Super Easy and Part Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is most pumpkin pie filling made of? ›

Store-bought pumpkin pie mix (sometimes labeled "pumpkin pie filling") is a shortcut for making homemade pumpkin pie. It contains puréed pumpkin plus added spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. It also contains sugar and other chemical additives.

Ingredients - Pumpkin puree made from scratch contains only pumpkin, but canned puree may contain a preservative like salt. Pumpkin pie filling contains additional ingredients like sugar, spices, and thickeners. Flavor - Pure pumpkin puree has a slightly sweet, earthy taste.

Start with the right variety of pumpkins, sugar pumpkins. Large pumpkins that we traditionally think of as jack-o-lanterns aren't ideal for pie as they are very stringy and have a lot of seeds. There really isn't very much “meat” to the larger pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins, also known as pie pumpkins, are sweeter.

Think of it this way: poor pie dough wouldn't stand a chance (aka be a soggy mess) with a custard filling if we don't give it a head start. Hence why we pre-bake, because custard pies are too delicious to have soggy bottoms. Custard pies = pumpkin pies.

Although they both come in cans and the packaging looks almost identical, they can't be used interchangeably. Pumpkin puree doesn't have anything added to it, but pumpkin pie filling comes with pumpkin spice and sugar already mixed in.

Pumpkin puree can be labeled as 100% pure pumpkin, pumpkin puree, solid pack pumpkin, or simply "pumpkin." Regardless of what it's called, one thing pumpkin puree won't contain is any sort of seasonings or sugar—it's just cooked and mashed squash.

Is it possible to substitute a can of pumpkin for homemade puree when using it in baking, such as for pies or breads? Absolutely. Just be sure you have a can of pure pumpkin and not a can marked “pumpkin pie filling." Most people use canned pumpkin in most recipes. I have been making pumpkin bread for over 50 years.

It's thicker, fresher, and sweeter tasting than canned. I used homemade pumpkin puree when baking pumpkin bread this weekend. The pumpkin was so sweet tasting that I was able to reduce the sugar in the recipe by one third.

Organic pumpkin pie mix is made with the freshest pumpkin that's infused with sugar and spices for the perfect pie. Our pumpkin is certified organic, non-GMO verified, gluten-free, grown in the USA and available in BPA-Free lined packaging.

When shopping for pumpkins, look for the ones usually generically labeled “sugar pumpkins” or “pie pumpkins.” Some specific names are Baby Pam, Autumn Gold, Ghost Rider, New England Pie Pumpkin, Lumina (which are white), Cinderella, and Fairy Tale.

What are 2 types of pumpkins perfect for pies? ›

Pumpkin Varieties for Cooking

Flesh of carving pumpkins are generally stringy, watery and bland, but can be used for making pies. The best varieties for making pumpkin pies are Baby Bear, Cinderella, Jarrahdale and Fairytale.

Cinderella pumpkins, also known as Rouge Vif d'Étampes, are a similar shape to fairytale pumpkins, but they have a bright red-orange color as opposed to the orange-brown of a fairytale. Additionally, Cinderella are less flavorful and more watery, making them less suited for baking.

Often, blind-baking solves this problem. If you're making a single crust custard-filled pie, like a pumpkin pie, bake the pie dough first before adding filling to allow some of the moisture in the crust to evaporate. You can also totally blind-bake fruit pies.

Refrigeration is the secret to a more flavorsome pie

As your bowl of pumpkin pie filling sits in the fridge overnight, it allows time for the spices to undergo blooming.

Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.

Pumpkin purée is simply cooked and mashed pumpkin.

Pumpkin purée can be homemade with whole pumpkin or canned and sold in grocery stores. Canned pumpkin purée that says “100% pumpkin” on the label may also contain one or more types of winter squash, like butternut, Hubbard, Boston Marrow, and Golden Delicious.

Usually pumpkin, or a very similarly flavored gourd, milk, eggs, spices and sugar. The gourd ( pumpkin is a particular species of gourd) is peeled, deseeded, and cooked, then ground or processed in a food processor until smooth.

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin is made with only one ingredient⏤pumpkin. There are no fillers or preservatives. Does this canned pumpkin contain sugar and spices? No.