Make Ahead

Pumpkin Pie With Gingersnap Crust & Cinnamon Whipped Cream

by:
September 29, 2021
4.5
27 Ratings
Pumpkin Pie With Gingersnap Crust & Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 30 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Makes 1 (9-inch) pie
Author Notes

Nobody has ever, ever, raved about the crust on a pumpkin pie. That’s because the crust is always boring as hell: crumbly, hard, flavorless. Really, the crust on your average pumpkin pie is just there to hold the rest of the pie together, or to make sure you can actually qualify the thing as pumpkin pie, instead of pumpkin pile of garbage.

That’s why we need to change the recipe. Instead of spending hours on the rest of Thanksgiving and doing the ol’ Half-Assed Shuffle through the finishing plate, take a little extra time and make this amazing pumpkin pie. The brown butter is the extra special secret trick that's going to take this crust from "good" to "I have to change my pants now, excuse me." It’ll be better, your family might not complain as much, and most of all, you’ll be able to look yourself in the mirror that night before you go to sleep. Which…you’ll probably be able to do anyway, but at least you won’t be looking at the face of a person who made the world’s most uninteresting dessert. —Fresh Beats, Fresh Eats

Test Kitchen Notes

Fresh Beats, Fresh Eats is right. Too often, delicious pumpkin pie is delivered via a limp, soggy excuse for a crust of which no baker wants to take ownership. The solution, of course, is a snappy cookie crust that packs an additional wallop of flavor. The gingersnaps only enhance the spice of the pumpkin filling, and the whipped cream is the gilded lily on top of an already decadent dessert. I ought to mention that the baking time was vastly different, so be sure to count more on the visual indicators than the time, and bake to your liking as well; I baked the pie for an additional 30 minutes! —TaraT

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Pumpkin Pie With Gingersnap Crust & Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Ingredients
  • Crust
  • 1/4 cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies)
  • Filling, Topping, and Whipped Cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 3/8 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Crust
  2. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook until it starts to turn brown. If it smells kind of nutty, it's ready, and it'll make your crust taste nutty and awesome too.
  3. Crumble the cookies into a food processor, which is WAY more painful than it sounds. Seriously, it’s like grinding tiny bits of kitchen tile into your hands. Pulse until they’re nice and broken up. Add the butter, then pulse a few more times until well combined.
  4. Press into a 9-inch pie pan using something flat, making sure it goes up the sides. You’re gonna have some spill-over; that’s okay.
  5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325°F. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, then let cool on a wire rack. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
  6. Now for the actual pie part, which you can do while the crust is chilling/baking. If you read ahead, congratulations! You can now use this tip. If you didn’t, you just spent a bunch of time staring at crust. How’s that feel?
  1. Filling, Topping, and Whipped Cream
  2. For the filling, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, kosher salt, 1 cup of the brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon. Add the pumpkin and 1 cup of the cream and whisk well to combine.
  3. For the topping, in a small bowl, combine the sea salt, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the remaining ¼ cup of the brown sugar.
  4. Pour the filling into the crust, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven (it will still be quite liquid-y). Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Cover the pie with the topping and continue to bake for 25 minutes more. Let the pie cool until room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
  5. For the whipped cream, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the powdered sugar, vanilla, and the remaining 1 cup of the cream and ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon until soft peaks form.
  6. Slice the pie and serve with the whipped cream alongside.
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63 Reviews

Paula D.
Paula D. December 1, 2024
This is my new favorite pumpkin pie to make and eat. Read the recipe through a few times because every step is important. The only things I did or would do differently: I had extra crust so sprinkled it on top, but I would also add toasted pecans. The spice mix is perfect and takes the pie to a different level. Make this pie!
 
Oren R.
Oren R. November 29, 2024
This pumpkin pie was delicious. Directions are clear, straightforward and easy to follow. I didn't deviate from the recipe, but the second baking, instead of taking 25 minutes, took 43 minutes for the filling to completely set. As i am weirdly not a fan of gingersnaps, I made a Biscoff crust and it paired very well with the spices of the filling. I think this pie will become a Thanksgiving tradition.
 
sfbess
sfbess November 29, 2024
It tasted sooo good but the crust was a soggy mess. I made it the day before Thanksgiving and by Turkey Day it was soft and sad. I should have gone with my gut and added an egg white to the crust or something... not sure I'll chance it again.
 
