Our classic recipe for pumpkin pie from scratch starts with a beautiful fresh pumpkin, cream, and maple syrup. No cans to buy! An all-butter pie crust with a creamy spice filling is the perfect dessert to serve at Thanksgiving dinner. Here is our time-saving tip: After your beautiful pumpkin pie is cool put the pie in the freezer. On Thanksgiving day all you need to do is take the pie out of the freezer then warm it up in the oven. Your family can enjoy fresh warm pumpkin pie out of the oven and you made the pie a week ago.
Pumpkin Pie made from scratch.
Here are three options for pumpkin pie.
1. Classic pumpkin pie with butter pie crust.
2. Crustless pumpkin pie sweetened with a touch of maple syrup or honey. (low sugar/grain-free).
3. Pumpkin pie filling baked in an one cup canning jar then topped with pecans (grain-free).
Pumpkin pie is as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey. Every family needs a recipe for a healthy delicious pumpkin pie from scratch. I love that you don’t have to buy any special ingredients in cans. You probably have everything you need right in your larder. Maple syrup sweetens the pie and you can use any amount. We like lightly sweetened desserts in my family.
Pumpkin Pie from Scratch Made With Fresh Pumpkin
Please don’t feel like using fresh pumpkin is complicated. I have a Youtube video and detailed blog post “How to Cook a Pumpkin for Pie“ that will teach you my easy way to cook a pumpkin. Make sure to strain the cooked pumpkin before adding it to the recipe. So easy to make, just put the cooked pumpkin in a strainer for a few hours and you have Pumpkin Puree.
It is convenient to cook the pumpkin in advance, freeze the cooked pumpkin, then strain after you defrost. Ready to go pumpkin puree and it is from a fresh pumpkin. Please note: Pumpkin doesn’t refrigerate very well. It very quickly sours so make sure to freeze the cooked pumpkin unless you plan to use it within a few days.
If cooking a fresh pumpkin stresses you then use one can of organic pumpkin puree.
Here at the farm growing pumpkins is one of our major food crops. Our favorite variety and what grows best in our location are neck pumpkins. We always plant pumpkin seeds on July 4th so right before Thanksgiving we will have pumpkins ready to bake into pie.
What you will need to make a Butter Pie Crust
This recipe makes 2 pie crusts.
- 1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 & 1/2 cups organic unbleached flour or high quality flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup ice water
Pumpkin Pie From Scratch Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin puree or one can of organic pumpkin puree
- 3 farm fresh eggs
- 1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon flour or arrowroot powder-if you are grain-free
- 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt – we use redmond salt
Make Ahead Pumpkin Pie from scratch with no cans
Make the Pie Crust
I like to use a food processor but you certainly don’t have to.
- Add 2 &1/2 cups of flour to the bowl of a food processor
- Then 1 teaspoon salt
- Cut cold unsalted butter (1 cup or 2 sticks) in small pats then add to the processor bowl or if making by hand then grate the butter into the flour.
- Process until the mixture looks like cornmeal
- Drizzle in 1/2 cup ice water
- Process until the dough comes together in a ball, then place dough on the counter and divide in half
- Roll each pie crust into a small disc, cover, then put in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill. Make sure your crust is cold before rolling. You also can freeze the crust.
You will only need one pie crust. Make one and freeze one or make 2 pies!
Directions
Roll out the Pie Crust:
- Roll CHILLED pie crust into a flat circle about one inch larger than the pie pan so you can fold the pie crust edge over towards the pie pan and crimp the edge of the pie crust. I like to roll from the middle of the crust upwards then rotate with every roll. Keep your rolling pin dusted with flour but try not to use much flour on the pie crust. Cold pie crust dough, steady even rolling, and rotation will keep your pie crust from sticking to the counter top. After the pie crust is rolled out put your rolling pin at one end of the crust, then loosely roll up the pie crust around the rolling pin. See the video for a demonstration.
- Crimp the edges of the pie crust
- I usually put the pie crust in the refrigerator while I am making the filling.
We have a pie crust tutorial to learn how to roll a pie crust and crimp the edges.
Make the Pumpkin pie Filling:
I find that putting all the ingredients in a blender works best to get a creamy smooth pumpkin pie filling.
- To a blender add all the ingredients or use a stick blender
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon flour or arrowroot powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2. Blend filling until smooth for a creamy texture.
3. Pour filling into pie crust
4. Cut shapes out of piecrust (cookie cutters work great,) bake them when you bake the pie until lightly brown.
5. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
6. Cool pie then add cut out shapes to decorate. Tip: This also will help hide any holes that you made when testing the pie for doneness.
7. Option 1: Freeze the pie in a 2 gallon ziplock bag until Thanksgiving morning. Warm the pie while dinner is served. A stress-free option!
Option 2: Serve pumpkin pie topped with sweet cream.
Adding decoration to pies will add a special touch
Tips for Pumpkin Pie Without Soggy Crust
- I use a splatterware metal pie pan because metal transfers heat quickly.
