A staple of many Thanksgiving tables, the Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe is a classic. It uses canned pure pumpkin puree and canned evaporated milk for creamy, consistent filling. It's quicker and easier than making homemade pumpkin puree for your pumpkin pie. The filling is lightly sweetened and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. We use a flaky all-butter crust, which complements the sweet, spiced flavor of the pumpkin filling.
Once you try this straightforward from-scratch recipe, it’s sure to become your go-to and a family tradition you'll bake every year. Serve it with whipped cream on top or on the side.
28 Pumpkin Dessert Recipes, Including Everything from Pies to Cheesecake
Use Pure Pumpkin Puree (Not Pumpkin Pie Filling)
One of the most common mistakes when making a pumpkin pie is buying the wrong type of canned pumpkin. Pure pumpkin puree is what you need for this classic Libby’s recipe, not canned pumpkin pie filling These two products are easy to confuse as both are canned and often are next to each other on the shelf.
You can't substitute one for the other because they have different characteristics and ingredients. Whereas pure pumpkin puree is cooked, pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie filling is a pre-sweetened and spiced mixture. It should only be used in recipes that call for pumpkin pie filling. We always used pumpkin puree, and add our own sweeteners and spices.
How to Know When a Pumpkin Pie Is Done
If you're new to making pumpkin pie, or if it's been a year since you last made one, you may not be clear on how to tell if your pie is done.
Pumpkin pie is a type of custard pie, which means it is done before it is firm. You should remove the pie from the oven before the filling is totally set, because the filling will thicken and the custard will set as the pie cools. Do not wait until the filling is dry and pulling away from the crust—that indicates the pumpkin pie is overbaked. Rather, check the pie at the start of the window for the baking time. The filling should have some jiggle in the center but be much firmer than when the pie went into the oven. It should not be liquidy in any way.
Preheat oven to 425Z°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll pâte brisée into a 12-inch round.
Fit dough into pie plate and crimp:
With a dry pastry brush, sweep off the excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate, pressing it into the edges. Trim to a 1-inch overhang all around. Crimp edge as desired. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork; set aside.
Combine sugar, salt, and spices:
In a small bowl, mix together, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves.
Add sugar mixture and pumpkin to eggs; stir to combine.
Add evaporated milk:
Stir in evaporated milk until well combined.
Pour filling into pie shell and bake:
Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake until filling is set, 20 to 30 minutes.
Bake the pie in the lower third of the oven; if it is baked too close to the oven's top heating element, the filling can form a tough skin on top and may crack as it bakes.
Cool pie before serving:
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream, if desired, or transfer to a refrigerator until ready to serve.
Storing Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie needs to be cooled completely before serving. Our recipe calls for refrigerating the pie for two hours once it has cooled, other recipes may call for even longer refrigeration.
Leftovers
If you have any leftover pie, wrap it loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to four days. You may notice the crust gets soggier as time progresses.
Freezing
We generally do not recommend freezing pumpkin pie or other custard pies but if you need to, make sure the pie is completely cool. Then wrap the pie or slices of pie in plastic wrap and cover with aluminum foil.Freeze for up to one month, thaw in the refrigerator. The crust will be softer after freezing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pumpkin brand for pie?
Many pie makers swear by Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Puree for making pumpkin pie. They value it for its consistency and it’s superior flavor and texture.
What kind of pumpkin does Libby's use?
Libby’s uses one type of pumpkin, theDickinson pumpkin, for its pumpkin puree.Its taste and texture are optimal for puree. It is not a type of pumpkin you generally see available for sale at farm stands or markets because it is used for making pumpkin puree rather than carving jack-o’-lanterns.
What is the shelf life of Libby's pumpkin?
According to Nestlé, which owns the Libby’s brand, Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Puree has a shelf life of 900 days. Once opened, the canned pure pumpkin puree should be transferred to another container and used within one to two days.
Other Pumpkin Pie Recipes to Try:
Five-Spice Pumpkin Pie with Phyllo Crust
Pumpkin-Maple Pie
Gluten-Free Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Pie
Deep-Dish Pumpkin-Meringue Pie
Originally appeared: The Martha Stewart Show, November Fall 2007, The Martha Stewart Show, Episode 3037
By the early 18th century, pumpkin pie earned its spot at the Thanksgiving table as the New England holiday grew in popularity. Thanksgiving as a holiday gave thanks for a bountiful autumn harvest with an annual feast. It became an important holiday in colonial New England – and pumpkin pie was a staple.
