Pumpkin Pie, made from scratch.
Follow easy step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for making our Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie recipe, from scratch. We’re using fresh pumpkin, and a homemade pie crust for this slightly sweet dessert. A little Ground Ginger is the only spice ingredient in our pie, so you can enjoy the fresh taste of pumpkin in every bite. Printable recipe included.
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Pumpkin Pie Recipe, made from scratch, including fresh pumpkin.
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I recently posted a recipe for Sweet Potato Pie here on Taste of Southern, and asked whether you thought they both tasted alike or not. I’ve always felt like they did… until I baked this one. So, what makes it different? I think it’s the fact that the only spice ingredient we’re using is Ginger. It’s from an old recipe and a time when things were much simpler. Years back, Grandma, or even my mom, didn’t have all of the spices and things that fill our cabinets today. Either they weren’t readily available, or mostly, they just couldn’t afford to purchase them. If they weren’t able to grow it, they just did without.
Today, you’ll find most Sweet Potato and/or Pumpkin Pie recipes filled with a variety of spices, and I think that’s one thing that gives that sameness in taste. I could be wrong though, I’ve been wrong before… sometimes. Why, you can even buy Pumpkin Pie Spice in the store these days. I saw it, I looked at it, I consider buying it. But, I already have Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Allspice, so why did I need it? I decided I didn’t.
As for the pumpkin, you can buy that already in a can, ready to pour into a pie crust and bake it. A ready made pie crust… from the store… on top of that. What would our Great Grandparents think about all that? Why they’d be “turning over in their…,” well, never mind, I’m just over exaggerating the whole point.
I really like this Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Recipe and I hope that you will too. If you try it that is.
A few days ago, my brother and I stopped at the Farmers Market over in Greensboro to do a little browsing. It was windy, getting cooler, and raining. There were only a few vendors on the outside, but we headed inside where the weather was a bit better. Several places had pumpkins and I looked at the Sugar Pumpkins really good before deciding on this Cheese Pumpkin. It’s called that because of its name and not because it has any cheese type of flavor. It’s suppose to look like a “wheel” of cheese in shape. After a few days of seeing it sit on the kitchen counter, I finally broke down last night and baked a pie.
Baking Pumpkin Pie from scratch is pretty easy. Yes, it takes a few more steps and a little more time to complete, but you’ll always be able to say, “I made it myself.” I’m sure it will be the hit of the dessert table for your Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, or any other time you decide to make it. You might even rush back out and buy a few more pumpkins so you can freeze the filling for use later in the year when we can’t find fresh pumpkins. It’s a thought.
Just be careful cutting the pumpkin. This one was plenty tough but I came through it without any damages. It takes about 30 minutes to bake the pumpkin before you can scrape it out and start building your pie. As for the pie crust, I’ve got a Basic Pie Crust Recipe that you could even make ahead of time and have ready when you start working on your pie.
So, if you’re all set to bake Pumpkin Pie from scratch, Let’s Get Cooking!
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Pumpkin Pie: You’ll need these ingredients.
We’re using our homemade Basic Pie Crust recipe to make our crust. You could certainly use a prepared crust if you would like, but we hope you’ll go all out and make this one with us from scratch. I’m using a Cheese Pumpkin, but a good Sugar Pumpkin would be about the same. They call it a Cheese Pumpkin because of it’s shape, it’s suppose to look similar to a wheel of cheese.
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Let’s begin by giving the Pumpkin a quick rinse under some cold running water. Remove any dirt, and of course all those hand prints from where it’s been handled so much along the way.
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Pat it dry with a couple of folded paper towels.
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BE VERY CAREFUL: You’ll need a large, sharp knife, to cut the pumpkin in half. I just put the camera down so as not to risk any finger loss or damage on this one. Pumpkins are pretty tough to cut, and you just need to be very careful when cutting it.
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You should consider saving the seeds. They can be toasted in the oven later, or maybe you can grow your own pumpkin next year.
I think you’ll find it easier to separate the seeds from the stringy pulp if you’ll remove the seeds first. Just reach in and slide the seeds out with your fingers. It will take a little work, but I find this way easier than just digging everything out at once and trying to separate the seeds later. The seeds are attached to the pulp and the pulp stays inside while the seeds come out pretty clean.
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Dig deep and get out as many seeds as possible.
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Place the seeds in a small bowl and just set them aside for now. Later, you can rinse them off in a colander to remove any remaining pulp that might be on them. They came out pretty clean though… don’t you think?
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Take a large spoon and start scraping out the remaining pulp. You should be able to tell where the stringy pulp ends and the meat of the pumpkin begins pretty easily. Clean it out good.
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Here’s one half, all cleaned and ready for the oven.
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You’ll probably feel like you’ve scraped away half of the pumpkin, and you’d be about right. This is what I had after cleaning out both halves of my cheese pumpkin.
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It’s just a bunch of stringy stuff that you don’t want in your pie. Just discard it.
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Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spray or rub a thin coat of oil over the surface.
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Place the two halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Place these in the oven and bake at 400º for 35-40 minutes or until fork tender.
