Bursting with flavor, this pumpkin pie recipe has been a personal and fan- favorite since I originally published the recipe in 2014. It’s rich, smooth, and tastes incredible on my homemade pie crust and served with sugared cranberries and whipped cream.
One reader, Denise, commented: “This might sound dramatic, but this is the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had, like ever! Honestly, I was nervous because of the amount of spices… I was afraid of it being too ‘spicy’ but it’s perfect. The texture is smooth… but not mushy, there are so many different flavors happening at one time, it’s awesome! ★★★★★“
Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bars, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin Bundt cake, and so on. Pumpkin pie deserves a moment, and perhaps the biggest moment of all!
Developing a truly great pumpkin pie recipe is a lot more challenging than it seems. Should you use fresh pumpkin or canned? Brown sugar or white? Ginger or no ginger? Cornstarch, flour, both, or neither? Back in 2014, I tested nearly every possible iteration I could think of and came out with today’s recipe. Trust me, my pumpkin pie standards are high and I’m really happy to announce that this is THE great pumpkin pie.
The recipe below has become so popular that I decided to publish it in my New York Times best-selling (!!!) cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101. In that version, I very slightly scaled down the filling recipe to perfectly fit a standard (non deep dish) pie dish. The recipe today is the original version and excellent if you have a deep pie dish.
One reader, Ellie, commented: “I’ve made pumpkin pies for decades and none have been as good as this. The frosted cranberries and little pastry leaves were a superb addition. The homemade pie dough was amazing, too. We had some leftover filling and baked it in ramekins. Excellent all around. ★★★★★“
Pie Crust
Let’s start with the pie crust. Every pumpkin pie has to start with a stellar pie crust. My homemade pie crust uses a mix of shortening and butter so you get the most buttery tasting, tender, flaky (so flaky) pie crust. It’s easy to make. And I have a video tutorial and step-by-step photos in my pie crust recipe.
If you skip the leaf decorations on top, you’ll have a 2nd pie crust you can use to make leftover turkey pot pie, mini pecan pies, or even a simple pear tarte tatin! Or if you like extra thick pie crust, use some of your 2nd pie crust to make a decorative crimped or fluted edge. My how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial will walk you through all the steps.
Fresh or Canned Pumpkin in Pumpkin Pie?
I tested this recipe with both and I truly liked the pie using canned pumpkin better. The canned pumpkin pumpkin pie (say that 3 times fast) was a little more sturdy when baked for the same amount of time. The pie baked with fresh pumpkin puree tasted grainy and a little… herbaceous? I prefer using fresh pumpkin puree in savory recipes, not desserts. This is your call, you can use either fresh or canned pumpkin.
Other Ingredients in Pumpkin Pie
- Eggs. Eggs set up the pumpkin pie filling. They give the filling its rich, luxurious texture.
- Heavy cream. Heavy cream makes pumpkin pie silky smooth. It’s thick, creamy, and absolutely heavenly in this pumpkin pie recipe. I use 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of milk. I found that 1 and 1/4 cups of heavy cream (or more) was simply too much. Too thick, too gloppy! You can also use the heavy cream to make homemade whipped cream for the topping.
- Cornstarch. A starch thickener is one of the most important ingredients in a pie filling. I use a touch of cornstarch in my pumpkin pie because it helps set up the pie. Makes it a little sturdier and firm, while keeping everything smooth.
My Secret Ingredient
This sounds so incredibly weird, but I add freshly ground black pepper to my pumpkin pie filling. It’s bizarre, I know. But I’m being serious. I got this tip from the genius kitchen crew over at King Arthur Baking. And I am forever grateful. Because this little addition turns your pumpkin pie into the BEST pumpkin pie. No one will know it’s there except for you. And they will all be wondering what makes this spiced pie so good… it’s a pinch of pepper.
I actually add it to my homemade pumpkin pie spice blend, too! Feel free to replace the ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper below with my homemade spice. (Keep the cinnamon in the filling though!)
