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This homemade pumpkin pie recipe is super easy, and will never crack! A flaky pie crust is filled with a smooth spiced pumpkin pie filling - this delicious pumpkin pie is the perfect addition to your thanksgiving dessert spread.
Hi hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for this no crack pumpkin pie! This super easy pumpkin pie recipe comes from my friend Erin McDowell's book, 'The Book on Pie'. I tested a whole bunch of homemade pumpkin pies and nothing came close to her version, so I asked her very nicely if I could put it on my site, and she very kindly said yes! This is, to me, the best pumpkin pie recipe!
I love making homemade pie, and this easy pumpkin pie has been in heavy rotation since I first tried it.
This pumpkin pie recipe starts with a flaky homemade pie crust, which is par-baked, then filled with a super simple pumpkin pie filling and baked until just set.
This is the pumpkin pie recipe that even the most skeptical pumpkin pie eaters will love - we often call it 'the pumpkin pie recipe for people who don't like pumpkin pie'. The filling is super smooth and lightly spiced - you will love it so, so much.
This post is full of tips and tricks on how to make pumpkin pie from scratch - I promise it is so, so worth the extra effort! I always make a few pies - I love to pair this pumpkin pie with my pecan pie recipe, and either my easy apple pie, a chocolate cream pie, or an apple butterscotch pie. The best.
- Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
- Why does Pumpkin Pie Crack?
- Pumpkin Pie Crust Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions
Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
This pumpkin pie recipe is a little different to others you may have come across - the filling is based on a sugar pie recipe, so it is an egg free pumpkin pie. This is amazing for a few reasons - the main one being that it won't crack on you!
- Pie Crust. I use my go-to flaky homemade pie crust. This pie dough is super easy to work with, and gets par-baked before the pumpkin pie filling is added.
- Pumpkin Puree. I use canned pumpkin puree just for how easy it is, but you can also use the same weight of homemade pumpkin puree!
- All-purpose flour. This is a flour set custard, so the flour is what binds and sets the pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugar. This pie uses brown sugar for the toasty flavour, and white sugar for sweetness.
- Heavy cream and milk. These add both flavor and texture, giving a super smooth pie.
- Pumpkin Pie Spices. You can use whatever you like here - a store-bought pumpkin pie spice works great. I used a mixed spice blend in nz which is made up of cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
You will notice that this is an egg-free pumpkin pie. This is not a typo - this is a flour set custard!
Why does Pumpkin Pie Crack?
This pumpkin pie will not crack on you. The reason for this is that it is a sugar pie base - a flour set custard rather than an egg set custard.
The reason pies crack is often due to the eggs in the pumpkin pie recipe - if they get over baked, the protein in them tightens up, and as it cools, it causes cracks in the pumpkin pie.
The thing that I love the most about this pie is that because it doesn't have eggs, it removes the risk of cracking, which makes it truly the best pumpkin pie recipe (to me, anyway).
Pumpkin Pie Crust Recipe
I use my foolproof homemade pie crust recipe for this easy pumpkin pie recipe. The recipe makes two discs of dough, so you can freeze one to use in another single crust pie recipe, or store for another time.
Does a pumpkin pie need to be par-baked?
The pumpkin pie recipe is super wet, so you will need to par-bake the pie crust before continuing with the recipe. This gives the crust a chance to bake a little before the filling is added, which ensures that the crust will be perfectly baked and you can avoid any soggy bottoms.
For all my tips on par-baking a homemade pie crust, check out my post: How to blind bake pie crust
How to make Pumpkin Pie ahead of time
There are a few ways to make this pumpkin pie ahead of time:
- Make the pie dough ahead of time. I always make my homemade pie crust in bulk, and store in the freezer until I am ready to use, then defrost in the fridge overnight.
- Make the par-baked crust ahead of time. You can par-bake the crust up to 24 hours ahead of time, and store wrapped in plastic wrap until you are ready to use.