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Bake the pumpkin until the skin pierces easily with a fork.
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When its done, you should be able to easily poke a fork through the outer skin. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
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When the pumpkin has cooled enough to where you can handle it, grab a spoon and scoop out the insides.
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Scoop out just the good stuff. Get as much as you can, but don’t scrape the lighter looking layer right next to the skin.
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This is what I had left after scraping out both halves. Is it enough?
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Depending on the size of your pumpkin, you may get more or less than you actually need to make the pie. Mine just happened to measure out almost exactly at two cups. If you have leftovers, freeze it for use later.
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Place the pumpkin back in a large mixing bowl. If you have one, a potato masher works great to mash up the pumpkin. A fork will also work, so use what you have available. Just mash it up really good. You could certainly put it in a food processor and puree it, but why mess up something else you’re just going to have to wash later? Keep it rustic.
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Add the Granulated Sugar.
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Add the Evaporated Milk.
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Add the Salt.
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Add the Ground Ginger.
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Add the melted butter.
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Stir this up really well. You might also want to taste it at this point. You could add a bit more sugar, or ginger, if you thought it needed it. Just go easy, the flavors haven’t fully melded together yet.
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Crack open the two eggs into a small bowl. It’s best to crack the eggs into a separate bowl so you can be certain none of the egg shell falls into your filling.
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Slightly beat the eggs with a fork.
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Add the eggs into the filling mixture.
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Stir this up really good and make sure you’ve worked the eggs and butter into the filling. Don’t worry if you have a few lumps in the filling. This just makes it that more “old fashioned.” It’ll come out fine once it’s baked. Set this aside while you get the pie crust ready.
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Be sure to butter up your pie plate really good before you add the dough. You wouldn’t like to know what happens if you forget to do this.
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Prepare your crust for the filling. You can always follow our step-by-step recipe for making a Basic Pie Crust by clicking: HERE
I sprinkled just a bit of extra flour inside the crust before adding the filling. It’s a good idea to place the pie pan on a baking sheet while it’s in the oven. In case anything were to bubble over, it stays in the pan and doesn’t end up on the bottom of your oven.
Place your oven rack on it’s lowest level for pie baking. Pull the rack out a bit and then sit the baking sheet and crust on the rack. It will be easier to pour the filling into the pie plate this way and you will not have to worry about spilling the pie as you move it from your counter to the oven.
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I needed the picture, so I’m doing it the hard way… on the counter top. Just pour the filling into the prepared crust.
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I used ALL of the filling I had made, and filled it up right to the lip on the crust.
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PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS STEP: Start the pie out at 400ºF and let it bake ONLY at this temperature for 10 minutes. Then, REDUCE the heat back to 350ºF and let the pie bake another 35-40 minutes, or until done.
Test the pie to be sure it’s done by inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of the pie. If the toothpick pulls out dry and clean, the pie is done. If you see some crumbs sticking to the toothpick, or if it appears to still be wet, bake the pie a few minutes longer.
If the edges of the pie are getting too brown, you can fold a couple of pieces of aluminum foil around the edges to prevent the crust from burning.
When the pie is done, remove it from the oven and sit it on a wire rack or folded towel to cool.
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Enjoy!
You’ll enjoy this better if you can let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Serve it cool with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
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Pumpkin Pie, made from scratch
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 - Slices 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow easy step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for making our Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie recipe, from scratch. We’re using fresh pumpkin and a homemade pie crust for this slightly sweet dessert. A little Ground Ginger is the only spice ingredient in our pie so you can enjoy the fresh taste of pumpkin in every bite.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cheese Pumpkin, or Sugar Pumpkin, baked and mashed.
- 1 prepared Pie Crust
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Evaporated Milk
- ½ stick Butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400º.
- Rinse the outside of the pumpkin under cool running water, pat dry.
- Carefully slice the pumpkin in half. You’ll need a sharp knife, it’s tough.
- Slip your fingers under the seeds, lift up, and remove seeds. Do not discard.
- Scoop out any remaining membrane and strings.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a coat of oil.
- Place pumpkin halves on foil, split side down.
- Bake at 400º for 35-40 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven, let cool.
- Using a large spoon, scoop out the insides of the pumpkin and place in a large mixing bowl.
Prepare the Pumpkin Pie.
- Using a potato masher, or fork, mash the pumpkin until it’s as smooth as possible.
- Add sugar.
- Add evaporated milk.
- Add salt.
- Add ground ginger.
- Add melted butter.
- Use a fork and mix this all together really good.
- Break eggs into a small bowl, then add them to the filling.
- Again, with a fork, mix this together until the eggs and butter are well incorporated.
- Butter your pie plate really well, and place the prepared crust in the dish.
- Place the pie crust dish on a baking sheet.
- Pour filling into prepared pie crust, letting it spread out evenly.
Bake at 400º for 10 minutes ONLY.
- REDUCE HEAT to 350ºF and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out dry.
- If crust edges begin to brown or burn, cover with strips of aluminum foil until the pie is fully baked.
- Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and let cool.
- Enjoy!