It's very creamy and very flavorful, very cinnamon forward and sweet, but I think once you mix it with the other ingredients and bake it, that added spice will serve you well.
Libby's was started as Libby, McNeill & Libby, a canned meat company in Chicago, in the late 1800s. That's right—canned meat. The company brought canned pumpkin into its fold in the late 1920s, when it purchased Dickinson & Co. of Eureka, Illinois.
In 1705 the Connecticut town of Colchester famously postponed its Thanksgiving for a week because there wasn't enough molasses available to make pumpkin pie. Amelia Simmons' pioneering 1796 American Cookery contained a pair of pumpkin pie recipes, one of which similar to today's custard version.
Some think it relates way back to our colony days where pumpkins were one of the only crops the settlers could sustain and so, subconsciously, pumpkin reminds us of our roots. Others believe that the seasonal appeal of the pumpkin-flavor is what creates the allure.
Initially, in colonial America, people fed on bread and beer, something they acquired a taste for from their colonisers. As food shortages hit when world wars took place, people started hoarding pumpkins since they were plentiful and could be used on the bread as a filling/dressing.
Pumpkin puree is made by steaming and pureeing squash so there are no added ingredients. Is canned pumpkin cooked? Yes, it's already been cooked via steaming. It's safe to eat canned pumpkin straight from the can, but it's infinitely better baked into a pan of pumpkin bars.
Libby's, the quintessential canned pumpkin brand, uses a proprietary strain of the Dickinson pumpkin variety in their product, which is also often called a Dickinson squash. On Libby's website, it states that their product is 100 percent pumpkin.
The purchase included the pumpkin-packing plant in Morton, which is where Libby's Pumpkin is still produced to this day. Eventually, the company name Libby, McNeil & Libby was shortened to simply Libby's. And today, the brand is owned by Nestlé.
All pumpkins, including the Dickinson pumpkin variety LIBBY'S Special Seed were bred from, are a variety of squash belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family or gourd family (which also includes melons and cucumbers). Libby's proudly uses nothing but 100% pumpkin in our Libby's solid pack pumpkin.
Did you know more than 75% of the country's canned pumpkin comes from Libby's farm in Morton, Illinois? That's a lot of pumpkins. Libby's plants a variety of squash called Dickinson pumpkins, which farmers begin harvesting as early as August to start canning for the fall season.
Did you know that the FIRST pumpkin pies were actually WHOLE BAKED PUMPKINS stuffed with assorted spices and apples? Did you know 50 million pumpkin pies are baked every year? The LARGEST PUMPKIN PIE on record was five feet around. It used 80 pounds of pumpkin and baked for six hours!
The 17th century French chef François Pierre La Varenne is credited with developing the first recipe for a “pompion” torte around 1650, complete with a pastry crust. English recipes including various dried fruits and nuts in the filling later followed La Varenne's prototype.
The Ancient Egyptians created the first example of what we know as pies today. Later on, closer to the 5th Century BC, the Ancient Greeks were believed to invent pie pastry as it is mentioned in the plays of the writer Aristophanes and it was possible to work as a pastry chef in this era, a separate trade to a baker.
The Pilgrims' version of pumpkin pie involved picking the pumpkin, washing it, hollowing it out, filling it with cream or milk and baking it whole. The first published recipe for our modern version of pumpkin pie was included in the 1796 edition of “American Cookery” by Amelia Simmons.
The very first Thanksgiving was held in New England between the Wampanoag Tribe and Plymouth Colonists. It was a way to celebrate the successful harvest. It's said that pumpkin was served at this celebratory dinner, but no one knows if it was a pie-like dessert or a pumpkin dish, but pumpkins were definitely involved!
Did you know 50 million pumpkin pies are baked every year? The LARGEST PUMPKIN PIE on record was five feet around. It used 80 pounds of pumpkin and baked for six hours! And last but not least, according to the American Pie Council, 1 out of 5 Americans has eaten an ENTIRE pumpkin pie by themselves.
Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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