Classic Pumpkin Pie from Scratch (Roasted Pumpkin Purée, All-Butter Crust and Warm Spices)

Pumpkin pie is the dessert of the American autumn table: a smooth, gently spiced custard of pumpkin purée, brown sugar, eggs and evaporated milk, baked in a crisp butter pastry shell and served cool with a spoon of whipped cream. This version is made from scratch, starting with a whole pumpkin roasted until it collapses, but there is a canned-pumpkin shortcut built in for the nights when you just want pie. Either way, the kitchen smells of cinnamon and cloves for hours, which is reason enough to bake it once the leaves start turning.

Three details make this pie better than most. First, the crust is blind-baked before the filling goes in, so the bottom is crisp and golden instead of pale and soggy under the wet custard. Second, a homemade purée is drained or cooked down until thick; excess water is the main reason from-scratch pies turn out watery or crack. Third, the pie comes out of the oven when the center still wobbles slightly like set jelly, then cools fully at room temperature. The custard finishes setting as it cools, and pulling it early is what keeps the filling silky rather than grainy or split.

Plan ahead a little: if you are roasting your own pumpkin, that takes about 50 minutes of hands-off oven time and can be done a day or two before. The pie itself needs at least 3 hours to cool, so it is an ideal make-the-day-before dessert.

Ingredients

For the pumpkin purée

• 1 small sugar pumpkin or kabocha squash, about 1.2 kg (2.6 lb), to yield 450 g (2 cups) purée; or one 425 g (15 oz) can of pure pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

For the all-butter crust

• 190 g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 115 g (1/2 cup, 1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm (1/2-inch) cubes
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling

• 450 g (2 cups) pumpkin purée, from above
• 150 g (3/4 cup, packed) light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) evaporated milk, or heavy cream for a richer pie
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream, to serve

Instructions

1. Make the purée (skip if using canned). Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Halve the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and place it cut side down on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the skin is blistered and a knife slides through with no resistance. Cool for 15 minutes, scoop the flesh from the skin and blend until completely smooth.
2. Thicken the purée. If it looks wet, spoon it into a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and let it drain for 30 minutes, or stir it in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes until it mounds on a spoon. Weigh out 450 g (2 cups) and let it cool. This can be done up to 3 days ahead.
3. Make the crust. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Drizzle in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough just holds together when squeezed. Shape into a flat disc, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a 30 cm (12-inch) circle about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Ease it into a 23 cm (9-inch) pie dish without stretching, trim the overhang to 2 cm (3/4 inch), fold it under and crimp the edge. Freeze for 15 minutes; a cold crust holds its shape.
5. Blind-bake. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line the crust with parchment, fill with pie weights or dried beans right up to the rim and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, prick the base a few times with a fork and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the base looks dry and pale golden. Lower the oven to 175°C (350°F).
6. Make the filling while the crust bakes. Whisk the pumpkin purée, brown sugar and eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the evaporated milk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and vanilla until fully combined with no streaks.
7. Pour the filling into the warm crust, leaving about 5 mm (1/4 inch) below the rim. Pouring into a warm shell helps seal the base. If you have a little extra filling, bake it in a ramekin alongside the pie.
8. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 50 to 60 minutes. The pie is done when the outer 5 cm (2 inches) are set and puffed slightly but the very center still jiggles like set jelly when you nudge the dish; a knife inserted 3 cm (1 inch) from the edge should come out clean. If the crust edge is browning too fast after 30 minutes, cover it loosely with a strip of foil.
9. Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least 3 hours, until completely cool; the center will finish setting as it cools. For the cleanest slices, refrigerate for another hour. Serve with whipped cream.

Tips

• Substitutions: kabocha, butternut squash or a small sweet pumpkin all make excellent purée; kabocha is the driest and sweetest and needs the least draining. Evaporated milk gives the classic texture, heavy cream a richer one, and full-fat coconut milk works for a dairy-free filling. Swap the individual spices for 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Dark brown sugar gives a deeper molasses note.
• Make ahead and storage: the pie is best baked the day before and chilled overnight, covered loosely. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. Baked pumpkin pie freezes surprisingly well for up to 1 month: wrap it tightly once cold, and thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring slices to cool room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving. The unbaked dough disc keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
• What to serve with it: whipped cream is traditional, but crème fraîche, vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of salted caramel are all good. A handful of toasted pecans on top adds crunch. Strong coffee or a glass of tawny port rounds out the dessert.
• Cracks in the surface mean the pie was over-baked or cooled too quickly. Trust the jiggle test, and never cool the pie in a cold draft or the fridge while it is still hot. A crack is only cosmetic, and whipped cream covers everything.
• If your filling has a raw, squashy taste, the purée was too wet or the spices too timid. Cooking the purée down concentrates its flavor, and letting the finished filling sit for 15 minutes before pouring lets the spices bloom.
• No pie weights? Dried beans, rice or even sugar work; store them in a jar and reuse them for blind-baking forever after.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is an estimate only: about 360 kcal, 8 g protein, 16 g fat, 45 g carbohydrate per slice (one eighth of the pie, made with evaporated milk, without whipped cream).