Best Recipe for Pumpkin Pie

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This pumpkin pie is the absolute best recipe for pumpkin pie. It’s a classic with creamy pumpkin center filled with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices that make your kitchen smell like Fall and is perfect for the holiday season.

Classic Pumpkin pie calls for simple pantry staple ingredients, and using a store-bought deep-dish pie shell for added convenience. Serve this easy pumpkin pie to friends and family with some fresh whipped cream or a scoop of your favorite ice cream! 

There’s nothing like this homemade pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert. And, you’ll want to check out our pecan pie too!

Best Recipe for Pumpkin Pie

This is my Mom’s recipe and one we rely on every Thanksgiving. It’s absolutely the best and a must for Thanksgiving dessert. It’s an easy pumpkin pie recipe that tastes amazing! It’s the only pumpkin pie recipe my family uses.

If you’re like me and make multiple pies for Thanksgiving, you might want to try our apple pie.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) Pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling (Libby’s brand is a favorite.)
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425
• In large bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. 
• In large mixing bowl, beat eggs and stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. 
• Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

• Pour the pumpkin filling into the unbaked pie crust
• Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. 
• Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil. 
• Reduce temperature to 350° and bake for 40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. 
• Let the pie cool on wire rack for 2 hours. 
• Top with whipped cream 

How Should I Store Leftover Pumpkin Pie?

Baked pumpkin pie can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Cover the pie with plastic wrap or store the remaining pie slices in an airtight container. It’s not advisable to store this classic pumpkin pie at room temperature or to leave it sitting out for longer than 2 hours due to it containing dairy and eggs.

Another option for storing this pumpkin pie is to freeze it once baked and fully cooled, for up to 1 month. Leave any pie toppings such as whipped cream off until just prior to serving. 

Can I Use a Homemade Pie Crust?

Absolutely! Pre-made pie crust is always a great option if you are pressed for time but there’s nothing preventing you from making your own pie crust. In fact, why not make a few ahead of time that you can freeze until needed for multiple dessert pies to be made throughout the holidays?

To make a simple butter pie crust for this pumpkin pie:

• Mix 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 cup salted butter in a food processor. 
• Add the dough to a well-greased pie dish, making sure to smooth the dough up along the sides of the pie dish as well. 
• Press aluminum foil onto the pie crust, making sure to also cover the sides. You can also add some pie weights or dry beans as a way to keep the crust compact while baking.
• Bake the pie crust at 375℉ for 15 minutes, after which you need remove the foil and prick the pie crust with a fork all over the surface of the crust. 
• Place the pie crust back into the oven for an additional 15-18 minutes or until it is a golden-brown color. 

Canned Pumpkin Versus Pumpkin Pie Filling

My classic pumpkin pie recipe calls for canned pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling and the difference is important for this recipe.

Canned pumpkin is basically cooked, pureed pumpkin without any additional ingredients. Another way to look at it is that pumpkin puree is pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling, on the other hand, consists of pumpkin that’s been sweetened and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and clove.

Pumpkin pie filling won’t be an appropriate substitute for canned pumpkin in this baked pumpkin pie since it will result in an overly sweet dessert. The recipe already calls for sugar and pumpkin pie spice. In addition to that, using pumpkin pie filling could have an impact on the texture and outcome of your baked pumpkin pie which is another reason why I don’t recommend that you use it. 

What Can I Use In Place of Pumpkin Pie Spice?

You can make your own spice blend with ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves.

Here’s a recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice.

What Do You Serve with Pumpkin Pie?

Cut a slice of pie and top with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Of course, if it’s the holidays, you can serve it with a second serving of another pie. We love to have different pies at Thanksgiving.

Tips for Making This Classic Pumpkin Pie

• Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice for this dessert pie recipe or make your own which you can then use for this pie and other Fall-inspired recipes.
• Make sure that you don’t leave your baked pumpkin pie out at room temperature for longer than 1-2 hours. When not being served, rather place it back in the refrigerator. 
• You can top your classic pumpkin pie with piped whipped cream or serve it alongside some creamy vanilla ice cream for extra decadence!
• Leftover pumpkin pie can be enjoyed chilled or you could also reheat it in the oven, covering it with aluminum foil so that it doesn’t burn. 
• pie shield – you will need to protect the crusts from burning by using a pie shield or covering the edges of the pie with aluminum foil making a pie crust shield
• pie crust leaves – if you want to make your pumpkin pie extra fancy, use a cookie cutter or knife to cut out leaf shapes from pie crust and place the on top of the pie

It really is the best pumpkin pie recipe. It’s pumpkin pie perfection!

Here are a few of our favorite pumpkin recipes like our pumpkin lush and pumpkin dump cake.

Want More Pie Recipes?

• No Bake Cool Whip Pumpkin Pie
• Pean Pie
• Apple Pie
• Lemon Pie
• Chocolate Cream Pie