In this article
It’s fall, and that means it’s time to dig out your favorite pumpkin pie recipes. Is it bringing back fond memories of your mom baking in the kitchen?
I’m a terrible baker, so unfortunately it brings up this memory: For the first Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, I decided to make a pumpkin pie from scratch for the first time. After toiling for hours over a homemade crust and homemade pumpkin puree, I was proudly displaying my creation to my future in-laws when it slid off the plate and hit the floor. But the crust was so hard, it didn’t even break. Not a single crumble. We would’ve needed a chainsaw to cut through that thing. So we ended up scooping out the filling and enjoying our “pumpkin pie” from bowls. I haven’t made a homemade crust since then.
But for the rest of you, it’s time to embrace pie-baking season. And with all those jack-o’-lanterns you’ll be carving for Halloween, you’ll have plenty of pumpkin on your hands to turn into pies. (Also, don’t throw away those seeds!)
And don’t stop with just your standard pumpkin pie. We have some variations here that will please the palates of all the pumpkin pie pundits at your party. From vegan to sugar-free, and some truly out-of-the box recipes to experiment with. But don’t worry — we have a standard pumpkin pie recipe, too — just like your mom used to make.
Basic pumpkin pie recipes
If you’re looking for a traditional pumpkin pie recipe to serve to the family, these basic recipes will do the trick.
Baking note: If you want to use fresh pumpkin instead of the canned variety these recipes indicate, substitute 1-¾ cups of fresh pumpkin for every 15 oz. can.
Mom Amy Christie has this advice for preparing your pumpkin for roasting. “Baking pumpkins are different than the ones used for carving,” Christie previously told Mom.com. “Smaller varieties, like sugar pumpkins, have a smoother, denser flesh with a higher sugar content. To get one ready for a pie, use a very sharp knife to cut off the top, including the stem. Then cut the pumpkin in half. Scrape out the seeds and innards (but keep the seeds for roasting!)”
The tried and true
You can’t go wrong with this Easy Pumpkin Pie recipe from Food.com that uses ingredients you might already have in your pantry: Canned pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. And there’s no shame in using a store-bought crust. (Let my story above be a lesson to you.)
For the slightly adventurous
Here’s a recipe that has over twice the ingredients and probably twice the time in the kitchen as the previous recipe, but Bon Appétit’s seems to be a popular one. They have instructions for making your own crust, too.
Do it like Martha
No recipe roundup would be complete without a contribution from Martha Stewart. And we love that Martha takes the staple of the holiday season — Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe — and gives it her own flair. Also, Martha has some sage advice if you have a pie disaster like mine. “So the pie isn’t perfect? Cut it into wedges. Stay in control, and never panic,” she said.
Something for everyone: Vegan pumpkin pie recipes, gluten-free and sugar-free pumpkin pie recipes
Don’t leave out those with special dietary needs — here are a few recipes to make sure everyone gets a piece of the pie.
Vegan pumpkin pie
This recipe from Nora Cooks uses coconut cream as a substitute for dairy in traditional recipes and in my opinion coconut will make anything taste better. She also includes a link to making her vegan pie crust.
Vegan and gluten-free
If you’re looking for a recipe that’s both vegan and gluten-free, Minimalist Baker has one for you. This version uses almond milk as a dairy substitute and gluten-free flour for the crust. And it sounds like everyone will be asking for seconds of this one.
Sugar-free
The Spruce Eats has this recipe for making a sugar-free pumpkin pie using Splenda or Truvia as a sweetener. Their suggestion of topping it off with sugar-free whipped cream is a good one, because who can have pie without whipped cream?
Unique pumpkin pie recipes
If you’re up for experimenting with your pie, here are a couple of out-of-the box recipes to try. Even the purists won’t be frightened by these.
Pumpkin Pie With Dulce de Leche and Cardamom
In 2019 Libby’s updated their back-of-the-can pie recipe for the first time in seventy years. The Washington Post upped the ante by taking that recipe and adding dulce de leche and cardamom to it, and we are here for it.
Pecan-Rye Pumpkin Pie
Let’s face it — one of the hardest decisions to make in life is, “Pumpkin or pecan?” This genius pie from Epicurious lets you have both so you can move on to other decisions like “help clean up the dishes or pretend you’re sleeping?”
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
This isn’t really a pie, but who can resist Whoopie pies? Plus, it solves the problem of who gets burdened with cutting and serving dessert. This version, from Cafe Sucre Farine that also has the fantastic addition of bourbon buttercream, will have everyone saying, “whoopie!”
