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Prep time
2 hours
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Cook time
25 minutes
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Makes
1 (9-inch) pie
Author Notes
It’s pumpkin pie, just not the one you’d expect. This cream pie-ified rendition features a gingery graham cracker crust, pumpkin pastry cream, and a sour cream–spiked whipped cream. A few ways to make this in advance: Prepare the pastry cream up to three days in advance; just cover with plastic, refrigerate, and whisk well to smooth out before filling the crust. Make the crust, fill with pastry cream, and keep in the fridge for up to one day. Morning-of, top with the whipped cream. —Emma Laperruque
Test Kitchen Notes
This is one of the best make-ahead pumpkin pie recipes you can make during the fall, especially to close out a holiday dinner like Thanksgiving. Featuring a pumpkin pastry cream, graham cracker crust, and sour cream whipped cream, this pie evokes the aromas and flavors of autumn like nothing else can. For the best results, leave the cream filling in the refrigerator overnight to make sure that it sets fully. You and your guests won't be able to get enough of this one.
Cream pies may not scream "fall" to you, but the developer of the recipe, Emma Laperruque, would highly disagree. She writes: "Cream pies are often seen as summery, but I’m here to say loud and proud that I’ve eaten a cream pie every month of the year and enjoyed every one. At the bakery where I used to work, we always had a cream pie in rotation. During the summer, the type relied on in-season fruit, like peaches or blackberries, which we’d layer with vanilla pastry cream. During colder months, we had to get creative—say, a malted-banana number or cayenne-spiced chocolate pudding. Likewise, this recipe takes a summery template and makes it Thanksgiving-y as heck."
And keep this in mind when you're prepping, in terms of the timing and how long you need to make this recipe: "The pie needs to chill before it’s sliced and served. Call it your excuse to get dessert out of the way beforehand and have more fun on the holiday itself—a sweet idea, indeed." —The Editors
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Pumpkin Cream Pie
Ingredients
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Pumpkin Pastry Cream
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1 3/4 cups
whole milk
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3/4 cup
pumpkin purée
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6
large egg yolks
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1/2 cup
brown sugar
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1/2 cup
cornstarch
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon
pumpkin pie spice
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3 tablespoons
unsalted butter, room temperature
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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Gingery Graham Cracker Crust
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12
graham crackers (about 6½ ounces), processed into crumbs
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1/4 cup
brown sugar
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1 1/2 teaspoons
ground ginger
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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6 tablespoons
unsalted butter, plus more as needed
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Sour Cream–Whipped Cream
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1/3 cup
sour cream
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1 tablespoon
brown sugar
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1 cup
heavy cream
Directions
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Make the pumpkin pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and pumpkin. Set on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until just starting to steam. Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and pumpkin pie spice; whisk until smooth. When the pumpkin-milk is hot, add a small splash to the sugar-egg mixture. Whisk to combine. Add another small splash and whisk to combine. Continue this process until you’ve added about three-quarters of the pumpkin-milk. Now pour the tempered sugar-egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium to medium-low heat, whisking slowly but constantly (making sure to scrape along the edges, too), until the mixture thickens like a dense pudding, with your whisk leaving a distinct trail. (This took me about 6 minutes, but it can significantly vary by your stove.) Remove from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Cover the top with plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming, then refrigerate until cool.
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Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch pie pan with butter.
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Make the gingery graham cracker crust: In a medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Pour the melted butter on top. Mix until the crumbs are completely moistened. If you grab a palmful of the mixture and gently squeeze, it should easily hold together (but not seem overly saturated or greasy). If it doesn’t hold together, add another tablespoon of melted butter or even water, mix, and test again.
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Press the cracker mixture into the greased pie pan, evenly distributing along the bottom and up the sides (a measuring cup really helps here). Bake for about 13 minutes, until the crust is browned. Let cool at room temperature, then freeze for at least 30 minutes before filling with the pastry cream (this makes filling it a lot easier and neater).
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Make the sour cream whipped cream: In a medium bowl, whisk the sour cream and brown sugar until smooth. Add the cream and whisk until soft-ish peaks form. You want it a little stiffer than you would for, say, dolloping on top of a sundae, because the pie needs to cut cleanly without the whipped cream slouching all over.
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Assemble the pie: Fill the just-frozen graham cracker crust with all the pumpkin pastry cream, spreading evenly to completely fill the crust. Top with the whipped cream. Using a spoon or offset spatula, create swoops and swirls. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 18 hours before serving. Sprinkle with more pumpkin pie spice just before serving.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
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