This luscious Pumpkin Custard Pie is one of my family’s longtime Thanksgiving dessert traditions. A crisp, flaky all-butter crust meets a light-textured, creamy pumpkin filling, gently spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. This pie is easy to make (and make a day ahead), for stress-free holiday entertaining.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) from qualifying purchases made by clicking these links. As always, all recommendations and opinions expressed are my own.
What’s the Difference Between Pumpkin Custard Pie and Pumpkin Pie?
This is one of those questions that has a million different answers, depending on who you ask. Technically, all Pumpkin Pie is Pumpkin Custard Pie. Pumpkin pie is, by definition, made of a custard-based filling.
So, why the distinction? For me, it’s a matter of texture.
Some pumpkin pies, like the traditional, evaporated milk-based recipe have a compact, extremely smooth filling that cuts very cleanly. They’re velvety, nostalgic, and delicious.
Then, there are milk- or cream-based recipes. These pies are richer, though I find that the custard bakes up to be less dense, so the overall bite feels lighter. The filling doesn’t go as far as to have the texture of a pudding or chiffon, but I still wouldn’t mind eating it with a spoon.
This is what I think of as “Pumpkin Custard Pie,” and describes the recipe shared in this post. It’s silky, gently spiced, and not too heavy at the end of a big holiday dinner.
Key Ingredients
- Pie Dough. I like to make this recipe with my All-Butter Pie Crust, using half of a recipe for a single-crust pie. You can also use your favorite store-bought pie crust (refrigerated or frozen) following the package instructions for a par-baked crust.
- Pumpkin Puree. I use classic Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin {affilliate link}. Be sure not to buy “Pumpkin Pie Filling,” which is flavored with sugar and spices. While I have not tested this recipe with homemade pumpkin puree. If using homemade, you’ll want to be sure that it has the thick texture of canned pumpkin and is not too watery.
- Eggs. The primary thickening ingredient for the pumpkin custard filling. Use large eggs.
- Dairy. A combination of whole milk and heavy cream will give your custard a rich, silky texture.
- Sugar. Using a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar gives the pie a sweet flavor with light caramel undertones.
- Spices. A classic fall blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves gives the pie a balanced, warm flavor.
- Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor, such as Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract or Penzey’s Single Strength Pure Vanilla Extract {affilliate links}.
Tips for Making Pumpkin Custard Pie
Pumpkin Custard Pie is an easy pie to make at home, but there are a few essential tricks and techniques to making sure that your pie is at the top of its game.
1. Par-Bake Your Crust.
Whether you’re making your dough from scratch or using store-bought, giving it a head start before it meets the custardy filling is key for a crust that isn’t soggy out of the gate.
If you’re using my recipe for all-butter pie crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place a baking sheet on the rack to heat up. Fit the rolled dough into your pie plate and chill it for 15-30 minutes.
Line the chilled dough with a double square of parchment paper or foil and fill the plate with ceramic pie weights {affiliate link}. The weights will keep the crust from puffing as it bakes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of the pie are just turning light golden. Carefully gather the edges of the parchment or foil and remove the weights from the pie plate (they will be very hot!). Continue baking the crust for 5 minutes, until the bottom looks dry.
2. Purée your pumpkin purée.
Some cans of pumpkin are really smooth, while others can have quite a few stringy bits in them. I mix this filling in a food processor or blender so that it’s perfectly smooth.
3. Don’t Overbake The Pie.
A Pumpkin Pie is ready to leave the oven when the edges are set (you’ll see tiny cracks around the edges) and a small circular area in the center is still jiggly. Give the pie a gentle nudge. When the pie is done, the very center should jiggle like gelatin. It should not appear soupy.
Remember that all pies continue to bake even after they’re taken out of the oven, thanks to the pan’s residual heat. If you wait too long and the center is totally firmed up in the oven, the eggs will have solidified too much, and the pie will crack as it cools.
If cracks do happen, don’t worry! You can easily disguise them with decorative pie crust cutouts or by piping whipped cream on top. This will make for a beautiful presentation, and no one will be the wiser.
Serving Pumpkin Custard Pie
Once it’s cooled to room temperature, I store my Pumpkin Custard Pie in the refrigerator. It’s best served within a day or two, because the crust will start to get soggy the longer it sits with the custard.
For a pretty presentation, I like to line the edges of the cooled pie with pumpkin and leaf crust cutouts. For Pumpkin Pie, I bake these cutouts separately from the pie.
To make them, roll dough to 1/8-inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes. Brush the cutouts with egg wash, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and bake them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet at 375 degrees F until golden. They only take about 10 minutes to bake and they give the pie a special, festive touch.
I like to serve slices of Pumpkin Custard Pie with a dollop of lightly-sweetened whipped cream (spike it with splash of bourbon, if you’d like). A light dusting of cinnamon over the whipped cream and a pie crust cutout on top makes the perfect finish!
Complete dessert with a glass of wine! Hugh Preece, Sommelier and Italian Wine Ambassador – Vinitaly Academy, suggests enjoying:
Donnafugata Passito di Pantelleria DOC ‘Ben Ryé’, Sicily, Italy
“Extraordinary rich bouquet with exceptional aromas obtained from the dried grapes, dried apricot, raisin, candied orange peel, honey, and sweet spice. The palate is very fresh and intense, with a nice acidic backbone that gives freshness and balances perfectly the sweetness, followed by a long and satisfying persistence.”
