Pumpkin Pie From Fresh Pumpkin

I love to use fresh, locally sourced ingredients whenever I can, and this goes for desserts just as much as for anything else.

When fall comes around in my neck of the woods, pumpkins are plentiful. They’re at every farm stand, in the neighbor’s front yard with a sign selling them for $5 apiece – they’re decorating every doorstep.

How fun is it to turn that decoration into a delicious dessert?! Making a pumpkin pie out of a pumpkin is just a tad more effort than buying a can of pumpkin puree, but it’s way more satisfying. It’s kind of like drinking a cup of tea from the plants you grew in your own herb garden.

The extra step in the process, of course, is cooking and pureeing the pumpkin.

Here’s how.

1. Select a Pie Pumpkin

Select a small pumpkin—the kind labeled pie pumpkin, usually about kickball size. Pumpkins come in many varieties, and to be honest, almost any hard winter squash can be used fairly successfully.

Think butternut squash, acorn squash – any sweet-fleshed hard squash with a mild flavor can successfully be turned into a “pumpkin” pie. Those pumpkin pie spices lend so much of the characteristic flavor!

It’s helpful to choose a pumpkin that will give you just about the right amount of puree for one pie unless you’re aiming to make other pumpkin desserts, soups, muffins, etc., with your extra puree. Smaller pumpkins will also give you firmer flesh and a better pumpkin taste.

Here’s a rough guide to how much puree you’ll get depending on the size of the pumpkin:

• 2½-pound pumpkin = 1¾ cups puree (equivalent to one 15-ounce can)
• 3½-pound pumpkin = 2½ cups puree
• 5-pound pumpkin = 2¾ cups puree
• 6-pound pumpkin = 2¾ cups puree

If you have a large pumpkin or several smaller ones, make a big batch of pumpkin puree. You can make two pies (one to give away or freeze for later), or use some in soup, pumpkin muffins or pumpkin cookies. You can even freeze the puree to use later on.

Make sure the pumpkin is firm all around and free of major blemishes. Wash the outside of the pumpkin before cutting.

2. Make the Pumpkin Puree

Cut the pumpkin into quarters using a sharp, long-bladed knife. If your pumpkin is quite large, cut it into smaller pieces.

Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp, saving the seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds. If the strings cling tightly to the sides of the pumpkin flesh, you can use a knife to separate them.

Place the cut pumpkin pieces face down (skin side up) on a foil-lined baking tray or glass baking dish. Leave uncovered, and bake in a 400°F oven for about 40 minutes. If you’re baking a large pumpkin or more than one pumpkin, plan on an increased bake time.

Test for doneness with a sharp knife or a fork. The pumpkin is done when the knife slides in easily.

After the pumpkin is roasted, leave it to cool (about 15 minutes) until you can comfortably handle the pieces. Then, scoop out the cooked flesh from the shell.

Using an immersion blender, high-powered blender, or food processor, puree the pumpkin until it’s a super-smooth consistency. No one wants a lumpy or stringy pumpkin pie. Silky smooth is the goal here.

I use a Ninja blender, and it takes about 4-5 minutes to reach the desired texture. I have to stop periodically to scrape down the edges to keep everything connecting with the blades.

To make one pumpkin pie, you’ll need about 2 cups of puree. Don’t worry about making it exactly precise; the amount is a bit flexible.

If your pumpkin puree seems to have a lot of moisture – if you see liquid pooling at the bottom of the dish – drain off some of the excess liquid. Do this by putting the pumpkin puree in a fine-mesh sieve for a minute or two to allow some of the water to drain out. Don’t squeeze it or drain too much liquid. You don’t want a dry filling, just not too runny.

3. Make the Crust

When I’m making a pie, I never feel quite sure about whether to make the crust first or the filling. I want to have the crust ready for the filling as soon as the filling is made, but I don’t want the crust sitting around getting dried out.

Tip: Mix up the pie crust first, form it into a round, and refrigerate. Then, it’s a quick step to roll out the crust once the filling is ready. You also want that crust chilled to get the flakiest result.

This butter and shortening crust is a good standby crust for traditional pumpkin pie. It’s nice and flaky and easy to put together.

I like to avoid shortening if possible, so this all-butter crust is a great option.

You can also use a crumble crust like this one, or you can skip the crust altogether and go for a crustless pie, which is ostensibly healthier, but much less like a pie. But still delightfully full of silky, delicious pumpkin flavor.

Mix up your crust ingredients and form the dough into a round disc. Wrap the disc tightly in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to roll out the crust, take the dough out of the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Roll out carefully, rotating the dough after every few rolls to keep it from sticking, adding more flour as needed.

Roll to 1/8″ thickness or big enough to fill your pie dish. To transfer your crust from the countertop to the pie dish, roll it up on the rolling pin, then unroll it over the pie dish.

Trim off the edges, leaving 1/2″ of dough to tuck under to form a nice finished edge. If you have thin spots or places where the dough didn’t reach the edge, you can use the extra pieces to do a little patching. The patches can easily be smoothed in and hidden when crimping the edges.

Once your crust is ready (if you’re not planning to par-bake it), put it loosely covered in the refrigerator to chill while you finish up the filling.

To Par-Bake or Not?

Some recipes call for par-baking (partially baking) the crust before adding the filling. You can certainly do that if it makes you feel more confident, but I like to simplify my life, and my pumpkin pies always come out just fine without any pre-baking of the crust.

To par-bake the crust, follow the instructions above to roll out and prepare the crust. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, then line it with parchment paper and fill 2/3 full with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15-17 minutes in a 375°F oven.

Remove from oven, take out the pie weights and parchment paper, and add the filling to finish baking. You’ll still bake the pie for the total time recommended in the pie recipe.

4. Mix Up the Pumpkin Filling and Assemble the Pie

When your pumpkin puree is ready, whisk up the eggs, brown sugar, cornstarch, and spices.

Note: I discovered by accident (whoops!) that you can leave out the milk entirely and still end up with a creamy, smooth, and delicious pie filling. Good news if you need a dairy-free pumpkin pie!

Add the pumpkin puree and mix until everything is evenly combined. Add in the milk and thoroughly mix to combine.

Take out your prepared crust (you only need a single bottom crust unless you want more crust pieces for decorations on top).

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust. It’s okay if the filling doesn’t fill the crust all the way to the top. Don’t overfill, as you don’t want the pumpkin filling to seep down between the pie crust and the dish, where it will scorch and stick in the dish.

5. Bake the Pumpkin Pie

Place the pie onto a baking tray to catch any spills or drips. I always do this to bake a pie of any type. It’s so much easier than trying to scrape burnt-on spills off the bottom of the oven or smelling scorched butter every time you turn the oven on for weeks!

Bake in a 375°F oven for 55-60 minutes. Start checking for doneness every 5 minutes starting at 50 minutes. You’re looking for just a slight wobble in the center, as the pie will continue to set as it cools. If you overbake the filling, it will crack as it cools.

If the crust is browning too much in the second half of that baking time (most likely if you par-baked the crust), you can put a pie shield around the edge or make one out of pieces of foil. Fiddly, but it prevents burnt crust.

Allow the pie to cool for 2-3 hours before slicing, garnishing, and serving.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

More Tips

Leftovers: Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Make extra! If you’re cooking up a pumpkin or two, why not make two pumpkin pies while you’re at it? The pie crust recipe makes enough for two crusts anyway. You can put the second pie in the freezer for later. Just cool completely before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and/or foil. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Or you can give the second pie to friends or neighbors. Take my word for it, they’ll be thankful.