- Bake your pie on the lowest rack in the oven.
- If I am baking with a metal pie pan then I put a metal baking sheet in the oven to preheat. Bake your pie on the pre-heated baking sheet. This helps also if your pie bubbles over.
- If you use a glass pie plate then bake on the lowest rack in the oven, however you will probably need a longer baking time because glass conducts heat slowly. A great benefit from baking in a glass pie plate is you can see the bottom of the crust to see how baking is progressing.
Options for a grain-free Pumpkin Pie
- omit the pie crust
- replace the flour with arrowroot powder
- after pouring the filling into a pie pan top with pecans for a crunchy topping, then bake
- Another option is to pour pumpkin pie filling into one cup canning jars, sprinkle pecans over the top, then bake. I start the oven cold with the filled canning jars to help avoid breakage.
Low sugar or no sugar
For a low sugar pumpkin pie add 1/4 cup or less of maple syrup or honey or none at all. Our pumpkins are so sweet we only add a touch of maple syrup or honey.
Since we grow so many pumpkins we use pumpkin pie without the crust as a vegetable at dinner (we add only a touch of maple syrup. I call it pumpkin pudding. So delicious and also healthy.
How to make Pumpkin Pie Spice
Here at the farmhouse we buy in bulk all we can. We order many bulk items from Azure Standard. I really like their pumpkin pie spice therefore I would like to share the recipe with you.
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
Here is a link to the recipe. Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe
Our classic recipe for pumpkin pie from scratch starts with a beautiful fresh pumpkin, cream, and maple syrup. No cans to buy! An all-butter pie crust with a creamy spice filling is the perfect dessert to serve at Thanksgiving dinner. Here is our time-saving tip: After your beautiful pumpkin pie is cool put the pie in the freezer. On Thanksgiving day all you need to do is take the pie out of the freezer and warm it up in the oven. Your family can enjoy fresh warm pumpkin pie out of the oven and you made the pie a week ago. Make the Pie Crust 3 eggs 5. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Tips for Pumpkin Pie Without Soggy CrustPumpkin Pie from Scratch
Ingredients
Instructions
I like to use a food processor but you certainly don't have to.
Add 2 &1/2 cups of flour to the bowl of a food processor
Then 1 teaspoon salt
Cut cold unsalted butter (1 cup or 2 sticks) in small pats then add to the processor bowl or if making by hand then grate the butter into the flour.
Process until the mixture looks like cornmeal
Drizzle in 1/2 cup ice water
Process until the dough comes together then put the dough on the counter and divide in half
Roll each pie crust into a small disc, cover, then put in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill. Make sure your crust is cold before rolling. You also can freeze the crust.
You will only need one pie crust. Make one and freeze one or make 2 pies!
Roll out the Pie Crust:
Roll cold pie crust into a flat circle about one inch larger than the pie pan so you can fold the pie crust edge over towards the back and crimp the edge of the pie crust. I like to roll from the middle of the crust upwards then rotate with every roll. Keep your rolling pin dusted with flour but try not to use much flour on the pie crust. Steady even rolling chilled dough and rotation will keep your pie crust from sticking to the counter top. After the pie crust is rolled put your rolling pin at one end of the crust, then loosely roll up the pie crust around the rolling pin. See the video for a demonstration.
Crimp the edges of the pie crust
We have a pie crust tutorial you can watch to learn how to roll a pie crust and crimp the edges. I usually put the pie crust in the refrigerator while I am making the filling.
Make the Pumpkin pie Filling:
I find that putting all the ingredients in a blender works best to get a creamy smooth pumpkin pie filling.
1. To a blender add all the ingredients or use a stick blender
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup cream
1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon flour or arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2. Blend filling until smooth for a creamy texture.
3. Pour filling into pie crust
4. Cut shapes out of piecrust (cookie cutters work great) then bake until lightly brown. Decorate the top of the pie with the baked shapes. I used leaves on my pie.
6. Cool, then add cut out shapes to decorate. Tip: This also will help hide any holes that you made when testing the pie for doneness.
7. Option 1: Freeze the pie in a 2 gallon ziplock bag until Thanksgiving morning. Warm the pie while dinner is served. A stress-free option!
Option 2: Serve pumpkin pie topped with sweet cream.Notes
I use a splatterware metal pie pan because metal transfers heat more quickly.
Bake your pie on the lowest rack in the oven.
If I am baking with a metal pie pan then I put a metal baking sheet in the oven to preheat. Bake your pie on the pre-heated baking sheet. This helps also if your pie bubbles over.
If you use a glass pie plate then bake on the lowest rack in the oven, however you will probably need a longer baking time because glass heats up gently. A great benefit from baking in a glass pie plate is you can see the bottom of the crust to see how baking is progressing.
We pray each of you will have a blessed Thanksgiving!
More recipes for Thanksgiving:
Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder
