Ultimate Pumpkin Pie
Updated Dec. 2, 2022
- Total Time
- About 2 hours, plus 1½ hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds butternut squash (1 small squash), peeled, seeded and cut into 1½-inch chunks (about 3 cups), see Tip
- 1cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough
- Dough for a single 9-inch pie crust
- 3large eggs
- ⅔cup/132 grams light brown sugar
- 1½teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ⅛teaspoon ground allspice or pinch of ground cloves
- 1tablespoon bourbon or dark rum, or use 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
370 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 24 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 366 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place two racks in the oven: one in the lower third and one in the upper third. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2
Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread butternut squash on it. Drizzle squash with 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream, sprinkle with granulated sugar and dot the top with butter. Roast on the upper rack, stirring once or twice, until squash is very tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch metal pie pan. Fold over any excess dough, crimping the edges. Transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (This helps the crust hold its shape so the edges don’t slump.)
- Step 4
When the squash is soft, transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes (and up to a few hours). Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- Step 5
In a food processor or blender, purée the squash with the remaining cream until smooth. Add eggs, brown sugar, spices, bourbon and salt, and pulse to combine. The mixture should be very smooth.
- Step 6
Pour mixture into the chilled pie shell. Carefully transfer pie to the hot baking sheet on the bottom rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 300 and continue to bake until the crust is golden and the center jiggles just slightly when shaken, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.
- If you are buying peeled, cubed squash, you will need 1¼ pounds. If you want to substitute canned pumpkin, you will need 1½ cups (the remaining purée in the can is great stirred into oatmeal).
Private Notes
Comments
Three helpful tips: 1- blind bake the crust so the finished pie doesn’t have a soggy bottom 2- use kabocha squash 3) roast the squash whole, let it cool and scoop out the seeds then flesh (tastier& much easier than cubing & roasting)
Don’t scrimp on the spices, use cloves and allspice. Also add a pinch of mace. Makes all the difference in the end result. If you mix the filling at least 24 hours in advance (we do 2 days) and keep it sealed in refrigerator, this allows the spices to “bloom” and all the flavors meld thoroughly throughout the pie filling. I have to make two of these pies every year so there is enough for my husband and two sons. On occasion I’ve been known to make a couple extra so everyone else has plenty too
It’s helpful that you specify a two-pound squash, but it would be more helpful if you specified how much purée we want to end up with. 3 cups is just meaningless when you’re talking about 1 1/2 inch dice. Why not be consistent, since you’re giving other ingredients by weight and do the same here. ? The answe is 350 grams of pulp.
I followed the crust recipe in link above and was not completely happy with it, but the pie filling is great. I used a bourbon plus vanilla extract mix. I also cut the nutmeg to maybe a bit over 1/8 tsp. I find it takes over when it's too much (personal preference for less). I like the butternut squash but it was time consuming and involved having the oven on for longer. I'll probably just use canned pumpkin next time to see what we think.
To those who have commented that it is not a “pumpkin” pie because a squash was used: a pumpkin pie is a squash pie because a pumpkin is a squash. While all pumpkins are squashes, not all squashes are pumpkins.
I roasted pumpkin pieces (we use fresh pumpkin a lot in Australia). Pro tip - strain the purée so you remove bits and lumps of said fresh pumpkin which did not break up when blending, before pouring into pie. I did not strain. Next year.