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.
You can cook pumpkin pie made with real pumpkin. Yes. Sugar pumpkins to be precise. That realization knocked me right on my ass about a decade ago.
Before my pumpkin revelation it never occurred to me to do anything other than open up a can of pumpkin when it came time to make a pie. I mean that's what you do. You go to the store, buy a can, open it and let the blob of pumpkin slip out.
It just never occurred to me for some reason that you could make pumpkin pie by cooking a fresh pumpkin. Until one day I saw a sign. It said: Pie Pumpkins. I'd seen them before of course, but this time it actually clicked - Omgthesepumpkinsareformakingpumpkinpie.
Table of Contents
Pie Pumpkins.
Holy crap! I bought a pumpkin. I made a pie. I did it again and again, then proceeded to tell EVERYONE that this was a thing you could do. And it isn't even much harder than opening a can of pie filling. You just have to bake a pumpkin.
Pie pumpkins are smaller and sweeter than regular old pumpkins which makes them perfect for whipping into a pie. You just need to turn them into pumpkin puree.
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 small head. Like a toddler's head for instance.
- Your first job is to crack off the stem and then cut the pumpkin in half.
Inside it'll look just like a squash or a Halloween pumpkin does when you split it in half.
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.
If you're feeling particularly ambitious, save the pumpkin seeds for roasting.
*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*
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.
One small pumpkin will yield around 3 cups. Plenty for one pie. 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.
About a cup of liquid will drain out of a 2.5 pumpkin, leaving you with around 2 cups of pumpkin.
Now you have cooked, strained pumpkin just like they sell in cans. YOU are fantastic. You did it.
What kind of pumpkin is used for pumpkin pie?
Like I mentioned, there are literally pumpkins named pie pumpkins. So obviously those are good for making pumpkin pie. BUT they aren't the only ones that make a good 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. But once you drain the liquid from the 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.
I haven't given you a recipe for pie dough because most people have their own dough recipe that they use, but I do want to remind you to blind bake the crust.
I'm using my biggest, deepest, Pyrex pie dish here but my favourite pie plates are dark, old aluminum ones. They get a superior crust.
How To Blind Bake
- Line unbaked pie with parchment paper, then fill with beans, dried peas, lentils or actual pie weights.
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
- Remove parchment and weights, then bake for another 5 minutes.
How much pumpkin is in pumpkin pie?
2 cups
1 small pie pumpkin will produce 3 cups of undrained pumpkin, and 2.5 cups of pumpkin puree.
So you need 1 pie pumpkin per pie. But to be honest I always buy and cook 2 *just* in case. You can freeze any extra puree to use later.
Classic Pumpkin Pie
Top with Maple Syrup Whipped Cream and enjoy!
PUMPKIN PIE MADE WITH ... GASP ... PUMPKINS!
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
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
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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This is the only domestic goddess thing I do - every Hallowe'en I make about 20 cups of real pumpkin puree, and freeze it in bags of 2 cups each, all ready for pie, or muffins. I've also used full-sized pumpkins.
Crust question! I have made pumpkin pie for 60 years. Always used the recipe on the bake of the Libby's Can of pumpkin. It does NOT call for the crust to be blind baked! I always wondered about that - how would the bottom crust get cooked. I don't blind bake for apple either but pumpkin is all liquid. So when do you blind bake????
Hi Rosiland. I blind bake for most pies. Anything that has a lot of liquid, like most pies do. Like you I haven't always found it necessary for an apple pie but for something like a pumpkin pie or a quiche I feel like it's essential to getting a really good crust. :) ~ karen!
I used to make pumpkin puree in October and freeze it for Thanksgiving pies. I drained the liquid when it thawed. Before I knew about sweet pie pumpkins, I scraped out the insides of Halloween pumpkins before carving them to use for pies. There's so much sugar and spice in the pies you can't tell the difference. (That will probably get comments!) In a taste-off one Thanksgiving no one could tell the difference between fresh and canned so now I don't bother.
I love your thorough and very clear explanations and illustrations. This sure makes me want to run out and see if I can still get a pie pumpkin.
By the way, a book I have that happens to be on losing weight with a high protein high fat diet and has lots of recipes, expresses the same kind of astonishment about making whipped cream as you do about making pie with a real pumpkin. I quote: ´You won’t believe how simple and easy it is to make your own whipped cream.´ I had to stop, back up and read that again. I couldn’t believe people had to be told that!
Thank you! Real pumpkin pie has been in our family forever! We never use canned pumpkin bc it tastes very different from using a fresh pumpkin. I also wanted to add that our pie never looks orange like your pics. It comes out as a tan/brown so I'm not sure what makes pies look orange unless it is made with canned.
Mine is usually more of a brown as well, I chalked it up to the variety of pumpkin. ~ karen!
I have made these pies for the last 3 years. They are delicious. So bummed that I can not find pumpkins anywhere by me. Everyone has been out since the beginning of Nov. I am being told. Can I use canned pumpkin in your recipe?
Use squash! You'll never ever know the difference. They're the same thing really. I don't know where you are or what kind of grocery stores you have but these are the ones you should use if you can; Kabocha squash, Delicata Squash (also known as sweet potato squash), or Buttercup squash (which looks similar to Kabocha). Really any squash will work fine. ~ karen!
