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Simple Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This simple pumpkin pie recipe is so easy to make. With basic ingredients and warm pumpkin spice, it’s perfect for the dessert table for the holidays!

My blogging friend told me the other day that I needed more pumpkin recipes on my blog. I agreed wholeheartedly, and promptly took out my mom’s recipes to find out what great recipes she had in that category. Turns out, she must have loved Fall baking, because I found some pumpkin recipe gems in her recipe collection – including this simple & traditional pumpkin pie recipe.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

  • Simple ingredients are all you need for this classic pumpkin pie recipe.
  • Once you have the pie crust ready (you can use a store-bought crust if you’d like!), the pumpkin pie filling is so quick & easy to mix together. You don’t even need an electric mixer!
  • Unlike some pumpkin pies, this one has a light, warm pumpkin pie spice – it isn’t overly dark and heavy tasting. This traditional pumpkin pie is what I grew up with and in my opinion is the best pumpkin pie recipe I’ve found!;)
  • This pumpkin pie recipe is made without evaporated milk. It just uses plain milk – even easier!

Easy Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

(A printable recipe card is provided at the bottom of this post for your convenience.)

  • 1 deep dish pie shell, unbaked – You can use a homemade pie crust or for an even easier option, you can purchase premade pie shells from the freezer section of the grocery store.
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!) – I used ED Smith brand of canned pumpkin puree, but many people also recommend Libbys brand. Fresh pumpkin puree can be substituted if you prefer.
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking molasses
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, substitute instead 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ginger.)
  • 1 cup milk – I used 2% milk since that’s what we had, but I think any kind of milk would work.

Instructions for this Simple Pumpkin Pie Recipe

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add in the molasses, spices, and milk and whisk until all combined.
  4. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into a 10 inch deep dish unbaked pie shell.
  1. Bake for 30-45 minutes and check to see if the crust is getting dark. If it is, cover the crust with a pie crust sheild or a strip of aluminum foil folded in half.
  2. Bake for an additinal 60 minutes (90 minutes total baking time, approximately), or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out completely clean. You don’t want it to appear liquid or watery in the middle. If you have an instant read baking thermometer, the internal temperature of a baked pumpkin pie should read 175 degrees.
  3. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack at room temperature before covering and storing it in the fridge before serving.

Tips & Tricks

  • A pie shield will be your best friend when baking pies! It prevents the pie crust from getting too dark while the pie cooks through.
  • This pie doesn’t have to be baked in a deep dish pie pan (I don’t think they even existed when my mom wrote this recipe!). However, if you do have a deep dish pie pan, you won’t have to worry about the filling spilling over the pie pan.
  • If you’d like to serve warm pie at your next family function, put it in a warm oven (that has been turned off!) and turn on the coffee maker right before you sit down to eat dinner. The pie will warm slightly while you eat, and the coffee will run through the pot. By the time you clear off the plates from the first course, the pie will be warm and ready to serve along with hot coffee!
  • Use a sharp knife to cut your pumpkin pie. To get nice and smooth cuts, heat up your knife under hot water and dry it off before each cut.
  • Use a little of the extra pastry from your homemade pie crust and free hand cut out some leaves. Bake them on a seperate pan until lightly golden brown. Placing them in the center of the pie will disguise the knife marks you made when determining if it was baked!;)

What to serve with this homemade pumpkin pie recipe

It’s really a personal preference as to what is served with the perfect pumpkin pie! Some people like to top it with vanilla ice cream (my favorite!), and others like it with whipped cream.

If you want to serve your pumpkin pie with whipped cream, I like to prepare that ahead and have it sitting in the fridge ready to go when dessert time rolls around.

Here are some tips for perfect whipped cream:

  • Purchase heavy cream or whipping cream. Milk will not turn into whipped cream!
  • Chill the bowl and whisk attachment of your stand mixer in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before starting to whip the cream. Having everything cold makes the process go much faster.
  • Place a large towel over the top of the mixer so it covers the bowl when you start the mixer up. (It will prevent whipping cream spatters all over your kitchen counters and walls.)
  • Turn your mixer on the highest speed and let it whisk for a few minutes, and then peak under the towel.
  • When soft peaks start to form, gradually add in some powdered sugar and vanilla (to your personal taste).
  • If I want to pipe the whipping cream onto a dessert and have it hold its shape, I add in a teaspoon or 2 of instant vanilla pudding powder.(I use my cupcake decorating set with large tips to pipe on whipped cream.)
  • Once the whipping cream has formed peaks ,stop mixing or it will turn into butter!

Variations to bake time and oven temperature

As I’ve done research on pumpkin pie recipes, I’ve discovered there are many different methods to getting a pumpkin pie baked. Here are some different options if you feel like experimenting on your own.

  • Once Upon a Chef says a perfect pumpkin pie starts by blind baking the homemade crust – which means prebaking the pie crust a bit before putting the filling in. To blind bake a pie crust, cover the chilled crust with parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees fahrenheit, pour the pumpkin filling into the blind baked crust, and bake for 50-60 minutes more.
  • The Restless Chipolte’s Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie (which I’ve tried and is delicious, too!) simply calls for the pie to be baked at 425 degrees for 60-90 minutes. I found it took 90 minutes to bake at that temperature to get done – and yields a darker pumpkin pie with warmer spice than my Mom’s recipe.

Equipment

I recently got myself a deep dish stoneware pan that I love and have used lots lately. I also mentioned that I can’t bake pies without my trusty pie crust sheild. I’ve linked similar products that I used for this recipe below.

(Don’t forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite kitchen tools!)

Tools you’ll need

This is a great place to list items used to create your recipe and use an affiliate link to amazon for the items. This little box is a great space to disclose that the above links are affiliate links.

Storage

Because there are eggs in pumpkin pie, it is recommended that it be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you need your pumpkin pie to be stored longer than that, it can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

More Pumpkin Recipes:

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Mom's Simple Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Mom's Simple Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

I’m taking a lesson from my Mom’s recipe file today with this easy pumpkin pie recipe of hers. You won’t find any fancy ingredients or methods with this classic recipe – just basic ingredients combined to make the most delicious pumpkin pie with warm holiday spices. Perfect for the holiday season, this will become a family favorite & crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

  • 1 deep dish pie shell, unbaked – You can use a homemade pie crust or for an even easier option, you can purchase premade pie shells from the freezer section of the grocery store.
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!) – I used ED Smith brand of canned pumpkin puree, but many people also recommend Libbys brand. Fresh pumpkin puree can be substituted if you prefer.
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking molasses
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, substitute instead 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ginger.)
  • 1 cup milk – I used 2% milk since that’s what we had, but I think any kind of milk would work.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add in the molasses, spices, and milk and whisk until all combined.
  4. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into a 10 inch deep dish unbaked pie shell.
  5. Bake for 30-45 minutes and check to see if the crust is getting dark. If it is, cover the crust with a pie crust sheild or a strip of aluminum foil folded in half.
  6. Bake for an additional 60 minutes (90 minutes total baking time, approximately), or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out completely clean. If you have an instant read baking thermometer, the internal temperature of a baked pumpkin pie should read 175 degrees.
  7. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack at room temperature before covering and storing it in the fridge before serving.

Did you make this recipe?

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One Comment

  1. I just love all the extra tidbits of information you give with the recipe. Like the tips and tricks, how to serve it, story about your Mom, variations, and all that extra stuff you put in there. I loved reading all that stuff. I look forward to trying it. It sounds like a yummy pie. I have always just used the one from the back of the can. Thx!

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