Southern Pumpkin Pie with Canned Pumpkin Puree

This Southern pumpkin pie is a classic holiday staple, made effortlessly in just one bowl with 10 pantry staple ingredients, including canned pumpkin puree, milk, cream, and honey for sweetness. Baked to perfection in a flaky homemade pie crust at 375°F for an hour, it’s an easy and delicious treat that captures the essence of Southern tradition. Recipe yields 8 slices.

Heather's Thoughts on Her Mom's Pumpkin Pie!

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 - and as a Southern cook, one she taught me to make at a very early age around the holidays.

She taught me to make this along with other Southern holiday dessert staples like Pecan Pie and Apple Pie and all of them are made with her flaky homemade pie crust - no other exceptions!

And the best part - it's so easy to make! Mix all 10 of the pantry staple ingredients - like canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling!), cream, milk, eggs, honey, and some warm spices- in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy, pour into a parbaked pie crust, and bake in the oven at 375 for an hour. Remove and let it cool and then serve with a big dollop of whipped cream!

Gosh - my mouth is watering thinking about it! Lets bake!

Welcome to my kitchen, lets bake together!

The first thing that we need to do is to par-bake the pie crust. Now you can head over to my recipes for flaky southern homemade pie crust for the step-by-step instructions on how to make it (bonus! It's enough for 2 pies so make an extra since it's the holidays!). Once you have it prepped in the pan, then follow the steps below...

You will need to use pie weights*, or better yet, just buy a bag of $1.50 dried pinto beans from Walmart and designate them to be your "baking beans" used only for this recipe (my mom and I have ours stored in a mason jar). You will need the weight of the beans on top of the crust to ensure an even bake on the bottom without any air bubbles forming.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place wax or parchment paper over the pie crust on the pie plate. Pour in baking beans or pie weights and evenly distribute around the shell.
3. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
5. Pick up the edges of the wax or parchment paper and pour the beans into a mason jar. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

What does blind baking a pie crust mean? Blind baking a pie crust is the process of partially cooking a crust in its shell without a filling inside. You do this for any liquid or custard-based quiches or pies because they are liquid fillings. If you were to place a liquid filling in an unbaked pie crust and bake, the bottom of the pie crust would never be able to fully bake and still be raw. By blind baking it by itself, you ensure that the bottom of the crust actually gets baked for those types of recipes.

Prep Ahead and Freezing Tips

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 Southern Pumpkin Pie Ahead of Time

1. 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.
2. To enjoy, remove from the freezer and place in the fridge 24 hours before thawing. 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. You can serve this at room temp after you have baked it, or bake it the bake before serving (wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and storing it in the fridge) and then serving chilled to your guests. I love being able to do as much ahead of time as I can - especially when it comes to the holidays!

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Disclosure. Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you, and as always I only recommend products I trust! Heather Bilyeu is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.