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Grandma’s famous pumpkin pie is smooth, thick, and creamy! A MUST for the holidays and the best when served with a big dollop of whipped cream on top!
My grandma would make the best pies ever! If you love pumpkin pie as much as I do then try this Sheet Cake, Pie Bars, or Cupcakes.
Grandma’s Famous Pumpkin Pie
My grandma was an amazing cook but an even better baker! I don’t know anyone that could make better bread, cookies, and pies than her! And her pies… Those were truly a diamond in the rough! Her pies were truly the BEST! I would always go first for her cherry pie followed by pumpkin. Then another slice of cherry. Followed by another slice. There is always room for pie right??
The pie starts with her perfect pie crust! It’s tender and flaky and totally melts in your mouth. Then the pumpkin filling is smooth, thick, and creamy! It’s filled with the most delicious spices and flavors and really makes it the best pie around. While you are at it, you should try these Perfect Mini Pumpkin Pies. They are just as delicious and perfect for the little ones!
Ingredients for Grandma’s Famous Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is a must for the holiday season! You will love my grandma’s famous pumpkin pie recipe and will use it every time! It will become a family favorite! See the recipe card for a list of exact ingredient measurements.
- Pie Crust: I use my grandma’s Perfect Pie Crust for any pie crust recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: This is how you sweeten up the pumpkin pie.
- Ground Cinnamon: This flavoring that makes it taste like fall.
- Salt: You only need to use a dash! This will enhance the flavors of all of the other ingredients!
- Ground Ginger: Flavorful spices that make this pie even more delicious!
- Ground Cloves: These give it a bolder and richer flavor that tastes like fall in a pie.
- Eggs: You don’t want to over beat the eggs, just slightly beaten together.
- Canned pumpkin: Libby’s is my favorite! Or, you can make your own using this Homemade Pumpkin Puree recipe!
- Evaporated Milk: This milk makes it rich and creamy.
- Pecans: These are always a great topping for pumpkin pie if you love a crunch!
- Whipped Cream: one of my favorite toppings!
Use Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instead of using cinnamon, ginger, and cloves separately, feel free to add prepared pumpkin pie spice to your pumpkin mixture!
Let’s Bake Grandma’s Famous Pumpkin Pie!
Your holiday season just got better with this pumpkin pie! It is a tried and true recipe that is simple to make and oh. so. delicious! My grandma knew just what to do when baking and made this pie PERFECTION every time!
- Make Pie Crust and Filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare this pie crust recipe and set aside. In a large bowl mix together sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves. Add eggs, canned pumpkin and evaporated milk. Mix until fully combined.
- Combine and Bake: Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie crust. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and then bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool, Top and Serve: Cool on wire rack for 2 hours to completely cool. Then, top with pecans and whipped cream if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Canned or Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Using fresh or canned pumpkin puree does make difference. I have found that fresh pumpkin puree does not set up as well as canned pumpkin. Because of this, I prefer canned pumpkin puree for this pie recipe. It sets up nicely and has a thick, creamy, and flavorful texture. The fresh pumpkin puree also has a different texture that is a little bit grainy and slightly lumpy even after it is pureed. If you do use homemade pumpkin puree then you will want to be sure to drain the liquid using a paper towel. Fresh pumpkin holds in extra water.
How to Make Pie Crust Leaves
You will want to first double my Grandma’s Perfect Pie Crust before making these pie crust leaves. These are so fun and easy to make on top of almost any pie. There are so many other shapes and sizes that you can use too instead of the leaves.
- Roll out dough about 1/8 of an inch thick. Using leaf cookie cutters or any other small shape, simply cut out the shapes in the dough.
- Brush each shape lightly with a beaten egg and milk mixture.
- Place onto parchment paper or greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Let cool completely before adding them to your pumpkin pie.
Baking Tips
Making a homemade crust takes an extra step but it is worth it in the end! I love how simple and delicious it is! There are so many flavors that will melt in your mouth and leave you wanting more. These tips will help you come up with the best pie this holiday season!
- Pie Crust : To make it easier, you can always use store-bought or frozen pie crust. This can save you a little bit of time! If you do make a homemade pie crust then it’s best to first bake your pie crust before adding the pumpkin pie filling.
- Using a Pie Crust Shield: Using a pie crust shield can prevent the edges of your pie crust from being over cooked and turning brown. If you do not have a pie crust shield you can simply use a foil covering on the edges instead.
- Don’t Overbake! Make sure to not over bake your pumpkin pie. It will tend to crack if you over bake it. I like to take my pumpkin pie out even if it is a little wobbly and let it finish baking as it cools. The pumpkin pie will slowly firm up leaving no cracks.
- Separation of Crust and Filling: There tends to be a little separation between the pie crust and the pie after it is baked. Don’t be alarmed this is normal and will still taste delicious!
- Toppings: Add toppings over your pie while it is still warm. Sprinkle brown sugar over top or add any nuts over top. This will give your pie a sweet and crunchy flavor.
How to Store Leftovers of Grandma’s Famous Pumpkin Pie
Day-old pumpkin pie is just as delicious as a fresh-made pumpkin pie! I love the flavors and how rich, bold and creamy this pie turns out to be. It does well fresh, refrigerated, or frozen! You can’t go wrong.
