How to Make a Pumpkin Pie from Scratch with a Real Pumpkin

October 8, 2024 by Karen 209 Comments

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I don't know why pumpkin pie is relegated to only shine at Thanksgiving. I could eat it every day of the year. Especially when it's pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin. This is a recipe that's *truly* made from scratch.

A slice of homemade pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream and a pastry maple leaf.

I feel compelled to tell you I'm usually more hilarious than what follows. But homemade pumpkin pie is serious business. I expect you understand.

This coming weekend in Canada is Thanksgiving which means for those of us here - it's pumpkin pie season. And turkey, stuffing, red cabbage, turnip, broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans and bun season.

It's quickly followed by moaning season.

Table of Contents

Pie Pumpkins

Pie pumpkins are smaller & sweeter than regular old pumpkins which makes them perfect for a pumpkin pie recipe. You just need to turn them into pumpkin puree. You can get them at the grocery store or you can go all in and grow your own pumpkins and pretty much everything else like I do.

How Do You Make Pumpkin Puree?

First things first ... like I said, you need a pie pumpkin. These are the smaller pumpkins you see around. About the size of a toddler's head.

Cracking stem off of pie pumpkin to the left of photograph and slicing through the centre of the pumpkin with a chef's knife to the right.

Your first job is to crack off the stem and then cut the pumpkin in half with a good chef's knife.

Scoop out all of the guts and fibres ... then place face down on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes - 1 hr.

Inside it'll look just like a squash or a Halloween pumpkin does when you split it in half. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, save the pumpkin seeds for roasting.

TIP

*If the wall of your pie pumpkin is thin you might need 2 of them. If it's thick it should be enough for a pie*

Cooked, steaming, sugar pumpkins on a dark baking sheet

The pumpkins are done when they're easily pierced with a fork.

When they've cooled a bit, flip the pumpkins over and grab a spoon. Scrape the flesh out of the pumpkins and put it into a bowl.

Stick blender resting on an ironstone bowl with fresh cooked pumpkin puree in it.

Pumpkin puree in cheesecloth and a strainer.

Puree your pumpkin either in a traditional blender or with a hand blender.

Blend it until it has a very smooth consistency. Put the pumpkin puree into a swath of cheesecloth and let it drain for a couple of hours.

ALERT for cheesecloth people: Hemmed, washable, re-useable cheesecloth exists.

Lifted cheesecloth full of pumpkin puree, draining into bowl.

You have now made pumpkin puree.

Special Notes

One small pumpkin will yield around 3 cups. This is normally plenty for one pie but if you're unsure, just grab two of them and use the other to make pumpkin ravioli with browned butter sauce & crispy sage leaves.
Your drained liquid will probably be about a cup.
Don't squeeze the cheesecloth to drain the pumpkin. The puree is fine and will squidge through the cheesecloth too.

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Now we can make pumpkin pie.

Homemade pumpkin pie on a wood board and marble countertop with lemon.

What kind of pumpkin is used for pumpkin pie?

In general any pumpkin that's meant for eating can be made into pie. Some may be more dry and some more liquidey. Some may be sweeter than others (pie pumpkins area also called sugar pumpkins) but once you drain the liquid from any cooked pumpkin and add the rest of the pie ingredients you shouldn't notice any big difference between a pie made with pie pumpkins or any other pumpkin.

Also - YOU CAN USE SQUASH.

A pumpkin is a type of squash.

A few years ago there was a worldwide Facebook-shared panic that somehow squash was making its way into canned pumpkin. People were completely out of their minds over the thought of this.

Calm down. They're the same thing. And some squash are so sweet (Delicata for instance) that they make better tasting pumpkin pies anyway.

So when pie pumpkins aren't in season and you hanker for pumpkin pie, just grab a squash for the job. Incidentally, if a can of pumpkin puree contains "squash" it'll say so. You shouldn't care if it does.

Pumpkin Pie Making Tips

Use a sweet squash if you can't find pie pumpkins (kabocha, delicata, buttercup)
In a rush? Use a store bought crust. They're actually pretty good.
Yes you can freeze pumpkin pie! So go ahead and make it in advance if you want.
If your crust is browning too much, cover it with a pie crust shield (or just some tin foil)
Store it in the refrigerator. It's a custard base so it needs to be kept in the fridge, not out on the counter at room temperature.