- Make the whole pie ahead of time. This pumpkin pie can be made up to 24 hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. It needs at least a few hours to cool then two hours in the fridge to chill up until it is ready to slice, so make sure that you account for this!
What is the best way to serve pumpkin pie?
I love to serve homemade pumpkin pie with just a dollop of whipped cream (I piped it on here with an ateco #846 tip), but pie is also so delicious with ice cream! If you wanted to make your own ice cream, my homemade butter pecan ice cream would be amazing with this pie.
This pumpkin pie also bakes up with a super flat surface, so is great for decorating with powdered sugar - add a pattern by using things as stencils if you like. I did this on my earl grey sugar pie.
How to avoid bubbles in your pumpkin pie.
You want to avoid over mixing the pumpkin pie filling for this recipe, as it can cause the bubbles to collect on the surface of the pie when you add the filling and give it a strange surface texture. If you do find you have bubbles, I often lightly blow torch the surface of the pie to help remove any bubbles - a hair dryer will work well for this too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page
Which pan did you use?
I use a 9 inch metal pie pan to make my pies - my favourite is made by USA pan, or I also have a bunch of vintage pie pans which I got from ebay!
How to tell when pumpkin pie is baked
The best way to tell if pumpkin pie is done is to give it a little wiggle - it is done when the edges are set, but the middle is still jiggly. This takes between 30 and 35 minutes.
How do you store Pumpkin Pie?
Store pumpkin pie lightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For more pie recipes, check out:
- Rhubarb Custard Pie
- Banoffee Pie
- Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie
- Fudgy Brownie Pie
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Smooth No Crack Pumpkin Pie
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 10 reviews
- Author: Erin Clarkson
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This homemade pumpkin pie recipe is super easy, and will never crack! A flaky pie crust is filled with a smooth spiced pumpkin pie filling - this delicious pumpkin pie is the perfect addition to your thanksgiving dessert spread.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Crust
- 1homemade pie crust, shaped into a disc and chilled*
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 100g granulated sugar
- 60g all-purpose flour
- 100g light or dark brown sugar
- 230g whole milk
- 155g heavy cream
- 210g pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
PIE CRUST
- I like to make my pie crust the night before or at least 2 hours before to give it time to rest.
- Once the dough has rested, unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to ¼” (6mm) in thickness, turning the dough 45˚ often as you are rolling to keep it even. You want the circle to be slightly larger than your pie tin. Transfer to a 9” pie tin, and arrange to ensure that the dough is well settled.
- Trim the dough using scissors or a sharp knife, leaving about one inch excess around the edges. Gently tuck the dough under and onto itself, to give you a neat folded edge. Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, then remove from the fridge and crimp as desired. Dock all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for a further 30 minutes. If you would like to help the crust set, I sometimes put it in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
- While the crust is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 425˚f / 220˚c. Cut a piece of parchment slightly larger than the pie dish. Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps.
- Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans. Drop the oven temperature to 375°f / 190°c. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for a further 2-3 minutes, until the inside of the crust is set and barely golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack in the pan.
PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
- Preheat the oven to 375°f / 190°c with a rack in the lower section of the oven.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and flour. Add the brown sugar and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the milk, cream, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, vanilla, and salt, and mix until just combined.
- Place the par-baked crust onto a baking sheet and place the whole thing into the oven (I like to pour the filling into the crust while it is in the oven to avoid any slopping). Carefully pour the filling into the crust, right to the edges of the crust. Depending on the size of your pan you may have a little filling leftover.
- Bake the pumpkin pie for 30 to 32 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle still is jiggly (you want it to be jiggly, not liquidy - the whole pie should jiggle as one cohesive unit rather than having a puddle in the middle).
- Remove from the oven, leave to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge and chill for a few hours before slicing and serving.
Notes
The recipe forhomemade pie crustthat is linked makes two crusts - this recipe uses one of them. If you need more help with par-baking, ready my post onhow to blind bake pie crust
Recipe from 'The Book on Pie' by Erin McDowell
