.
  4. Cream can be refrigerated for 24 hours.

Step 5: Serve

  • Congratulations, you've made a delicious pie! Heap on the whipped cream and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Variations

No Bake Pie made in the fridge. (Photo by Mahalo)
No Bake Pie made in the fridge. (Photo by Mahalo)
  • There's more than one way to bake a pie. There's even a way to bake it without baking by making a gelatin-based version of the filling and chilling it in the fridge for three hours.

Tips, Tricks and Warnings

  • Here a few additional tips on the care and handling of pie:
  1. Sprinkle cumin powder on the top of your pie for a dramatic flavor, or cinnamon for a delicious one.
  2. Add a little egg nog to your pie filling. Cut down on the sugar a bit to compensate for the added sweetness.
  3. Line pie crusts with crushed graham crackers or apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon before baking.
  4. Pumpkin pies do not freeze well. They are best the day they are baked. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Resources for How to Make Pumpkin Pie

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