Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Some recipes are more than instructions for preparing a dish. They’re memories, traditions, and connections to people and places that have shaped our lives. For me, this pumpkin pie is one of those recipes.

Some of my earliest childhood memories include this pie. It has been part of our family’s holiday celebrations for generations, with origins dating back to before the Civil War. Through all those years, the recipe survived, passed from one generation to the next, and eventually it made its way into our family cookbook in 1995.

One of my favorite details is Mammy’s yellow mixing bowl. I don’t know when that yellow Pyrex bowl became part of the recipe’s history, but I do know that my mother always used it, after buying one specifically to make Mammy’s Pumpkin Pie. The original instructions didn’t specify exactly how much milk to add. Instead, you simply added milk until the bowl was full. It was a perfectly understandable instruction to someone who knew the bowl, but not particularly helpful to someone trying to recreate the pie generations later.

Honoring Tradition, Embracing Change

When I decided to share Mammy’s pumpkin pie on Foodienoise, I knew I wanted to preserve the familiar flavor that had been part of our family’s celebrations for generations. But I also saw an opportunity to make a few thoughtful changes to the way it was prepared.

Some of those changes were relatively simple. I replaced the original flour with cornstarch to help create a smoother custard, adjusted the balance of milk and cream for a richer filling, and lowered the baking temperature from 350°F to 325°F for gentler cooking. I also adjusted the spices, including removing the cloves.

Other changes were more substantial, particularly the homemade crust. Rather than pouring the filling into an unbaked pie shell, I prepare the crust separately to give it a better chance to develop the flaky texture and properly baked bottom a good pumpkin pie deserves.

Throughout the process, one principle guided every decision: the finished pie still needed to taste like the pumpkin pie I remembered. The goal was never to reinvent a family tradition, but to preserve what made it special while making the recipe more consistent and approachable for today’s home cooks.

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Pumpkin Pie

• A rich, silky pumpkin custard. The carefully balanced combination of pumpkin, milk, cream, eggs, and warm spices creates a smooth, creamy filling that holds its shape beautifully when sliced without becoming heavy or dense.
• A homemade crust worth the extra effort. My combination of butter and vegetable shortening produces a tender, flaky pastry with a beautifully golden edge. Prebaking the crust helps develop a properly baked bottom rather than leaving it soft beneath the custard.
• The familiar flavor of traditional pumpkin pie. Cinnamon takes the lead, supported by a restrained blend of warm spices. The result is unmistakably pumpkin pie, with no single spice overpowering the delicate flavor of the custard.
• A recipe with generations of history. This isn’t simply another variation on pumpkin pie. It’s a treasured family tradition I’ve thoughtfully adapted for today’s home kitchen, with carefully measured ingredients and clear instructions that allow you to make it your own.

This isn’t a pie you’ll throw together in twenty minutes, but much of the preparation time is hands-off. Give yourself time to make the pastry, prepare the custard, and allow the finished pie to cool properly. The reward is a homemade pumpkin pie that looks as wonderful on the Thanksgiving table as it tastes.

First Things First: Mise en Place

There’s something comforting about a family recipe that’s been made so many times the cook hardly needs to look at the instructions. I imagine that’s how Mammy approached this pumpkin pie, and I know my mother was familiar enough with the recipe that filling her yellow bowl with milk was simply part of the process.

For those of us working from carefully measured ingredients rather than generations of practice, a little preparation makes all the difference. That’s where Mise en Place comes in. The French phrase means “everything in its place,” and it’s one of the most valuable habits I’ve carried with me from my years in the kitchen.

Before beginning, read through the entire recipe, gather your ingredients and equipment, and measure everything you’ll need. This is particularly helpful for a pie with several stages of preparation. The pastry needs time to chill, the crust needs to be prebaked, and the custard needs to be prepared and baked gently before the finished pie can cool.

Taking a few minutes to organize everything at the beginning makes the process more enjoyable and helps ensure that each step gets the attention it deserves.

If you’d like to explore the idea beyond the kitchen, I recommend Everything in Its Place: The Power of Mise-En-Place to Organize Your Life, Work, and Mind. It’s a wonderful look at how a little organization can make a difference in everyday life.

Ingredients for Homemade Pumpkin Pie

This recipe makes three 9-inch pumpkin pies, each with its own homemade crust. Although the custard filling is prepared as a single batch, I recommend making the pastry dough separately for each pie. Working with smaller batches makes it easier to incorporate the fats evenly, recognize the proper texture, and add just enough water to bring the dough together.

You’ll need to make three separate batches of pie dough, one batch for each crust.
The ingredient quantities in the recipe card are for a single crust.

