Our 31 Best Pumpkin Pie Recipes for Traditionalists and Rule Breakers
Looking for the best pumpkin pie recipe? You've come to the right place. Classically seasoned with the warm spices of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger—and occasionally a touch of allspice—pumpkin pie is the iconic Thanksgiving dessert. But you don't have to go classic. Below you'll find 31 pumpkin pie and pumpkin-pie-adjacent recipes to suit whatever your Thanksgiving vibe. There are pies with flaky, buttery pie crusts and custardy fillings that strike just the right balance of sweetness and spice, pies that play fast-and-loose with the pumpkin name (relying on butternut or kabocha squash for a change in flavor), elegant tarts that would impress anyone, and assorted pumpkin cheesecake mash-ups, each begging to become your go-to holiday dessert.
Making pumpkin pie (not to mention pie crust) from scratch can be intimidating, especially when you have a large Thanksgiving dinner to cook. To help you make the best pumpkin pie ever, we’ve got tips and tricks like how to prevent your pie from cracking, how to blind bake a pie crust, and everything else you need to know about baking pies for Thanksgiving. These desserts range from simple and straightforward to elaborate and elegant, but with this guide we’re confident you’ll be able to make any of these stellar pumpkin pie recipes.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine1/31Classic Pumpkin Pie
This classic version of pumpkin pie comes from Gourmet magazine. The filling keeps it simple, lightly spiced with one teaspoon ground cinnamon and one teaspoon ground ginger. Because of its simplicity, it's important to use the best canned pumpkin. Here at Epicurious, we're devotees of Libby's. If it's your first time making a homemade pumpkin pie, this recipe is a great place to start.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Pearl Jones3/31Marbled Pumpkin-Maple Cheesecake Bars
Sometimes the best pumpkin pie recipe isn’t a pie at all—it’s a cheesecake bar! The crust for these pumpkin-swirled bites couldn't be easier: blitz graham crackers, melted butter, salt, and sugar in a food processor, then simply press it into a sheet pan. To avoid lumps, be sure all of your custard ingredient are at room temperature before you start mixing.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne4/31Vegan Pumpkin Pie
This pie gets its creamy texture from silken tofu and—thanks to a full tablespoon of vanilla extract—is deeply aromatic. Though premade vegan crusts are available in stores, nothing beats a homemade pie crust. Don’t skip the teaspoon salt to ensure your pie crust is as flavorful as it can be. For the best texture, refrigerate the dough before rolling.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson5/31Pumpkin Cheesecake With Bourbon–Sour Cream Topping
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi6/31Bourbon Pumpkin Pie
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Laura Rege7/31White Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou8/31Pecan-Rye Pumpkin Pie
Can't choose between pecan and pumpkin pie? This Thanksgiving dessert is the best of both worlds. It has a flavorful rye-flour crust, a whiskey-spiked and spiced pumpkin filling, and a topping of crunchy candied pecans.
Photo by Chris Court9/31Brûléed Bourbon-Maple Pumpkin Pie
With the help of a food processor, this chocolate pie crust comes together in no time at all. The pumpkin filling is subtly spiked with bourbon and gets its luscious texture from three large eggs, sour cream, and heavy cream. After the pie bakes, allow it to cool on a wire rack—then top it with brown sugar and brûlée it for an impressive Thanksgiving dessert.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell10/31Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie
Browned butter and caramelized honey make this pumpkin pie truly unique. The filling is expertly spiced and a high ratio of eggs means it sets into a beautiful custard that has just enough jiggle. You'll want to pre-bake your unbaked pie shell—to prevent shrinkage, use pie weights or dried beans when blind baking (and remember, crumpled parchment paper is your friend).
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks11/31Spiced Pavlova With Pumpkin Mousse
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini12/31Pumpkin Icebox Pie With Snickerdoodle Crust
Instead of a traditional pie crust recipe, this dessert calls for pressing cinnamon-sugar coated snickerdoodle cookie dough into a pie pan. It's a fun, whimsical take on classic pumpkin pie. And, although there's no evaporated milk in the pie filling, it's plenty creamy thanks to both cream cheese and heavy cream.
Photo by David Cicconi, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone13/31Spiced Kabocha Squash Pie With Pumpkin-Seed Crumble
This aromatic alternative to pumpkin pie calls for fresh kabocha squash and is topped with a crunchy pepita crumble. Cook your squash on a baking sheet, then blitz it in a blender with molasses, egg yolks, light brown sugar, heavy cream, and our favorite pumpkin pie spices.
