I love pumpkin pie. I love a great pastry crust. I can’t say no meringue… As you can imagine, this pie didn’t last very long. Martha Stewart did a version of this and while it’s been almost a year since and I still can’t stop thinking about it…

Usually, I like my pumpkin pie with a very healthy side of whipped cream but this meringue mountain looked incredible! My version uses Italian meringue as it’s much more stable. Adds a couple tablespoons of bourbon, some orange zest and a few more Fall spices and you’re all ready to wow your guests! If you are in the mood to try another recipe that incorporates meringue then check out my baked Alaska!

Steps to make the pie dough

Start off by adding the all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Give it a few pulses before adding the butter.
Cut the COLD butter up into tablespoon sized pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times until the butter is in pea-sized clumps. In a small bowl mix together the ice water and vodka. Drizzle the mixture into the processor while pulsing. If you can squeeze the dough into a clump that stays together it’s done. If not, add in another tablespoon of ice water. P.S. The vodka will bake off so don’t worry about adding it in!
Transfer the dough onto a pastry mat or another floured surface and knead 2 to 3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten the dough into a one-inch thick disk and cover it in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag, then place it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

How do you Blind Bake a Pie Crust?

When you blind bake the pie crust make sure to form the edge, cover inside with parchment paper, then foil and beans. The foil will help prop up the pie edge so it doesn’t slip down the side and the beans weigh the center down so it doesn’t form a bubble.
You’ll remove all the paper, foil, and beans then dick the crust all over with a fork or knife to allow steam to escape and bake again.
For a FULL break down of making the perfect pie crust with a how to video click over to my Perfect Pie Crust post.

OK so you can stop right here and serve with a mountain of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. But I love the dramatic mound of light, toasted meringue.

How to avoid cracks in pumpkin pie

Warm the filling up over low heat in a pot before adding to crust.
Turn the pie Halfway through baking so one side doesn’t get too hot and crack.
Bake until almost set in the center then turn oven off and let it hang out another 10 minutes.
Crack oven open with a wooden spoon and let the pie cool down another 20-30 minutes. Overheating and big temperature swings will cause cracks.

It doesn’t matter as much when covered with meringue but a crack-free pumpkin pie is a beautiful thing!

I’ll warn you, the hardest part of making this pie is cutting it! You can wet your knife with water or butter it. Both of these will give you a clean cut. I actually use a pallette knife to help pry out the first piece without mangling all that delicate meringue, pumpkin filling and butter crust.

How long does this keep?

This pie can be made a day ahead but there’s a little tip to keep the meringue from sliding off the pie as it will weep a bit over time.

Bake a bit of the pastry dough scraps with the pie (make sure to take it out of oven as soon as it’s golden, it won’t need long)
Crush the extra pastry into fine crumbs and sprinkle on top of the baked pie before you add your meringue. This will absorbe some moisture and make the top less slippery.

Pro TIPS for making pumpkin meringue pie

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 messy.
Try warming the pie filling in a saucepan before adding to the pie shell, this gives the filling a head start so you don’t have to bake as long AND have less chance of cracking.
Always TENT your pie when baking. Wrap the edge of the pie with tin foil for the first half of the bake. This will protect the delicate crust from burning while the filling is setting up. Remove the tenting halfway to 3/4 of the way through baking.
Mix that egg wash up really well. Globs of egg white are not appetizing!
Feel free to adjust the spice profile and alcohol type/level to your liking.
The best way to cut this is to butter your knife! The fat cuts right through the meringue. You can also wet your knife with water, which also gives you a clean cut.

IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Brown Butter Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Cupcakes

PSL Donuts

If you’ve tried this pumpkin meringue 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!

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