Name: Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: Unbaked Pastry for 9” pie crust; 2 large eggs; 2 cups solid-pack pumpkin; ¾ cup sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ginger; ¼ teaspoon cloves; 1 ⅔ cups evaporated milk

Homemade pumpkin pie is, simply stated, the best dessert for fall! Learn how to make the best homemade pumpkin pie with this recipe. Includes ingredients and bake times for 8″, 9″ or 10″ pumpkin pies. This is one of our best pumpkin recipes for Thanksgiving.

Nothing says fall, Thanksgiving and the holidays like pumpkin pie! This is my sister’s homemade pumpkin pie recipe, taken from her Betty Crocker cookbook. It’s the pie we always have during our family dinners and it’s delicious!

titled image (and shown): homemade pumpkin pie

How to Make Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is one of the easiest pies to make! It only takes one crust and you can have the filling mixed up in about 5 minutes. Be sure to buy solid-pack pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. You can adjust the spices for this pie if you’d like. Add a touch more cinnamon or leave out the cloves. It’s up to you!

Do I need to pre bake the crust for a pumpkin pie?

There is no need to pre-bake a pie crust for pumpkin pie. Make your favorite pie crust and place it in the pan unbaked (or buy refrigerated pie dough if you’d like a shortcut). The crust will bake beautifully along with the pie.

Can you substitute milk for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie?

Evaporated milk is the best choice for pumpkin pie. If you don’t have evaporated milk, the next best choice is half and half or heavy cream. Can you use milk in pumpkin pie? Yes, but add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the pie filling to be sure the pie sets up correctly.

Do you need to refrigerate a pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin pies are made with milk and eggs, similar to custard. Because of this, pumpkin pie should be stored in the refrigerator. The pie will generally be okay for 2 hours at room temperature, then refrigerate it.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie – 8″ Recipe

1 large egg
1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
⅛ teaspoon cloves
1 ¼ cups evaporated milk

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie – 10″ Recipe

3 large eggs
2 ¾ cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
2 ¼ cups evaporated milk

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 55 minutes.

How do you know when a pumpkin pie is done?

Your pumpkin pie should not jiggle when you shake the pie plate gently. It should be firmed up in the center. You can do a knife test and gently push a knife into the center of the pie. It should come out clean. Sometimes the knife test can cause a crack in the top of the pie, but it is the easiest way to test if the pie is done.

slice of the best pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of whipped cream

Flaky Crust for Pumpkin Pie

We use our grandma’s pie crust recipe for this pumpkin pie. There are three tips we reveal in that article that will help your crust be flaky:

Use pastry flour, a low protein flour.
Make sure ingredients are cold. Cold butter and ice water.
Add vinegar. Vinegar helps to tenderize the crust and also inhibits gluten development

These are the tools I use when I make pie crust.

Pastry Cutter: I use this tool all the time. It cuts butter into flour perfectly for streusels, crusts and other pastries.
Pastry Mat: This silicone mat keeps your cupboard clean and makes rolling out pastries so easy.
Cute Pie Plate: Because if you’re taking the time to make pie, serve it up in style!
Pie Crust Decorator Wheel: Makes beautiful edges to your pie!
Pastry Guide: Makes perfectly round crust, every time.