For the Homemade Pie Crust

• All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the pastry. I recommend measuring flour by weight whenever possible. It’s more accurate than measuring by volume and helps produce consistent results.
• Crisco vegetable shortening: Worked into the flour before adding the butter, shortening helps create a tender pastry. Its higher melting point also makes the dough a little more forgiving to work with.
• Cold unsalted butter: Adds rich buttery flavor and contributes to the flaky layers in the finished crust. Cut the butter into small cubes and keep it cold until you’re ready to incorporate it into the flour.
• Kosher salt: Enhances the flavor of the pastry and balances the sweetness of the pumpkin filling.
• Granulated sugar: Optional in a savory crust, but I recommend including it here. A little sugar complements the sweet pumpkin custard without making the pastry noticeably sweet.
• Ice water: Brings the dough together without warming the butter. Add it gradually, using only enough for the dough to hold together when pressed. The amount needed can vary depending on the flour and kitchen conditions.
• Egg wash: Brush a beaten whole egg over the prebaked pastry and briefly return it to the oven. This helps seal the crust, creating a protective barrier against moisture from the pumpkin custard.

For the Pumpkin Custard Filling

• Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin: The foundation of the custard, providing its familiar pumpkin flavor, color, and body. Be sure to use pure pumpkin rather than prepared pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices.
• Whole eggs and egg yolks: The whole eggs provide the structure needed for the custard to set, while the additional yolks contribute richness and a smoother, creamier texture.
• Evaporated milk: One of the ingredients retained from Mammy’s original recipe. Its concentrated milk solids contribute richness and help preserve the familiar character of the family pie.
• Heavy cream: Adds richness and gives the custard a smooth, luxurious texture. It’s one of the changes I made to the original recipe to improve the finished filling without substantially altering its flavor.
• Whole milk: Adjusts the consistency and final volume of the custard. Unlike Mammy’s original instructions, which called for filling a particular mixing bowl to the brim, this version uses a measured target volume to produce three pies consistently.
• Light brown sugar and granulated sugar: The combination comes directly from the original family recipe. Brown sugar contributes subtle molasses notes, while granulated sugar provides clean sweetness. Together, they create the familiar flavor I wanted to preserve.
• Ground cinnamon: The leading spice in this pumpkin pie. Its warm, familiar character is central to the flavor of the original recipe.
• Ground ginger: Adds a gentle spicy warmth that complements the cinnamon without competing with the pumpkin.
• Ground nutmeg: Contributes aromatic warmth and depth. I’ve increased it slightly from the original recipe to help maintain the familiar spice character after removing the cloves.
• Ground allspice: Used sparingly to provide a subtle background note. The amount has been reduced considerably from the original recipe so it doesn’t dominate the other spices.
• Morton kosher salt: Balances the sweetness and helps bring the pumpkin, dairy, and spices together. I specify Morton because the volume measurements of different kosher salt brands can vary substantially.
• Vanilla extract: Another ingredient retained from the original recipe. It rounds out the flavors and adds a subtle aromatic sweetness without making the custard taste distinctly of vanilla.
• Cornstarch: Replaces the flour used in Mammy’s original recipe. It helps stabilize the custard and encourages a smooth filling that holds its shape when sliced without becoming overly firm.

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie

This recipe makes three 9-inch pumpkin pies. Prepare the pastry dough in three separate batches, one for each crust, while making the pumpkin custard in a single batch and dividing it among the prepared shells.

Prepare the Pie Dough

• Make three separate batches of pastry dough. For each batch, combine the flour, kosher salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the vegetable shortening and work it into the flour with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse, sandy crumbs.
• Add the cold, cubed butter and work it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter. As the butter becomes sufficiently incorporated, the mixture will begin gathering into larger, irregular clumps of flour and butter rather than remaining uniformly crumbly. These larger clumps are your cue to stop cutting in the butter. The mixture should still look rough and uneven, with visible pieces of butter throughout.
• Add the ice water gradually, beginning with about 2 tablespoons. Gently mix with a silicone spatula (or similar) and continue adding water a little at a time until the dough holds together when pressed. Avoid adding more water than necessary or working the dough until it’s completely smooth.
• Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Repeat the process twice more to prepare three individual pastry discs.

Roll and Shape the Crusts

• Working with one chilled disc at a time, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough from the center outward, turning it periodically to maintain an even thickness of approximately ⅛–3/16 inch.
• Roll the dough into a circle large enough to fit a 9-inch pie plate (approximately 12 inches), with enough excess to form the crimped edge. Carefully transfer the dough into the plate, letting it settle naturally into the bottom and sides rather than stretching it into place.
• Leave approximately ½–1 inch of dough extending beyond the rim of the pie plate, trimming away any excess. Fold the overhanging dough underneath itself to create a substantial edge, then crimp using your fingers or a fork. Refrigerate the prepared shell while you work on the remaining crusts.
• Repeat with the other two discs. Keep the prepared crusts chilled until you’re ready to prebake them.

