Pie dedication – Mom, your enthusiasm for pumpkin pie is contagious (or genetic). I’m so glad we decided to cut the first slice at midnight.

Pumpkin pie seems so simple, yet it is the one recipe that eludes me. Every year, I start from scratch despite pages of notes from past attempts. The recipes range from professions of love to misguided choices like roasting fresh pumpkin. There’s one where I thought I had cracked the code for my go-to pumpkin pie only to find out it was basically the exact recipe from the Libby’s can. One would think that I have settled into my pumpkin pie identity, yet here we are 15 years later, still trying to perfect something that’s not meant to be perfect.

A couple of years ago, I embarked on an insane taste test that set the course for my current approach to pumpkin pie.

Here’s what I knew for sure about MY perfect pumpkin pie:

Libby’s brand pumpkin (America’s Test Kitchen tells me I inadvertently used the world’s worst brand of pumpkin one year. Libby’s or bust now.)
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of flour for body
Not too sweet
No evaporated milk (maybe it’s in my head, but I swear I can detect an aftertaste…I’m open to debate)

The reason for the taste test was to see if my evaporated milk aversion was affecting the texture of the pie. Most recipes will substitute 1 1/4 cups half-and-half for one can of evaporated milk but I wanted to see if scaling that back would help create the texture I was looking for.

So using an extremely unscientific method and a slate of teenagers, I compared a total of four pies. I controlled for the pumpkin, eggs, flour and spices. Each pie had a different amount of cream and since I was going through the trouble, I also experimented with the amount of sugar as well as the oven temperature.

The Main Takeaways

1 cup half-and-half worked well. The one with evaporated milk did have the texture we have come to expect but I stand strong in my opinion that I don’t like the taste. I think the average person would not think twice about that, and most people do use evaporated milk in their pumpkin pie. It’s easy, it’s affordable and I say do what works for you. I just harbor an irrational hatred for it and can’t get past it.
3/4 cup total sugar is perfect. This would be a blend of 1/2c granulated sugar and 1/4c brown sugar.
I’m a fan of the low and slow baking method. I was watching Alison Roman’s Home Movies Thanksgiving Special and she suggested this method and baked her pie at 325 for 40ish minutes. She also used 3/4 cups cream and has an aversion to evaporated milk, so I found my kindred pie spirit.

After all of that, what did I learn? The lesson pie has been teaching me all along. This is an inherently imperfect dessert and we are inherently imperfect bakers. Be at peace with that. A pie you made yourself will be better than anything you can buy. Most importantly, whatever hand you are dealt when it comes out of the oven, consider it a memory.

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust Partially blind baked
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger root I like the bright flavor this gives, but you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger instead
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg This really makes a difference if you are willing to try! I hate grating things, but I swear it's worth it.
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom Optional, but I'm obsessed with cardamom. You can swap ground cloves here if you want.
3 large eggs room temperature
15 ounces canned pumpkin Libby's brand consistently rates the best
1 cup half-and-half Or swap for a can of evaporated milk…no judgement 🙂

Instructions

Prepare Pie Crust

Using recipe of choice, or the one on this site HERE, prepare pie crust, roll and plate. Keep covered in refrigerator or freezer. I prefer freezer since you are going to partially bake the crust.
Preheat oven to 400
Partially blind bake the crust (I'm sorry). See this post HERE for how to do it.

Prepare Pie Filling

While partially baked crust is cooling, turn oven temperature down to 325 (see notes on baking method at the bottom).
In a small bowl, mix sugars, fresh ginger (if using), spices, flour and salt together. I like to run the fresh ginger into the sugar to make it really aromatic.
In a medium bowl, whisk canned pumpkin to break it up. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating completely.
Add the sugar/spice mixture and blend well.
Gently stir in the half-and-half (or evaporated milk) until combined and mixture is homogenous. Go easy here because you don't want to whisk in a lot of air bubbles.

King Arthur suggests letting the mixture rest in the refrigerator overnight to let the flavors meld. Great step to do ahead of time.

Place pie shell on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Turn filling into pie shell, gently tapping bottom to remove any air bubbles.

Extra filling can be placed in small ramekins and baked along with the pie. I call these my “side cars” and they are a great way to sneak a taste preview!

Bake pie via your chosen method (see below). I choose low and slow which is to bake at 325 for 45-55 minutes.
WHEN TO REMOVE IT: No matter which method you use to bake it, remove the pie from the oven when there is still a slight jiggle in the middle. The pie will continue to cook once it's removed and this will prevent the top from cracking. If you are second-guessing yourself, it's probably the right time.
Let cool completely and store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Notes

These are the main approaches to baking a pumpkin pie that I have seen throughout the many recipes and articles I have read:

The Hot Flash Method: The main one seems to be to start the pie at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 25-30 minutes. I trust all of these sources, but in my oven it never works out that well. My pie bakes too fast, which means the crust is not done (always a total of 30-35 min) and it ends up cracking despite my best efforts to capture the perfect jiggle when I remove it.

Even Steven Method: The next approach is to bake it the entire time at 350. This works well for me, though I admit I do end up with errant air bubbles and slight cracks sometimes.

Low and Slow Method: This is Alison Roman’s method that’s mentioned in the post. She recommends the low and slow baking method for pumpkin pie. In this variation, you bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes. I experimented with this and I really liked how the pie baked.

Choose what you have the most experience with!