Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe w/ Secret Ingredient

This is the best foolproof pumpkin pie recipe with NO cracks and a delicious, creamy custard center made from REAL PUMPKIN!

angled shot of slice of pie topped with whipped cream on plate

Why You’ll Love This Easy Pumpkin Pie

A creamy, spiced filling in a flaky pie crust that is full of fall flavor- what’s not to love!

Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner – This delicious pumpkin pie will be the star of your Thanksgiving dessert table. And no one will know it was the easiest pie to make!
Secret ingredient – There’s a secret ingredient that ups the creaminess flavor while adding a slight tang to balance out the sweetness.
Traditional – Although easy and using a shortcut with store-bought crusts, this is a traditional pumpkin pie that everyone will love.

angled shot of two slices of pie on plate

Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

Now onto this pie. My easy pie recipe is pretty standard with simple ingredients, but with one secret ingredient!

Sugar – Pumpkin on it’s own is not sweet at all, so we need regular granulated sugar for the sweet element of this perfect pumpkin pie recipe.
Pumpkin pie spice – Generally speaking, pumpkin pie spice contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. Fragrant and delicious, you’ll find nearly every food item, and even some non-food items, all the sudden become pumpkin pie flavored.
Kosher salt – Or any other coarse salt. If you use a fine salt, cut volume in half because all salts are not the same.
Pumpkin puree – Make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling. Filling is already mixed with spices and will be too sweet. You can also make homemade pumpkin puree.
Evaporated milk – This helps to give the filling recipe a creamy texture. I prefer using this instead of heavy cream.
Eggs – When baking, I always prefer to use room temperature eggs. They mix into the batter better and get a better rise.
Vanilla extract – If you’ve never tried making your own, you should!
Sour cream – Sour cream amps the creaminess factor and adds a bit of acidity that helps bring out the natural flavors and balance the sugar.
Deep dish pie crust – A store-bought pie crust is one of my holiday hacks! Saves so much time in the kitchen for other things. Make sure to get a deep dish crust and use a deep dish pie plate. And if you really want to get fancy, one my contributors shared this easy homemade pie crust recipe.

How to Make Easy Pumpkin Pie

You are going to love how easy it is to make this homemade pumpkin pie recipe for the upcoming holiday season.

Make pie filling. To start, you will combine sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt and pumpkin puree in a large bowl. Add evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Mix until just combined. It will be liquidy.
Pour into crust and bake. Pour into pie crust, but be careful not to overfill. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake. After that, reduce the oven temperature and bake again.
Cool. Allow the pie to cool in the oven with the door cracked. After it’s completely cooled, cover the pie and refrigerate for at least a couple hours.

evaporated milk poured into pumpkin pie filling

Pro Tip:

Place your pie on a baking sheet. It makes it easier to transport your pie pans from in and out the oven and also catches any pumpkin pie filling that might bubble over.

How to Serve this Classic Pumpkin Pie

You could serve this pie with anything you’d like, but whipped cream is probably the most standard adornment of a slice of pie.

You could also feel free to make it a la mode and add a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

bag piping whipped cream on slice of pie

overhead shot of slice of easy pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream

Variations

It’s hard to change a recipe up too much when baking, but here are a few ways to make this easy pumpkin pie your own.

Evaporated milk – If you don’t have evaporated milk, use half and half. Make sure you aren’t using sweetened condensed milk, as that already has sugar and evaporated milk does not.
Pumpkin puree – If you prefer to make homemade pumpkin puree from a fresh pumpkin, you can certainly use that instead of the canned variety. This recipe is very forgiving, so you can use anything between 1 3/4 – 2 cups of pumpkin puree.
Pie crust – If you prefer making your own pie dough, be my guest! A traditional butter pie crust will make the perfect pie. You can use a traditional shortbread crust, graham cracker or even gingersnap

Pumpkin Pie Tips

While this recipe is super easy to follow, here are some tips to ensure you make the best pumpkin pie recipe every time.