Notes
You could certainly use a ready made crust, but I hope you’ll check out my Basic Pie Crust recipe and make your own. You can do it.
Keywords: Pumpkin Pie Recipe, made from scratch, old fashioned, southern pumpkin pie, southern recipes
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Your Comments: Have you ever made an entire Pumpkin Pie from scratch? How did it turn out for you? Are you like me, and think Pumpkin Pie and Sweet Potato Pie taste pretty much the same? I’d love to hear your comments on our recipe, or perhaps you’d like to share a memory about eating Pumpkin Pie from days gone by. It will only take you a minute or two to share your thoughts. Just remember, all Comments are moderated, which just means I read each and every one of them before they are approved for posting on our family friendly website. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.
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Be Blessed!!!
Steve
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Category: Desserts
This looks oh so delicious. I have a pumpkin sitting on my counter right now and I want to start baking pies for Thanksgiving. Can I freeze this recipe when it is done?
Hi Jackie, You can freeze this either way. Prepare the filling, then freeze it for use later to add to your pie crust. Just be sure to let it thaw out in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to use it. It’s better to thaw it out in the fridge than let it sit out on the counter. You could also bake the pie, let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in clear plastic wrap. Wrap it again in a layer of aluminum foil to protect it even more. But again, you would want to let it thaw out in the fridge overnight as opposed to letting it sit on the counter. You could heat slices up in the microwave if you prefer. If you’re going to freeze the whole pie, I suggest you use those disposable aluminum pie pans as opposed to a glass pie plate. The thinner pans will help it to freeze better. Just an idea. Thank you for the question. I do hope you enjoy the recipe. I appreciate your visit today and I hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I can’t wait to try this recipe!I have been looking off and on forever for one that sounds like the one my grandmother used way back in the day. She loved her wood stove, when they bought her a little electric stove she just used it to keep things warm sometimes. I just remember she put a little sugar glaze on her pies.
Thanks again – Jim
Love your recipe, most do not call for clove which gives it a better taste. Everyone always loved my mom’s pumpkin pies and she always added cloves. I made this from a large pumpkin i had used for stuffed pumpkin and the pumpkin did not get all the way done so I brought it back home after all the stuffing was eaten and cooked it a little longer then pureed it in the blender and made pies. Needless to say, they were a huge hit.
Hi Paty, Thank you for trying our Pumpkin Pie recipe. I’m glad it turned out well for you. I don’t think I’ve ever had “stuffed pumpkin.” Sounds interesting. I do appreciate your visits and hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi. My mom used to bake my children’s Halloween pumpkin which looked really weird coming out of the oven and then we would make pie!
So later on my husband and I bought pumpkin to make pie and freeze so your great recipe brings up some great memories. One year he had been traveling a lot and wanted a simple at home quiet Thanksgiving and we ended up processing pumpkin all morning! One more note this past week he had heard me talking about some great pumpkin soup I had in Seattle while visiting family so he decided to make sweet potato soup. Surprisingly it was delicious. If you have a pumpkin soup recipe you like. I’d love to know it! Best to you this Holiday!
Hello Mr.Gordon,
I must tell you that your pumpkin pie recipe was absolutely scrumptious! My son suffers from Ulcerative Colitis and I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so we’re always looking for wholesome recipes that won’t harm our bodies. He loved it! My family also loved it. I made 2 pies for my 1st Thanksgiving dinner last year… I appreciate the simplicity of the recipe and how ginger was the only spice. Not allowing the pumpkin to be over powered…Please keep sharing your amazing recipes.
Sincerely,
Isabel Bardina and family
Hi Isabel, Thank You for the very nice note regarding the Pumpkin Pie recipe. I’m thankful you found it and decided to give it a try. I’m very happy to hear that all the family enjoyed it, and I do hope you’ll try some of our other recipes.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your comments. Perhaps it will encourage someone else to give it a try. I’ll be looking forward to you stopping by for another visit with us… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hello again Steve, Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings to you and yours! I wrote to you back in 2014 praising your classic down home Southern pumpkin pie recipe. I must thank you again for sharing the love, because in my opinion sharing family recipes especially originating from mother or grandmother is a precious thing! Over here in The Bronx New York my family and I thank you very much! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance!
Thanks a bunch for the recipe. I was in the same situation Steve looking at this great big ole pumpkin my wife and three daughters picked from the farm near Pungo Vabch VA since Thanksgiving and was not sure what to do with it. So, I asked my 13 year old if she thinks it was still any good and should I toss it? Being the practical genius I thinks she is, she told me to cut it open and check it first. Happily we saw that it was in perfect condition as though it was being preserved(learned something new today about picked pumpkin)so we both said ” lets bake it”. This is where I figured “why not get some more expert advice online from whom I have confidence in making pumpkin pie from scratch”. I figured the South knows best about it and there you go so thanks bud.
Hi Dave, I hope that pie turned out great for you and the 13 year old. Sounds like you have a smart cook coming up in the family. I’m thankful you found our recipe and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your story. Keep up the great work.
I hope you’ll try some of our other recipes and that you will visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve