This is the best pumpkin pie recipe ever. A rich, silky smooth, perfectly spiced, from-scratch pumpkin pie filling is baked in buttery pie crust for a delicious homemade pumpkin pie that will become your favorite Thanksgiving dessert.

If you’re looking for the best pumpkin pie recipe where the filling is made from scratch without condensed milk – you’ve found it here! I’ve been making this homemade pumpkin pie for forever, and it has become a holiday tradition in homes around the world. With nearly 300 five-star reviews, you can make it and trust it will turn our perfectly every time!

The pumpkin pie filling is silky smooth, perfectly spiced and made with heavy cream and brown sugar without sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk. Use my homemade all-butter pie crust and make your own pumpkin puree for a truly from-scratch pie, or use your favorite store-bought crust and a can of pumpkin to make it even easier (but just as delicious).

Serve each slice with homemade whipped cream for the perfect Thanksgiving dessert! See what Nia says:

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Pie Recipe

• The best pumpkin pie filling – it’s silky smooth, sweet and perfectly spiced.
• No condensed or evaporated milk – heavy cream does the job without a can.
• Homemade pie crust – is buttery and perfect.
• Easy to make – The filling is made in 5 minutes in one bowl.
• Make Ahead. Bake one day, chill, serve the next.
• Proven recipe. Readers have been making and loving this recipe for almost a decade, with nearly 300 five-star reviews.

Pumpkin Pie Ingredients & Substitutions

The great thing about this pie is that it is actually fairly versatile (for a pie)! You can tweak a few ingredients to make this pie suitable for all sorts of dietary needs!

• All-purpose flour. Use gluten-free all-purpose flour to make the pie gluten-free. You can also substitute your favorite gluten-free crust if desired!
• Butter. vegan butter and coconut oil work well in the crust for a dairy-free version. (See my dairy-free pumpkin pie recipe).
• Heavy Cream. Half and half and coconut milk are both great substitutes.
• Light Brown Sugar: dark brown sugar is a good substitute, but note that it will impart a bolder molasses taste. Coconut sugar also works well.
• Pumpkin puree. Use a 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin puree. Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices. You can also use 2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree (learn how how to make pumpkin puree from a fresh pie pumpkin (instructions in this post)). Or try this sweet potato pie!
• Pumpkin pie spice. Use store-bought or make your own with this homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe.
• There are no substitutions for eggs.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie

Now that we’ve discussed ingredients and equipment, I will walk through how to make pumpkin pie step-by-step. You can also watch the video for further guidance. Here’s an overview of the process, then we’ll walk through it step-by-step.

1. Make the pie crust. Make the dough and chill it for at least 2 hours (up to overnight) – or use store-bought and skip this step.
2. Make the pumpkin pie filling. Whisk everything together in one bowl.
3. Assemble. Roll out the crust, transfer it to a pie plate and pour in the filling.
4. Bake and cool. Bake at 425°Fahrenheit (218°C) for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°Fahrenheit (177°C) and continue baking until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly.

Make the Crust

I have a tutorial on how to make an all-butter pie crust, so if you have any unanswered questions you can ask them below or reference that post.

Begin by pulsing the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix by hand and cut the butter in with a pastry cutter, but using a food processor makes the process so easy and fast.

Then add the frozen butter and ice water all at once and pulse until the dough just begins to clump together. It’s important to add both of the cold ingredients at the same time so you don’t over-work your dough. You want the pie crust dough to still have some chunks of frozen butter in it.

Once the dough begins clumping together, turn it out onto a floured work surface and form it into a round disc. Then cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

If you are chilling the dough overnight (which I do often), you will want to wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container (like a plastic or silicone bag) to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

Then, after the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator, put it on a floured work surface and roll it into a large circle that fits inside our pie dish.

Make a fluted edge by pinching the dough between your thumb and pointer finger all the way around the edge.

Make the Pumpkin Pie Filling

I suggest making the pumpkin pie filling while the pie crust dough is chilling so it’s ready to go as soon as you finish rolling and shaping the crust into the pie dish.

I like to do this first to ensure the eggs are fully incorporated into the pumpkin puree before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Then, add the rest of the filling ingredients and whisk to combine. Make sure the filling is silky smooth and there are no lumps before proceeding.

Assemble the Pumpkin Pie

Fill the crust with the pumpkin pie filling quickly. You do not want the crust to get warm before baking! 

Do You Need to Blind Bake the Crust for Pumpkin Pie?

No, you don’t need to blind bake the crust for this pumpkin pie recipe. The pumpkin filling is poured into the unbaked crust, then the pie is baked on the lowest rack in your oven at a high temperature for the first 15 minutes to help the crust begin to bake and set. It stays on the lowest rack while it continues to bake.

Bake the Pumpkin Pie

Use a pie crust shield or aluminum foil to cover the outer crust, otherwise it will brown too much and possibly burn before the filling has finished baking completely. Then, bake the pumpkin pie on the lower rack for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius).

After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) and continue to bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the pie crust shield int he last 10 minutes of baking if neceessary.

How to Know Pumpkin Pie is Done

 You know this pumpkin pie has finished baking when the edges are set and slightly puffed. If you gently shake the pie, the center should wiggle a little like Jell-O, but It should not look liquid at all. The filling will continue to set as the pie cools.

How to Keep Pumpkin Pie From Cracking

Pumpkin pie cracks when the custard filling is over baked or it cools too quickly.

• Don’t overbake it.
• Remove it when the center still has a slight jiggle.
• Let it cool gradually at room temperature.
• Don’t immediately move the hot pie into the refrigerator.
• Don’t insert a knife or cake tester into the center – this will for sure tell you if it’s done, but it will also certainly cause the pie to crack as it cools.

Cool

After it’s baked, transfer the pumpkin pie to a wire rack to cool completely. This takes at least two hours at room temperature, sometimes longer if you live in a warm environment. You can put it in the fridge (or outside on your cold porch) to speed up the process.

Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie

This pumpkin pie recipe is one of my favorite Thanksgiving deserts because it’s best when it’s made a day or two in advance. Just bake it, let it cool completely to room temperature, then cover it and store in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour for the best texture, or serve it cold.

How to Make Pie Crust Shapes

I like to use these fall pie crust cutters to cut fun shapes into any extra dough! To do this, roll out extra dough (or make another half batch of pie crust dough just to make shapes). Then, use pie crust cutters or cookie cutters to cut out your favorite shapes.

Evenly spread them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Then, bake the pie crust shapes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Use the baked shapes to decorate the top of the pie after it’s cooled.

Serve

Decorate the pumpkin pie with beautiful pie crust shapes. Then, you can serve it room temperature, or chill it in the refrigerator and serve chilled. It’s really up to you and your personal preferences.

I suggest serving it with homemade whipped cream on top for the perfect fall dessert.

More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes

You’ll love all of these pumpkin Recipes

• For a dairy-free version, make my dairy-free pumpkin pie.
• Or make it into bars and make these pumpkin pie bars.
• Start the day a dose of pumpkin spice with pumpkin muffins, a pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin scones, or pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
• Bake these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

How to Store Pumpkin Pie

Store the pumpkin pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Freeze Pumpkin pie

There are two ways to frees this pumpkin pie, which honestly freezes beautifully.

1. Freeze the entire pie. Bake and chill the pie, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cutting and serving. 
2. Freeze individual slices. Place pie slices on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer to flash-freeze them. Then, once they’re frozen, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about 6 hours. 

Pumpkin Pie Recipe FAQs

Here are some commonly asked questions about making this pumpkin pie recipe.

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