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Meta Given's Pumpkin Pie

Name: Meta Given's Pumpkin Pie
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups canned or fresh cooked pumpkin puree; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 2 eggs; 1 cup cream; 1/2 cup milk; Unbaked, unpricked, chilled 9-inch pie shell (we like lapadia\'s simple Himalayan Blackberry Pie crust, also on FOOD52)

by: Genius Recipes

November 21, 2011

23 Ratings

Photo by James Ransom

Test Kitchen-Approved

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Author Notes

Caramelizing the pumpkin puree means that this is a pie with guts, one that won't just sit there phoning in the pumpkin flavor, burying it under lots of spice. But its genius is much more than that. You don't have to blind bake the crust. You use real milk and cream instead of evaporated milk, with predictably better results. And because you blast it at 400 degrees the whole time, it bakes in 25 minutes -- less than half the time of your average back-of-the-can recipe. From Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, an underrated gem of a cookbook. —Genius Recipes

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Meta Given's Pumpkin Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 ³/₄ cups canned or fresh cooked pumpkin puree
³/₄ cup sugar
¹/₂ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹/₂ teaspoon ground ginger
2 eggs
1 cup cream
¹/₂ cup milk
Unbaked, unpricked, chilled 9-inch pie shell (we like lapadia's simple Himalayan Blackberry Pie crust, also on FOOD52)

In This Recipe

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Directions

Turn pumpkin into saucepan and stir over direct heat for 10 minutes until somewhat dry and slightly caramelized, stirring frequently. Remove from heat but keep hot.
Mix thoroughly together the sugar, salt, and spices, and stir into hot pumpkin.
Beat eggs, add cream and milk, and beat into pumpkin mixture until smooth.
Pour immediately into unpricked pastry-lined pie pan and bake in a moderately hot oven (400° F) for 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and only an inch circle in the center of the filling remains liquid. Cool thoroughly on cake rack before cutting.
Note: Perfectly baked pumpkin pie has no cracks on its surface. Baking hot filling in a chilled crust at 400° F for 25 to 30 minutes produces a smooth, shiny good textured custard and a well-baked crust free from soaking. But if your pie dish is thicker glass or ceramic instead of metal, or you loathe underdone bottom crust, you might still want to blind bake it a little. Here's what we'd recommend: Blind bake at 350 F lined with parchment and filled with baking beans/weights until sides are dry and firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove weights, then bake until completely dry and firm (including bottom crust) and starting to turn golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Cool thoroughly. Then watch the pie closely as it bakes -- it might be done early, since the cold raw crust isn't there to protect it. And if the edges are starting to look wrinkled while the middle is very jiggly, turn the heat down to 350.

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202 Reviews

Tara M. November 20, 2020

I love this recipe and have been making it for a few years now. This year I’m planning to make it into smaller tart-sized pies to drop round at my friend’s houses since I can’t have anyone over this year.

Any idea how to adjust baking time?

bettinashoe November 20, 2020

That is a really good question. You seem to have a bit more experience with this pie than I, and I have had to adjust the time to cook quite a bit longer than suggested for the pie to be done to my satisfaction. If you are making individual (I believe it is 4") size tarts, I would start checking the pie for doneness at 20 minutes. I really doubt it would be set before that. If you had to cook your full-size pies longer than the suggested time, that should give you some idea as to how much longer you need to cook a tart (I would half the additional cooking time, as a starter). I know the filling is "almost" cooked after the liquid ingredients are added to the pumpkin due to the temperature of the pumpkin, but I still prefer my pumpkin a bit more set than the 20 minute timeframe, the author suggested, provided. It is an awesome pie filling, however, and this is now my "go to" as it has such a wonderful taste and texture.

Tara M. November 23, 2020

Thanks! I experimented with it a bit over the weekend and found that in my oven, 15 minutes did the trick. However, it was also necessary to blind bake the crust beforehand as without doing that they came out a little too soft to stand on their own without the tin. I might experiment with using a proper tart crust for the next batch.

bettinashoe November 23, 2020

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about some individual pies for this year since it is a small gathering. Each person could have a choice of desserts and not a lot of pie leftovers. I blind bake my crusts also. My first attempt was not blind baked and the bottom crust was soft and not at all what I was hoping for. After a blind bake, the crust under the pumpkin was still flaky and tasted great. Did you use Erin McDowell's crust recipe? I am so hooked on that.