This is the dough recipe I use. It will never fail you. It's the old fashioned, Tenderflake recipe famous in Canada.

I'm using my biggest, deepest, Pyrex pie dish here because they heat evenly but old dark, old aluminum pie plates make an excellent crust as well.

Line unbaked pie with parchment paper, then fill with beans, dried peas, lentils or actual pie weights.
Refrigerate the crust for at least 15-30 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Remove parchment and weights, then bake for another 5 minutes.

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Top with Maple Syrup Whipped Cream and enjoy!

PUMPKIN PIE MADE WITH ... GASP ... PUMPKINS!

Here's the best thing. You can make this pumpkin puree then freeze it to use whenever you want!

4.31 from 83 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin pie

Prep Time: 3

Cook Time: 1

Servings: pieces of pie

Calories: 329.86kcal

Author: Karen

Ingredients

2 cups Pumpkin Puree
1 can evaporated milk 12 ounces
½ cup dark brown sugar packed
⅓ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tsps. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cloves You can also substitute with allspice
¼ tsp. lemon zest
1 pie crust

Pumpkin Puree

1 pie pumpkin 2.5 lbs

Instructions

Pumpkin Puree

Cut pie pumpkin in half and scoop out the guts. Cook face down on a greased baking sheet until fork tender. 30-45 minutes in a 350 F oven.
Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and puree with an immersion blender.
Strain the puree through cheesecloth. Around 1 cup of liquid should come out over a few hours.
You now have pumpkin puree!

Pumpkin Pie Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 F
Add sugar, salt, spices and lemon zest to bowl and mix.
Beat the eggs very well and add them to the bowl of mixed ingredients.
Mix in YOUR HOMEMADE pumpkin puree and evaporated milk and combine well.
Roll out pie crust and put in pie plate.
Blind bake your pie crust. To blind bake: line your pie crust with parchment paper, fill with pie weights, rice or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 F. Remove parchment paper and weights, then bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove blind baked crust from the oven and fill it with the pumpkin mixture.
Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 F and bake an additional 40-50 minutes. If the crust starts to darken, cover it with tin foil for the remainder of the bake.
The pie is done when the centre reaches a temperature of 175 F. A knife should come out *almost* clean. Just a speck or two of filling on it.
Let it cool and set up on a wire rack.

Notes

Use a sweet squash if you can't find pie pumpkins (kabocha, delicata, buttercup)
In a rush? Use a store bought crust. They're actually pretty good.
Yes you can freeze pumpkin pie! So go ahead and make it in advance if you want.
Pour your filling into the prebaked pie shell on the counter until almost full. Then put the pie in your oven and pour the rest of the filling in. This lets you get the pie as full as possible without the chance of spilling.
If your crust is browning too much, cover it with a pie crust shield (or just some tin foil)
Store your pumpkin pie in the refrigerator. It's a custard base so it needs to be kept in the fridge, not out on the counter.
Use a Pyrex pie plate. It might not look as good as a vintage metal one, but they work better. You'll get a better crust with Pyrex.

Nutrition

Tools For Successful Pie Making

Anchor Hocking 9.5-Inch Deep Pie Plate

Photo Credit: Amazon

This is going to get you an evenly cooked and golden pie crust. I FOUGHT using a glass pie plate for years because I don't like how they look. I finally gave in and started using one and my pies changed completely.

Whipped Cream Dispenser

I have a Whip It Whipped Cream dispenser and it's always worked great for me but it doesn't get good reviews on Amazon. So I've chosen t his one for you based on its reviews and price. It whips ½ litre of heavy cream.

Unbleached Cheesecloth

I swear I can never find cheesecloth in the grocery store. It's like it's a game to see how well the store can hide it. (I also line my turkey with cheesecloth before stuffing it so you don't get guck on the stuffing. Plus to remove the stuffing you just pull out the bag of cheesecloth!)

Oster Hand Blender

Photo Credit: amazon

My immersion blender is so old they don't sell it anymore but this one is as close to mine as I could find.

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How to Make a Pumpkin Pie from Scratch with a Real Pumpkin

Pie Pumpkins

How Do You Make Pumpkin Puree?

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