Pumpkin Pie 101
- Prebake the pie crust before you add the filling. This helps keep the crust crisp and flaky even underneath. And brush the crust with slightly beaten egg white before you prebake it.
- Don't beat the filling too much. This type of pie is dense and creamy. If you add a lot of air by beating, the pumpkin filling may rise and fall, then crack.
- Don't overbake the pie. This type of filling cracks when the pie is overbaked, making it 'weep' moisture too.
- Keep the pie refrigerated after it cools.
- You can use canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie filling, or roast a sugar pumpkin and puree it. It just depends on how much time you want to spend on the pie.
- Top your pumpkin pie with a streusel, with whipped cream, or with meringue. Or fold crushed toffee into whipped cream for a nice twist. Ice cream is a great pumpkin pie topper too, especially Butter Pecan!
Traditional Pumpkin Pie Recipes
Easier Pumpkin Pie Recipes
The first two easy recipes use an easy gingersnap crumb crust. The filling is made from canned pumpkin folded into softened ice cream, so it's super easy and can be made a few days ahead. The third recipe is for a pumpkin pie pudding cooked in your crockpot, and the fourth is for an Impossible Pie that makes its own crust as it bakes.
You can 'fake' a crust by cutting refrigerated pie dough into fall shapes (leaves, turkeys), sprinkling with sugar, then baking at 400 degrees F until they're light brown. Top each serving with a few crispy cutouts. Or crumble up purchased sugar cookies or shortbread, then sprinkle on top of each serving of the pudding.
- Ice Cream Pumpkin Tart
- Frozen Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
- Crockpot Pumpkin Pie Pudding
- Impossible Pumpkin Pie
Easiest Pumpkin Pie
Order a pie from a restaurant like Baker's Square, a specialty shop or bakery in town, or a grocery store. Whip your own cream at the last minute, flavored with some vanilla, confectioner's sugar, and cinnamon, for a homemade touch, then pipe it over the pie using a pastry bag with a rosette tip. Or make a homemade meringue and bake it on top of a frozen pie you bake yourself.
Transfer the pie to one of your pie plates (this is kind of tricky, so be careful!) before serving for a really homemade look. You can also toast some pecans or make Sugared Crockpot Nuts (save the rest for Christmas gifts!} and sprinkle those over the pie just before you serve it.
