Get ready for your taste buds to do a happy dance with our delicious Pumpkin Pie. This delightfully creamy Thanksgiving dessert has an unexpected twist on the classic pumpkin pie recipe with a delicious graham cracker crust. Pumpkin pie is always a favorite and a crowd-pleaser. The combination of warm fall pumpkin flavor and the crunch of graham crackers is irresistible.
The Perfect Harmony of Pumpkin Pie Flavors
Imagine taking a bite into a slice of velvety smooth pumpkin filling, perfectly complemented by a buttery, cinnamon-infused graham cracker crust. The combination is pure magic! The sweet and slightly nutty notes from the graham crackers add depth to every mouthful, creating an unforgettable taste experience. You'll surely won't get that from a store-bought pie!
Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
What's awesome about this homemade pumpkin pie recipe is you can go dairy-free without compromising its flavor. Just swap out the heavy cream for some plant-based whipped topping and switch butter for either vegan butter or butter-flavored coconut oil. Easy peasy!
Ingredients for Homemade Pie Crust:
- Graham cracker crumbs made from crushed cinnamon graham crackers.
- Sugar for a little extra sweetness
- Cinnamon to enhance the flavor of the graham crackers
- Your fat of choice. Butter is your best choice. If keeping it dairy-free choose butter-flavored coconut oil, plain or vegan butter.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Canned pumpkin puree. You can make your own pumpkin puree by cooking or roasting a fresh pumpkin, but the texture will change.
- Whipping Cream. Choose plant-based heavy whipping cream if you want to keep it dairy-free.
- Dark brown sugar. The choice of sugar for pumpkin pie may be up for debate, but we picked dark brown sugar for a richer molasses flavor.
- Eggs. Give structure to the filling. We have not tried this recipe using an egg replacer or flax egg. But can try our vegan pumpkin pie
- Natural vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice cinnamon, ground ginger. Nothing screams pumpkin pie like all the traditional spices.
How To Make This Easy Pumpkin Pie
You'll be happy you tried our twist on the traditional pie recipe, we are calling it the crunch factor! One bite and you'll be hooked! The golden-brown, crispy exterior formed by blending finely ground graham crackers together with melted butter creates an enticing contrast against the creamy pumpkin filling. Each forkful offers both silky smoothness and satisfying crunchiness – it's truly heavenly!
Make sure you leave yourself enough time to make this pumpkin pie recipe. It needs time to set.
You should first decide if you would like to make 6 individual mini pumpkin pies or one large one. Make the luscious crust following our easy instructions below. Blind bake for 10 minutes and make the pumpkin pie filling. Fill the pies, bake them, let them cool and then let them set in the refrigerator. And the most important part leave room for dessert after dinner!
Garnish the pumpkin pie with dollops of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon and grated nutmeg for a beautiful presentation.
Fresh Pumpkin vs Canned For Pumpkin Pie
Fresh Pumpkin:
Pros:
- Flavor Potential: Fresh pumpkin can offer a more nuanced and authentic flavor profile, allowing the natural sweetness and earthiness to shine through.
- Texture Control: When preparing fresh pumpkin puree, you have control over the texture, potentially resulting in a smoother or chunkier consistency according to your preference.
- Ingredient Purity: When using fresh pumpkin you know that is 100% pumpkin with no hidden ingredients.
Cons:
- Labor-Intensive: Preparing fresh pumpkin puree is time-consuming. Requires more time and effort to either roast or use a pressure cooker to cook the pumpkin and then you'll need to peel, and seed before pureeing.
- Seasonal Availability: Fresh pumpkins are seasonal and usually available in the fall and winter only.
- Consistency Challenges: Achieving a consistent flavor and texture with fresh pumpkins can be challenging due to natural variations in pumpkin varieties.
Canned Pumpkin:
Pros:
- Convenience: Canned pumpkin provides a convenient and time-saving alternative, eliminating the need for extensive preparation and cooking.
- Consistent Quality: Canned pumpkin offers a consistent flavor and texture, ensuring a reliable outcome for your pumpkin pie every time.
- Year-Round Availability: Canned pumpkin is readily available throughout the year, allowing you to satisfy your pumpkin pie cravings regardless of the season.
Cons:
- Additives: Some canned pumpkin products may contain additives or preservatives to prolong shelf life, affecting the purity of the ingredients.
- Uniform Flavor: The flavor of canned pumpkin may lack the nuanced freshness and depth that can be achieved with freshly prepared pumpkin.
- Limited Texture Control: Canned pumpkin may have a more uniform texture, limiting the ability to customize the pie filling according to individual preferences.
Other Sweet Pumpkin Recipes You May Enjoy
- Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Mousse
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Scones
- Warm Pumpkin Cocktail
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Chia Pudding
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Pumpkin Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices. or 6 tarts 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Get ready for your taste buds to do a happy dance with our delicious Pumpkin Pie. This delightfully creamy Thanksgiving dessert has an unexpected twist on the classic pumpkin pie recipe with a delicious graham cracker crust. Pumpkin pie is always a favorite and a crowd-pleaser. The combination of warm fall pumpkin flavor and the crunch of graham crackers is irresistible.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12-14 crackers, depending on the size)
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp butter-flavored coconut oil (you can also use plain refined coconut oil or vegan butter), melted or regular butter, if you don't need the pie to be dairy-free.
Custard:
- 15oz canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup plant-based heavy whipping cream, plus a little extra for garnish (garnish is optional) or regular heavy cream.
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF
- To prepare the crust, place the graham cracker crumbs in a food processor ( if you don't have pre-made crumbs, place the crackers in the food processor and pulse until you have thin crumbs). Add the sugar and cinnamon and pulse a few more times. Add the melted coconut oil or butter and pulse a few more times, until all the crumbs are coated
- Transfer the the crust mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, or 6 4-inch tartlet pans with a removable bottom ( if you're using tartlets, use approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture per tart). Press as evenly as possible and place the tart pan(s) on a large baking sheet. Bake at 375ºF for about 10 minutes, remove from the oven, and let cool slightly. Decrease the oven temperature to 325ºF
- In the meantime, prepare the pumpkin pie filling custard. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well, until combined. Ladle the mixture onto the cooled tart(s), filling them to the top (SEE NOTE)
- Bake at 325F for 50-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. To unmold the tart(s), gently run a paring knife along the sides and carefully lift the tart(s).
- If using garnish, whip the cream with confectioner's sugar (to taste) and a splash of vanilla extract
- 325F 50-55 minutes
Notes
- If you have leftover custard mixture, divide and pour it into small ramekins and bake it along with the tarts
- The best plant-based whipping cream we've found is made by Country Crock.
- Calories are based on using butter and whipping cream. Calories will be the same, but nutritional information such as cholesterol changes with the dairy-free option.
- You can freeze pumpkin pie if you want to make it ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
- To prevent cracks bake the time mentioned in the recipe and let it cool at room temperature before refrigerating.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 55
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 338
- Sugar: 21.4 g
- Sodium: 132.8 mg
- Fat: 20.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.6 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 4.6 g
- Cholesterol: 95.4 mg
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