This pumpkin pie recipe is made from scratch, crust and all!
When I was was at the Foodbuzz Festival a couple of weekends ago, Ben decided to buy one of his favorite desserts at the store, pumpkin pie. There was still about three-quarters of the pie left when I arrived home, and he slowly made his way through it during the week. After the third or fourth day in a row that I witnessed him pulling that pie dish out of the fridge, I decided it was time for me to finally make him one from my very own oven.
I'm not pretentious by any means, but, I will say that I was never the biggest fan of pumpkin pie until I tried this one. Even using canned pumpkin puree, this pie surprises you with such a fresh taste complemented with spices that are blended to perfection. The consistency is beautiful and I surprisingly found myself desiring a second bite right away.
Recipe Card
Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
This pumpkin pie recipe is made from scratch, crust and all!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 410kcal
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening , chilled
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter , diced
- 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For the Pie Filling:
- 2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger*
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves*
- * (Alternatively, use 2 tablespoons homemade pumpkin pie spice)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup milk
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
For the Pie Crust:
- Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and process until combined. Add the shortening and process until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Drop the butter pieces into the machine and process again until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no large than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Fold 4 tablespoons of the ice water into the flour mixture. Combine just until a dough forms. Add another tablespoon of ice water if needed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Remove the refrigerator (if refrigerated more than 1 hour, allow to stand on the counter top until malleable). Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan. Lightly press the dough into the pan corners. Trim the dough edges to extend about ½ inch beyond the rim of the pan. Fold the overhang under and flute the dough edges using the index finger of one hand the the thumb and index finger of the other. Refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes, then freeze until very cold, about 20 minutes.
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the pie dough from the freezer and press a doubled 12-inch piece of heavy-duty foil inside the pie shell. Fold the edges of the foil to shield the fluted edge. Distribute 2 cups ceramic or metal pie weights (or dry rice) over the foil. Bake until the dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare the Pie Filling by following the instructions below.) After the pie shell bakes 25 to 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil and weights, then continue baking until light golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.
For the Pie Filling:
- While the crust is baking, prepare the pie filling. Process the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a food processor for 1 minute until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan. Bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.
- As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Whisk the heavy cream and milk into the saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. Process the eggs in a food processor until the whites and yolks are combined, about 5 seconds. With the motor running, slowly pour about half of the hot pumpkin mixture through the feed tube. Stop the machine and add the remaining pumpkin mixture. Process 30 seconds longer.
- Immediately pour the warm filling into the hot pie crust. Bake the pie until the filling is puffed, dry-looking, and lightly cracked around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
- Source: The New Best Recipe
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 10151IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg
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Sue Gladd says
I will be using this recipe for Thanksgiving, Nikki...with my MIL’s crust recipe. She was the uncontested best pie maker, and it was so great to eat at her table. I’ve been negligent in not sharing this crust with you—and so easy!
Mix together
2 C sifted flour (I don’t sift)
1 1/2 t salt
Pour into measuring cup
1/2 C oil
1/4 C cold milk
Pour all at once into flour. Stir with fork until mixed. Roll out between waxed paper.
Kelly says
I'm making this as I write this. I'm very excited to try it! I'm in charge of the pies for Thanksgiving, do I'm going this is a hit 🙂
Kelly says
Everyone loved this pie!! I made two apple and one pumpkin, but I should have made 2 of these. It was nice and creamy and had a good blend of flavors, and I really liked the fact that the crust was cooked through. I hate eating soggy pie crust. I did manage to save one piece of pie, so I know what I'm having for breakfast! Thanks for the amazing recipe! Can't wait to try more 🙂
Nikki says
So glad it was a hit, Kelly! I also love that the pie crust is partially pre-baked so it turns out a lovely cooked-through crust, no sogginess. 🙂 Enjoy your breakfast!
Laura says
This looks about just as close to perfect as a pie can get!
Jessica @Sunny Side Up says
Wow, the texture of your pie looks perfect! I cheated and used store bought crust for my pumpkin pie, but I bet homemade is better!
Melissa @ Kids in the Sink says
I'm kind of like you, I never really knew about pumpkin pie and even though everyone else associated it with Thanksgiving, there was never one at my Thanksgiving meal growing up. Why? My mom didn't like pumpkin, so she didn't make it. But once I got older and someone gave me a piece of (out of the box) pumpkin bread, I fell in love and every since I've been making pumpkin things galore! Except I've still never made a pumpkin pie. I'll keep yours in mind for when I tackle that.