More Thanksgiving Pie Week Recipes
Pumpkin Custard Pie
Ingredients
- 1/2 recipe all-butter pie crust (click red text for link)
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (2 cups)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar , lightly packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Follow the instructions in the all-butter pie dough recipe to make a blind baked, single crust pie, in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Reduce oven temperature from 375 to 350 degrees F and place a baking sheet on the rack.
- In a blender or the bowl of a food processor, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Blend until combined, about 5 seconds. Scrape the bowl or blender canister. Add milk and cream and blend (low speed, if using a blender) for an additional 5 seconds, until smooth.
- Pour filling into the prepared crust. Place the pie plate on the heated baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the edges are puffed and set and only the center jiggles when the pie is nudged. (Note that baking time can vary by the particular pie plate you're using.)
- Let pie cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Pie will continue cooking and firming up as it cools. Refrigerate until well chilled. Slice, and serve with lightly-sweetened whipped cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
Made this recipe exactly as written last year and it turned out super silky and not too sweet. Loved it enough to make it again this year but replaced the 3 eggs with 6 tablespoons of cornstarch and 8 tablespoons of water (I’ve developed an egg intolerance). I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t firm up properly or that the flavor would change, but it came out great! Texture was a bit softer than last year’s, but it held its shape and didn’t seem to affect the flavor. Loved this recipe either way.
My center never firmed up, even after measuring 175 degrees in the middle and chilling for several hours. But it tastes amazing!
Hi Sally, if the pie never set up in the fridge, it needed to be baked longer. When itโs finished baking, the very center should jiggle and the edges should be puffed and set. Baking times can vary by the type of pie plate youโre using.
Does this have to be refrigerated? Running out of fridge space.
Yes, this pie should be refrigerated.
I popped 2 in the oven the other day and thought I had posted here but cant find it. In any event, THIS IS IT!! I have searched for a pumpkin pie recipe that was as silky and light as I remember Mrs. Smith’s pumpkin pie being when I was a kid…before they were bought out by whomever and the recipe was changed.
I was so hoping this would be it and by gosh, it is! Thanks so much for coming up with the best pumpkin pie recipe ever! I have tried them all over the past 45 yrs and YOU NAILED IT.
Hi Teri,
Iโm so glad that youโve enjoyed the recipe as much as we do! :) Itโs funny, my mom and I were just talking the other day about the Mrs. Smithโs Pumpkin Custard Pie. Before we started making our own, thatโs the one mom used to buy, and it was always delicious. I havenโt seen it in the stores for years. Iโm glad to be able to create a similar texture and flavor from scratch!
Happy Holidays!
While I have not yet made this pie, am no less than thrilled to read Teriโs rating, as I too have been looking for recipe that mimics Mrs. Smithโs pumpkin custard. No other company has sold at retail pumpkin CUSTARD pie. Have made do since Mrs.Smithโs went away! Have all ingredients for this pie; just waiting until closer to thanksgiving to make it. Thank you Teri!
I canโt find pumpkin purรฉe. Is canned pumpkin the same thing?
Hi Stephanie, yes canned pumpkin (such as Libbyโs) is the same. Just make sure itโs plain and not the spiced โpumpkin pie filling.โ
Loved this recipe. I used all half and half for the liquid. Definitely my go to for Thanksgiving!
Awesome recipe thank you.
This was my first pie ever and I was very happy with the result. I used the kitchen aid pie crust recipe and par baked before filling. I made the filling exactly as in the recipe except I added a small dash of pepper. It was excellent. I grew up on Mrs. Smith’s pumpkin custard pie and this texture was very similar but the flavor was much better. No more freezer pies for us. I’m making another for Christmas.
I absolutely agree. I also grew up on Mrs. Smithโs pumpkin custard pie and never liked homemade pumpkin pie. This recipe is really good. I followed recipe and will not buy Mrs. Smithโs again.
Can your filling be baked in custard cups as well?
For those who donโt like crust?
Hi Linda,
We havenโt tested this particular pie filling baked without the crust, so we canโt advise with certainty on how it would perform.
Happy Cooking!
I just cooked a few in little custard cups took them out 15 minutes earlier then the pie and it turned out really good, just as good as the pie but without the crust. My husband loved them.
Hi Joan,
Thank you for trying the filling in custard cups and letting us know how it turned out! Iโm so glad you and your husband enjoyed. Happy Thanksgiving!
My mom always had extra filling and would cook it in a custard cup(s). Those were the first to come out of the oven (they cook faster). Did the same with this recipe and it’s great!
My husband’s favorite pie is pumpkin, and I’ve never made it from scratch! I love that you used cream instead of evaporated milk, and personally I love the lighter texture in a pumpkin pie. And omg – those leaf decorations are ADORABLE!!!
Ok…so I have 3 pies are my MOST favourite of all. PUMPKIN is on that list. I could eat this pie ALL YEAR LONG. I can eat it without any whip cream, and although I always LOVE pie crust…the filling in this pie ROCKS!! What a great Thanksgiving dessert.
What a fantastic and informative post! And pie looks absolutely delicious!