Janie
Janie November 26, 2024
I have made this pie every year for Thanksgiving since this recipe was published. I will never go back to traditional pumpkin pie. The extra spice boost and the cookie crust truly set it apart. Be sure to brown that butter!
 
Hillbilly F.
Hillbilly F. November 21, 2024
I havent made it yet. I wanted to know if the pie can be frozen. But I can’t get the question page to work. So, can it? Thanks!
 
SK
SK September 17, 2023
I have to admit I haven’t made this recipe yet, but wanted to let you know I kind of take offense to your lead-in copy! I, in fact, do often get rave reviews on my pate brisee. It is never soggy, always delicately crisp and flaky, buttery and slightly salty. I make pumpkin pies and other pies frequently, and the crust is usually the star. I may try this recipe, thought I’m not prone of sweet crusts. I prefer a more neutral one to balance the sweetness of the filling. I your copy was meant to be lighthearted and appeal to people who struggle with pastry, but gee…
 
GraceRadican
GraceRadican November 29, 2022
I made this pie for friendsgiving and it was the best pie I ever had. It was perfectly baked and the whipped cream really just brought it together. Perfection. If you want it to resemble classic pumpkin pie I'd recommend leaving out the topping, though. I also used homemade butternut squash puree instead of canned pumpkin and I would highly recommend. It was so smooth and tasted just like pumpkin.
 
ksgrey
ksgrey November 27, 2020
This is really good. The whipped cream is there to cut through the sweet, so I do disagree with other reviewers saying you don't need it...and I admit that I've eaten half of this pie in the last 24 hours.
I followed another reviewer's suggestion and used an entire can of pumpkin to make sure it set (and cooked that down to reduce liquid even more), which worked beautifully. OR if you have a tried and true pumpkin pie filling recipe, just use that. Alone, I didn't think the filling was all that special.

But my bottom was soggy...I'm not sure if it was due to me baking it the day before or the sugar topping turning to liquid in the fridge overnight and seeping down (Did this happen to anyone else? I thought I cooled the pie completely before refrigeration and covered it tightly).

All that being said, even my soggy bottomed mess was yummy. I'll definitely try this one more time to perfect and skip the sugar topping to cut on sweetness.
 
ksgrey
ksgrey November 27, 2020
Yes, this is really good. The whipped cream is there to cut through the sweet, so I do disagree with other reviewers saying you don't need it...and I admit that I've eaten half of this pie in the last 24 hours.
I followed another reviewer's suggestion and used an entire can of pumpkin to make sure it set (and cooked that down to reduce liquid even more), which worked beautifully. OR if you have a tried and true pumpkin pie filling recipe, just use that. Alone, I didn't think the filling was all that special.

But my bottom was soggy...I'm not sure if it was due to me baking it the day before or the sugar topping turning to liquid in the fridge overnight and seeping down (Did this happen to anyone else? I thought I cooled the pie completely before refrigeration and covered it tightly).

All that being said, even my soggy bottomed mess was yummy. I'll definitely try this one more time to perfect and skip the sugar topping to cut on sweetness.
 
lbn
lbn November 26, 2020
This was delicious!! I had no trouble getting it to set, it was smooth and delicious. If anything, I could have baked it a little less, as the crust was just a bit burnt. (Both the part inexpertly covered with foil and the bottom.) With the cinnamon whipped cream (non-optional IMO), it's like a three layer experience of different flavors/textures. Highly recommend!
 
lbn
lbn November 26, 2020
This was delicious!! I had no trouble getting it to set, it was smooth and delicious. If anything, I could have baked it a little less, as the crust was just a bit burnt. (Both the part inexpertly covered with foil and the bottom.) With the cinnamon whipped cream (non-optional IMO), it's like a three layer experience of different flavors/textures. Highly recommend!
 
