There’s something very satisfying about taking a pumpkin from the plot and turning it into a proper pudding. Pumpkin pie isn’t something we grow up eating quite as much here in Britain, but once you’ve made one from scratch, especially with your own pumpkin, you can see why it’s such a favourite across the pond.
If you’ve never tried pumpkin pie before, don’t expect anything remotely like a pumpkin soup in pastry. The filling is smooth, silky and almost custard-like, gently sweet rather than sickly, with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves bringing all those lovely warm autumn flavours.
Think spiced baked custard in crisp buttery pastry, with the pumpkin giving it body, colour and a gentle earthy sweetness. It’s a brilliant way of using up part of a big allotment pumpkin too. 🌱
Makes: 1 x 23cm pie
Serves: 8
Oven: Fan
Prep: Around 45 minutes, plus chilling
Bake: Around 50 minutes, plus roasting the pumpkin
Why roast the pumpkin?
You’ll often see American recipes calling for tinned pumpkin purée. When you’ve got pumpkins sitting on the plot, buying a tin feels a bit daft!
The important bit with fresh pumpkin is getting rid of some of its water. Boiling it can make the purée rather wet, so I roast mine instead.
Roasting concentrates the flavour, brings out the natural sweetness and gives us a much thicker purée. That means a beautifully set pie rather than a soggy bottom and wobbly pumpkin puddle.
For the pumpkin purée
- 750g prepared pumpkin flesh
- You will need 425g finished pumpkin purée for the filling
Heat your oven to 180°C fan.
Peel your pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and stringy centre, then cut the flesh into roughly 3cm chunks.
Spread over a large baking tray in a single layer.
Roast for 35–45 minutes, until completely soft and just beginning to caramelise around some of the edges.
Leave it for around 10 minutes after roasting so excess steam can escape.
Blitz until completely smooth.
Weigh out 425g for the pie.
If your purée still seems particularly watery, pop it into a saucepan over a low heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly, just to drive off a little more moisture.
For the sweet pastry
- 225g plain flour
- 110g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 25g icing sugar
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1–2 tbsp very cold water
Put the flour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl.
Rub the cold butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can also pulse this briefly in a food processor.
Add the egg yolk.
Add the cold water a little at a time until the dough just starts coming together. Try not to overwork it.
Bring it together with your hands, flatten into a disc and wrap.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Line the tin
Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it’s large enough to comfortably line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart or flan tin.
Gently lower the pastry into the tin rather than stretching it.
Press it carefully into the base and sides.
Leave a little pastry hanging over the edge. Don’t trim it flush yet. That overhang helps stop the pastry shrinking while it bakes.
Pop the lined tin back into the fridge for another 15 minutes.
Heat your oven to 180°C fan.
Blind bake the pastry
Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the paper and beans.
Return the pastry case to the oven for another 7–8 minutes, until the base looks dry and has taken on just a little colour.
Now turn the oven down to 160°C fan.
For the pumpkin pie filling
- 425g roasted pumpkin purée
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 120g soft light brown sugar
- 200ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp fine salt
Put the pumpkin purée into a large bowl.
Add the eggs and extra yolk.
Add the brown sugar.
Pour in the cream.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
Whisk everything together until beautifully smooth.
You don’t need to whisk loads of air into it. We’re after silky custard, not pumpkin mousse.
Bake the pie
Pour the filling carefully into your warm pastry case.
Bake at 160°C fan for around 40–50 minutes.
This is where you need to trust the wobble.
The outside of the filling should look set, but when you gently move the tin, the very centre should still have a small custardy wobble.
Don’t wait for the whole pie to become completely firm in the oven. It continues setting as it cools, and overbaking is one of the reasons pumpkin pies can crack.
Cooling the pie
Leave the pie in its tin on a cooling rack until completely cool.
Give it at least 2 hours.
Once cool, I like to chill it for another 2–3 hours, or even overnight. The texture gets even better and you’ll get lovely clean slices.
Before removing it from the tin, use a small sharp or serrated knife to carefully trim the excess pastry level with the top edge of the tin.
Then remove the outer ring.
That little trick gives you a much smarter finish without risking the pastry crumbling while the pie is still warm.
How to serve pumpkin pie
I love mine with a dollop of lightly whipped double cream or thick Greek yoghurt.
A little sprinkle of cinnamon over the top works beautifully.
You could also scatter over some toasted pumpkin seeds. Not only does that use another bit of the harvest, they add a cracking little crunch alongside the silky filling.
And whatever you do, don’t throw away those pumpkin seeds when you scoop out your pumpkin. Clean them up and roast them separately for snacking or topping soups, salads and this pie.
What does pumpkin pie actually taste like?
This was the question I had before making my first one too.
The pumpkin flavour itself is surprisingly subtle. What you really notice is the combination of creamy custard, caramel-like brown sugar and warm autumn spices.
It sits somewhere between a traditional custard tart and a softly baked cheesecake in texture, although it has a character all of its own.
The crisp pastry against that smooth filling is what really makes it.
And once it’s properly chilled?
Dangerously easy to wander back to the fridge for just another tiny slice. 🎃😂
