Best Pumpkin Pie from scratch

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Looking for the BEST Pumpkin Pie recipe? Look no further.

This pie can be made 100% from scratch. It can also be made with simple substitutes (such as canned pumpkin) to make the process simpler and quicker. It also comes with ingredient swap outs if you need gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, etc.

This will quickly become your go-to, one size fits all recipe!

Making the pie filling is super simple. Just mix a few basic ingredients together in a bowl, pour into a pre-prepared pie crust, and bake!

This recipe will make you the hero of your next holiday get together. No matter what dietary needs are showing up at your celebration.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie vs. Store Bought Pumpkin Pie 

I have made my pumpkin pie from scratch for most of my adult life.  

And since I grow a large garden, I almost always have pumpkins or pumpkin puree in my garden, garage, or freezer waiting to be used. So I usually make everything 100% from scratch. Which is what I will be sharing with you here.

But I realize that this is not most people’s reality. And I’m here to say that a pumpkin pie made from canned pumpkin and a frozen pie crust from the store is leaps and bounds better than any pie you will get from the grocery store bakery, or the freezer section, or (gasp) Costco!

Homemade pie really does taste SO MUCH BETTER.  Even if it uses a couple of shortcuts.

It’s like the difference between a mealy, flavorless store bought peach versus a peach straight off the tree – in all its sun-ripened glory with sweet juice that drips down your arm!  Or like the full-bodied, juicy  homegrown tomato versus a flavorless, dry store bought tomato. 

It’s just a different eating experience.  

So to me, it’s all sorts of worth it to go to the trouble of making pumpkin pie from scratch. 

The depth of flavor is simply incredible!  

And guess what?  You don’t even need any canned foods at all!  

Really.  The entire thing can be made with real, fresh food.  Many people don’t know this and assume that you must use canned pumpkin or evaporated milk.  But you don’t actually need those things. 

Unless you choose to take a shortcut of course.  More on this later.

A note about ingredient substitutions

This recipe includes the basic recipe that is 100% from scratch.

I’m also including a whole bunch of ingredient substitutions that you can use to very easily transform the basic recipe into whatever version you need or whatever you have on hand.

It can easily be made gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.

Ingredient substitutions (that are included at the end of this post):
– Pumpkin substitutions
– Milk substitutions
– Flour substitutions
– Butter substitutions
– Sugar substitutions
– Alternatives to a homemade crust

No more scouring the internet for a new pie recipe when you find out that Aunt Bev (who is gluten free) is coming for Thanksgiving. Or when you realize you are out of evaporated milk in the middle of a recipe and don’t want to make a special trip to the grocery store.

This recipe can simply become the one you reach for over and over again!

It’s so customizable to whatever situation you find yourself in.

Why YOU should make a pumpkin pie from scratch

Once you learn to make a pumpkin pie from scratch, you may never go back.  Fair warning!  

And also fair warning: making a pumpkin pie from scratch can be a labor of love.  But as I mentioned above, totally worth it.

I’m going to walk you through the entire process from start to finish.  But I’ll be sprinkling short cuts for ways that you can speed things up if you’re in a time crunch throughout and will also summarize them for you toward the end of this post!

Even with the short cuts, baking this pie will take you probably a good hour and a half to two hours so be sure to plan accordingly.  

Most of this time is hands off time while it sits in the oven, though, so just plan to make it on an evening or weekend when you will be home for a couple of hours (or while the kids are at school or while the baby is napping or whatever your uninterrupted time is) and you’ll be good to go!  

It’s totally worth it to learn how to make pumpkin pie from scratch!!  Yum!  

And the great thing about pumpkin pie is it doesn’t have to be JUST a holiday food.  You can make it anytime of year.  

Truth be told, it’s a wonderful food to eat year round.  

I’ve been making it in February and March this year since we’ve been trying to use up the pie pumpkins that I grew in my garden and that have been sitting in my garage all winter.  

It’s a fairly guilt free dessert that feels decadent but is not going to destroy your waistline.  The majority of it is a healthy orange vegetable.  Add in some milk (dairy free if desired) and eggs and some spices.  And a low amount of sugar (only ½ cup in the entire pie) which you can substitute for natural sugar – see substitution options at the end of this post.  

Plus it uses up a TON of pumpkin, unlike most other pumpkin recipes. This is great if you grew pumpkins and find yourself with 12+ orange orbs that need to be dealt with. Ahem.

My non-vegetable loving son has been LOVING this pie too!  Way to sneak in the veggies, mom!!

Not too bad if you ask me!  It’s healthy enough to eat for breakfast…just sayin’.  (Cue Bill Cosby singing, “Daddy’s great, he gives us chocolate cake”).  

