The Best, Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Nothing beats homemade pumpkin pie for a festive holiday — or any time — treat!
A decent pumpkin pie is a must-have part of your Thanksgiving menu, but truth be told it's an easy and festive way to spruce up any kind of fall gathering. No one can say no to a slice of the original source of pumpkin spice flavor!
Believe it or not, canned pumpkin is the better choice for a pumpkin pie recipe. It's far easier to work with — and frankly, just as tasty. It may be even more tasty, as fresh pumpkin can often be stringy — and you don't want fibers in your pie. So this is one of the rare times when we recommend you don't use the fresh stuff.
However, we still have a few tips for making sure your pumpkin pie contains plenty of fall flavor. To keep it sweet, our recipe calls for a combo of brown sugar and maple syrup, which adds a rich depth that plain sugar just can't match. And we skip the condensed milk that you might find in other pumpkin pie recipes for a basic custard made from fresh whole milk, heavy cream, and eggs.
Of course, no pumpkin pie would be complete without a dose of pumpkin pie spice. You can use our recommended mix or use about 1 1/2 teaspoons of your favorite store-bought blend, if you like. If you're making a lot of pumpkin spiced things and want to save money, mix up your own batch of our pumpkin spice recipe. It'll keep well for months and goes great in all your fall baking.
Then, there's the crust. If you haven't made a pie crust since, well, last holiday season, you may be tempted to simply buy a frozen crust and be done with it. But we feel like a homemade crust is well worth the effort. Besides being much cheaper, it tastes better. You can just tell when a pie is made with a homemade crust, and that often makes all the difference.
Finally, we've added one (optional) step that we think makes a big impact: brulée (burnt sugar) which goes on the top right before serving. It adds a ton of depth and will make guests' eyes pop. It's easy and fast, but to do it right, you should invest in an inexpensive brulée torch.
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- Yields:
- 8 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 25 mins
- Total Time:
- 6 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
All-Purpose flour, for work surface
- 1/2
recipe Basic Pie Dough, or 1 store-bought pie
- 1/2 tsp.
ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp.
ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp.
ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp.
ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/3 c.
plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 2
large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1/3 c.
maple syrup
- 2 tsp.
vanilla extract
- 1
(15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2/3 c.
half and half
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 375ºF with rack in the bottom position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to an 12-inch circle. Fit pie in a 9-inch pie plate. Trim overhang to 1-inch, fold edges under, and crimp. Freeze 20 minutes.
- Step 2Line pie shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or rice pressing all the way to the edge. Bake on prepared baking sheet, 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and pie weights and prick bottom of pie shell several times with a fork. Bake until edges are lightly golden brown and bottom of pastry is dry, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 45 minutes; reserve baking sheet.
- Step 3Whisk together ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and 1/3 cup of sugar in a bowl. Add eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, pumpkin, and half and half, and whisk just until combined. Pour into parbaked pie crust. Bake on prepared baking sheet until puffed and set around the edges (center will still jiggle slightly), 45 to 50 minutes (Shield the crust with foil after 25 minutes if needed to prevent over browning, if necessary.) Cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Step 4When ready to serve, tightly wrap crust with foil. Sprinkle top of pie with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, leaving a ½-inch border around the foil-covered edge. Use a kitchen torch to brûlée the top of the pie, avoiding the crust.
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