How to Avoid Cracks in Pumpkin Pie
Silky yet thick, this pumpkin pie cuts beautifully as long as it is baked for the right amount of time. The bake time is about 55-60 minutes. At this time, the center of the pumpkin pie will be slightly wobbly. It will set as it cools. Careful not to overcook; overcooking it will cause the filling to crack.
P.S.: For some fun twists on this classic, try this recipe as mini pumpkin pies, with a crunch topping on pecan praline pumpkin pie, or with extra spices in chai pumpkin meringue pie. You can also make pumpkin hand pies, pumpkin cheesecake pie, or pumpkin pie in a jar!
So from my kitchen to yours, enjoy The Great Pumpkin Pie Recipe. And if you’re looking for more inspiration for your dessert table, here are all of our favorite Thanksgiving pies and a list of 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
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The Great Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes (includes blind bake)
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 8-10; 1 cup sugared cranberries
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Bursting with flavor, this pumpkin pie recipe is my very favorite. It’s rich, smooth, and tastes incredible on my homemade pie crust and served with whipped cream. The pie crust leaves are purely for decor, you can leave those off of the pie and only make 1 pie crust. You can also leave off the sugared cranberries.
Ingredients
Sugared Cranberries
- 1 cup (100g) fresh cranberries (do not use frozen)
- 3/4 cup (180ml) water
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided
Pumpkin Pie
- Homemade Pie Dough (full recipe makes 2 crusts: 1 for bottom, 1 for leaf decor)
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
- one 15-ounce can (425g) pumpkin puree*
- 3 large eggs
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg*
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
Instructions
- If garnishing with sugared cranberries, make those first: If you want to decorate the pie with sugared cranberries, start them the night before because they need to sit for several hours. Place cranberries in a large heatproof bowl. Set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the water and 3/4 cup (150g) of sugar to a simmer, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Pour the sugar syrup over the cranberries and stir. Cover the bowl and set aside for 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries from the sugar syrup and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Allow to dry, uncovered, for 1 hour. Pour remaining 1/2 cup (100g) sugar into a large bowl. Toss the cranberries in the sugar, coating them all the way around. Place on a parchment paper- or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet and let them dry uncovered for at least 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For more uses, see how to make sugared cranberries.
- Make the pie crust through step 5 according to my directions and video tutorial in my pie crust recipe. Or use your favorite pie dough or store-bought.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie crust: Remove 1 disc of pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2-inch deep dish pie dish (this is the one I use; it is 1.75-inches deep). Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it’s tightly pressed into the pie dish. Fold any dough overhang back into the dish to form a thick rim around the edges. Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges with your fingers. Review my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial if you need extra help with this step. Brush edges lightly with egg wash mixture.
- Par-bake the crust: Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork to create steam vents and return crust (without weights) to the oven for 7-8 more minutes or until the bottom is *just* starting to brown. (Review this how to par-bake pie crust page if you need extra help with this par-baking step.)
- Make the pumpkin pie filling: Whisk the pumpkin, 3 eggs, and brown sugar together until combined. Add the cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, heavy cream, and milk. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined.
- Pour pumpkin pie filling into the warm crust. Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. (If using a deep dish pie dish as instructed, you should only have a little filling leftover. Use extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you’d like.) Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes give or take. A small part of the center will be wobbly—that’s ok. After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Check for doneness at minute 50, and then 55, and then 60, etc.
- Once done, transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow to cool completely for at least 3 hours before garnishing and serving.
