Best Pumpkin Pie is my great-grandmother’s award-winning recipe. This creamy pumpkin pie decorated with piped whipped cream and sprinkled with chopped pecans will have your guests begging for the recipe.
My friends, it is time for some pumpkin pie. But not just any pumpkin pie. This right here is the recipe that was passed down through the generations.
This is my great-grandmother’s recipe that she made in bulk for years and now I am finally sharing it here with you today.
You see, her recipe was written in bulk. I’m talking 4 + pies at a time depending on which recipe card you look at. Plus it has all sorts of old terminology for what they called different sized cans of ingredients.
It is really interesting to see how recipe writing has changed over the years. But one thing that hasn’t changed – how good this recipe is.
I was able to rework it and cut the recipe down to 2 pies. Because of the types of ingredients, I wasn’t able to write this for just 1 pie.
I’m sorry about that. But – the good news is that you will have one that you can gift away to the neighbors, send home with guests or just keep it in the freezer for when the craving strikes again.
pumpkin pie from scratch
I love this recipe because some of my earliest memories are of me sitting in my great-grandmother’s old farmhouse kitchen and watching her make dozens of pies.
Her and my grandmother would make them for their lodge events and they were always heavily requested this time of year. She never said no – she just baked and baked and baked.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use unsalted butter.
I usually use whatever I have on hand because when I’m busy preparing for the holidays, I really don’t care about what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.
easy pumpkin pie
HOW DO YOU MAKE homemade pie crust?
- Combine flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter, start working the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like crumbles. (You can also use 2 butter knives & cross them through the ingredients to combine OR use a food processor & pulse until the mixture has crumbled.)
- Once you have reached a crumbly texture add the water.
- Work it together with your hands pressing & lightly kneading it together until you have a moist ball of dough that holds together well.
- Place the dough on a well-floured surface. Divide the dough in half for 2 crusts.
- Flour your rolling pin & start working from the center pushing outward in all directions.
- Once you have stretched the dough large enough to fill your pie plate carefully transfer it to your plate.
- Repeat with second crust.
- Trim any excess dough that hangs over the edge of the pie plate.
- Flute your edges by crimping between your fingers and pinching the dough every ½ inch or so.
pie pumpkin
To make Homemade Pie Crust you will need…
- all-purpose flour
- cold butter – cut into cubes
- granulated sugar
- salt
- ice water
What is the best way to store leftover pumpkin pie?
I like to transfer the pie to an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Keep in mind that unless you add the cream of tartar to the homemade whipped cream to keep it stabilized, the whipped cream won’t be so pretty when you remove the cover the next day.
I recommend just scraping that whipped cream off and adding some fresh whipped cream when serving.
homemade pumpkin pie
HOW DO YOU MAKE Homemade Pumpkin Pie Filling?
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl.
- Add in half of the sugar as well as the pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger. Mix well.
- Combine the remaining sugar with the evaporated milk and heat to lukewarm. (Grandma did this on the stovetop over med heat – but you can also do it in the microwave in 30-second increments)
- Pour into the egg yolk mixture and stir.
- Beat egg whites until fluffy. Fold gently into the pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated.
- Divide evenly between the prepared pie crusts. Tent the pies with foil.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 with the pies tented with foil, then remove the foil and reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 55-60 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles.
- Remove and let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the tops of the pies with the chopped nuts if not adding whipped cream.
- Once the pies have cooled completely, top with whipped cream, sprinkle with nuts, and serve.
To make the Pumpkin Pie Filling you will need…
- eggs – yolks separated
- granulated sugar
- pumpkin puree
- cinnamon – heaping
- ginger
- evaporated milk
- Chopped Nuts
- Whipped Cream
HOW DO YOU MAKE Homemade Whipped Cream?
- Place the mixing bowl in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to chill before making the whipped cream.
- Once the bowl is chilled, remove it and pour in the heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla.
- Whisk on high speed for about 1 minute or until stiff peaks form – taking care to not over mix.
- Gently transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large open star top and pipe it into the desired pattern.
