The Best Pumpkin Pie
This Pumpkin Pie recipe has a touch of lemon zest in the filling and both white and brown sugar, baked into a blind baked crust so the bottom stays crisp. A silky custard that sets smooth, and it’s even better made the day before.
Servings: 8
Calories: 234kcal
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- ½ recipe pie crust
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 12 ounce evaporated milk 1 can
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin 1 can
Instructions
- Make the pie crust according to this pie crust recipe. You can also use store bought pie crust.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- In a large bowl combine ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon salt. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, 12 ounces evaporated milk and 15 ounces canned pumpkin, then mix well until well incorporated and smooth, using a mixer or whisk. Set aside.
- If using your own homemade pie crust, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. This is required to soften the dough a bit, so that you can roll it out.
- Roll out the disc using a rolling pin. If your dough is sticking to the surface or to the rolling pin, add a bit more flour as necessary. Roll it until it’s about ⅛ of an inch in thickness. Place the pie dough lightly into a 9 inch pie plate. I usually roll it onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate (see video). Crimp the edge and cut off excess dough.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over the pie shell and fill it with pie weights. If you don’t have pie weights, you can use dry beans. Place the pie shell into the oven and blind bake it for 15 minutes. Read more about blind baking here. Once done, remove the pie weights and the parchment paper from the pie shell.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie shell and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool before serving. Top with whipped cream if preferred.
Video
Notes
- Check out the recipe to make this easy pie crust with video and step by step instructions here.
- Chill the dough. This is the secret to a flaky crust.
- Blind bake your crust. This will prevent your crust from getting soggy.
- Don’t skip the brown sugar. It adds a little bit of caramel flavor to the pie.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It’s important to always use room temperature ingredients for the filling because they blend more evenly. Cold ingredients can give you a lumpy batter, a dense texture and a longer baking time.
- Cool the pie completely before slicing. After baking, let the pie cool completely at room temperature so it has a chance to set properly. At least 2 hours on a wire rack before serving.
- Pumpkin pie keeps 3 to 4 days stored in the fridge.
- To freeze, let the pie come to room temperature, then wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. It keeps up to a month in the freezer.
- To defrost, place the pie in the fridge overnight and let it thaw slowly.
- Evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk. The cans look alike and they are not the same thing.
- Use pure canned pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie filling, which comes already sweetened and spiced.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 8468IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 2mg