bettinashoe November 11, 2020

Although this recipe was posted quite a few years ago, I just discovered it. I am a professional baker and I hate pie, not all pie, just fruit-filled pie! Really, it's not the pie I detest as much as crust. I have never cared for its taste and avoid eating custard/cream pies with pastry crusts because of this. While getting ready to do holiday pies a few days ago, I wanted to up my pie crust in hopes that when I sample my pie (I always do just to make sure it is perfect), I would not gag on the crust. I came across Erin McDowell's all butter pie crust, found it interesting and made it. Then, I happened (accidentally) upon this pumpkin pie recipe and thought it looked intriguing. I had never heard of caramelizing my pumpkin, but it sounded like something I would have done, had I thought of it. I made the sample pie yesterday and tasted it today. Oh my, this is the very best pie I have ever tasted. I even like, no I love, the crust. It is flakey, even on the bottom, and so rich tasting. The pumpkin filling is smooth as silk and cooks up beautifully to a deeper color than traditional pumpkin pie. On first inspection, you may think it is underdone, but it is not. Once chilled, it sets up wonderfully. I will probably add a wee bit more spice (maybe clove and/or fresh nutmeg) as the spices do not have a discernable taste, however, some may want that as it is strong on pumpkin. The types and amounts of spice called for are probably acceptable to most people, even me, but in commercially sold pies I think it needs to be stepped up just a bit. It is an excellent filling recipe which goes wonderfully with Erin's all-butter pie crust. I did not blind bake the crust and thought I would regret that, but the bottom crust is golden and flakey and tastes perfect. I am so happy to have found both of these recipes. Enjoying the taste of what you are baking makes it so much more rewarding.

Little P. November 14, 2020

HI. Did you use a metal or glass pie plate? I baked my pie for about 40 minutes. The filling was set but bottom was underdone. :(

bettinashoe November 14, 2020

I used a cheap, aluminum pie plate. I did cook the subsequent pies a bit longer than the time stated. On the original pie, I was a bit worried about the crust not getting done, but it was fine. In the pies I made after the original one, I took the extra step of parbaking the crust to ensure it was completely cooked and the parbaked crust was even better than the original. I also put foil around the crust edge the last 10 minutes or so of the cooking time (after the filling was added) and I turned the oven down to 350 during that additional cooking time. As I indicated I would do, I added about a 1/4 tsp of clove and the same amount of freshly grated nutmeg. It made the pie taste perfect. I thought my second pie was overcooked because it had a few cracks in the filling so I kept it to see how it worked with the parbaked crust, extra spices and longer cooking time. It was excellent as the crust was super flaky and remained that way. I was a bit turned off by the softness of the original pie, although I know it was fully cooked, it just looked a little underdone. It set up better in the fridge, but I still prefer my pumpkin fully set, not soft. Did you use Erin's all butter crust? It is a fantastic recipe and I received a ton of compliments specifically on the pie crust. In fact, everyone who has ordered pie (so far) has been really impressed. You probably know this, but in case you do not, the pie tins need to be cooked on a baking sheet which gives it more even heat on the bottom. I hope this helps.

Little P. November 14, 2020

Hi, thanks so much for your detailed response. I might try in a metal pie plate next time and par-bake. I was excited about the recipe as it stated you probably wouldn't need to par-bake but oh well. I did try that pie crust and I didn't love it but that might be my own fault. For whatever reason, I just dumped the entire 1/4 cold water into the dough rather than drizzle it in and I think it could have used less water.
I too added more spice, 1/4 t nutmeg and 1/8 t clove, and more salt than she suggested in the filling. This is a keeper, but next time I will just make sure to par bake. Thanks again and I hope you have a lovely holiday.

June November 8, 2020

great recipe

Mike E. October 10, 2020

Of all the pumpkin pie recipes I've tried over the years that never bowled me over, this one is a real game-changer. Carmelizing the pumpkin is genius. Not only does it intensify the pumpkin essence, but by cooking out all that excess moisture, you get an incredibly silky smooth filling with zero residual cracks. Since they were out of heavy cream at the market, I subbed out light whipping cream and it's still plenty rich and creamy. I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and a light dusting of freshly-grated nutmeg to warm up the spices a bit more. As for the crust, I decided to swap out a conventional pastry pie shell for a simple crushed gingersnap crust from the following Food52 recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/24768-pumpkin-pie-with-gingersnap-crust-and-cinnamon-whipped-cream. Absolute raves all around.

Asha S. November 30, 2019

I made this pie for Thanksgiving using an all butter crust. Added 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier in the filling. It was divine, very light and silky. Definitely a keeper!!

JenniferJ November 28, 2019

Love this! I might add slightly more of the warm spices next time. What sets this apart for me is the wonderful soft custard achieved with the high temp and short time in the oven. I notice a lot of commenters baking it a lot longer. I encourage trying it exactly as written--just use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is hot enough. I don't know that I noticed a huge taste difference due to cooking the pumpkin but the hot filling, cold crust, hot oven, short time--great result in terms of silky custard texture.

judy November 13, 2019

Never thought about caramelizing the pumpkin. Now, only 1-3/4 c pumpkin--what do I do with the rest in the can? about 3 Tbsp? Also, I have never had much luck with pie crust. going so far one year as to trying about 8 different pie pans--very expensive experiment. Last year a game changer--bake the crust ON TOP of the pie. Amazing. No soggy crusts. I now do this exclusively, forgetting the bottoms altogether. Decades of raw pie-dough or soggy dough. No more. I finally gave up the quest for cooked crust in a pie--even pumpkin.