- Decorate with sugared cranberries and pie crust leaves (see note). You’ll definitely have leftover cranberries… they’re tasty for snacking. Serve pie with whipped cream if desired.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Pumpkin pie freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Pie crust dough freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. If decorating your pie with sugared cranberries, start them the night before. You’ll also begin the pie crust the night before as well (the dough needs at least 2 hours to chill; overnight is best). The filling can be made the night before as well. In fact, I prefer it that way. It gives the spices, pumpkin, and brown sugar flavors a chance to infuse and blend. It’s awesome. Cover and refrigerate overnight. No need to bring to room temperature before baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Saucepan | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Pastry Brush | Pie Weights | Whisk | Pie Crust Shield | Cooling Rack | Fall Cookie Cutters
- Cranberries: Use fresh cranberries, not frozen. The sugar syrup doesn’t coat evenly on the frozen berries, leaving you with rather ugly and some very plain shriveled cranberries.
- Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin is best in this pumpkin pie recipe. I use and recommend Libby’s brand. If using fresh pumpkin puree, lightly blot it before adding to remove some moisture. The bake time may be longer.
- Spices: Instead of ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Be sure to still add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
- Pie Crust: No matter if you’re using homemade crust or store-bought crust, pre-bake the crust. (Step 5.) You can use graham cracker crust if you’d like, but the slices may get a little messy. Pre-bake for 10 minutes just as you do with regular pie crust in this recipe. No need to use pie weights if using a cookie crust.
- Pie Crust Leaves: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the balls of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Roll out into any shape you really want (doesn’t matter) and 1/8 inch thickness. Using leaf cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Brush each lightly with the beaten egg + milk mixture. Cut leaf veins into leaves using a sharp knife, if desired. Place onto a parchment paper or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside to cool before decorating pie.
- Mini Pumpkin Pies: Many have asked about a mini version. Here are my mini pumpkin pies. They’re pretty easy—no blind baking the crust!
Pie Crust Leaves
My pie crust recipe makes enough for two crusts. So with the extra dough, you can make adorable leaves for decoration on your pumpkin pie. Or any pie, really. I’ve seen the pie crust leaves baked directly on top of the rim of the pie—and I tried that—but was not thrilled with the results. Too much uneven baking. The underside of the leaves weren’t really cooked through and the tops got a little burnt (even through my pie shield). So, to make things easier, just bake the pie crust leaves separately and place them on top of your pie before serving. You can also sprinkle them with a little cinnamon-sugar right before baking. I was going to do that, but I forgot.
My leaf cookie cutters (affiliate link) don’t have “veins” so I made leaf veins myself using a sharp paring knife. It’s tedious, but if you want authentic looking leaves you can go ahead. Don’t worry if your veins aren’t perfect. That’s a weird sentence.
My directions for the leaves are in the print-out recipe above.
Reader Comments and Reviews
One of the creamiest pumpkin pies i have ever made (or eaten)! Absoluuuuuutely delightful! My tweaks to the recipe: no cranberries (i like my pumpkin just as it is!), less brown sugar than called for (I used about 3/4 c.), a homemade (of course) graham cracker crust in a 9″ round cake tin (pre-baked for 10 min. after a 15-minute set in the freezer). I poured the entire pumpkin batter into the pan , and it reached the top of the tin. In my (touchy) old gas oven at 375 F, it needed only 40 minutes. The cream and milk were definitely key!
Hey there ! 🙂
I am so excited to try this recipe tonight! I searched for a good pumpkin pie recipe on the internet and found a lot where evaporated milk is used .. could you explain to me the difference between using this type of milk and heavy cream? 🙂
Greetings from Germany! xx
Hi Julia, Heavy cream has a much higher fat content and will help the pie filling thicken nicely.
I made this recipe and the filling was amazing (although I love spice so I will probably ramp up the spice next time). However, I had a problem with the crust shrinking on one side and the crust, although it was flaky, was a little less tender than I would have liked. Do you have any suggestions about how to fix this problem?
Hi Sarah, If your pie crust is shrinking, my first tip is to avoid over-working the pie dough. Dough should only be mixed until the ingredients come together. I recommend using a pastry cutter instead a food processor. Let it rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge– and if you can let it rest longer, awesome. Better yet, make the pie dough discs a few days in advance so they can rest during that time. Likewise, use gentle force when rolling out pie dough. Roll out very slowly and take your time. Keep the ingredients as cold as possible. You can even freeze the crust for 20-60 minutes before blind baking. That always always helps! (I usually do that.)
