Southern Pumpkin Pie is everything you love about a classic pumpkin pie. Smooth and creamy with a flaky homemade crust.
It's pumpkin time baby!
And there is no better recipe to share than my mom's decadent homemade pumpkin pie recipe. It has been a favorite of mine since childhood.
This pumpkin pie is so smooth and creamy and has a big spice flavor which I love!
The filling is super easy to make, and you already know that you HAVE To have a homemade pie crust with it. No worries though - I walk you through step by step of everything you need to know about making it.
Lets get started!
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Ingredients Needed
- Canned Pumpkin Puree - NOT pumpkin pie filling
- Honey - local if you can get your hands on it
- Eggs
- Cream
- Milk
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Salt
How to Make
This is actually a super easy one-bowl recipe (outside of the crust). It is hard to mess up and anyone can do it!
- Add pumpkin, honey, and spices to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add in eggs and whisk.
- Stir in the cream and milk until smooth.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the blind-baked (see below) pie crust and place it back in the oven for 55-60 minutes. You want the center to just be set. Do not overbake!
- Remove from the oven and enjoy!
How Do You Blind Bake a Pie Crust?
FIRST - you are more than welcome to use a store-bought pie crust. No worries at all. I always prefer and recommend making it homemade, because it just tastes so much better, but a store-bought crust with work too. You will need to follow the directions for blind baking the crust for a store-bought crust just like the homemade one below.
For this recipe, you need to blind-bake your pie crust. Because pumpkin pie is a custard-based filling, if you were to pour the filling straight into an unbaked pie crust and bake, the bottom would never be able to fully bake.
Did you ever watch the Great British Bake Off? If you did you knew when Mary Berry talked about soggy bottoms and that was a big NO NO - this is exactly that situation.
You don't want a soggy pie crust bottom, so we will blind-bake first.
Pie Crust Recipe for Pumpkin Pie
- 1 Cup Flour
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 3 Tablespoons Lard or Shortening
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 2-4 Tablespoons Ice Water + more if needed
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add flour, salt, cold butter, and lard.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut butter and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles small pea size shapes. If the butter and lard have gotten too warm in the process, pop them into the freezer for 5 minutes to chill before continuing.
- Fill a large glass with water and ice. Using a tablespoon measure, spoon in the ice water into the flour and butter mixture. Using a fork or spatula, mix well. You may need to add in more water if still floury. You want the dough to just begin to come together. Do not add too much water.
- Sprinkle flour out onto the counter and place the dough on top. Roll around flour so that all sides are covered and bring it together into a ball shape.
- Roll out the dough ball with a rolling pin until about a ¼ inch thick, or until it is slightly larger than your deep pie plate. NOTE - you want to have an excess dough that hangs over the sides for the edge so make sure you roll out big enough for that.
- Gently lay the bottom pie crust on the bottom of the pie plate. Make sure you tuck into the edges of the plate. Crimp the edges how you like. Place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper over the top of the pie crust. Place a jar of baking beans* or pie weights* on to and spread out making sure to get to the bottoms and edges. Place the pie crust in the oven to blind bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, remove beans and paper and continue with the rest of the pumpkin pie recipe *Careful, the beans will be hot.*
You can either use baking pie crust weights (affiliate link) or just buy a $1.50 bag of pinto beans from Walmart and keep them in a mason jar and just use them for this specific task.
My mom has had the same pie crust beans in a blue mason jar for as long as I can remember and I have had mine for 10+ years now.
How to Make Ahead of Time and Freeze
I will never forget when my mom realized she could bake Thanksgiving pies ahead of time and freeze them. Leaving no work to be done for desserts once Thanksgiving day or week rolls around. ??
She thought, "if I can buy a frozen pumpkin pie at the grocery store, why couldn't I make mine early and have it in the freezer ready to go?"
Good thought mom! So, good news! You can!
Make prepping for Thanksgiving WAY EASIER by knocking out the desserts and having them DONE and READY TO GO!
Bless!
