Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This pumpkin pie recipe is smooth and creamy, and it's always the first dessert gone at Thanksgiving. It uses the same mealy pie dough I reach for on all my fall pies. The crust bakes up crisp and tender, never soggy.

All you need is pumpkin puree, heavy cream, brown sugar, flour, butter, eggs, and a handful of warm spices you probably already have in your pantry. I use the same freeze-the-crust-first trick here that keeps my mini apple pies from shrinking, and it works just as well on a full-size pie.

Why Choose This Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Every step of this recipe is built to solve the classic pumpkin pie problems: soggy bottoms, cracked tops, and shrinking crusts. None of that here.

• No blind baking required; the mealy dough bakes up crisp on its own, so you skip the pie weights and the extra step
• Freezing the shaped crust before it bakes keeps it from shrinking away from the pan
• You don't have to carry a full, sloshing pie across the kitchen to the oven
• Pull it at 170º F on a thermometer, not 175º F, carryover heat finishes the rest as it cools

Pumpkin Pie Recipe Ingredients

This filling comes together from a handful of pantry staples. No evaporated milk or condensed milk required. Just real pumpkin, cream, eggs, brown sugar, and warm spices. I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results, especially for the crust.

• Pumpkin puree - Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, they're labeled similarly but taste completely different
• Heavy cream - Gives the filling its silky, rich texture
• Eggs - Used in the filling for structure and in the dough to help it come together. One more egg gets whisked with water for the egg wash that gives the crust its shine
• Brown sugar - Sweetens the filling with a hint of molasses warmth
• Warm spices - Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves; this is what makes it taste unmistakably like fall
• Salt - Used in both the dough and the filling to balance the sweetness and round out the spices
• All-purpose flour - The base of the mealy pie dough, sturdy enough to hold its shape once it's rolled and shaped into the pan
• Unsalted butter - Grated cold into the flour for a sturdy crust, keeping it cold is what keeps the dough tender instead of tough
• Ice water - Added slowly to bring the dough together without warming up the butter

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Step-By-Step

Preheat your oven to 375º F and set a rack on the lowest position. Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, and make sure your butter is cold and grated before you start the dough.

1. Make the filling. Whisk the eggs and heavy cream together, then whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt, and brown sugar, and whisk until fully combined. Set aside.

2. Start the dough. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

3. Cut in the butter. Grate the cold butter directly into the flour mixture and mix on low until it looks like coarse sand.

4. Bring the dough together. Add the egg and ice water, mixing just until the dough comes together and sticks. Don't overwork it. Then flatten the dough into a disk once fully combined.

5. Chill the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, up to overnight. I like to label mine with an "M" for mealy pie dough.
   

6. Roll and shape the crust. Let the dough warm at room temperature for about 20 minutes so it's pliable. Then roll it to ¼ inch thick and place it in a 9 inch pie pan. Trim the edges, leaving ¼ inch of excess dough hanging over the edge to allow for shrinking.

7. Flute the edges. Pinch or fork the edges into a decorative border.

8. Dock and freeze the crust. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork to help prevent big air bubbles. Then freeze the shaped crust for 20 minutes before filling it.

PRO TIP: Freezing the dough keeps the crust from shrinking away from the sides of the pan once it hits a hot oven. It's the same trick I use on my mini apple pies, don't skip it just because this is a full-size pie.

PRO TIP: If you'd rather not carry a full, sloshing pie across the kitchen, you don't have to. Fill it about halfway at the counter, then finish filling the rest of the way once it's already on the oven rack.

9. Fill and egg-wash the crust. Set the crust on a sheet pan, fill it with the pumpkin filling, then brush the edges with egg wash for shine.

10. Bake, cool, and serve. Bake until the edges are set and the crust pulls away slightly from the pan, about 45 minutes. The center should still jiggle slightly, and a thermometer inserted in the center should read about 170º F. Let the pie cool completely, about 1 hour before slicing, then refrigerate leftovers.

PRO TIP: Pull the pie at 170º F, not 175º F. It's the same idea as pulling meat off the heat before it hits your target temperature; it keeps cooking from carryover heat as it rests. This pie carries over to about 175º F fully cooked as it cools. Waiting for 175º F in the oven is the fastest way to end up with a cracked top.

Common Pumpkin Pie Problems to Avoid

• Shrinking crust. Skipping the freezer step before filling is the most common cause. The crust slides down the sides of the pan or pulls away from the edges once it bakes.
• Soggy bottom crust. This mealy dough is built to resist it, but underbaking is still the usual culprit. Bake until the crust pulls away slightly from the pan. Don't pull the pie early just because the center still jiggles a bit.
• Cracked filling. Whisking too much air into the filling, baking at too high of a temperature, cooling the pie too quickly, or over-baking it can all cause the pie to crack. Pull it at 170º F instead of waiting for the oven to hit 175º F, and let carryover heat finish the job.
• Crust browning too fast. If the edges or top of the crust start browning before the center is done, tent the pie loosely with foil. Just make sure the foil doesn't touch the filling.
• Worried about overcooking the filling or the crust not fully baking through? You can par-bake (half-bake) the crust first. Shape and freeze it as usual, then line it with parchment and pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the weights, and bake 5 more minutes. Fill with the filling and bake as directed. A par-baked crust bakes faster than a raw one, so keep an eye on it.

Final Thoughts

This is one of those recipes I make on repeat every fall. It's simple enough that I don't dread it, but it still looks like I fussed over it. The mealy dough is what makes it foolproof for me. No blind baking, no soggy bottom, and it holds its shape in the pan without shrinking on me. Watching that crust come out of the oven still holding its crimped edge, every single time, never gets old.

Make This Recipe Your Own

Store-bought pie crust works here too if you're short on time or making more than one pie for a holiday spread. Nobody will notice once it's filled and baked. If you'd rather start from scratch with your pumpkin, my homemade pumpkin puree method works well in this filling too. If you love this filling but want it in a different format, try it in my pumpkin cheesecake bars for a hand-held version. Or skip the crust altogether and swirl it into a pumpkin spice cake instead.

More Pumpkin Recipes to Try