The BEST PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE
Award-winning creamy pumpkin pie recipe has a secret ingredient to make it extra special!
I spent most of my life making the pumpkin pie recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can. It is a yummy recipe and produces a classic pumpkin pie. But it might just be a tad boring. Most of my kids reach for any other pie but pumpkin so I set out to change it.
Last year, I made a simple perfect pumpkin pie using sweetened condensed milk. This year I decided to up the ante and really change up the classic pumpkin pie recipe. The result was pumpkin pie perfection.
How to make the best pumpkin pie recipe:
So what makes this the best pumpkin pie recipe? Two ingredients -- Cream Cheese and Butter. Instead of using evaporated canned milk, we add cream cheese and butter. Duh. Why have I not thought of this before? The creamy cheese and butter add a touch of rich creaminess to the pumpkin pie. My son, Carson, who will NOT even touch pumpkin pie, is in hog heaven with this pie.
The cream cheese and butter also softens the strong pumpkin flavor. Don't you worry...it is still a perfectly pumpkin flavored pie but is much creamier than the original. When paired with a buttery flaky pie crust and fresh whipped cream, it just screams holiday.
This Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe actually just won 1st Place in the Pumpkin Pie Bake-Off competition -- Pumpkin Pie Bake-Off. What a fun surprise!
The best pumpkin pie recipe starts with a homemade all-butter pie crust. Click here for the recipe. I include step-by-step instructions on how to make butter pie crust. I use a deep-dish pie pan for this recipe since there is plenty of filling.
There's nothing like homemade whipped cream. It begins with heavy whipped cream, whipped until soft peaks form. Powdered sugar is added to sweeten it.
Find the recipe for the Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe here:
The Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- 1 - 8- ounce pkg. Cream Cheese softened
- 1 - 15 ounce can Pure Pumpkin Puree
- ½ cup Butter melted
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 3 Eggs
- 3 ¼ cups Powdered Sugar * (may reduce to 2 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg or 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe
Homemade Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Make pie crust recipe according to recipe directions. Find the recipe for an https://www.modernhoney.com/butter-flaky-pie-crust/Let dough chill in refrigerator, tightly wrapped.
- In mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese (ensure it is at room temperature) for 5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides often with spatula. The whisk attachment works the best to whip the cream cheese.
- Add pumpkin and mix for another 5 minutes.
- Add melted butter (make sure it is not too hot) and vanilla and mix for 1 minute.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice and salt.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place pie dough in a deep-dish pie pan.
- Pour pumpkin pie filling into pie crust and place pie plate on baking sheet. Depending on the size of your pie pan, you may have some extra filling.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 42 - 48 minutes. Watch the crust carefully to make sure it isn't becoming too brown. Cover with pie cover or foil to prevent browning. See NOTES below for more details.
- Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Then, let chill in refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Top with freshly whipped cream.
Video
Notes
Click the links below for more pie recipes:
Caramel Apple Pie
White Chocolate Macadamia Chocolate Ganache Pie
Double Chocolate Marble Pie
The BEST Pumpkin Pie
Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie
Sweet Cherry Pie
Traditional Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Caramel Banana Cream Pie
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Happy Baking, my friends! Find all of Modern Honey Thanksgiving Recipes on www.modernhoney.com/thanksgiving.
Sandi
This was the best pumpkin pie I have ever eaten! So delicious, my husband asked me to make another one as soon as the first one was gone - and I did! Highly recommend you try this. I followed the recipe exactly and it was superb. Thank you for this awesome recipe! Will make again and again!
Julie
Big hit with my guests! I used gluten free pie crusts by Wholly Wholesome. The filling yielded a smooth, creamy texture that filled 2 pie crusts. They were absolutely scrumptious. I couldn’t stop eating it and will never use any other pumpkin pie recipe. Brava!
Diane Fleming
I am a Baker and owned a bakery for 15years. I made your pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving because the butter and cream cheese caught my eye. Well I just want to tell you it was absolutely amazing! The best pumpkin pie I ever made. My family said to me that they didn't think i could ever out do myself. But with the help of you I did. I will be looking at more of your recipes. Thank you for sharing. Diane
cassie
I want to make this for our inlaws thanksgiving tomorrow... but I don't have enough powdered sugar for the recipe :/. and I DO LOVE SWEET, so if I wanted to combine either regular or brown sugar OR sweetened condensed milk to the 2 cups of powdered I have, what would those measurements be??? thank you
Melissa
I made this for Thanksgiving! I’ll never make a different pumpkin pie again! (I am not good at baking and I could even do it). I used light cream cheese and couldn’t tell the difference. Does anyone have the nutrition information on this??
