There’s so many pumpkin pie recipe variations to try.
From overly-orange and sweet pumpkin pie to pumpkin pie cheesecake, there’s a lot of “pumpkin pie” recipes to explore.
But trying to find the perfect, traditional pumpkin pie recipe? Well, that’s easier said than done.
What makes that ~perfect bite~ of pumpkin pie? And what makes a pumpkin pie classic versus modern?
For me, it all comes down to which spices you choose to put in or leave out.
The must-have spices for a classic pumpkin pie recipe
Ground cinnamon and nutmeg are absolute must-have spices in just about every pumpkin pie recipe.
But a lot of pumpkin pie recipes omit ground ginger and cloves and these warming spices are also a total must-have for a truly traditional pumpkin pie recipe.
Why?
Because they will give your pumpkin pie that warm, cozy mouth feel and send you straight down nostalgia lane.
Leave them out and your pumpkin pie will be somewhat average.
But the *secret spice* that will really make your pumpkin pie pop?
The secret spice that will make your pumpkin pie standout from the rest
Fresh ground pepper ya’ll.
It may sound strange but when you add a pinch of ground pepper it will elevate all of your other spices.
It doesn’t take away from the nostalgia either. I think it’s a spice that was always meant to be there.
Please note that no more than an 1/8 of a teaspoon per pumpkin pie is needed here; it’s truly just a “pinch of pepper”.
The perfect pumpkin pie crust
I’m a big fan of baking with a butter crust.
While some might say that mixing in shortening allows for more flakiness, I absolutely refuse to have those vegetable “franken-fats” in our homemade family food.
Sorry guys, but this is a hill I’ll die on.
Here’s an all butter crust recipe that is easy to work with instead and oh, so flakey.
My other very important note when it comes to the crust is to NOT par bake the crust, like so may recipes recommend doing.
Pumpkin pie needs to bake for much longer than other pies typically do—upwards of an hour—and because of this, your crust will end up browner than it needs to be (even if you use aluminum foil or pie crust shields).
Using canned vs. fresh pumpkin
Typically, I choose to use canned pumpkin instead of fresh due to convenience and time-constraints.
But, my honest to goodness preference is roasted, fresh pumpkin. Somehow, it has a subtler flavor than canned pumpkin (not sure why) but is also more “pumpkin-ey” at the same time.
Simply put, I can taste the freshness and it’s worth the extra effort if you have fresh pumpkin available to you.
It’s worth noting that fresh pumpkin can lead to a stringier pumpkin pie though. So, if you prefer a silkier, velvety texture then use canned pumpkin or run your freshly roasted pumpkin meat through the blender.
To add molasses or to not add molasses?
I find it surprisingly that so many recipes do not ask for molasses to be added directly. However, pumpkin pie is not pumpkin pie without brown sugar.
And by defacto, this involves molasses (brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added in).
I have found that adding one teaspoon of molasses to be the perfect amount of old-fashioned sweetness for my tastebuds.
Too much molasses and your molasses may overpower the flavor from the spices you so lovingly and carefully mixed in.
Isn’t fascinating how baking and cooking are essentially alchemy in action?
The pumpkin pie filling
For the filling to set properly, you need to have eggs in your pumpkin pie filling. This recipe also adds two tablespoons of arrowroot powder, which you can substitute with corn starch instead.
I try to avoid most corn products and prefer the arrowroot because it’s hard to get organic, non-GMO corn products in the United States.
If you have neither thickening agent available to you, you can also just use flour and double the amount (so you would add 4 tablespoons instead).
To make your pumpkin pie velvetey-smooth, it’s also important to use heavy cream instead of milk or evaporated milk.
There are a lot of recipes out there that call for evaporated milk. However, I do not see the benefit to doing this as it’s not cheaper and doesn’t yield a better result.
Note: it can also be really difficult to find organic evaporated milk, whereas finding organic cream is usually a tad bit easier.
The Perfect Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Course: Baking, Healthy Living, Homemaking8
servings15
minutes1
Ingredients
Homemade all-butter pie dough
egg wash (1 large beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water)
1 Ib (16 oz) of fresh roasted pumpkin (run it through the blender or food processor until smooth) OR a 15 oz. can (425g) of pureed pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 and 1/4 cup (300 ml) heavy cream
1 and 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
2 tablespoons (16g) arrowroot starch powder (or cornstarch)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 °F (162 °C)
- Roll out chilled pie dough with a rolling pin. Aim for an even pie dough thickness that is just enough to cover your pie dough plate. Flute or crimp the pie dough edges around the pie plate as desired. Set aside.
- Make filling. Thoroughly whisk eggs, heavy cream, arrowroot starch powder, canned pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, and cloves for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour filling into pie plate. Add foil (or silicone pie crust shields) around the edges of the pie plate if you are using a rimmed pie plate.
- Bake for 60 minutes. The center should be only slightly wobbly.
- Once out of the oven, set aside to cool for 90 minutes on a wire rack (if you have one) and then place in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
- Serve with homemade whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg for garnish.
Notes
- Special equipment: a deep pie dish is optimal as the pumpkin pie will rise during baking (and then fall). Silicone pie crust shields are helpful as well. If you do not have this available, foil works great as well.
- Do not par bake your pie crust. It will lead to an overly browned crust due to the longer baking time.
- Watch your pie like a hawk after the 50 minute mark to ensure you don’t have any deep cracking throughout your pie. Over-baking will lead to a cracked pie surface, but this should be less likely since we’re baking the pie at 325 °F (162 °C)
- A note about spices: you can also add allspice in lieu of cloves, but I prefer the sharper bite from cloves. You can also sub mace for nutmeg for a slightly sweeter and milder effect.
Did you try this recipe? Do you have any other pumpkin pie recipe hacks to share?
Let me know in the comments below!
