This Homemade Pumpkin Pie features a flaky, buttery crust filled with a silky, spiced pumpkin custard and finished with light maple whipped cream. It’s an easy, comforting dessert that’s ideal for fall gatherings and Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin pie is a classic fall dessert. This recipe balances warm pumpkin spice flavors with a smooth, creamy filling and a tender crust. The maple whipped cream adds a sweet, aromatic finish that complements the spices.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie Crust
This pie begins with a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust made from a blend of butter and shortening for great texture and flavor. The dough is straightforward to work with: chill, roll, shape into a 10- or 11-inch pie plate, and either blind-bake or use as directed below.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
This recipe uses canned pumpkin purée for a consistently smooth, custardy texture. In testing, fresh roasted pumpkin purée produced a slightly grainier filling and a thinner consistency, which can require longer baking and yield different results. If you prefer fresh pumpkin, expect to adjust baking time and possibly thicken the purée.
The filling combines pumpkin purée with eggs, brown and granulated sugars, warm spices, a touch of orange zest for brightness, and both heavy cream and whole milk for richness. The small amount of citrus elevates the spice blend and adds balance.
Typical spices here are cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You can substitute a teaspoon of pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice if you prefer a single measurement.
Maple Whipped Topping
The pie is finished with a simple maple whipped cream made by whipping chilled heavy cream with maple syrup and vanilla (or scraped vanilla bean). The maple flavor pairs beautifully with pumpkin and spices and is easy to pipe or dollop by hand.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie
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Mix the filling: Whisk eggs until light. Stir in pumpkin purée, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, orange zest, heavy cream, and whole milk until smooth and combined.
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Fill the shell: Pour the filling into a partially baked (blind-baked) pie crust.
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Bake: Reduce the oven temperature after blind-baking and bake the filled pie 55–60 minutes at 350°F, until the center is just set and still slightly wobbly.
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Cool: Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack; the center will finish setting as it cools.
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Serve: Top slices with maple whipped cream and enjoy.
Can I use fresh pumpkin for this pie?
You can, but canned pumpkin typically gives a smoother, more consistent texture. Fresh pumpkin purée can be thinner or slightly grainy and may need a longer bake time or additional thickening.
How can I decorate my pie?
Use extra pie dough to cut shapes like leaves or pumpkins and bake them until golden, then arrange on top. You can also pipe maple whipped cream with decorative tips for a polished look.
Do you bake the crust first?
Yes — blind-baking (partially pre-baking) the crust prevents a soggy bottom when using wet fillings like pumpkin custard. Line the crust with parchment and weights, bake until the edges brown, remove weights, dock the bottom, and finish baking briefly before filling.
How to avoid cracks
To prevent cracks, avoid overbaking. The pumpkin custard should be just set with a slight wobble in the center when you take it out. It will firm up while cooling and produce a smooth surface without large cracks.
Can you freeze pumpkin pie?
Yes. Fully baked pies wrap well for the freezer: first wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. Crust dough also freezes well for later use.
Can I make this pie ahead of time?
Absolutely. You can prepare the filling up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Pie dough also keeps well when made ahead and chilled or frozen until ready to use.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe Tips
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Do not overbake; the center should remain slightly wobbly before cooling.
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Pipe maple whipped cream for an elegant presentation.
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Substitute the individual spices with 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to simplify measurements.
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Make decorations by rolling dough to 1/8-inch thickness and baking cutouts until golden, about 8–10 minutes.
Other pumpkin ideas:
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Pumpkin French Toast
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Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
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Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake
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Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix
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Best Pumpkin Pancakes
Homemade Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream
Kathy McDaniel
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Ingredients
- 1 recipe Pie Crust (see tips)
FILLING:
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 vanilla bean scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roll chilled dough on a floured surface to about 12 inches and fit into a 10- or 11-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges.
- Place the crust on a baking sheet, line with parchment, and add pie weights or dried beans.
- Blind-bake 14–16 minutes until edges brown. Remove weights, prick the bottom with a fork, and bake 5 more minutes. Remove and lower oven to 350°F.
TO PREPARE THE FILLING:
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until light, then stir in pumpkin, sugars, spices, salt, orange zest, heavy cream, and milk until smooth.
- Pour filling into the baked shell. Bake at 350°F for 55–60 minutes, until the center is just set and slightly wobbly.
- Remove and cool completely on a rack; the filling will finish setting as it cools.
TO MAKE THE MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM:
- Beat cold heavy cream in a mixer with the whisk attachment for about 1 minute. Add maple syrup and vanilla, then beat on medium-high until soft peaks form. Serve atop pie.
About the pie crust
- This pie crust recipe yields enough dough for two 10-inch single-crust pies. Use the extra dough for decorations or store it for later use.
Notes
- This pie crust recipe makes enough dough for two 10-inch single-crust pies (or one double-crust pie). Store extra dough chilled or frozen for later use.
- Don’t overbake—the center should be slightly wobbly when removed and will firm as it cools.
- Swap the individual spices for 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice if desired.
- For decorative cutouts, roll dough to 1/8-inch thick and bake shapes for 8–10 minutes until golden.