- Sprinkle the top of the decorated pie with chopped pecans.
- Note – if you want to stabilize this whipped cream to keep it from deflating, add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar when combining the other ingredients.
To make Homemade Whipped Cream you will need…
- cold heavy whipping cream
- confectioner’s sugar
- vanilla
classic pumpkin pie
Can I use canned whipped cream?
Yes, absolutely, that will work just fine. The squirt top variety in the can will give you a similar look but does not contain the stabilizer to keep it looking pretty for a long period of time.
Can this pumpkin pie be frozen?
Absolutely! Wrap this pumpkin pie tightly with plastic wrap before adding the whipped cream on top and freeze for up to 6 months.
Can I use whipped topping instead of homemade whipped cream?
You bet and it is super easy. Just thaw the tub and then transfer it to the piping bag to add your decoration.
You can also just add a nice large dollop on top of the pie and spread it in a whipped fashion instead of piping on the rose design.
Why do I need pumpkin puree instead of pie filling?
This is really important when making pumpkin recipes. Pay close attention to the recipe & see if it calls for one or the other.
This recipe calls for pumpkin puree, which is just pumpkin that is cooked & pureed. Pumpkin pie filling is the puree mixed with sweeteners & spices – which isn’t what is usually called for when it comes to most recipes that use pumpkin.
They are not usually interchangeable because it will change the flavor & possibly the consistency of the recipe you are making.
pumpkin pie
Products I love when making homemade pumpkin pie…
This pumpkin pie recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made a homemade pie before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this pie recipe.
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- salt
- pumpkin puree
- cinnamon
- ginger
- evaporated milk
- chopped nuts
- confectioner’s sugar
- vanilla extract
- mixer
- rolling pin
- mixing bowl
- pastry cutter
- pie plates
- piping bag
- open star tip
If you love this pumpkin pie recipe, you’re going to love these other treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Best Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold butter 2 sticks – cut into cubes
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup of ice water
Pie Filling
- 3 eggs – yolks separated
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree not pie filling
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon – heaping
- ¼ tsp ginger
- 24 ounces evaporated milk
- Chopped Nuts – topping
- Whipped Cream – topping see recipe below
Homemade Whipped Cream
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
Crust
- Combine flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter, start working the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like crumbles. (You can also use 2 butter knives & cross them through the ingredients to combine OR use a food processor & pulse until the mixture has crumbled.)
- Once you have reached a crumbly texture add the water.
- Work it together with your hands pressing & lightly kneading it together until you have a moist ball of dough that holds together well.
- Place the dough on a well-floured surface. Divide the dough in half for 2 crusts.
- Flour your rolling pin & start working from the center pushing outward in all directions.
- Once you have stretched the dough large enough to fill your pie plate carefully transfer it to your plate.
- Repeat with second crust.
- Trim any excess dough that hangs over the edge of the pie plate.
- Flute your edges by crimping between your fingers and pinching the dough every ½ inch or so.
Pie Filling
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl.
- Add in half of the sugar as well as the pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger. Mix well.
- Combine the remaining sugar with the evaporated milk and heat to lukewarm. (Grandma did this on the stovetop over med heat – but you can also do it in the microwave in 30-second increments)
- Pour into the egg yolk mixture and stir.
- Beat egg whites until fluffy. Fold gently into the pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated.
- Divide evenly between the prepared pie crusts. Tent the pies with foil.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 with the pies tented with foil, then remove the foil and reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 55-60 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles.
- Remove and let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the tops of the pies with the chopped nuts if not adding whipped cream.
- Once the pies have cooled completely, top with whipped cream, sprinkle with nuts and serve.
Fresh Whipped Cream
- Place the mixing bowl in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to chill before making the whipped cream.
- Once the bowl is chilled, remove it and pour in the heavy cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla.
- Whisk on high speed for about 1 minute or until stiff peaks form – taking care to not over mix.
- Gently transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large open star top and pipe it into the desired pattern.
- Sprinkle the top of the decorated pie with chopped pecans.
Notes
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
