Fall

Pumpkin Pie Crumble

November  3, 2013
4.3
6 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 12
Author Notes

Not quite a pie, not quite a tart, but addictively delicious, and a nice change of pace from the traditional pumpkin custard pie. I bake this in a 9-inch pan with a removeable bottom. The crust is a kind of cakey shortbread, due to the addition of egg. Pumpkin custard filling is topped with a yummy, pecan-y crumble topping. —bonbonmarie

Test Kitchen Notes

The flavor of this pie was very traditional -- which I love -- and the crust was a soft, cake-like crust. I baked at 350 for the time suggested, and used 4 ounces of butter for the crust. I would recommend this recipe for people who like a traditional pumpkin pie with a little twist in the crust and crumble on top, which was so yummy and flavorful. I love the combination on pecans and pumpkin together! —Emily Weinberger

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • Crust and Crumble topping
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (or use a gluten-free blend)
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 ounces butter, cold
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/8 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ounce butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • Pumpkin Filling
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 cup brown sugar
  • 15 ounces pumpkin, canned or homemade (cook homemade down so it is similarly thick)
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. To make crust, combine first 4 ingredients, then cut in 4 ounces of butter until you have split-pea sized chunks. Add the egg and combine until dough starts coming together. Dump into a greased, parchment-lined 9" pan with removeable bottom, spread it out, and press it into the pan evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until it puffs up, then settles down and browns a bit. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  2. While the crust is in the oven, make your crumble topping. Mix the remaining flour, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until pea-sized. Add the pecans and combine until crumble mixture is starting to clump. Set aside.
  3. While crust is cooling, make pumpkin filling. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, and spices together with a whisk or spatula. Add egg and incorporate. Add milk and stir to a smooth consistency. Pour over cooled crust, and gently sprinkle the crumble evenly over the custard.
  4. Bake until set, about 40 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan. You can remove the dessert from the removeable pan bottom carefully, once fully cooled, and more successfully if you've lined the pan with parchment.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

31 Reviews

randisapin@gmail.com November 19, 2022
Sounds delicious. Anyone know if I can prep the dough a few days ahead and then bake it on the big day?
Bridget A. November 20, 2022
You can make it in its entirety in advance and keep it in the fridge or freezer- because it has baking powder in it I don't think it would turn out as good if you made the batter and waited a few days to make it. FYI, I've made this every year for the past 3. Its a good one!
Hyejean K. November 28, 2020
I'm going to leave on of THOSE reviews, so I apologize in advance! But...let's say you just love the pumpkin custard part of the pie: well, then these comments could be helpful! :] I had leftover crust materials from pecan bars that I baked off in an 8x8 pan. So although I was very intrigued by the soft cakey crust that this recipe promises, I decided to use that as my base for this pumpkin pie crumble. I was going to bake off the crumble ingredients separately so that I could use that as a topping and not risk having it get soggy. But then I opted out of the crumble portion. So...I skipped both the crust and the crumble! BUT, the custard is really delicious! I've made pumpkin pie pudding before (crustless pumpkin pie, basically, baked in ramekins), and that recipe called for 2 eggs plus 1.5 cups of a milk/cream mixture for the same amount of pumpkin as this recipe (15 oz). So I was thrilled that this recipe's 1 egg and 1/3 cup of whole milk still set the custard up nicely in the same amount of time (40ish minutes). So in case you're trying to avoid flour altogether, say, I give the custard portion of this recipe two thumbs up! :D (Also, I did something I NEVER do which is to double the sugar. I really doubted that 1/8 cup sugar was enough for the pumpkin, so I used 1/4 cup. In my defense, I didn't have the delicious-sounding sugary pecan topping to add extra sweetness. Delish!) OK. I shall stop with my annoying review now. Thanks for reading! And thanks for the recipe! One day, when I am not exhausted from Thanksgiving cooking, and when I am feeling a bit saucier, I shall try all three components of this recipe and not just one. And if it makes you feel any better, my pecan bar crust was not a great match for this. It totally absorbed the liquid from the custard and became a kind of soft pecan-y layer beneath. Not untasty, but texturally, not ideal. ;)
kborello@aol.com April 23, 2022
Loved your addition to the recipe! Go right ahead and embelish on recipes good cooks like us need to share!👍
Bridget A. November 22, 2020
I don't know why this doesn't have 5 stars! I'll be making this again for the 4th or 5th year. Its become a staple for Thanksgiving. I make it in a springform pan- half gets eaten day of and the other half the day after. I make it gluten free.
Cwbusch January 8, 2019
The topping doesn't stay crunchy after one day. It needs a bit more spice.
samanthaalison November 29, 2018
This was pretty good. I made it in an 8" square metal pan and was able to remove it with a parchment sling without issue.

