- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 65 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 190 g
- 115 g
- 4 g
- 60 ml
- 425 g
- 150 g
- 355 ml
- 3 g
- 1 g
- ½ g
- ¼ g
- 5 ml
Process
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Make the crust: whisk the 190 g all-purpose flour with 3 g salt in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed 115 g unsalted butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized butter pieces left.
Sprinkle 45 ml of the ice water over the flour and stir with a fork until it starts to clump. Add the remaining 15 ml only if needed, then gather the dough into a flat disc, wrap it and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 190°C. Roll the chilled dough on a floured surface to a 30 cm circle, line a 23 cm pie dish with it, trim the overhang to 2 cm and flute the edge. Chill the lined shell for 15 minutes.
Line the shell with parchment and fill with dried beans or rice. Blind bake for 15 minutes, lift out the weights and parchment, then bake 5 minutes more until the base looks dry and pale gold. Leave the oven on at 190°C.
Whisk the 425 g pumpkin puree, 3 eggs, 150 g brown sugar, 355 ml evaporated milk, 3 g cinnamon, 1 g ginger, 0.5 g nutmeg, 0.25 g cloves, 5 ml vanilla extract and 1 g salt in a bowl until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Do not whip air into it.
Pour the filling into the warm par-baked shell and smooth the top. Rap the dish once on the counter to release large bubbles.
Bake at 190°C for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edge is set and the centre still wobbles slightly when you nudge the dish. If the crust browns too fast, cover the rim with foil after 30 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight so the custard firms up before slicing.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is overbaking: a pumpkin pie is done when the centre jiggles like set jelly, not when a knife comes out clean. It firms as it cools.
- Par-bake the crust before adding the wet filling, otherwise the bottom stays raw and soggy under the custard.
- Mix the filling by hand with a whisk, not a blender or electric mixer. Too much air makes the surface puff and then crack as it cools.
- Let the pie cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating; moving it while hot makes the custard weep and the crust separate.
Substitutions
- evaporated milk→full-fat coconut milk for a dairy-free version
- brown sugar→the same weight of white sugar plus 1 tbsp molasses
- ground ginger→an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice blend
- unsalted butter→an equal weight of cold vegetable shortening for a dairy-free crust
Storage & reheating
Cool the pie fully, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight pie keeper and refrigerate for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap individual slices in foil and freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat slices in a 150°C oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or eat them cold, which is how most people prefer pumpkin pie. Never leave a custard pie at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my pumpkin pie crack on top?
Cracks come from overbaking or from whipping too much air into the filling. Bake only until the centre wobbles slightly, and whisk the custard gently by hand. Cooling it gradually on the counter rather than moving it straight to the fridge also helps prevent cracks.
How do I know when the pumpkin pie is done?
The outer 5 cm should look set and slightly puffed, while the centre still jiggles like a firm jelly when you gently shake the dish. A knife inserted in the centre should come out wet, not clean. It will finish setting as it cools for 2 hours.
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned puree?
Yes. Roast a 1.5 kg sugar pumpkin at 200°C for about 45 minutes until tender, then scoop and blend the flesh until smooth. Drain it in a fine sieve for 30 minutes first, because fresh puree holds more water than canned and can make the filling loose.
Can I make pumpkin pie ahead of time?
Yes, it is ideal made a day ahead. Bake it, cool it completely, then refrigerate overnight; the flavour deepens and the custard slices cleanly. Add whipped cream only just before serving.
Why is my pumpkin pie filling watery or not setting?
Too much liquid is usually the cause, often from fresh pumpkin puree or from swapping evaporated milk for regular milk. Use the full 355 ml of evaporated milk, drain fresh puree well, and bake until the centre jiggles rather than sloshes.
Can I freeze pumpkin pie?
Yes, but freeze it baked and fully cooled. Wrap slices tightly in foil, then in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge; the crust softens slightly but the flavour stays good.
Do I really need to blind bake the crust?
Yes for a crisp bottom. The custard is wet and bakes at a moderate 190°C, which is not hot enough to crisp raw pastry underneath. Fifteen minutes with weights plus 5 minutes uncovered gives a dry, golden base that will not turn soggy.
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