Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Name: Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour ( plus more for rolling); 4 tbs granulated sugar; 1/2 tsp sea salt; 16 tbs unsalted butter (chilled); 4 tbs ice water; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp all-spice; 1/2 tsp ginger; 1 egg (for the egg wash); 1 can pumpkin puree (not pie filling); ½ cup brown sugar ( Light, packed); ¼ cup granulated sugar; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground ginger; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp kosher salt; 2 tsp grated orange zest; 3 extra-large eggs lightly beaten; 1 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup whole milk; 2 tbs dark rum such as Mount Gay

Last updated on January 29, 2019 by John K. 33 Comments Originally Published: November 14, 2018

This classic pumpkin pie recipe gets an update with a spiced pastry crust, a sprinkle of orange zest, and a dash of rum. Sometimes the slightest changes have great effect!

A photo of pumpkin pie with leaves made out of pie crust decorated on top.

How to Avoid Burnt Pie Crust

I don’t know if you’re in this habit but tenting your crusts with tin foil for most of the bake drastically cuts down on singed edges. Just fold a long piece of foil in half lengthwise and gently wrap around the crust before baking. You can remove halfway through or so and allow the crust to get golden brown just as the center sets.

I Love pumpkin pie with a MASSIVE dollop of whipped cream, but for an all out stunner that’s really easy to make try topping your pie with a giant pile of meringue! If you want to know the secret to cutting this the key is buttering your knife. The fat cuts right through the meringue.

A Few Tips

You can easily make the pie dough in a food processor with a few pulses but making it the old fashioned way is pretty fun, just a little more messy.
Try warming the pie filling in a pot over medium low heat before adding to the pie shell. Make sure to stir constantly. Doing this will help the pie bake faster and more evenly.
Feel free to adjust the spice profile and alcohol type/level to your liking.

Should I pre bake pie crust for pumpkin pie?

Pre baking your pie crust is the key to a crust that’s crisp throughout.
Blind bake with pie weights at 425F for about 10 minutes.
Remove weights, dock the crust and bake another 10 minutes.
Adding an egg wash creates an additional barrier between the crust and filling.

Can you substitute almond milk for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie?

You can substitute almond milk for evaporated milk or cream, just add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the sugar as a thickening agent.

Can I make pumpkin pie the day before?

Pumpkin pie can be made a day ahead and tastes great cold. If desired you can warm up before serving.

Steps to Make a Pumpkin Pie

How do you make homemade pumpkin pie?

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add in spices. Whisk together. Grate in chilled butter and drizzle in ice cold water. Mix using a fork. Knead 3-4 times and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for about 30 minutes.
Divide dough in half and roll out. One half is for the pie’s base and the other is for the decorative leaves. I used a stamping pastry cutter for my leaves but any method is fine.
Place your circle of dough onto the pie plate, trim the edge, and brush it with a bit of egg wash and place the leaves. I like to save a few leaves to place in the center. They bake quite quickly so keep an eye on them.
Cover dough with parchment paper and place pie wights on top.
Since the pie will be baking a while and I don’t want there do be singed edges I tent the pie with aluminum foil before baking at 425F for about 10 minutes.
Poke the bottom and sides with a fork, add the foil back on and return to oven for about 5 minutes.
Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk together and I recommend transferring the filling into a pot and warming over low heat, stirring constantly. Adding warm pie fillings into an oven will let your pie bake quicker and more evenly.
Add the warmed pie filling to your blind-baked shell reduce to 350F and bake until set.

If you’ve tried this pie then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!