I’ll tell. I always baked a few pies according to your recipes, it always turned out 5+. Something didn’t work very well with this, but my husband ate everything and was satisfied!
The dough was not the same as yours, but a little dark – a little orange, greasy and heavy … Maybe the products let us down? And yet I put it in the oven, we recently moved, I cook for the third time in this oven, so everything cooks in it for a very long time, even to the maximum capacity (I have gas). Instead of 30–35 minutes, the pie was baked for almost 1.5 hours, if not more, I had a direct panic 🙂 But I think that I will somehow adapt to this and will delight my loved ones with new masterpieces according to your recipes!
BEST PUMPKIN PIE IVE EVER HAD
This pumpkin pie is simply AMAZING!!!!!! I was very hesitant about adding the pepper. I couldn’t taste “pepper” at all!!!!!! This will now be my go to recipe!
So far I have made this recipe twice in the last month. I have been looking for a good homemade pumpkin pie recipe for years & have finally found the keeper! Very happy with the recipe and definitey think the black pepper is genius. However I did make a few adjustments. I found the batter to be too runny so I upped the cornstarch to 2 TBS and increased to 4 eggs. I also made my pie with homemade graham cracker crust as that is my family’s preference for pumpkin pie. It is also easier & quicker that way. Thank you!!!
Sally, thank you so much for this recipe and for instructions on how to make a pie crust. This was my first attempt at making a homemade crust. I did the vodka version and it was perfectly flakey. The pumpkin filling was amazing and got rave reviews from all of my guests!
A big hit! I cut the sugar by 1/4 cup with very happy results.
Question: can maple be added to the recipe? via maple sugar to substitute for some of the brown sugar? If so, any idea how much? Or (preferably) maple syrup? In that case, how would I compensate for the extra liquid?
Wouldn’t maple be a good flavor along with the others already here?
HI Tony! You can definitely try using maple sugar instead of some, half, or all of the brown sugar. (That amount is up to you!) If using pure maple syrup, you’d have to play around with the liquid ingredients to ensure there isn’t too much liquid in the filling.
What an amazing recipe!!!! My husband is a pumpkin pie snob and has disappointed time after time for the last couple of years……..even by those he had loved for years. I tried this recipe (cutting the sugar in half) and he could not stop patting his tummy and uttering mmmmmmmmm. Doesn’t matter what else I can or cannot make…….in his eyes I’m the greatest cook because I made him the best pumpkin pie EVER! Thanks for this amazing recipe!!
This pumpkin pie is the bomb. The very best.
AMAZING. Sally, you are just as amazing as your recipes. All these are delish. This pie is : silky, sweet enough, tender, melting.. the filling has a perfect flavor. The best pumpkin pie ever, I guess. Thank you so much, carry on ! <3
To start off, this is my first pumpkin pie ever. I used a real pumpkin. It was the most delicious pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. I saw that if I followed this recipe, my pie was going to be mush. I only put 3/4cup heavy cream(not a full cup) and did not add ANY milk and I DOUBLED the corn starch. I did not add salt or pepper but doubled the ginger. I bought frozen pie crusts and baked them for 15 minutes before. I also used a food processor to puree the pumpkin. Pic below, it came out great not gritty or ‘herbaceous’, it tastes like an 80 year old grandma that had been baking homemade pies her whole life made it, not like I bought it at the grocery store.
sooo yummy! i love to bake but am new to pies. this was a hit. i didn’t have the ground clove, and it was still very flavorful. i tried using candied pomegranates instead of cranberries b/c its all i had – this was good too!
I have had good luck using roasted pie pumpkin. After mixing all the ingredients, I poured the mixture into my Vita-mix blender and whipped it up. The texture was amazing!
