American · Dessert · Medium
Pumpkin Pie
Silky spiced pumpkin custard in a flaky crust, crowned with softly whipped cream. The one dessert Thanksgiving cannot happen without.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Pumpkin Pie, in 5 ideas
- The hot start sets the crust and the gentle finish keeps the custard crack free.
- A slight jiggle in the center is the goal. A fully firm pie in the oven becomes an overbaked pie on the plate.
- Brown sugar gives a deeper, rounder sweetness than white sugar.
- Chilling the crust before filling helps it bake up flaky instead of shrinking.
- Pumpkin pie tastes better the next day, so baking it Wednesday is strategy, not laziness.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Whipped cream, for serving
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Fit the crust into a 9 inch pie plate, crimp the edges, and chill it while you make the filling.
- Whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl until smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs and yolk, then slowly whisk in the evaporated milk and vanilla until the filling is silky and uniform.
- Pour the filling into the chilled crust and smooth the top.
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake 40 to 45 minutes more, until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly.
- Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours. The custard finishes setting as it cools.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled, each slice with a generous cloud of whipped cream.
If the crust edges brown too fast, cover them with a ring of foil for the last 20 minutes. And always check the can twice: pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, or the spices double up.