Everyday Pumpkin Pie

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Pictures are worth a thousand words, but unfortunately, it's all words today. I forgot my camera when I was making the pie and after, well, it disappeared awfully fast.

Pumpkin pie is arguably one of my favorite pies. It's not the favorite, that's a Boston Cream, but it's pretty high up on the list. Part of it is due to the fact that you can only really get good pumpkin pies for a few months each year, so anticipation factors in.

Now, as I mentioned yesterday, it's taken me a while to make my own pie completely from scratch, pumpkin and all. To be fair, my go-to recipe for years has been the recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can. It's a great recipe, with excellent color and texture, but it just wasn't quite what I wanted this time.

This version of pumpkin pie came out beautifully, but I'm not sure it's the best it could be. I have some ideas that I'll play around with this holiday season, some tweaks I want to make. But this recipe is an excellent "Everyday Pumpkin Pie" and quite fast and easy to put together. It's certainly a pie I could whip up on the spot for a potluck or an unexpected family dinner, as long as I had some pumpkin puree tucked away in my freezer.

You need a 9" pie crust to make this. You can use store-bought in a pinch, but if you have an extra 40 minutes, I would make the pie crust from scratch. It really is better than anything frozen in the grocery! My favorite, time-tested and KitchenMouse-approved pie crust recipe is from Alton Brown. I'll be baking more pies this holiday season, including a pecan pie for my dad, and this is my favorite crust to use because it's damn near foolproof, beautifully flaky and extremely tasty.

Pumpkin pies are great because you really don't need a mixer, not even a hand mixer, to bring the filling together. If your pumpkin is sufficiently roasted and mashed, believe me, all you need is a spatula and a big bowl.

Everyday Pumpkin Pie [printable recipe]

Adapted from Fewel Farms
Makes 1 9" pie

  • 1 unbaked 9" pie shell1
  • 1 1/3 cups / 375 grams / 13.25 oz Roasted Pumpkin Puree
  • 14 oz can + 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk (about 1 1/3 cups)
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together pumpkin and milk until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.

High altitudes3: Bake for about an hour, give or take 5 minutes. Low altitudes: Bake for 45 - 50 minutes.

The center will still jiggle a little bit, but not much. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.

Notes:

  1. Blind-baking the crust isn't necessary for pumpkin pie. Some folks blind-bake, others half-blind-bake, it's your choice. I don't blind-bake my pumpkin pie shells, because with Alton's recipe I haven't had a pumpkin pie turn out soggy2.
  2. Along with the above, I have to note that if your pie pumpkin puree has come out somewhat watery, DRAIN IT. Otherwise, you WILL have a soggy pie. Yuck.
  3. I live approximately 5,000 ft above sea level, so my recipes are adjusted for high altitudes. Baking time should be reduced for those living closer to sea level.