Prebake the Pie Crusts

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line each chilled pastry shell with parchment paper, making sure the parchment extends above the edges. Fill with pie weights to support the bottom and sides during baking.
• Fit a silicone pie crust protector over each crimped rim to prevent excessive browning during the initial bake. If you don’t have a silicone protector, loosely fold strips of aluminum foil over the edges instead, taking care not to press down on or flatten the crimped pastry.
• Bake for 21 minutes, then carefully remove the pie weights, parchment paper, and silicone rim protector or aluminum foil.
• Beat one egg thoroughly and brush a thin, even layer over the exposed pastry, including the bottom and sides. Avoid allowing excess egg to pool in the bottom of the crust.
• Return the crusts to the oven for 4 additional minutes, allowing the egg wash to set and form a protective layer between the pastry and the pumpkin custard.
• Remove the crusts from the oven and set aside while preparing the filling.

Reduce the Pumpkin

• Place the canned pumpkin in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Cook gently, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching.
• Continue cooking until the pumpkin has reduced from approximately 822 g to 740 g. The pumpkin should be noticeably thicker, with some of its excess moisture evaporated, but it should not brown or develop a roasted flavor.

Incorporate the Sugars and Spices

• In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and kosher salt. Stir until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the sugars.
• Add the sugar and spice mixture to the reduced pumpkin. Cook over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugars are incorporated and the mixture becomes fragrant.

Prepare the Dairy Mixture

• In a separate saucepan or stockpot, whisk the cornstarch into ½ cup cold whole milk until completely smooth, with no visible lumps.
• Add the evaporated milk, heavy cream, and another 1½ cups whole milk, stirring to combine.
• Heat the dairy mixture gently, stirring frequently, until it reaches approximately 185–190°F and begins to thicken slightly. Avoid vigorous boiling, which can scorch the milk or develop an undesirable cooked flavor.

Combine the Pumpkin and Dairy

• Gradually pour the hot dairy mixture into the pumpkin mixture, stirring continuously until the two mixtures are thoroughly combined and smooth.
• Remove the custard base from the heat and let it cool to about 110°F before adding the eggs. Stir occasionally to encourage even cooling and prevent a skin from forming on the surface.

Add the Eggs and Vanilla

• In a separate bowl, whisk the eight whole eggs and two additional egg yolks until completely uniform.
• Gradually whisk a small amount of the warm pumpkin mixture into the eggs to temper them. Continue adding the warm mixture a little at a time, then pour the tempered eggs into the remaining pumpkin custard, stirring until evenly incorporated.
• Stir in the vanilla extract.

Blend and Strain the Custard

• Using an immersion blender, briefly blend the custard until smooth and uniform. Keep the blender head fully submerged to avoid introducing excessive air into the filling.
• Pass the custard through a medium-fine sieve, gently pressing the pumpkin solids through with a spatula. This removes any remaining lumps and helps produce the silky texture we’re looking for.

Adjust the Custard and Fill the Crusts

• Measure the finished custard. The goal is approximately 12 cups, enough to fill three 9-inch pie shells with about 4 cups each.
• If necessary, add whole milk in small increments to adjust the consistency and volume. The custard should remain smooth and pourable. Don’t dilute a properly balanced filling simply to reach an exact measurement.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Arrange the prebaked crusts on baking sheets to make transferring them into and out of the oven easier.
• Using a measuring cup or ladle, divide the custard evenly among the three shells, adding approximately 4 cups to each pie. Leave a little space beneath the crimped rims to prevent spills when transferring the pies to the oven.

Bake the Pumpkin Pies

• Transfer the filled pies to the 325°F oven and bake gently until the outer portion of the custard is set while the center retains a slight, gentle wobble.
• Begin checking for doneness after approximately 35 minutes. The filling should not bubble vigorously, puff excessively, or develop cracks across the surface.
• For a more reliable indication of doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the custard. Look for a temperature of approximately 170–175°F.
• Remove the pies from the oven when the custard reaches the proper temperature and still has a gentle wobble in the center. The residual heat will continue to firm the filling as the pies cool.

Cool and Chill the Pies

• Transfer the finished pies to wire racks and allow them to cool at room temperature before refrigerating. Refrigerate within 2 hours of removing them from the oven.
• Once cooled, refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight. This resting period allows the custard to finish setting and develop the clean, attractive slices that make this pie so satisfying.
• For the cleanest presentation, use a sharp knife to cut the chilled pie, wiping the blade between slices.

Storing Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Because pumpkin pie contains eggs and dairy, it needs to be refrigerated once it has cooled. Proper storage will help preserve the custard’s silky texture while keeping the pie fresh and delicious.

• Refrigerator: Allow the pies to cool on wire racks, then refrigerate within two hours of removing them from the oven. Once thoroughly chilled, cover loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Pumpkin pie can be frozen for up to 2 months for best quality. Chill the pie completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil to protect against freezer burn. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Keep in mind that freezing may slightly change the custard’s texture and soften the crust.
• Serving: I prefer serving this pumpkin pie chilled or allowing it to sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before slicing. Use a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts for clean, attractive slices.

A note about the crust: Even with a properly prebaked crust, the pastry will gradually absorb moisture from the pumpkin custard during storage. For the best combination of flaky pastry and creamy filling, I recommend enjoying the pie within the first day or two, although it will remain delicious for several days.