Pumpkin Pie, and Everything Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is a once-a-year bake, which is exactly why it goes wrong. You are working from a memory eleven months old, and the notes you meant to write last November do not exist.
Pumpkin pie is now a flavour as much as a dessert. The same spice profile turns up in oats, truffles, bars and smoothies, so a useful collection covers the flavour rather than the single pie.
12 recipes to start from
Each one opens as a recipe page here, with the ingredients and timings, and credits the creator who published it.
01
Pumpkin Pie Bars
cakemehometonight.com · 7h 30m · makes 12
Made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and heavy cream. 7h 30m, makes 12, 14 ingredients.
02
Pumpkin Pie Crescent Rolls Recipe
funmoneymom.com · 32 min · makes 32
Made with crescent roll dough tubes, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. 32 min, makes 32, 8 ingredients.
03
mini pumpkin pies recipe
lifestyleofafoodie.com · 42 min · makes 12
Made with canned pumpkin puree, ground cinnamon and ground ginger. 42 min, makes 12, 14 ingredients.
04
Rich & Creamy Pumpkin Pie
lifestyleofafoodie.com · 1h 20m · makes 8
Made with pumpkin pur e, heavy cream and pumpkin pie spice. 1h 20m, makes 8, 13 ingredients.
05
Mini Pumpkin Pies
lovelydelites.com · 30 min · makes 12
Made with ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and dairy free whipped cream. 30 min, makes 12, 9 ingredients.
06
Pumpkin Pie Truffles
lovelydelites.com · 20 min · makes 10
Made with pumpkin puree, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. 20 min, makes 10, 8 ingredients.
07
Pumpkin Pie Bars
madaboutfood.co · 4h 45m · makes 9
Made with pack honey graham crackers, pure pumpkin puree and heavy cream. 4h 45m, makes 9, 8 ingredients.
08
Gluten-Free Crustless Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
meaningfuleats.com · 35 min · makes 12
Made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and coconut milk whipped cream. 35 min, makes 12, 13 ingredients.
09
Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding
nourishedbynic.com · 2h 15m · makes 4
Made with pure pumpkin puree, maple syrup and plain greek yogurt. 2h 15m, makes 4, 10 ingredients.
10
Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
nourishedbynic.com · 3h · makes 1
Made with plain greek yogurt, pumpkin puree and maple syrup. 3h, makes 1, 11 ingredients.
11
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
rachaelsgoodeats.com · 5 min · makes 1
Made with frozen banana, canned pumpkin puree and ground flaxseed. 5 min, makes 1, 10 ingredients.
12
Sourdough Pumpkin Pie Recipe
simplicityandastarter.com · 4h 15m · makes 8
Made with disc sourdough pie dough, pumpkin puree and sourdough discard. 4h 15m, makes 8, 13 ingredients.
What makes pumpkin pie different to organise
- The filling is a custard, so it is done before it looks done. A centre that still wobbles slightly is correct, and a pie baked until firm has already cracked. Note the time that worked in your oven.
- Canned puree and roasted fresh pumpkin behave differently. Fresh carries far more water, so a recipe written for canned will not set the same way.
- The pie needs hours of cooling before it can be cut, which makes the published total time misleading on the one day of the year you are timing everything else around it.
- Spice blends vary enormously between recipes and between brands of pre-mixed spice. The blend is the thing you will want to reproduce, not the pie.
How to build it
- Write down the oven time and the wobble you pulled it at. That single note is worth more next year than the whole recipe card.
- Record whether you used canned or fresh, because it changes everything downstream.
- Keep the spice blend separately if you mixed your own. It is reusable across every other pumpkin recipe here.
- Tag the no-pie versions, the oats and puddings and truffles, since those are the weekday answer to the same craving.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know when pumpkin pie is done?
When the outer edge is set and the centre still moves slightly as a single mass rather than rippling. It finishes setting as it cools. Baked until uniformly firm, it will crack on the way down.
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
Yes, but not interchangeably. Roasted fresh pumpkin holds more water than canned puree, so a filling written for canned will be looser. Drain it well and note what you did.
Why keep pumpkin pie separate from other pies?
Because it is seasonal and made rarely, so it needs the notes a weekly bake never does. It has also become a flavour applied across oats, bars and drinks, which a pastry collection has no room for.