This classic pumpkin pie recipe, made from scratch using fresh pie pumpkin, is the perfect Thanksgiving dessert.
I love pumpkin pie. Deeply. And for me, canned pumpkin is not up to snuff. We buy little sugar pie pumpkins (adorable and useful) and make ours from scratch. This pie is rich and flavorful, with a little bit of kick from fresh ginger and fresh ground pepper.
It’s also relatively easy to make. I know there are some that would have you preheat the filling or add in other laborious steps. Since you already have to make the crust and prebake, I like to keep the filling simple. This classic homemade pumpkin pie is simple and delicious.
A classic pumpkin pie recipe made from scratch.
- 1 large sugar pie pumpkin or another large winter squash, peeled and seeded
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/6 cup ice water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin puree
- 3 room-temperature eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, more for a sweeter pie
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- several grinds of black pepper (white pepper is even better if you have it)
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice prepared pumpkin into 1-inch slices and lay flat on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch sea salt. Cover tightly with foil and bake 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is cooked through and quite soft.
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Remove pumpkin to a bowl and mash with a potato masher, or puree in a food mill or food processor for a smoother texture.
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Combine flour, sea salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Cut in butter by pulsing food processor 4 or 5 times. The dough should be sandy and crumbly at this point. Stir together ice water and sour cream, drizzle over dough; pulse 4 or 5 times, or just until dough holds together.
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Dump dough onto a floured surface and press into a mound. If you need to add a splash more water, go ahead. Form dough into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight, or up to 4 days.
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Preheat oven the 375 degrees F. Butter pie pan and set aside. Sprinkle flour on a large, clean surface. Unwrap disc of dough and allow it to soften a few minutes. If you have parchment, roll dough out on a lightly floured sheet, other wise just be sure to use plenty of flour and check for sticking. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters and carefully unfold in the prepared pie pan, pressing the dough into sides. Put pie shell in freezer for 15 minutes or the refrigerator for 30.
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Remove chilled shell, poke holes all over with a fork. Fold a piece of foil so that it will fit in the middle and place pie weights, rice, or dry beans in the center. Set on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5. Remove from oven and cool.
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In a medium sauce pan, whisk to combine 1/4 cup of the cream and the flour over medium heat. When mixture is quite thick, slowly whisk in remaining 3/4 cup cream, adding a little at a time to maintain thickness. Stir in sugars and spices and set aside.
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs and squash, whisking thoroughly. Fold into custard and whisk to combine.
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Gently pour custard into the shell, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes, or until edges are set and the center is a little jiggly, but not watery. Keep an eye on the crust – if it starts to turn a shade darker than golden, shield it with thin strip of tin foil.
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Remove from oven and cool completely, 1 hour or more. Serve with a heaping dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
so glad i happened by your blog. i want to make pie crust from scratch rather than rely on my old standard pillsbury crust and haven’t taken the first step of finding a pie crust recipe. why prebake the crust? just curious. the pie recipes i use rarely call for that.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for checking out our site. I recommend the prebake for a custard pie because the filling is essentially a liquid and the crust would get quite soggy otherwise. There are certain pies that need it and others that don’t. On my list of prebake candidates are custard pies, meringues, cheesecakes, and chocolate tarts. Fruit pies or tarts do not usually need the prebake.