Let’s get started.  

How to make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch

Step 1: Make pumpkin puree from a pumpkin

Wait, before you stop reading…this step is completely optional!  

This step is only if you want to make the entire pumpkin pie from scratch without using canned pumpkin.  But the canned stuff works well too.  So you can feel free to simply skip this step if you’re using canned puree!  

SHORT CUT: Buy a can of pumpkin puree from the store.  Be sure to get one that is labeled “pumpkin puree” or “100% pumpkin” which has just pumpkin in it and NOT “pumpkin pie filling” which has sugar and spices and other ingredients added. Or check out the other short cut options listed toward the bottom of this post.

Making pumpkin puree from an actual pumpkin is something that has more or less gone the way of the dinosaurs.  I’m sure there are people who still do this, but probably not very many.  

I have grown my own pie pumpkins for probably 10 years or more.  And for me, it’s super simple and doesn’t take much time.  But it is an extra step in the process.  

If you want to make your own puree, your pumpkin pie will taste even more fresh!  

I like to make mine all at once in a large batch and then freeze the rest for later. 

If you’re going to make your own pumpkin puree from actual pumpkins, you will need to be sure to buy or grow pumpkins that are specifically for cooking.  While you can technically cook the large carving pumpkins, they don’t have much flavor and are pretty watery and stringy.  

I share my full instructions on how to cook pumpkins and make pumpkin puree in this post here.  So check that out if you need more guidance. 

To sum it up, you will cut the pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds (don’t toss the seeds, though, you can use them to make these Tamari Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!), lay the pumpkin halves cut side down on a large sheet tray or baking dish, fill the tray with 1/2 inch of water, and bake at 350 for about an hour or until the pumpkin is very soft.  

Scoop out the flesh and puree in a blender or food processor (it’s okay to add a tiny bit of water if needed to get things moving along but don’t add too much. It should be thick like a paste!).  If you make a large batch, you can freeze some for later.

Those are the basic steps.  Be sure to check out the full post here for pictures and more specific instructions!

Step 2: Make the pie crust.

The next step is to make the crust of the pie.  

Again, DON’T STOP READING just because making a pie crust feels overwhelming!  

Making a pie crust is not as hard as it sounds, but there are shortcuts you can take if you don’t want to make your own from scratch.  

SHORT CUT#1: Buy a frozen premade pie crust shell from the store.  Or use a pie crust mix from a box. These days, there are some really great options for pie crust at the store.  If you need a short cut, I’d recommend using the frozen version.  It will be the closest to the from scratch version I will show you here.  

SHORT CUT #2: Skip the pie crust entirely and just bake the custard filling.  If you want, you can just make the custard filling and pour it into a glass baking dish and bake it without any crust at all!  Spoon it out like you would a pudding.  If you love the filling but don’t care for the crust or if you eat a gluten free, vegan, paleo diet, etc., this might be a great option for you.  Plus it saves you the time it takes to make a pie crust!  

Making pie crust from scratch, while intimidating to some people, is actually a very simple process.  

You only need 4 basic ingredients: 

• Flour
• Salt
• Butter
• Water

I will describe the steps on how to make a pie crust below, but I wrote an entire post (with pictures) over here. (Link coming soon)  So I recommend jumping over to the pie crust post if you need additional help.  

Steps to making the pie crust:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl
2. Add the cold butter and cut in with a pastry blender or two knives.  You can also use a cheese grater if desired to grate the butter into the flour.  Keep cutting or blending until small pieces form, about the size of small peas.
3. Add very cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time and gently mix it together with a fork until the mixture comes together into a dough.  Do not over mix.  Do not add too much water…just enough to bring the dough barely together and then STOP ADDING WATER. Adding too much water will make your dough tough instead of flakey.  
4. Gather the dough into a ball.  Place dough on a well floured counter and roll out with a rolling pin.  Turn the dough ¼ turn every couple of rolls in order to keep a circular shape.  Roll until the dough is slightly larger than your pie pan. 
5. Lift the dough gently into your pie pan.  I like to fold my dough in half, slide the pan close to the edge, and then gently lift the dough into the pan and unfold (see my pie crust recipe post for pictures of this process – link coming soon).  Press the dough gently down inside your pie pan. 
6. Trim the edge of the dough to create a 1 inch overhang around the entire pan.  Tuck the dough edges under and flute or decorate as desired.  
7. Set the pie crust aside while you make the filling. 

Again, I have a full blog post that shows the entire process of making the pie crust step by step (with pictures!) over here.  (Link coming soon) Check out that post if you need more help with your crust.  

