Pumpkin Pie Recipe
AFRESH AND FESTIVE PUMPKIN CLASSIC.
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Ingredients
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Pie crust
Pumpkin filling
Finish & garnish
Method
Pie crust
- 1
Make dough
In a large bowl, whisk together 1.25 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp sugar, and 0.5 tsp salt. Add 0.5 cup cold cubed unsalted butter and 0.25 cup cold cubed vegetable shortening (if using). Using a pastry cutter or fingertips, cut butter and shortening into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining (about 6–8 short pulses with a food processor or 6–8 minutes by hand).
- 2
Add liquid
Mix 3 tbsp ice water with 0.5 tsp apple cider vinegar. Drizzle the liquid over the flour-butter mixture, 1 tbsp at a time, gently tossing with a fork after each addition until dough just holds together when pressed. Avoid overworking; you may not need all the water. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 45 minutes (or up to 2 days in refrigerator).
- 3
Roll and fit
On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan by rolling dough onto the rolling pin and unrolling over pan. Ease dough into pan, leaving a slight overhang. Trim to 1/2-inch overhang, fold under and crimp edge as desired. Refrigerate crust-lined pan for 20 minutes while oven preheats.
- 4
Blind-bake (optional but recommended for a crisp bottom)
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line chilled crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 12 minutes, remove weights and parchment, brush edges with egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 tbsp water), then return to oven and bake 5–7 more minutes until edges are set and lightly golden. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) for filling bake.
Pumpkin filling
- 5
Prepare filling
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1.0 cup pure canned pumpkin, 0.75 cup granulated sugar, 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 0.5 tsp ground ginger, 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg, 0.125 tsp ground cloves, and 0.25 tsp fine sea salt until evenly combined.
- 6
Combine dairy & eggs
In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, 0.5 cup heavy cream, 0.5 cup whole milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Slowly pour the dairy-egg mixture into the pumpkin-spice mixture, whisking steadily until fully incorporated and smooth.
- 7
Strain (optional)
For an extra-silky custard, pour the filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl, pressing with a spatula to remove any lumps.
- 8
Fill crust and bake
Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell (either blind-baked or raw). If using a raw crust, reduce oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake 50–60 minutes; if using blind-baked shell and preheated to 350°F (175°C), bake 40–50 minutes. The pie is done when the edges are set and the center still slightly jiggles (it will firm while cooling). To prevent over-browning, tent the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.
Finish & serve
- 9
Cool and chill
Remove pie from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool completely at room temperature (about 2 hours) then refrigerate at least 2 hours (or overnight) to fully set the custard for clean slices.
- 10
Garnish and serve
Before serving, dust lightly with 1 tbsp confectioners' sugar if desired and serve slices with whipped cream or crème fraîche (about 1/2 cup total) on the side.
