Classic pumpkin pie
Smooth, spiced pumpkin custard in a store-bought crust, the pie that makes any table feel like Thanksgiving, with almost no effort.
- 200 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 8
- About $0.64 a serving
- 280 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. Whatever’s left keeps for tomorrow.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 1 refrigerated pie crust, from a 2-crust box
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 1 can canned pumpkin, 15 oz
- 1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold, to serve (optional)
From your pantry
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 280 calories, 6 g protein, 39 g carbs and 12 g fat, and costs about $0.64 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Take the pie crust out of the fridge 15 minutes ahead, and the oven to 425°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 15 min
Unroll the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, ease it into the bottom and sides, and press the edge with a fork.
Dolly’s tip: Lift and drop it into the corners instead of stretching it, or it shrinks as it bakes.the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl, then whisk in the eggs and pumpkin until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Slowly in the evaporated milk until the filling is smooth and pourable.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Set the pie plate on a and pour in the filling.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Dolly’s tip: The sheet catches drips and makes a full pie easy to carry.Bake 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake 40 to 50 minutes more, until a knife slid in near the middle comes out clean.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: The very center can still wobble a little. It sets as the pie cools.Food safety: Custards, puddings and pie fillings made with eggs are done at 160°F in the middle. Without a thermometer: on the stove, cook until thick and gently bubbling; in the oven, until a knife slid in near the middle comes out clean.
Cool for 2 hours, then serve, or cover it and keep it in the fridge.
Cool on a rack. Cooling on a rack means setting a hot pan or fresh cookies on a wire grid, so air moves underneath and the bottom doesn’t steam and turn soggy. No rack? The cool grates of your stovetop work the same way.
How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan feels barely warm when you touch it, and bars cut cleanly instead of crumbling.
Timer: 120 min
Food safety: Food with mayonnaise, dairy, eggs, cooked meat or cream, like dips, salads and cream desserts, can sit out for 2 hours at most, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep cold food in the fridge or on ice until serving, and hot food at 140°F or hotter.
the cream to if you’re using it, and serve each slice with a big spoonful.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Soft peaks. Soft peaks are the stage of whipped cream where it holds a shape that slumps over at the tip. It’s light and spoonable, just right for folding into mousse or spooning onto pie.
How you’ll know: Lift the whisk: the cream forms a peak that droops over like a wave instead of standing straight.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop picks a dessert for treat night, puts what you need on the week’s grocery list, and walks you through each step.