Kelly K.
Kelly K. December 7, 2019
“Best pumpkin pie” was what I heard by the 20 people I baked this for on Thanksgiving. We ran out and should have made three instead of one because everyone wanted it over the other pies. So grateful for this recipe. The crust was loved but also the pumpkin pie filling and the brow sugar topping Is really nice.
 
Tonia S.
Tonia S. November 30, 2019
So, I totally overbooked this pie because it just wasn't setting up for me. I think the recipe results in a filling that is on the runny side compared to other pumpkin pies I've baked in the past. BUT, even though it was a woefully ugly pie (sunken in the middle, and dark to the point where someone asked if it was a chocolate pie...) my family still declared it the best pumpkin pie they'd ever had. PHEW! It's that delicious cookie crust! I'll never make pumpkin pie with the tradition crust again. But next time I'll revert to a previous recipe for the filling–one that is thicker and sets up faster.
 
Tonia S.
Tonia S. November 30, 2019
*overbaked
 
Annaperenna
Annaperenna November 28, 2018
Best. Pumpkin. Pie. Ever.
I made this for Thanksgiving along with an apple pie (which was also very good) and for the first time ever the pumpkin pie was gone before the apple pie.
The only thing I did differently was that I took the ginger snaps and put them in a heavy zip-loc bag and crushed them with a rolling pin before putting them in the food processor (because I am a delicate hothouse flower and I didn't think I could break them up by hand). Fabulous recipe. Thanks for sharing.
 
Lynn S.
Lynn S. November 28, 2018
I crushed them in a bag too! Because I too am a delicate flower. :-)
 
Lynn S.
Lynn S. November 25, 2018
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was literally THE BEST pumpkin pie ever! I used the super thin gingersnaps from Sweden you can get at World Market. I also used dark brown sugar because the recipe didn't specify light or dark brown sugar and that's what I had on hand. I think that made the filling a bit darker than the typical pumpkin pie, so I tasted it the day before to make sure it was good and O-M-G, SO GOOD! I also only did the topping on half of the pie since I wasn't sure how everyone would like it and I can say the topping definitely pluses the whole pie! Thank you for my new go-to pumpkin pie recipe!!
 
Lynn S.
Lynn S. November 25, 2018
Oh, and I made it exactly as written.
 
senorahughes
senorahughes November 21, 2018
Can you pre-bake the crust and freeze it? Thanks! x
 
Kelly K.
Kelly K. December 7, 2019
Yes!! I pre baked the crust and put it in the fridge for 5-7 hours and then made the rest so I think the freezer would be fine too.
 
Miss_Karen
Miss_Karen November 24, 2017
I made this yesterday - well, the crust part anyway... SNARF! I used a different 'go to' filling because it works well for me. With that said, I had some excess crumb mixture left over after I pressed it into the pan. Yup, you guessed it- I tweaked it by adding crystallized ginger and minced hazelnuts to make a streusal topping. The kidling says I MUST make this again!
 
Amy
Amy November 24, 2017
I've just baked this and it smells amazing but looks a bit like a sand pie. The topping stayed exactly the same looking as it did when I spread it across the top - like light-brown sand. I combined brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and sprinkled all over the top. There was quite a lot so it covered the pie fully. How does it look so crumbly / carmelized in the photo? I used general soft brown sugar as recipe didn't specify a specific type.
 
Kim
Kim November 24, 2017
I agree too the topping on my pie looked like sand and not like the crumble on the photo. I used a light brown sugar because it didn't specify? The pie tasted delicious
 
Kella
Kella November 24, 2017
I made this for thanksgiving. I did not prebake the crust. I quess hat's why it was mushy, and it wouldn't come out the dish. The second problem was that the filling was too soft. Was it because I added a whole can of pumpkin filling instead of 1 cup. It tasted good.
 
Brenda A.
Brenda A. November 23, 2017
This was hands down the BEST pumpkin pie I have ever eaten! Thank you!!