I'm not sure why you bother to cut the butter in, rather than creaming it or something, when the result is essentially a cake. Seems unnecessarily fiddly.
Sylia November 22, 2018
Expected more of a flakey than caky crust, but went ahead with the recipe anyway. I got rave reviews, pie was finished within ten minutes, and I promised to never stray from this recipe again. Woo!
Emily November 20, 2018
Delicious! I'm going to serve this as my dessert for Thanksgiving. I made it gluten free by using King Arthur Flour's gf flour. The base has a nice buttery, cakey taste and balances the creamy pumpkin layer and crumble topping. So good!
Julieek November 25, 2017
This was pretty good. However, I found the dough to be a bit cakey. I might like it better with a shortbread or pie crust. Also, my streusel topping didn't stay crispy. It seemed to absorb the moisture from the pumpkin layer and got soggy. Did anyone else have this problem? It was even worse the next day. I wouldn't recommend making this far in advance.
Cwbusch January 8, 2019
Agree.
Lissa November 15, 2017
Hi. This recipe looks delicious! What would be the recommended substitute for the pecans? We have a nut allergy in the family. Thanks in advance.
Yulia November 7, 2017
Made this yesterday, taste tested, and think it definitely tastes better the next day. The sweetness seems more caramel-like the second day. The topping is a little too crunchy/gritty/sugary for me, but everyone else said it was a nice contrast. Next time I'd double the pecans and aim for a SLIGHTLY more streusel-like topping, but still with some crunch.

QUESTION: has anyone tried doubling the amount of custard? I think it would add more pumpkiny oomph and plan to try it.
Windischgirl October 16, 2017
Thanks for the hints on making ahead, and thanks to Mark for trying it with squash. I have a beautiful butternut from my CSA and a guest is already bringing a squash dish, so I’m going to enjoy making this dessert with my squash. Pumpkin desserts are among my favorites.
Melissa C. November 25, 2016
This was a hit! So simple, so delicious. The custard is beautifully smooth and creamy and the cakey addition on the bottom was its perfect complement. A beautiful addition to our holiday table.
Molly November 23, 2016
I made this and can confirm it is delicious. I used an 8 inch square pan lined with parchment. I'm already looking forward to making this again. Highly recommend!
Sandra November 15, 2016
refrigerate this if made more than a few hours ahead?
Julieek November 4, 2016
Are you supposed to refrigerate this? Is it best served at room temperature or chilled?
Margie November 28, 2015
We made this for Thanksgiving dinner and it got RAVE reviews - ages 8 to 75. All said it was their favorite of all time. The flavors and texture were spectacular. The pumpkin custard is the perfect consistently. It also went together so easily that the 8 year old helped me with most of it! It has become our standard. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Ali S. November 12, 2015
Has anyone made this in a square or rectangular baking dish? If so, how did it affect the baking time?
Ali S. November 30, 2015
Reporting back in case anyone has the same question: I made this in an 8-inch square pan and didn't have to change a thing. This recipe is such a keeper.
Colleen L. November 21, 2016
Just to clarify, you made this in a regular 8-inch pan, not one with a removable bottom, correct? Were you able to pull the whole thing out of the pan, or did you just cut pieces directly from it?
Molly November 23, 2016
I made this in an 8-inch pan as well, and cut pieces directly from it. It may be possible to remove it from the pan if it is well cooled and you are brave.
Abbe November 12, 2015
Hi-

Can you please advise on an appropriate measurement for pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and nutmeg required for filling.

This recipe looks fabulous btw! Adding to my T Day menu.

Thank you.
Ann M. November 11, 2014
I have made this several times. I am always asked for the recipe. I froze it as an experiment, it freezes beautifully. It's become one of my favorite recipes.
Mark S. January 11, 2014
I made this for my foodie daughter who was visiting from Portland. I find pumpkin to be a rather bland member of the squash family so I roasted a Maria de Choggia (heirloom variety from Italy) squash that was left from my garden. A long roast in the oven brought out a very thick and fully flavored purée that would make any pumpkin cry from jealousy. My only other moderation was the use of locally foraged hickory nuts versus pecans. They were worth the extra forty minutes of cracking and picking.
Enjoyed this recipe much more than any pumpkin pie I ever ate! Great recipe for all to try.
bonbonmarie March 7, 2014
Great ideas, and so glad you liked it! Though, I admit I have never tasted a hickory nut.