How to Freeze and Make Pumpkin Pie Ahead of Time
- Follow the above recipe and instructions completely. Once the pie is baked, allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap a couple of times and then with foil making sure it is airtight. Write "Pumpkin Pie" and the date on the outside of the foil with a sharpie and place in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- To enjoy, remove from the freezer and place in the fridge 24 hours before to thaw. Set out on the counter 1-2 hours prior to when needed to enjoy at room temp or enjoy cold straight from the fridge.
Leftover pumpkin pie can be kept covered in the fridge for 4-5 days. Serve this with a big dollop of homemade whipped cream and everyone will be in Thanksgiving heaven!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a simple filling of canned pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, cream, honey, and fall spices.
Canned pumpkin puree only! Don't use canned pumpkin pie filling. They are not the same thing!
Store Leftovers wrapped tightly in the fridge for 3-4 days.
More Pumpkin Recipes You Will Love!
- Overnight Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes
- Old Fashioned Pumpkin Loaf
- Super Soft Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Addicting Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze
- Soft Pumpkin Scones with a Maple Drizzle
- Sous Vide Pumpkin Pie
More Thanksgiving Recipes!
- How to Fry a Turkey
- Southern Cheesy Corn Casserole
- Southern Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Green Beans
- Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- 1 Hour Wheat Dinner Rolls
- Homemade Yeast Rolls
- Creamy Southern Mashed Potatoes
- Southern Style Cream Corn
- Watergate Salad Recipe
- Broccoli Casserole
Southern Pumpkin Pie
- Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Description
Southern Pumpkin Pie is everything you love about a classic pumpkin pie. Smooth and creamy with a flaky homemade crust.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 Cup Flour
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 3 Tablespoons Lard or Shortening
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 2-4 Tablespoons Ice Water + more if needed
Pumpkin Filling
- 1 - 16 Ounce Canned Pumpkin Puree
- ¾ Cup Honey
- 3 Eggs
- ⅔ Cup Cream
- ½ Cup Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ Teaspoon Cloves
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add flour, salt, cold butter, and lard.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut butter and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles small pea size shapes. If the butter and lard have gotten too warm in the process, pop into the freezer for 5 minutes to chill before continuing.
- Fill a large glass with water and ice. Using a tablespoon measure, spoon in ice water into the flour and butter mixture. Using a fork or spatula, mix well. You may need to add in more water if still floury. You want the dough to just begin to come together. Do not add too much water.
- Sprinkle flour out onto the counter and place the dough on top. Roll around flour so that all sides are covered and bring it together into a ball shape.
- Roll out the dough ball with a rolling pin until about a ¼ inch thick, or until it is slightly larger than your deep pie plate. NOTE - you want to have an excess dough that hangs over the sides for the edge so make sure you roll out big enough for that.
- Lay the bottom pie crust on the bottom of the pie plate. Make sure you tuck into the edges. Be gentle with the dough. Crimp the edges how you like. Place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper over the top of the pie crust and push down slightly. Place a jar of baking beans or pie weights on it and spread out making sure to get to the bottoms and edges. Place the pie crust in the oven to blind bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, remove beans and paper and continue with the rest of the pumpkin pie recipe *Careful, the beans will be hot.*
Pumpkin Filling
- Add pumpkin, honey, and spices to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add in eggs and whisk.
- Stir in the cream and milk until smooth.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the blind-baked pie crust and place it back in the oven for 55-60 minutes. You want the center to just be set. Do not overbake.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Notes
- Leftover pumpkin pie can be kept covered in the fridge for 4-5 days.
To Freeze and Make Pumpkin Pie Ahead of Time
- Follow the above recipe and instructions completely. Once the pie is baked, allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap a couple of times and then with foil making sure it is airtight. Write "Pumpkin Pie" and the date on the outside of the foil with a sharpie and place in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- To eat, remove from the freezer and place in the fridge 24 hours before to thaw. Set out on the counter 1-2 hours prior to when needed to enjoy at room temp or enjoy cold straight from the fridge.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 Hour
- Category: Desserts - Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 22.6 g
- Sodium: 148 mg
- Fat: 11.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.7 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 77.9 mg
Keywords: Southern Pumpkin Pie
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