Ingredients
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp. ice water (or more, if needed)
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Preparation
Step 1Make the crust: Place flour and butter into freezer for 30 minutes before starting crust process.Step 2In a large food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until pea-sized and some slightly larger pieces form. With the machine running, add vinegar, then ice water into feed tube, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough starts to come together and is moist but not wet and sticky (test by squeezing some with your fingers). Mixture will be crumbly.Step 3Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, form into a ball, and flatten into a disk (making sure there are no/minimal cracks).Step 4Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is very cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Step 5Make the filling: Preheat oven to 425º and lightly grease a 9”-x-1.5” pie dish with cooking spray. Step 6On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12” circle. Drape over pie dish and gently press to fit (don’t stretch). Prick bottom with a fork, trim edge to 1”, tuck overhang under itself, and crimp. Refrigerate 30 minutes or freeze 10 minutes. Step 7Line crust with parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 10 minutes, then remove parchment and weights. Reduce heat to 350º. Step 8Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, cream, brown sugar, beaten eggs, flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Step 9Pour pumpkin mixture into par-baked crust. Bake until filling is slightly jiggly in the middle and crust is golden, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in turned off oven with door propped open for 1 hour, then cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.Step 10Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
You can make the pie dough ahead of time. Once you start making pie dough in advance, your whole life will change. Make a few batches of a double-crust pie dough recipe every few months, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or a freezer safe bag and stash them in the freezer. Simply defrost the dough in the fridge overnight (or at least 5 hours ahead) when you have a pie craving. Plus, by stocking up, you’ll never have to wait for pie dough to rest ever again. Same goes for the filling! Just like the pie dough, you can easily make your filling ahead of time for easy prep on the big day. Prepare the filling below (Step 8). Scrape it into a 1 gallon zip lock freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and seal. Store the bag laying flat in the freezer for up to one month. When you’re ready to bake the pie, defrost the pumpkin filling in the refrigerator or under cold running water, and stir to make sure all ingredients are well mixed. Then pour it into the par-baked crust and bake as usual. The entire pie can also be made ahead of the big day! Once completely cool, wrap it and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before serving. Apple cider vinegar is the secret ingredient. Just a little bit of vinegar in the dough helps make your crust more tender and the dough easier to work with. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar, vodka, or lemon juice will work too. You don’t actually have to buy pumpkin pie spice. We’re big fans of making our own pumpkin spice blend — but you don’t even need to do that. Instead you can just add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon each of ground cloves and ground nutmeg. Chill the pie crust before baking. After draping the pie crust into the pie plate and crimping the sides, it’s important to chill the dough to keep the crust from slumping in the oven. Place the whole thing in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes. If you have the extra time, give the crust 15 minutes in the refrigerator after draping into the pie pan before trimming or crimping. This will further help your crust from shrinking once in the oven. Par-bake the pie crust. Partially baking the crust before you add filling — especially custardy fillings like pumpkin — will help prevent the bottom from turning into mush. Finally, don’t forget to top it with our easy, homemade whipped cream (is pie ever really complete without it?). Looking to use up any extra cans of pumpkin puree? Check out our top pumpkin puree recipes to ensure none of that fall staple goes to waste.