Tip: for pumpkin pie, DO NOT poke holes in your crust. You may see some recipes that tell you to poke the crust all over with a fork, but if you do that, your filling will seep underneath the crust and will create a soggy mess. Anytime you fill a pie with a liquidy filling BEFORE baking the crust (pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, berry pie, lemon meringue pie, chicken pot pie, etc.) you want the crust to be solid.

If you are baking the crust first and then filling it with something already made (chocolate pudding pie, banana pudding pie, strawberry pie, ice cream pie, etc.) you will want to poke the crust and bake the empty shell without a filling.

What about gluten free pie crust? Gluten free pie crust is not something that I have experimented much with.  I know there are definitely gluten free pie crusts available in health food stores in the freezer section.  You can look for one of those.  Or you can try making a gluten free pie crust from scratch.  I saw one recipe that recommended adding an egg to the dry ingredients.  Or you can skip the crust entirely and just pour the pumpkin pie filling into a baking dish and bake it without a crust.  I’m sorry I’m not much help in this department.  If I ever get around to making a gluten free pie crust, I’ll write a post on how it goes, but for now, you can try out this recipe from WheatByTheWayside.com or this recipe from GlutenFreeOnaShoestring.com, and may the force be with you!!

Step 3: Make the pumpkin pie filling

Now we’re to the EASY part!

Just mix, pour, and bake.  How great is that?    

If you used the short cuts for the first two steps, this will be a piece of cake. 

Or should I say, a piece of pie.  Ha, ha!

Pumpkin pie filling is a custard.  Which is a fancy name for a liquid that contains eggs that thickens when baked.  

The filling is super easy to mix together.  

You will need:

• Pumpkin puree
• Eggs
• Milk or milk substitute
• Sugar or other sweetener
• Salt
• Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg or allspice.  Or you can use pumpkin pie spice for a shortcut.

And that’s it!  

Exact ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe at the bottom of this page.  Or by clicking this link. 

Jump to Recipe

All you do is mix them together and pour them into your crust.  Can you see why a pre-prepared crust makes this so easy?  

Mix all of your ingredients together until the eggs are well incorporated.  Pour into the prepared pie shell.  

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 1 hour.  

I recommend covering the crust with a pie crust shield during either the first 30 minutes or the last 30 minutes of baking (your choice) so it doesn’t become too brown.  

You will know that your pie is finished baking when you insert a knife into the center and it comes out clean.  Keep baking until it reaches this stage.  

Allow to cool completely before serving.  

Shortcuts summary for making pumpkin pie from scratch

There are 4 main shortcuts you can use. 

1. Buying pumpkin puree in a can or using butternut squash cubes
2. Buying a pre-made crust or using a mix
3. Skipping the crust entirely
4. Using pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices

1) Buying pumpkin puree in a can is a huge time saver.  If you go this route, buy two of the smaller cans or one of the larger cans in order to have enough for the recipe.  Also be sure to get the “100% pure pumpkin” and not “pumpkin pie filling.” 

Alternatively, you can cook up several pumpkins at a time as I show you in this post and put the pureed pumpkin in your freezer to use for later.  

You can also buy the pre-cut up cubes of butternut squash, steam them until soft and puree them rather than using the canned pumpkin for a fresher taste! 

2) On a similar note, buying a premade pie crust will be a big time saver as well.  It’s pretty quick to make a pie crust once you get the hang of it, but buying a premade one is fast as well.  

I recommend using a frozen pie crust if you are going to buy a premade one to get the closest taste and feel to homemade crust.  You can also use a pie crust mix but a frozen pie crust will give you better results.  

Once you have pumpkin puree AND an unbaked pie crust shell, all you have to do is mix the filling ingredients together and let it bake.  

3) You can skip the pie crust entirely and just pour the pumpkin pie filling into a baking dish (I recommend glass) and bake it without the crust.  You’ll need to spoon it out of the pan like a pudding or like the custard that it is but it will be delicious.  

This option is perfect for people who love the filling but don’t care for the crust.  Or for people with dietary needs that require skipping the crust.

4) Pumpkin pie spice is a really great short cut.  It’s basically all the spices called for in the recipe but it’s already premixed.  I would recommend using 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in this recipe.  

There you have it, 4 super simple short cuts that make this process faster and easier but will still give you a great homemade pumpkin pie that tastes better than store bought!  

Ingredient Substitutes 

Here’s a list of ingredient substitutes by category. 

Pumpkin substitutes

• Equal amounts of baked, pureed sweet potatoes – technically, this will be a sweet potato pie but will taste similar
• Equal amounts of baked butternut squash or other type of winter squash that’s good for baking
• You could even use the bags of cubed butternut squash in the produce aisle, boil them until soft, puree them and use them in equal amounts to the pureed pumpkin! See specific instructions in this post.