Alex November 14, 2019

I used the whole can, which is 1&3/4 cups according to the nutrition label. I wouldn't sweat a few tablespoons of puree, if your label is different.

Deedledum November 14, 2019

Did you try blind-baking first instead? I do it almost always because I don't like soggy crusts either.

tosacem November 21, 2019

Either my brain isn't working this morning or??? I don't understand what you mean by--bake the crust ON TOP of the pie?

Alex November 21, 2019

Filling goes in the pan first. If using any crust, it tops the filling. I'd delete it altogether for a custard pie. I make crustless quiche all the time because I'm not a big fan of pie crust.

Lori November 13, 2019

This looks interesting and sounds like it tastes amazing. Question: the written recipe calls for 1 3/4 c pumpkin, however the video lists 3/4 c. Which is it?

JenniferJ November 27, 2019

That's pretty much the same thing as a normal can is 15 oz. I used the whole can b/c I didn't want a dab of pumpkin left. It was no problem to use the whole 15 oz can.

JenniferJ November 27, 2019

(Sorry--thought you meant 3/4 of a can versus 1 3/4 cups. It's the 1 3/4 cups--or almost the whole can. Use the whole can.)

Smaug November 12, 2019

Interesting- this is very similar to the Maida Heatter recipe I use for my very occasional pumpkin pie (she covered pretty much everything)- precooking the puree is new to me. For the record, her baking method is preheat to 450, pour warm filing into frozen shell, bake 10 min. at 450, turn down to 350 and continue baking 30-40 min.

Rachel V. December 16, 2018

Game changing pumpkin pie filling. Did a standard Pate Brisee crust.

Austin B. November 22, 2018

The Pie was amazing, the whole table agreed it was the best they'd ever had. The referenced pie dough was awful, though. Way too liquidy. Ended up tossing it and throwing together the All Buttah Pie Dough.

Serena D. October 2, 2018

Love the cooking method
I have never read a recipe that cooked down or caramelized the pumpkin!
Consistency spot on
Next time I will use less sugar
-I used glass pie plates and did not blind bake the crusts. They were perfect.

Элла Э. November 27, 2017

Not that it's a comment on the original recipe, but I cheated and used Paul Virant's pumpkin butter instead of caramelized pumpkin puree+spices+cream. The pumpkin butter already contains spices, sugar and butter, plus it's well caramelized. Almost what the recipe calls for. I only needed eggs, a cup of plain milk and almost two cups of pumpkin butter. And it was so, so perfect!
Using the Genius Recipes feed feels like having a capsule wardrobe, only that it's a capsule recipe collection where you can mix and match and feel good. You inspire me. Thank you.

Anna November 26, 2017

I made this pie this Thanksgiving, and it was so delicious! A crowd pleaser for sure. Even my mother, who really doesn't like pumpkin pie, loved it. I was a little worried because I had never made a pumpkin pie before, but the instructions were pretty easy to follow. As for the baking time, I baked it for about 20 minutes at 400F. Then I reduced the temperature to 350F, covered the top loosely with foil, and baked it for another half an hour approximately. Turned out perfectly.

Bascula November 24, 2017

This was very good!

JoanB November 24, 2017

I made this pie yesterday for the third time. Followed the recipe for the crust. Baked the pie in my convection oven at recommended temp in a metal pan. Placed the pie on a baking sheet that I put in the oven 10 minutes early. Pie took about 38 minutes and was perfect. Crust fully cooked but not overdone. I probably could have removed it from the oven 3 minutes earlier. It was delicious and got many compliments.

cbelako November 23, 2017

Just served this for Thanksgiving, and received tons of compliments. I typically dislike pumpkin pie, but found this to be really velvety and flavorful.
I did blind bake my crust, and am glad that I did. I baked it for the suggested tiand temperature, but added another 20 minutes on 350 degrees. Thanks for the awesome recipe,

Shannon November 23, 2017

Thank you for helping me change up my Thanksgiving. Your recipe came out perfect. I doubled recipe and both pies were beautiful. We ate most of one last night.Important to know your oven and its true temperature, also wait 10 minutes after preheat to put in pies.Thanks again for making my Thanksgiving taste so good.

Elizabeth November 22, 2017

Any thoughts on storage? I made earlier this morning to eat tomorrow, and it's been sitting refrigerated, but the top is starting to look a little watery - is refrigerating a better choice?

Anna November 26, 2017

My reply is probably late now, but I made this pie for Thanksgiving too. My pie produced a little bit of water/oil on top too, but I just gently dabbed it away with a paper towel before serving it. Pretty sure the water/oil is all just a natural process -- nothing to worry about. As for storage, refrigerating pumpkin pies is a good idea, I'd say. Store bought pumpkin pies usually can stand at room temperature because they have added preservatives, but homemade should be refrigerated.

Psneyers November 22, 2017

Can this recipe be doubled?

Kristen M. November 22, 2017

Hi there, it can definitely be doubled into two 9-inch pie crusts—is that what you had in mind? Or were you thinking of a larger pie?

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