Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream Ghosts
Pipe little swirls of whipped cream on each slice and add mini chocolate chips for eyes. Serve after trick-or-treating with hot cocoa or spiced cider.
Randy Scott’s Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Skip the canned pumpkin and pre-made crust—this recipe uses mashed pie pumpkin and a homemade pastry crust.
Pastry crust
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold butter or shortening
- 3 tablespoons cold water, or more as needed
Filling
- 2 cups mashed, cooked pie pumpkin
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
Tip: Taste your spice blend before baking—if you love extra cinnamon or nutmeg, you can add a pinch more for a deeper holiday flavor.
Pastry crust
- Gather all ingredients and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut in cold butter or shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Mix in 3 tablespoons cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until dough is moist enough to hold together. Add up to 1 more tablespoon water if needed.
- Shape dough into a ball with lightly floured hands. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
- Place a 9-inch pie pan upside-down on the dough; use a sharp knife to cut a circle of dough 1 ½ inches larger than the pie pan. Remove and discard dough scraps and set pie pan aside.
- Gently roll the circular piece of dough around the rolling pin; transfer it right-side up over the pie pan. Unroll, easing dough into the bottom of the pan.
- Use two hands to flute the dough around the top edges.
Filling & baking
- Beat pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the filling 1 inch from the edge comes out clean, 40 to 60 minutes.
- Cover the crust edges with foil if needed to prevent them from burning while the filling finishes cooking.
- Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature before serving.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
For a Halloween twist, pipe whipped cream ghosts on top or add tiny chocolate chip “eyes” once the pie is cool.
Preparing mashed pumpkin
- Cut a fresh pie pumpkin in half. Scoop out and discard seeds and stringy portions.
- Leave the skin on and cut pumpkin into chunks. Measure out about 1 ½ pounds for this recipe to yield 2 cups of mashed, cooked pumpkin. If your pumpkin is larger, you can cook 3 pounds and double the pie recipe to make two pies.
- Place pumpkin chunks in a saucepan over medium heat with about 1 inch of water; bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.
- Drain and cool. Remove and discard the peel.
- Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher or use a food mill until smooth.
Fresh pumpkin gives this pie a gentle, natural sweetness that feels perfect for Halloween night, Thanksgiving, or any cozy holiday gathering.
Halloween & Holiday Treat Ideas
Use this pumpkin pie as the star of your dessert table, then add a few simple extras.
Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
Layer chilled pumpkin pie filling, crushed graham crackers, and whipped cream in clear cups. Top with Halloween sprinkles for an easy party dessert.
Holiday Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Add a pinch of cloves and a little extra cinnamon to the filling. Serve with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for a Christmas or New Year’s dessert.
Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Squares
Chill leftover pie, cut into small squares, and serve with yogurt and fruit for a special holiday breakfast treat the next morning.
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