Ultimate Pumpkin Pie
- Total Time
- About 2 hours, plus 1½ hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 2pounds butternut squash (1 small squash), peeled, seeded and cut into 1½-inch chunks (about 3 cups), see Tip
- 1cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough
- Dough for a single 9-inch pie crust
- 3large eggs
- ⅔cup/132 grams light brown sugar
- 1½teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ⅛teaspoon ground allspice or pinch of ground cloves
- 1tablespoon bourbon or dark rum, or use 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
375 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 368 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Place two racks in the oven: one in the lower third and one in the upper third. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2
Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread butternut squash on it. Drizzle squash with 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream, sprinkle with granulated sugar and dot the top with butter. Roast on the upper rack, stirring once or twice, until squash is very tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch metal pie pan. Fold over any excess dough, crimping the edges. Transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (This helps the crust hold its shape so the edges don’t slump.)
- Step 4
When the squash is soft, transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes (and up to a few hours). Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- Step 5
In a food processor or blender, purée the squash with the remaining cream until smooth. Add eggs, brown sugar, spices, bourbon and salt, and pulse to combine. The mixture should be very smooth.
- Step 6
Pour mixture into the chilled pie shell. Carefully transfer pie to the hot baking sheet on the bottom rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 300 and continue to bake until the crust is golden and the center jiggles just slightly when shaken, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.
Tip
- If you are buying peeled, cubed squash, you will need 1¼ pounds. If you want to substitute canned pumpkin, you will need 1½ cups (the remaining purée in the can is great stirred into oatmeal).
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
RP
Three helpful tips: 1- blind bake the crust so the finished pie doesn’t have a soggy bottom 2- use kabocha squash 3) roast the squash whole, let it cool and scoop out the seeds then flesh (tastier& much easier than cubing & roasting)
Ria
Don’t scrimp on the spices, use cloves and allspice. Also add a pinch of mace. Makes all the difference in the end result. If you mix the filling at least 24 hours in advance (we do 2 days) and keep it sealed in refrigerator, this allows the spices to “bloom” and all the flavors meld thoroughly throughout the pie filling. I have to make two of these pies every year so there is enough for my husband and two sons. On occasion I’ve been known to make a couple extra so everyone else has plenty too
Alice
Re-read the recipe. It calls for baking 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then lowering the temperature to 300 degrees and baking an additional 35-45 minutes longer or until the center is slightly jiggly. Key words here are the two separate oven settings and the phrase “35-45 longer” at the lower temperature; knowing all ovens bake differently just be mindful how yours works and use a baking thermometer. Hope this helps.
Charles
It’s helpful that you specify a two-pound squash, but it would be more helpful if you specified how much purée we want to end up with. 3 cups is just meaningless when you’re talking about 1 1/2 inch dice. Why not be consistent, since you’re giving other ingredients by weight and do the same here. ? The answe is 350 grams of pulp.
Joeomar
The recipe is correct, you do NOT need to blind bake the crust if you use the right equipment. I use these "non-stick" pie pans that are a very dark gray, the dark color absorbs heat far better than a glass or shiny aluminum pan. Not only does the bottom of the crust turn deep gold and crisp, I've found it actually cooks the filling better so I have less problems with a runny filling.
Roberto
you absolutely must include a bit of mace in the mix of spices. there's nothing like it and when it's missing then the pie is just not right
Gail G.
Libby’s canned pumpkin is the best brand. The closest to fresh, and a nice bright orange. It’s actually better than fresh; well puréed and less watery, and so much easier. The difference in taste will be negligible.
Jesse
I needed to cook this way longer than the recommended time. At 45 minutes on 300 my crust was just beginning to color but the pie hadn’t set at all. 60 minutes in and it’s finally beginning to set but is more than a little jiggly in the center still.
jf brady
The reason she cubes the squash is that the outside caramelizes, giving a richer flavor. That’s the whole reason I’m trying this. Turning the cut side down steams it which is altogether different.
Annie B.
I'm big fan of blind baking too but just learned via the Apple Pie Video that a metal pie tin will give a crisper crust, and placing that metal pie tin onto a preheated "cookie sheet" is even better. Hate those soggy bottoms! I have always used Pyrex, but am eager to give metal a try.
KPS
A little black pepper in the filling is nice. I like to make the filling the day before baking to let the flavors meld even more.
Becky
Freezing the pie crust first is a good alternative to pre-baking. This works great pumpkin and other one-crust pies. That quick burst of heat at 425 will help reduce the soggy-bottom problem. I make my crust and the filling days ahead! Poor the filling into the frozen crust and pop in the oven Thanksgiving morning.
Joan M
The pie is tastier if you make the filling a day before baking it. The spices taste richer that way.