Pumpkin purée. Most recipes call for a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree. This is technically 1.8 cups in case you are making your own or measuring it out of a larger can.
Pumpkin spice. If you are one of those pumpkin pie spice obsessed folks (those of you smiling at your computer screen right now know who you are….) then add an additional 1 teaspoon of spice to your mix. Apple pie spices also work but won’t be as heavy on the cloves.
Pie shells. Use a deep dish pie crust, however even if they are all technically a 9-inch deep dish pie crust, they might not all have the same volume. Don’t fill your pie shell to the very brim. It will inevitably bubble over and the sugar will burn. Place your pie on a baking sheet to prevent burning if it does boil over and also to make it easy to get it in and out of the oven.
Pumpkin pie filling. This recipe calls for pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices. If you are using a pumpkin pie filling, then you just need to pop open the can, fill the crust and bake. There should be instructions on the can.
Crust savers. Crust savers don’t work so well on custard pies because they can mar the delicate filling. Same with a loose piece of aluminum foil tented over the top. If you care more about taste and less about aesthetics, then go ahead use either of these and then frost it to cover up any blemishes.
Prevent cracking. The most common issue with baking a pumpkin pie is how to prevent the filling from cracking. The main ways to prevent this are to cook at a lower temperature and on the lower half of the oven. The lower portion of the oven is hotter and also has the most consistent temperature.

overhead shot of two slices of pie on a plate

overhead shot of slice of pie on a blue plate

How to Prevent Cracks in Pumpkin Pie (or any custard pie):

Overcooked. The number one reason you’ll experience a crack in your pie is because it’s overcooked. Heat dries it out, pulls it apart and results in a cracked pie.

Remove your pie right before the center stops jiggling. Overcooking is no joke. The residual heat will continue to cook the center after you’ve started the cooling process… see step #2.
Cooling too fast. Custards in particular are finicky and need to cooler slowly. Forget the image of an apple pie in the window.

Instead, leave your pie in the oven, turned off, with the door cracked. The temperature will reduce fairly quick as to not further cook your pie, but not create such a drastic difference as moving it from a hot oven to cold counter.
Recipe. This one seems silly, but use a GOOD recipe for pumpkin pie (like this one!). A crappy recipe won’t have the right ratios of eggs and other ingredients to cook or set properly.
Oven Temp. Check your oven temperature. While no oven maintains the perfect temperature all the time for the entire bake, you need it to at least be in the vicinity and be consistent. Some bakers will also rotate their pies to avoid cold and hot spots.
Oven Positioning. Bake the pie in the lower third of the oven. The bottom is where heat is coming from and also stays the most consistent with temperature. It gives you the best chance of having a perfectly browned bottom with a cooked custard filling.

overhead shot of slice taken out of easy pumpkin pie

Help! My Pie Cracked!

You might also be reading this because you’ve already cracked your pie. No worries! Let’s first discuss the magnitude of the issue. Are we talking fine lines or the grand canyon? Here are some ways to improve your cracks.

Smooth It Out. If the cracks are small and thin, you can wet a small paint brush or your finger and gently smooth them out. Use a handheld butane lighter to quickly brown those parts so no one knows any work has been done.
Cover It Up. This works for deeper and larger cracks. Simply act like you meant to prepare a frosting pumpkin pie, or whatever custard variety of pie you were aiming for.

Blend 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt with 1/2 cup of whipped cream and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Right before serving, slather it on, and ta-da, a beautiful, picture perfect pie!

Storage and Freezing

Storage: Since this pie is a custard, it must be refrigerated after baking. It will stay for up to five days covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Freezing: You can freeze your pumpkin pie! Freeze it by the slice so you can just pull one out when the mood strikes.

fork digging into slice of easy pumpkin pie

bite taken out of slice of easy pumpkin pie

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the center of my pumpkin pie fall?

Chances are that it cooled too quickly. To prevent this from happening, cool your pie in the oven so the temperature change isn’t as drastic. Crack the oven door and cool for 1 hour.

If it has already happened, you can frost your pie with a spiced whipped cream frosting to hide the issue.

My filling is pretty liquidy, is that right?

Custard pie filling start pretty liquidy. As the eggs coagulate, it will set and solidify.

How long does pumpkin pie last?

I would say it is best eaten within 24 hours, but will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I eat pumpkin pie hot?

That is up to you! Most custard pies are eaten room temperature or chilled, but if you prefer it hot, give it a quick zap in the microwave.

More Holiday Pies

We all know I am a lazy baker, so these easy pie recipes are sure to be fairly simple, but also amazingly delicious.

Pastries, Pies, + Tarts