My tried and true classic pumpkin pie recipe is bursting with flavor and an unbeatable creamy texture. Bake it in a simple graham cracker crust and leave the hassle of a traditional pie crust behind!
1 and ½cups(150g) graham cracker crumbs110 or 11 full sheet graham crackers
5Tablespoons(72g) unsalted buttermelted
¼cup(50g) sugargranulated or firmly packed brown
PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
115-ounce can(425g) pumpkin puréenot pie filling
½cup(100g) lightly packed light brown sugar
¼cup(50g) granulated sugar
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonground cinnamon
¼teaspoonground ginger
¼teaspoonground nutmeg
⅛teaspoonground cloves
⅛teaspoonground black pepper
2teaspoonsgrated orange zest2optional
3large eggslightly beaten
1cup(240mL) heavy cream
Instructions
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
Position a rack in the middle of the oven, then preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
Use a food processor or blender to process full graham crackers3 into a fine crumb.
Turn the processor or blender off, add the butter and sugar, then pulse a few times until everything is blended well. Alternatively, you can add the graham cracker crumbs to a bowl and mix the butter and sugar in with a large spatula. Mixture will be coarse and sandy.
Use your hands to press the mixture evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a pie dish (this will work in a 9" or 10" pan). Once it is evenly spread into the dish, use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to make the crust tight and compact in the dish. Crust will be thick.
Pre-bake the crust for for 10-12 minutes until crust is set. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling.
PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, orange zest (if using), and eggs. Whisk in the cream until everything is incorporated.
Pour the filling into the baked pie crust, place pie dish on a large baking sheet, and bake pie for 60-68 minutes. The filing is done when it jiggles just a tiny bit when the baking sheet is bumped. You may also see a circle of what looks like unbaked filling in the center. This is ok.
Turn off the oven and crack the door, allowing the pie to cool inside the warm oven for about 20 minutes. The top of the pie will most likely still crack a bit, and this is fine.
After the oven has cooled down, transfer baked pie to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. I prefer a chilled pumpkin pie, so chilling at least 4 hours (or ideally overnight) before serving is ideal. Serve with homemade whipped cream, pumpkin spice whipped cream, and sugared cranberries. Leftovers stay fresh covered tightly in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Pie can be frozen, up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a plastic zip top bag. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
Notes
Graham crackers: use any flavor you prefer– I usually buy whatever is on sale or available. I also sometimes have pre-made graham cracker crumbs on hand and will use them. If you don’t have graham crackers where you live, use 1 and ½ cups (150g) crushed digestive biscuits instead.
Orange zest: you may use fresh or jarred orange zest. I have used both.
Crush the graham crackers: you can also crush graham crackers in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin or large spoon.
Spices substitute: if you perhaps don't keep ground cloves on hand or just find it easier to use pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spicefor the ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves in the spices section of the ingredient list. You will still need to add salt, black pepper, and orange zest (if using).
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.