- Make Ahead and Freeze: Luckily pumpkin pie freezes well and up to 1 month. Simply make your pumpkin pie and let it cool completely. Once cooled, place in a ziplock bag or airtight container. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Make Ahead and Refrigerate: Get ahead of the holidays by preparing this pumpkin pie ahead of time. Pumpkin pie can be made about 1 to 2 days ahead of time. Once baked and cooled, completely wrap your pumpkin pie tightly with plastic wrap. Then place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This will avoid any bacteria getting in the pumpkin pie.
- Ready to Serve: When ready to serve, take your pumpkin pie out of the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or eat it a little cold immediately.
More Delicious Pie Recipes to Try
The one thing that I know that baking this pie will do is make you want to bake more pies! So, I’ve made that easy for you by picking out some of my very favorite tried and true pie recipes! They are so delicious and there are so many different kinds to choose from! You can make them for just about any occasion and they will be the talk of the party! Try one. Or try them all, they are SOO GOOD!
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Grandma’s Famous Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- Grandma’s Perfect Pie Crust Recipe
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs slightly beaten
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin or homemade puree
- 1 (12 ounce) can Evaporated Milk
- Pecans for garnish optional
- Whipped Cream optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pie crust recipe and set aside. In a large bowl mix together sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Add eggs, canned pumpkin, and evaporated milk. Mix until fully combined.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours to completely cool. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with pecans and whipped cream if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m looking for an unbaked pumpkin pie. It had a graham cracker crust, then layer of cool whip ,pecans. Then pumpkin. Spices, cool whip not sure of how much brown sugar all mixed together and poured over the layer of cool whip and pecans. Can you help me
In your recipe it doesn’t say to cook your pie crust before you add the ingredients. You mentioned it later. So I want to know how long do you pre-cook your crust. Also do you still have to start the baking at 425 F for a pre-cooked pie crust? Or do you skip the first 15 minutes and go directly to 350 F for 40 – 50 minutes. Thanks
I made the pie crust and pie. Close to my mom’s as I’ve ever gotten. I did use pumpkin pie spice , cinammon and cloves instead.
It’s a bit on the sweeter side but that’s not a bad thing. I might try and cut the sugar a bit next time.is that bad?
This was my dry run before making them for turkey day.
Thanks so much for the best recipe I’ve come across. And easy.
I guess this is pretty much a favorite of a lot of grandmothers, it’s been around for years.
Yes, this is a good pie but how is it any different than on the back label of the Libby Pure Pumpkin can?
This is the way we make it a lot of times, you should try it, it’s really good too. We like what the brown sugar and the extra spices bring to the table.
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest opt. I do use it if I have a lemon.
I oulg like to make this pumpkin pie…How much milk or cream?
I’d like to try this recipe too.. What are the cooking times? Are they also around 50 min? Any other suggestions I need for this?
Delicious and easy! Everyone in my family loved it. Thank you!
Easy peasy and yummy! 😋
thank you, always nice to see a new pumpkin pie recipe to try, but even more so a simple from scratch crust, like this one, always welcome!
It has been years since I made a pumpkin pie. But my four-year-old grandson requested that Grandma make pie with his Halloween pumpkins so he could try it. And Grandma got busy cleaning, roasting, pureeing, and freezing 18 bags of pumpkin. I found this recipe and made two pies today. It was delicious, so smooth and creamy. The pies were perfectly cooked in the recommended time. This will be my go to recipe.
On this post, you say you have to “blind bake a homemade crust” but on your Grandma’s Pie Crust recipe post, you say you don’t have to blind bake that crust. Which is accurate, if I’m using your recipe for pie crust as suggested?
It depends on the type of pie that you are making. It is best to blind bake a homemade crust if you are using fruit pies or anything that has a juicy texture in it to make sure the crust does not become soggy. I hope that helps!
We use about the same ingredients but my recipe calls for dark molasses. If u want my recipe just let me know. It makes 2 pies instead of one and I would love to share it with u. It’s a family favorite only we use a stainless steel knife to check if it’s done. Just get with me thru my e-mail and I send it to u
I would love the recipe for your pie
Looks great!! What size pie dish did you use!??? Thanks
I used a 9 inch pie dish.
Great recipe! I am diabetic and substituted 2/3 of the sugar with Splenda and it turned out GREAT!! Thanks
I used half cream and half 2% milk and Oregano instead of thyme
it was very delish.
That is great to hear! I will have to try that next time I make this pie! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Hi! I love your website! One question, I live abroad and can’t get canned pumpkin. Any idea of how I can generate an alternative. I can get real life pumpkins! Thanks 🙂
If you can’t find pumpkin, use carrots. Cook your cooked carrots, mix the exact same way you do pumpkin. Tastes like pumpkin pie, looks the same.
SWEET POTATOES WILL WORK IN A PINCH!
Bake pumpkins at 350 for 45 minutes. Slice em in half and remove seeds/guts before cooking
The pumpkin pie looks especially delicious. Can’t wait to make it. Thank you!
This pie looks so good! I will try to make your grandma’s pastry. Thanks for sharing.