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The Great Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Bursting with flavor, this pumpkin pie recipe is my very favorite. It's rich, smooth, and tastes incredible on my homemade pie crust and served with whipped cream. The pie crust leaves are purely for decor, you can leave those off of the pie and only make 1 pie crust. You can also leave off the sugared cranberries.
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Ingredients
  

Sugared Cranberries

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries (120g)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)divided
  • 1 cup water (250ml)

Pumpkin Pie

  • 2 crusts homemade pie dough (full recipe makes 2 crusts: 1 for bottom, 1 for leaf decor)
  • 1 15oz can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups; 450g)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups coconut crystal sugar (250g)
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch (8g)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 4 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
  • 1/4 cup milk (I use 1% - any is fine) (60ml)

Egg wash

  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 1 tbsp milk

Instructions
 

If garnishing with sugared cranberries, make those first:

  • Place cranberries in an large bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of sugar and the water to a boil and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Remove pan from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Pour sugar syrup over the cranberries and stir. Let the cranberries sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight (ideal). You'll notice the sugar syrup is quite thick after this amount of time.
  • Drain the cranberries from the syrup and pour 1 cup of sugar on top. Toss the cranberries, coating them all the way around. Pour the sugared cranberries on a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking sheet and let them dry for at least 2 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator. You'll have extra, but they're great for eating or as garnish on other dishes. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Pie Crust

  • Preheat oven to 375 F
  • Roll out the chilled pie crust: Remove 1 disc of pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch deep dish pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure its tightly pressed into the pie dish. Fold any dough overhang back into the dish to form a thick rim around the edges. Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges with your fingers. Brush edges lightly with the egg wash mixture.
  • Par-bake the crust: Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish.
  • Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork to create steam vents and return crust (without weights) to the oven for 7-8 more minutes or until the bottom is *just* starting to brown. (Review this how to par-bake pie crust page if you need extra help with this par-baking step see notes.)

Pumpkin Pie Filling

  • Whisk the pumpkin, 3 eggs, and coconut crystal sugar together until combined. Add the cornstarch, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, pepper, heavy cream and milk. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined.
  • Pour pumpkin pie filling into warm crust. Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. (If using a deep dish pie dish as instructed, you should only have a little filling leftover. Use extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you'd like.) Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes give or take. A small part of the center will be wobbly - that's okay. After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Check for doneness at minute 50, and then 55, and then 60, etc.
  • Once done, transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow to cool completely for at least 3 hours before garnishing and serving
  • Decorate with sugared cranberries and pie crust leaves (see note). You'll definitely have leftover cranberries... They're tasty for snacking. Serve pie with whipped cream if desired
  • Cover leftovers tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Pie Crust Leaves

  • My pie crust recipe makes enough for two crusts. So with the extra dough, you can make adorable leaves for decoration on your pumpkin pie. Or any pie, really. I’ve seen the pie crust leaves baked directly on top of the rim of the pie—and I tried that—but was not thrilled with the results. Too much uneven baking. The underside of the leaves weren’t really cooked through and the tops got a little burnt (even through my pie shield).
  • So, to make things easier, just bake the pie crust leaves separately and place them on top of your pie before serving. You can also sprinkle them with a little cinnamon-sugar right before baking. I was going to do that, but I forgot.

Notes

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Pumpkin pie freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Pie crust dough freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. If decorating your pie with sugared cranberries, state them the night before. You'll also begin the pie crust the night before as well(the dough needs at least 2 hours to chill; overnight is best). The filling can be made the night before as well. In fact, I prefer it that way. It gives the spices, pumpkin, and sugar flavors a chance to infuse and blend. It's awesome. Cover and refrigerate overnight. No need to bring to room temperature before baking. 
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Mixing bowl set, Rolling Pin, Pie Weights, Pastry Brush, Pie Crust Baking Shield, and Fall Cookie Cutters.
  3. Cranberries: Use fresh cranberries, not frozen. The sugar syrup doesn't coat evenly on the frozen berries, leaving you with rather ugly and some very plain shriveled cranberries. 
  4. Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin is best in the pumpkin pie
  5. How to Par-Bake Pie Crust (video)