Sue
Butternut will do if that's what you have, but a hubbard or kabocha-style squash has a richer flavor and denser texture (less water in the pie = smooth, buttery texture) and are far and away my favorite for pie. Kabochas used to be a bit tricky to find in the States but are fairly common now--leaps and bounds better than pumpkin or butternut.
Karen
Thank you, Melissa Clark, for this recipe. This is the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever made. First, the crusts are good, and watching your videos that showed how you move it while rolling was helpful. I weighed the flour and realized I’d always used too much. Great crust. I’d always used pie pumpkins—butternut is much better. Third, I loved the slightly carmelized flavor. Fourth, the pie was beautiful when cooked, and the spices were great. I had no fresh ginger (sigh), but next time….
Osomite
My wife made a pumpkin pie to take to a Halloween party. A lady at the party said that my wife's pumpkin pie was the very best she had ever tasted. She ask my wife if she could have the receipt. I thought that my wife would explain that it is a very old family receipt and that she would be happy to share with her. Instead, my wife said, "I used the receipt that is on the Libby's Pumpkin can". In any case, maybe that is a very old family receipt.
John
I’m sorry, I’ve gone through many pumpkin pie recipes over the years, including roasting my own sugar pumpkins, kabocha, and other squash varieties for the filling. I’ve never had a result that tasted any better than a quality can of organic pumpkin purée. It’s just not worth the effort.
KLG
This recipe took about 3 times longer to cook than described and was not remarkably tasty even then. Very disappointing.
Kate in Colorado
This was really good, but didn’t completely set up, even with 50 mins in the oven.
zcooks
Wow. As a Libby’s or die person, I have to say, never using Libby’s again. This pie was exceptional and far superior in texture and flavor.
Susan K
This turned out fabulous but I would use the food processor rather than the vitamix blender next time. The powerful blender seemed to whip the cream resulting in an overly thick filling that didn’t really fill the crust. Still got rave reviews about the taste and doing the crust in the metal pan as instructed was the best crust I’ve made in years. I used a pumpkin pie spice blend for the spices.
Michael
300 degrees was far too low for my two pies in the oven to cook. Even the 10 to 15 min extra recommended for two pies in the oven - instead of just one - was not enough. I had to raise the temperature to 350 and bake for another 20 min or so. However, by then, the crust on the rim was overcooked and tough.
JamerCooks
This pumpkin pie recipe is amazing! It's so creamy and flavorful. my guests were surprised to hear it's roasted butternut squash. So long canned pumpkin puree!
jennifer
If you use a dark, non-stick pie pan, freeze the rolled out dough in the pan for 30 minutes before cooking, and don’t forget to turn the heat up for 10 minutes immediately after putting it in the oven, you will not have a soggy bottom. Agree that using a mix of orange squash, including some of the heirloom varieties, really amps up the flavor, as does using fresh vs. powdered ginger. I also made my filling 36 hours ahead of time to allow the flavors to bloom and save time the day of cooking.
mrs.whitsker
This was delicious!!! Totally tasted like pumpkin to us. I used a frozen pie crust to cut down on the amount of work since I had to work with peeling and cutting up a whole butternut squash. I had no problem with the crust being soggy, however time, I might try homemade crust for an even better result!
Kim
I used a store bought pie crust that I didn't pre bake enough. It ended up filling two crusts! I also used canned pumpkin. It came out well, no cracks. It has a different flavor than any pumpkin pie I've ever had. More creamy and the mix of spices and *rye* because that's what I had, was really nice. The filling was paler and less pumpkiny. Woul love to try with the squash.
Pokey
I wanted to love this pie. Made the filling the day before and when I put in the pie rust, it was "gloppy". It never smoothed out and didn't set up in the amount of time suggested. 300 seems too low--maybe 325 to 30. The top looked so bad I didn't take it to Thanksgiving dinner. It probably tastes good but the top looked like a truck ran over it from trying to smooth it out. Maybe I put too much squash in the mixture? Be sure to measure the amount-- 350 grams cooked pulp recommended.
zooey
Upset because the filling is sooo good. Par baked the crust and baked the whole pie an additional 10-15 minutes past what it said (yes I understood the temperature and time instructions) but the crust still isn’t crisp at all…. Looked like it was golden brown but now that I’m eating the pie it’s not baked how I want.
Charly
This is hands down most flavorful pumpkin pie filling I’ve ever made. I’m sold on roasting the filling from fresh butternut. I wished I had used more squash though, I could have easily added another cup of filling to the 9inch pie crust, it was a bit lower sitting in the crust than I would have preferred. Great flavor though.
EW
Made this with a small Japanese pumpkin, and it was absolutely delicious - best pumpkin pie I’ve ever made. I only had a silicone pie pan, which wasn’t ideal, but still got the job done
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