Why preheat to 450 when you bake the crest first at 350. That's dumb. You're dumb.
As we say in the south to people like you Sara who are just rude and hateful for no apparent reason, Bless Your Heart . Karen, your a Friggin Rockstar and I know that you know your worth, and that your a Lady with True Class and Elegance and Respect and that's why you don't bother to waste your time responding to Rude , hateful people like Sara here , who obviously have issues and who also have , as we say in the south , they have NO home Training, so bless your heart Sara, it's unfortunate that you've either never heard, or don't follow that good old adage , if you don't have anything nice to say , then don't say anything at all . Once again Karen , your a Friggin Rockstar , a domestic Goddess, a True Lady, with a touch of Elegance and Class all rolled into one 💖
DITTO from here in the north!!!
Thanks Chris W! It's really only bothersome because their revenge 1 star rating, pulls down this perfect pumpkin pie's rating! ~ karen!
Thank you for standing up to a little bit of bullying Haley. I *love* to hear an authentic "bless your heart" from my friends in the south. :) ~ karen
I made this pumpkin pie over the weekend for Thanksgiving and... hawt damn, the pie turned out amazing. Honestly, the smoothest consistency and grrreat flavour.
This is now my go-to pumpkin pie recipe - for life.
Thanks for sharing!
P.S. I also used your pie crust recipe which turned out really nice. I think I'll need more dough per pie crust next time though!
Excellent, I'm glad you liked it Jaclyn. If you get a chance leave the recipe a starred review so other people know whether it's a good recipe or not. ~ karen!
10/10 it tastes amazing and is easy to follow.
Thanks Cassie! Glad you liked it. ~ karen!
I should just print this recipe and keep it in my cookbook but I just end up coming back here every year to make awesome pumpkin pie.
REAL pumpkin pie! I’m never going back. Thanks, Karen.
I always come back to this recipe! What a great way to use up the pumpkins the kids come home with from field trips to the pumpkin patch and they love helping with the process!
That's great! I made one just for the fun of it and froze individual slices. ~ karen!
I like to cook the purée for a few minutes to help evaporate the liquid and caramelize the sugars. (I think I got this idea from America’s test kitchen.) Will definitely be using your pie crust recipe!
I grow Winter Luxury pie pumpkins which are allegedly the best for pies (I've found this to be true over other varieties I've grown). Pie pumpkins fit whole in an Instant Pot! I use the handled steam rack that came with mine. 1/2 cup water in the bottom, set the pumpkin on the rack, pressure cook for 15 minutes, use the handles to pull it out, let it cool until easy to handle, cut it in half, clean out the seeds, place the meat directly in the blender. Easy prep! Use this recipe only now....by far the best!
Hi,
How many days in advance of my dinner can I make the filling and keep it in the refrigerator? It is less than a week so I'd like to avoid freezing it. Thanks!
Hi Deborah, I probably wouldn't leave it for more than a couple of days. ~ karen!
Hi
Three thoughts based on experience:
1) try Red Kuri squash - it’s got an extra complex nutty flavor compared to pumpkins and butternut squash.
2) blend the skin with the puree. It’s fantastic and adds extra flavor. Plus it’s healthier (skins often gave a lot of nutrients) if it’s a consideration for anyone.
3) if anyone is trying to avoid sugar, use whole dates chopped and blended w/ the puree instead of sugar. Use 1 date per TBS sugar (16 per cup sugar), or more if you like things sweeter. Dates add a caramel flavor that is really lovely.
Hi Tuffy! Red Kuri are good! I've grown those as well. :) Not to take away from your helpful hints, but I wanted to clear something up for everyone. The idea that a great deal of nutrients is in the skin isn't actually true. It's something we all learned at some point and never forgot, lol. But I finally researched it myself a few years ago and - it isn't true. There are some additional nutrients in the area of flesh closest to the skin (of a potato for instance) but it's negligible. The only thing the skin has that's in a much greater proportion to the rest of the vegetable is fibre ~ karen!
Now I want a pumpkin pie!! (ok, maybe in a day or 2 after we finish the chocolate cake my granddaughter and I made.)
If I may suggest another sweet, totally yum squash: Delicata is the best. somehow I got Sweet dumpling. then I did a taste test. Sweet Dumpling Squash won. Still love Delicata--- and really all other squashes----
Just not quite as much! Hope you can still find Sweet Dumplings!
thank you thank you for the delight of your blog series!!
Hi RJ! I've been growing and using Autumn Frost for the past couple of seasons and I'm pretty much sold on them. :) Sweet, dry and "good keepers" as an old farmer would say. (Delicata isn't great for storing) ~ karen!
Now you have me craving pumpkin pie lol.
Have you ever used your puree for muffins or cookies? I ask do to fact i am only one in house that likes pumpkin 😳 as result i only get to eat it when i go someplace that has it.
Why do you blind bake the crust Karen? I never do this with a pie that is going to be baked. I am probably weird, but I like the kind of rubbery texture of the crust when baked from raw with the pie ingredients included, and I'm thinking blind baking may make for a more dry crust?
Hi Tammie! You blind bake it to yes, prevent that rubbery texture you like so much, lol. Blind baking prevents the crust from being gummy. It's the same way/reason you would blind bake a quiche crust before cooking the quiche. (Except you wouldn't because you like it rubbery!) ~ karen!