Perfect Homemade Pumpkin Pie isn’t something to long for – for long! You can make it easily at home with a few helpful hints and a bit of advice from the Doughboy:
- Quickest and easiest: For the pumpkin pie crust, use Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust. For the pumpkin pie filling, use a canned, pre-mixed filling that contains the sugar, spices and milk.
- Pumpkin pie from scratch: Sure, go ahead! This is one of the easiest pies to make from scratch. Pillsbury.com has lots of versions to try. When mixing the pumpkin puree with spices, sugar and eggs, use an electric mixer to combine pumpkin pie ingredients thoroughly.
- Fresh pumpkin pie: If you want to make fresh pumpkin puree from a whole pumpkin, plan ahead to have a pumpkin on hand. They may be difficult to find if not in season, or if too late in the season. Don’t leave the whole pumpkin outside if the temperatures will drop below freezing.
- Making pumpkin pie: Bake at the recommended temperature. Don’t try to speed it up with a higher temperature or the pie may bake unevenly. Do not under bake, or your pie will be gooey instead of custard-like in the center. Check pie by placing a knife near the center of the pie; if it comes out clean, the pie is done. If it comes out with pie filling on it, bake another 10-15 minutes and check again.
- Cool as a cucumber: After removing homemade pumpkin pie from the oven, cool on a cooling rack before slicing and serving. Cooling in the refrigerator may make the filling “weep,” so allow sufficient cooling time at room temperature. After completely cooling the pie, cover with plastic wrap if serving time is not imminent so the pie doesn’t become dry and crack.
- Store in refrigerator: Leftover real pumpkin pie? Unheard of! But if you are lucky enough to have a slice or two leftover for another day, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.
- Have pie; will travel: Homemade pumpkin pie is a favorite for holiday dinners, which means you may need to pack your pie to traipse in the car. For safest transit for long travels, place your pie in a cooler that has been pre-cooled. Surround it with rolled towels to keep it from sliding or shifting, and make sure it is covered with plastic wrap to keep the pumpkin pie filling from drying out and cracking. Don’t forget the whipped cream! For shorter jaunts, place the pie in a basket with rolled towels around the pie plate base to keep it from moving.