Every Thanksgiving one of our family members bakes a couple of pumpkin pies. While my sister raised the bar by making the crust (a recipe where I got her hooked on how pie crusts can be delicious), the pies still just sat to the side with a couple of obligatorily pieces eaten.
This year I made this one, including the leaves. I came back home after the feast with a small piece. Everybody loved it and couldn’t figure out why it was so much better than past pies made by the label.
I think it proves yet again that taste and presentation are a winning combo. Well done and thank you. Except I think I am now charged with making the pie every year.
Definitely a WIN WIN! I subbed out the heavy cream with coconut cream, the milk with almond/coconut milk and the cornstarch with arrowroot powder. It was superb! Compliments are still coming in!!
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving. It is the best pumpkin pie I ever tasted! I don’t have any comment, other than to thank you for sharing your amazing recipe!
Best pumpkin pie recipe!
So, so good. I made a buttermilk pie earlier in the week and had half a homemade pie crust left in my fridge. Since no one brought pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, I made this for my son (And to use up that crust). He ate 3 slices. Thank you for sharing!!!
I don’t like pumpkin pie, but Thanksgiving is at my house and my family loves pie, so I gave it a shot. It came out PERFECTLY! I even used the recipe for mini pies baked in a muffin pan (5 mins prebake for the crust, then about 20 for the filling to set). Everyone went crazy for the pie… and the crust IS SO GOOD.
I’ve never baked a pumpkin pie and I tried this last night for Thanksgiving and it was a HIT! I’m having some this morning for breakfast!
My pie was ready at 50 minutes.
Also, I used the whipped cream recipe and it was ready at 2 minutes. I kept mixing for another 15-30 seconds and I over mixed. That was no issue because it was still delicious. Just a heads up for those who will try and walk away to wash your hands in the middle of making whipped cream- don’t lol.
Amazing recipe overall, thank you!
This really was the best pumpkin pie I have ever made. I have a question, though. This pie took nearly 20 minutes longer to set up than the recipe states. I checked the oven temperature and that was fine. I wonder, though, after reading about issues with baking pumpkin pies, why you don’t have us cook the filling for 10 minutes before filling the pie crust? I may try this recipe again in the next few days just to see if that helps my process. Thanks for this terrific recipe!
OMG! I truly love Pumpkin pie but even after being stuffed full of dinner there was room for seconds of this pie! Looks like I will have to make 4 of these next year! Heck with the Apple and Pecan say’s my family and friends. BEST EVER! 2019
This was my first homemade pumpkin pie and it was AMAZING. The crust that is made with vodka is top notch! Making this crust is worth the extra steps because it really shines. This is the first time I actually noticed the crust as an asset to the pie.
Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!
This recipe has been saved in my archives and will be making it every year.
Not only did I love it, but my family also loved it!
This pie was delicious!!! I was skeptical about the black pepper, but I can totally see why it works. It gave the pie a certain depth of flavor. My only comment is that the pie was VERY sweet. I would probably cut the sugar a bit next time. The pie crust linked to this recipe was delicious too! It was easy to make and work with.
I have never made pumpkin pie before, and chose this recipe for my first attempt. It was divine. (I didn’t do the cranberry topping, just the main pie recipe). Now that I’ve found perfection, I’ll be using it to make two more for a gathering of friends. Thank you!
Really liked the taste and texture. It was a bit sweet for our taste so will cut back the sugar by 1/4 next time. The pepper is a genius!
Any chance I can use evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream and milk?
I don’t recommend it– best to stick with the written recipe. The pie filling is much thicker and creamier using cream/milk.
I’m getting ready to make this pie for the umpteenth time. It’s my favorite. Perhaps I’ve even commented that here before? But every time I make it, I feel compelled to say thank you, thank you for this recipe. It fulfills every pumpkin pie criteria I have, which is saying something. So this Thanksgiving, as always, I’m thankful for this perfect pumpkin pie recipe.