Classic Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you use evaporated milk in pumpkin pie? ›

Evaporated milk is just regular milk with about half the water removed (that's the evaporated part). Pumpkin pie is made from (that's right, you guessed it) pumpkin. Pumpkin is already very high in water, about 90%. I think if you added regular milk to pumpkin, you would not achieve the desired texture.

Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks. Unlike pumpkin pie mix, canned pumpkin does not have any spices, sugars, or other additives. In many cases, the only ingredient is pumpkin.

The pie is generally flavored with pumpkin pie spice, a blend that includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves or allspice. The pie is usually prepared with canned pumpkin, but fresh-cooked pumpkin can be used.

No, if the pie is a baked pie. Pumpkin custard (the filling) takes a long time to bake, your pre-baked crust would be burned and not tasty. However if the pumpkin filling is more like pudding or a mousse with whipped cream and no raw eggs and after whipping the pie is refrigerated then yes, prebake the crust.

As the name suggests, sweetened condensed milk makes the pie sweeter and gives it a denser, creamier texture. Evaporated milk, on the other hand, yields a lighter, airier result. Evaporated milk isn't sweetened either, which is why you can't simply swap one thickener for the other.

During my testing of pumpkin pies, I tried lots of different milk options – heavy whipping cream, regular milk (I used 2% in my testing), sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Ultimately, I found heavy whipping cream to be the best. It produced the creamiest pie in my opinion.

Pumpkin pie filling shouldn't be used in place of pumpkin puree since the finished dish will be too sweet. You can always set the can aside to make a quick pumpkin pie another day.

Don't use pumpkin pie filling in place of pumpkin purée.

Every can of pumpkin pie filling has a different amount of sugar and spices and if you add it to a bread or muffin recipe you might get a very sweet and not-spiced-enough loaf. Try this instead: Buy pumpkin purée!

Yes, you can use pumpkin puree in place of pumpkin pie filling by adding some additional ingredients. You'll need to add sweetener, spices, and possibly a thickener (like eggs).

Pumpkin pie is most popular among residents in North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia, Mississippi, and South Dakota.

Why does my pumpkin pie have no flavor? ›

If the recipe doesn't use enough spice, or if the spices were old enough to have lost much of their flavour, or if the mixture isn't well balanced, then the pie is not going to taste right and could be quite bland.

Often, blind-baking solves this problem. If you're making a single crust custard-filled pie, like a pumpkin pie, bake the pie dough first before adding filling to allow some of the moisture in the crust to evaporate. You can also totally blind-bake fruit pies.

If you'd rather have flaky layers, par-bake the crust and let it cool before adding the filling. But don't dock it (docking is aerating the crust before baking by poking it with the tines of a fork). This will cause the custard to seep out into the bottom crust, defeating that whole "flaky" thing you were going for.

Make Ahead: Pumpkin pie can be made one day ahead of time and refrigerated. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be made ahead, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. If you freeze it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.

Pre-baking is a must if you're looking for a flaky pie crust. It's especially helpful for recipes with a wet center. Recipes for most tarts, pies, and quiches call for pre-baking to ensure that the final product doesn't end up soggy.

Evaporated milk is thicker and has a slightly caramelized taste due to the heating process, so your dish may be a bit thinner and less rich if you use regular milk. Adjustments may be needed to compensate for the difference.

While many recipes call for it, you can absolutely make an outstanding pumpkin pie without evaporated milk. If your recipe calls for one can of evaporated milk (as most do), you can substitute 1 ½ cups of cream or half and half, or a combination of the two. You can also use milk (any kind from whole to skim).

No! Condensed milk is very thick and sweet, so if you just use a can of evaporated milk in its place your recipe will not taste the same. The best substitute for condensed milk is heavy cream plus some sugar, depending on how much condensed milk your recipe calls for.

Evaporated milk was originally engineered to be rehydrated—which is helpful in places where dairy storage is difficult, like campgrounds, desert islands, or my house when I'm too lazy to run to the grocery store for the fresh stuff.