Pumpkin Pie (No Evaporated Milk)

A classic pumpkin pie recipe, made without canned evaporated milk, and made with a homemade all butter pie crust. The best part is you can make the pie ahead of time – perfect for the holidays!

 

Out of all the classic holiday pies, apple pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie – pumpkin pie was the one that was my least favorite. But I made the mistake one year of NOT making one.

My boyfriend, now husband, was devastated. He drove all the way home with me from Boston to upstate NY for Thanksgiving to find his favorite pie not on the table?! Don’t worry I redeemed myself and whipped up this Eggless Pumpkin Pie, (made with condensed milk) the next day (we were out of eggs after all our feasting but it did the trick!)

Because as I have learned there are just certain classic dishes you have to serve during Thanksgiving isn’t there? Like a sweet potato casserole, a green bean casserole and of course a pumpkin pie. No questions asked.

But I decided it was high time that a classic pumpkin pie recipe was on the blog and unlike traditional pumpkin pies, this recipe does not rely on evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is usually used in a pumpkin pie recipe because evaporated milk has 60% of the water removed which helps to create a thick, creamy texture without adding extra sweetness.

But if you’re like me you don’t always have a canned evaporated milk on hand. But the best part is you can substitute the canned milk for heavy cream or half and half instead. And that’s just what I did for this pie! I used heavy cream to make a rich, velvety smooth pumpkin pie (without any canned milk!)

This pie is 100% from scratch, through and through. But you can break up the steps to make this pie over a few days if you need to. In fact I recommend it!

Ingredients Needed

• Pie Crust – I used this all butter pie crust recipe, but any pie crust works.
• Brown Sugar – If you run out, try my homemade brown sugar.
• Vanilla
• Eggs – Use room temperature eggs.
• Heavy Cream
• Pumpkin Puree – Make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling which has added ingredients.
• Salt
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – Store-bought or homemade.
• Cinnamon

How To Make Pumpkin Pie

1. Make the pie crust

1. Make the crust. In a food processor, or mixing bowl combine the flour and salt.
2. Add butter pieces. Scatter butter over top. Make sure your butter is cold and cubed up so it’s easier to work in.
3. Cut in the butter. You want to incorporate the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. If using a food processor, I pulse until the piece are pea-sized. If doing this by hand, then you can rub the butter between your fingertips or use a pastry cutter.
4. Add ice cold water. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture.  If making by hand, stir dough together using a spatula, until dough sticks together. Or pulse if using the food processor. Test the dough by squeezing some together with your fingertips. If it sticks together, then do not add more water. If it does not, then add the remaining tablespoon of water.  Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

2. Blind bake the crust

For this type of pie, you want to blind bake it first, which means to partially bake the crust without any filling to it. To blind bake your crust you need something to hold down your pie crust as it bakes.  Pie weights like these are a great thing to have (but hey you can also use uncooked dry rice or beans too!).

Here a complete tutorial on how to blind bake your crust. And if you want to make the edges of your crust super pretty, here are 4 fun ways to decorate your pie crust. My favorite for this pie is to use these pie cutters. 

I recommend you bake your pie in a glass pie plate.  This will ensure you can see that the bottom of your crust is fully baked (nothing worse than a soggy bottomed crust!).

3. Make the pumpkin filling

While the pie crust is blind baking I prepare the pumpkin pie filling.

1. Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, vanilla, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, eggs, pumpkin puree, and heavy cream until smooth. Pour into the prepared pie shell. 
2. Bake the pie. Pour into the prepared pie shell. Bake at 450^oF for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350^oF and bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until the edges of the filling are set, but the center is still jiggly. You can place a pie shield (or aluminum foil) over the edges of the crust during baking if they are browning too much. Then remove and cool on a wire rack for about 4 hours to set up before serving. If you find the pie isn’t set, this means your pie is undercooked, but you can pop it back in the oven. Bake the pie for another 15 minutes at 425^oF.

How To Make This Pie Ahead Of Time

Nothing like leaving a pie to the last minute for the holidays! Talk about super stressful! I did it a few times back in the day. What was I thinking?! Making a whole Thanksgiving dinner and the pies on the actual holiday? Yea, let’s just say I didn’t enjoy that Thanksgiving very much. But I’ve learned that pies can be broken up over many days and it’s for the best (for the pie and my sanity).

• Pie Crust: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time and keep in the fridge. You can also freeze it for 3 months!
• Blind baking: This can be done up to 3 days ahead of time as kept wrapped up on your counter.
• Filling: Prepare this the night before you want to bake the pie and keep in the fridge.
• Whole Pie: I prefer to bake this the day before I plan to enjoy it so it can set up and cool properly. I also like to whip up some homemade whipped cream the day before so it’s all ready for me!

Serving Suggestions

Nothing beats a slice of pumpkin pie than with a big dollop of my easy to make Homemade whipped Cream. Just 3 ingredients is all you need! Or try my Stabilized Whipped Cream that does a great job of holding up and great for making ahead of time.

Of course pie and Vanilla Ice-cream go perfect together!

And if you want to decorate your pie even further, try making and sprinkling some Sugared Cranberries over!

Storage Instructions

Store any leftover pie at room temperature for up to 2 days or longer in the fridge covered for up to 4 days. Or freeze for when the pumpkin pie craving strikes!

Yes the pie freezes well for up to 3 months. I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. You can also freeze just the pie crust as well.

More Popular Thanksgiving Recipes To Try

When it comes to Thanksgiving I can’t just make one dessert! Are you the same? Tell me I’m not alone. So here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts to try.

Like my apple cranberry crisp made with tart, fresh cranberries and an easy oat streusel. Of course you can always make my classic apple crisp for a sure fire crowd pleaser.

Of course I can’t skip making my favorite no knead dinner rolls to serve with dinner! But if yeast has you intimidated you can always make my easy butternut squash bread to serve.

For more Thanksgiving inspiration, check out 28 Thanksgiving Recipes To Try!