Trish
This pumpkin pie was soooo good! The only change was I only used 1 and a half cup of sugar. Also, I made one deep dish pie and one regular pie crust, and the thinner one tasted better. Thank you so much for the recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
Katie
Oh my goodness! This is the best pumpkin pie I have ever made! Thank you for the excellent recipe!
Elizabeth
I made this for thanksgiving today and it was fantastic! I too was worried about the powdered sugar... followed the recommendation to cut back to 3c and it was perfect. Not overly sweet at all. Thank you for such a great recipe 🙂
Allison
OMG, I made this for Thanksgiving (today), and I really think this is the best pumpkin pie I have ever tasted. I made it with frozen pie crusts. I gave birth to twins a year ago and haven't had a good nights sleep in a year :-P, so sorry, I don't have time to make pie crust, but even so, it was absolutely amazing. My husband loves pumpkin pie. I think it's ok, but it's definitely not my favorite. Now, I think I've changed my mind with this pie. It is so delicious! I think I'll make this for Christmas and every Thanksgiving from here on out. Also, this made enough filling to fill up two frozen pillsbury pie crusts. If you feel like skipping making pie crust. Thank you!
Brenda
I made this last night and meant to put it in the fridge once it cooled, but I just realized I left it on the counter all night! Is it still ok to serve later today? I don’t want to make my in-laws sick. The filling tasted good, btw!
Angela
This was my first ever home made pie! Absolutely love the cream cheese! So rich and creamy. I only put two cups of powder d sugar and added a lot more pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Sharon
Hi, I'm making two pies and wondering, do I just double the ingredients? I don't want it to be too sweet. Also, I don't have a deep dish pie pan, so any suggestions on what to do with the extra would be awesome! Thanks!
Natalie
I want to make this in a 10 in cast iron skillet. Would that work for this recipe?
Thanks!
Modern Honey
Hi Natalie! Great question! I haven't tried it but I am sure it will be amazing. The baking time may vary slightly so keep checking the pie and watch for it to firm up in the center. You may want to put pie crust covers on the edges to ensure the pie crust doesn't get too brown. Good luck!
Morgan
So excited to try this recipe! I’ll be making it the day before Thanksgiving - do you have any storage tips?
Thanks!
Modern Honey
Hi Morgan! The beauty of this pie is that it can be made ahead of time. You can bake it, let it cool, and then refrigerate it. I hope that helps!
Alina
This is the best pumpkin pie I’ve tasted. Perfect amount of creaminess and pumpkin flavor. I only used 1 cup of sugar and still feel it’s plenty sweet. But then again I am averse to overly sweet anything. Next time I may even skip the sugar all together as other recipes don’t call for it and I prefer just the basics. The creamy pumpkin filling with some whipped cream to me is decadent enough on its own! Also healthier to skip the sugar. But this is just my personal preference. I didn’t like all the extra fillers the grocery store pies had in it and this recipe is amazing and easy!
Modern Honey
Awww thank you! I love to hear it! Thank you for trying my recipe. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Lynn
Hi there! Looking forward to making this for my Pumpkin Pie Lovin' Hubby! I have a question....should I use unsalted or salted butter for both the pumpkin mixture and pie crust?
Thanks!!!
Modern Honey
Hi Lynn! I hope your pumpkin pie lovin' husband loves it! Even my non-pumpkin pie lovers will eat this pie so I hope it turns out amazing! I would suggest using unsalted for the pie and salted butter for the crust is fine. I like to make sure there's enough salt in the crust to bring out the flavor. 🙂
Terri McCall Burkham
Hi. I'm planning on making cupcake sized individual pumpkin pies. Am I correct in assuming I can use this recipe but just cut down the baking time?
Modern Honey
Hi Terri! I LOVE that idea! They will turn out amazing. Yes, you can use the same recipe, no problem. Since they will be much smaller in size, I would suggest halving the time and then keep checking on them. It depends on how deep the filling is in the individual cups. If it is deep, it will need more time than if it is shallow. I hope that helps! Thank you for trying my recipe.
Robin
Useing your recipe as my guide, I made the regular pumpkin pie w/ the 6 oz. of condensed milk not the powdered sugar. I then made the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg & vanilla mixture and spread it atop the pumpkin layer and swirled it in a bit. Around the edges of the pie I sprinkled chopped walnuts just for fun. Thank you for the idea, we were so excited to taste it we cut into it while still warm, it is awesome.
Laural
Hello. It's almost that time of year again. So Exciting !!! Can you please tell me about the plates in the photo? They bring such an elegance to the table. The perfect complement to such a wonderfully prepared pie ???? thank you for sharing, Laural
Peggy
Really looking forward to making this pumpkin pie!!! Do you bake the crust before adding the filling?