Best Homemade Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

Classic Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie is the most loved Thanksgiving Dessert after Classic Apple Pie and Southern Sweet Potato Pie.

This holiday season is like the other name for "Pumpkin Spice and everything nice". Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Cheesecake Fudge, Pumpkin Muffins, and the most amazing  - Pumpkin Pie!! Today, I'll tell you how to make the BEST Homemade Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie.

After all, Thanksgiving is all about traditions, right? And in my family, baking a Pumpkin Pie is a MUST. But, it has to be perfect. And, everyone wants a big slice of the pie. And, therefore it's pretty important that I make it right.

Jump to:

• Ingredients you need to make a Pumpkin Pie
• How to Make the Best Pumpkin Pie?
• Important Tips to bake the Best Pumpkin Pie
• How to Store Pumpkin Pie?
• What to do with Leftover Pumpkin Pie Filling?
• How to Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie?
• What are some Replacements Possible in this Recipe?
• Some BONUS POINTERS to keep in mind:
• Best Homemade Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
• Storage
• Leftover Pumpkin Pie Filling
• Make-Ahead
• Replacements:

Pumpkin Pie is the king of Fall desserts and for all the right reasons. It's custardy, it's thick and it's creamy. Pumpkin Pie is my definition of happiness on a plate.

After years of practice, I have finally learned the art of baking the best Pumpkin Pie. This Pumpkin Pie is truly a labor of love and patience which I have learned over the years. Every year, I update this post based on all the things I learn about this recipe. It takes some time to master the trick to make the best Pumpkin Pie, but with this recipe of mine, where I have included all the tips and tricks which I have learned over the years, you'll be a Pumpkin Pie pro all at once 🙂

Ingredients you need to make a Pumpkin Pie

• Homemade Pie Crust or Store-Bought Unbaked Pie Crust
• 1 Can Pumpkin Puree about 15 Oz (In my Opinion Canned Pumpkin Puree works best for this recipe. But, you can always use fresh pumpkin and make a puree out of it. I baked it with both and there was hardly any noticeable difference between the two.
• 1 cup Dark or Light Brown Sugar 
• 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar - If you feel that both Brown sugar and granulated sugar will make it too sweet for you then you can use just one of it. If you ask me, then about 1 1/3 cup of brown sugar(light/dark) would be ok.
• 3 Large Eggs - Eggs gives a structure to this pie.
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch- To thicken the Pumpkin Pie filling.
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• SPICES: (2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon + 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger + 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg + 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves + 1/8 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper + 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cardamom)
• 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1 cup Heavy Cream + 1/4 Cup Milk (You can also replace this with a 12Oz Can of Evaporated Milk (354ml)

How to Make the Best Pumpkin Pie?

• First, grab a bowl and add all the ingredients. Pumpkin Puree, sugar, and eggs. Whisk Well. Now add salt, spices, heavy cream, and milk. Give all of that a good whisk.
• Take out your chilled Homemade Pie dough from the refrigerator. Flour the surface and roll it to a 12-inch diameter circular disc. Keep turning a few degrees to the left after every roll to ensure a proper circular disc. (even if it's not a proper circle, there won't be any problem). Make sure you roll it out a little larger than the size of your pie dish. In my case, I was using a 9-inch pie dish so I rolled out a 12-inch pie crust.
• Wrap this on your rolling pin and unwrap it on your pie dish. Now, prebake the crust in a 350°F preheated oven for at least 10-minutes. (BUT, MAKE SURE: You apply Egg Wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 2 Tablespoons of Milk) on the sides of the pie crust before you pop it in the oven to bake.)
• Once your Pie crust is pre-baked, take it out and pour the Pumpkin Pie filling on the crust. Smoothen it out with a rubber spatula.
• Bake this in a preheated oven at 350°F for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted at the center of the pie comes out relatively clean. (MAKE SURE: You make a tent on the pie using an aluminum foil at the 25-minute mark to prevent it from over-browning.)
• Cool it down completely. This takes about 3-4 hours. You'll be able to cut out cleaner pieces when it has cooled down completely.
• Use Whipped cream to do the frosting on this pie (OPTIONAL)
• If you wish to store it then you can wrap it with a plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Important Tips to bake the Best Pumpkin Pie

• You can prebake the crust with some Pie weight at 350F for 10 minutes. Poke holes in the Pie Crust, apply some Eggwash and then put Pie weight in a Parchment Paper and Bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Cool it down to room temperature before you pour in the Pumpkin Pie filling in the crust.
• I find that a bit of Orange Zest or Lemon Zest works like a magic in lifting up the taste of this Pumpkin Pie.
• I love to sometimes use a gingersnap crust for this Pumpkin Pie.
• You can also add some Sugared Cranberries over the Pie for decoration.
• You can make the Pumpkin Pie filling with 2 tablespoon of Bourbon or make the Pie crust with 1 tablespoon of Vodka.
• You can serve with Maple or Caramel on top, besides vanilla ice cream on whipped cream.

How to Store Pumpkin Pie?

• You can store the Pumpkin Pie for 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• To store in the freezer, wrap it up using a plastic cling wrap and then again wrap with an aluminum foil and freeze. This can be frozen for up to 3 months. And you can thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before you have it. Microwave t for 2 minutes and then have it.

What to do with Leftover Pumpkin Pie Filling?

• Use the Leftover Pumpkin Pie filling to make a Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese frosting.
• Or pour them in a ramekin and bake aside the pie to make mini Pumpin custards for Thanksgiving.

How to Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie?

Of course, I always make this Pumpkin Pie Ahead of Time.

You can prep the Pumpkin Pie filling in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight. This recipe is best started the night before. Storing the Pumpkin Pie filling will give the spices and sugar some time to blend well with each other and infuse their individual flavors.

You can also, make it a week ahead and pour it in a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 5 days. However, remember to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, the day before you're making this Pie.

You can make the Pie crust in advance, wrap it up with a plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Learn how to make homemade Flaky Pie Crust here.

You can learn how to make Vegan Pie crust at home here.

What are some Replacements Possible in this Recipe?

• You can use Fresh Pumpkin Puree in place of Canned Pumpkin Puree. For Fresh Pumpkin Puree, scoop out the Pumpkin Flesh, discard the seeds and blend it using some water. Bloat it using a paper towel and then use it. Too much water comes in the way of baking a perfect pie, so it's important to soak out the excess water.
• You can use Evaporated Milk/Coconut Milk + Half & Half in place of Heavy cream and Milk for the filling.
• You can replace all of the spices with some Pumpkin Pie Spice. However, don't forget the Nutmeg and Cinnamon, even if you're using store-bought Pumpkin Pie Spice because Cinnamon and Nutmeg are literally the heart of this Pie.

Some BONUS POINTERS to keep in mind:

• If you are buying a store-bought pie crust, then you will get a pack of 2 totaling to 16-ounces. You can a pie crust as per the shape of your pie dish.
• If you have baked this before and your pie crust seemed soggy, you have two options to fix it. Either you can bake it in the lower third rack of your oven (one that is closer to the heat source) or you can pre-bake the crust after applying some egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten + 2 tablespoons of milk) on the sides of the pie crust. Pre-bake at 350°F for 10-minutes.