Milk substitutes. 

• Equal amounts of milk alternatives such as almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc.  
• Equal amounts of canned evaporated milk
• Equal amounts of half and half or heavy whipping cream

I have made this recipe with many different milk alternatives and it doesn’t seem to matter much which kind I use.  The coconut milk will probably affect the flavor but the rest of the options listed here should have similar flavor profiles.  My husband couldn’t even tell which one had real milk and which one had a milk substitute!

Butter substitutes (in the crust)

• Equal amounts of Coconut oil – this will make a very soft crust.  You’ll need to be extremely gentle and possibly use less water
• Equal amounts of margarine, shortening, and other butter like substitutes such as vegan butter – fpr me, these options give less than desirable results because of the higher water content in most of these products, but my mom swears by the shortening option. Let us know in the comments if you try one of these options and how it turned out!
• Equal amounts of ghee
• Equal amounts of lard – this makes a very tender, flakey crust!  

Flour substitutes (in the crust)

• Equal amounts of whole wheat flour – you may need a bit less flour or a bit more water since whole wheat tends to absorb more water
• Equal amounts of alternative flours
• For gluten free options, you can buy this premade frozen crust. Or if you make it from scratch, try mixtures of gluten free flours rather than only one kind.  I’m sorry I’m not much help in this department since I have admittedly never made a gluten free pie crust.  I have made other gluten free desserts, but not pie crust. If I do, I’ll come back and update this post but for now, there are many wonderful gluten free pie crust recipes out there on the internet such as this one or this one.  Best of luck and let us know in the comments if you find something that works well!!

Homemade crust substitutes

• Store bought crust from the freezer section
• Pie crust mix from a box 
• Gluten free store bought crust from the freezer section

Egg substitutes

• ???  I have not experimented with egg substitutes, so if you do, please drop a comment below and let us know how it goes for you! I did notice that most pumpkin puree is already naturally thick. The egg is just giving the filling a bit more structure. My cooking instinct tells me that you could mix in some cornstarch, tapioca starch/flour, or potato starch as a thickening agent and get a similar effect as the eggs give. I haven’t even given this idea a Google search, this is just what I think would work well to thicken the filling. I’d recommend trying around 2-4 Tablespoons of cornstarch or other thickening starch for this recipe, depending on how thick your pumpkin puree already is.

White Sugar substitutes 

• Any sugar substitute that is used cup for cup for sugar (brown sugar, coconut sugar, splenda, etc.)
• Maple syrup – use ⅓ cup maple syrup in place of the ½ cup sugar
• Honey – use ⅓ cup honey in place of the ½ cup sugar
• Date paste – this is one of my favorite sugar substitutes in this recipe!  It’s delicious!!  Soak 8-10 pitted dates in warm water for several hours or until softened.  Drain.  Puree until smooth.  You’ll want around ⅓ cup of date paste for the recipe.  
• I have not tried making this recipe with stevia or monk fruit which are both highly concentrated.  If you do, please tell us how it went in the comments!  

Spices substitutes

• Pumpkin Pie Spice – you can substitute all of the spices for an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice if desired. Since pumpkin pie spice is just a mixture of the spices listed in the recipe, it makes a quick substitute. Omit all of the spices listed and add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
• If you are out of any of the spices listed in the recipe (or don’t care for their flavor or are allergic), feel free to omit or substitute with a different spice on the list.

So many options!  

Except vegan.  I don’t know how to make it vegan.  If you have any wonderful ideas about how to successfully make custard without eggs (I added my thoughts to the egg substitutes section above), I’d love to hear them in the comments!

Have you successfully made a pumpkin pie without eggs?

Now go forth and make a pumpkin pie from scratch!

I hope this post has been helpful and has given you the courage to try making a pumpkin pie from scratch.  

It really is one of the healthiest desserts you can make because it is chock FULL of vegetables, is low in sugar (can be made refined sugar free), includes protein and tastes delicious to boot!  Plus it can be easily made gluten free and dairy free too.  

It’s a wonderfully delicious dessert with a lot of variation options available.  It’s very forgiving.

Want it less sweet?  Decrease the sweetener.  Not a fan of all the spices?  Decrease them to your liking.  Need a milk substitute to make it dairy free?  Substitute the milk for your milk substitute of choice.  

And you can make this to use up a TON of pumpkins if you grew them in your garden and they got a little out of control like mine did.  

To learn more about growing your own pumpkins, check out my posts about growing squash here. 

And if you are looking for other recipes from the blog, check out my recipe posts here.  

If you make this recipe or if you have any questions, please drop me a comment below.  

Happy Pumpkin Pie making!