You know the pie. The one at every Thanksgiving since forever, slightly cracked, a can-shaped dent of whipped cream on top. This classic pumpkin pie with canned pumpkin is that one. It’s honestly a pantry pie: you grab one 15-ounce can of pumpkin and a can of evaporated milk, crack in 2 eggs, add sugar and spice, whisk, and pour it all into a deep-dish crust. The oven does the rest, starting hot at 425°F for 15 minutes and finishing at 350°F for 40-ish. Done!
Apparently I’m not the only one craving it. On Google Trends, “pumpkin pie recipe with canned pumpkin” is up about 190% over the past year in the US, and “simple pumpkin pie recipe” jumped roughly 350% in the last month alone. Which, yeah, tracks. Thanksgiving’s on Thursday, November 26, and who wants a complicated pie that week? Not me.
Don’t have evaporated milk? I’ve got a separate pumpkin pie without evaporated milk for that. And for every other pumpkin thing we make, head to the pumpkin recipes page.
Quick Facts
- Makes: one 9-inch deep-dish pie, 8 slices
- Hands-on: about 10 minutes, seriously
- Bake: 15 min hot, then 40 to 50 min at 350°F
- Cooling: 2 hours on the counter, then the fridge
- Make ahead: yes, bake it 1 day early
On this page: Why canned works · Ingredients · Which can to buy · Tips that matter · When it’s done · Fixes · Storing · FAQ
Why Canned Pumpkin Makes the Best Classic Pie
Okay, unpopular opinion maybe, but canned pumpkin usually makes a better pie than fresh. I said it. The canned stuff is thick and silky and exactly the same every time you open one. A fresh pumpkin? Total gamble. Get a watery one and your pie cries little puddles on the plate.
Fun fact while we’re here. Most canned pumpkin in the US is grown in Illinois, about 90% of it according to University of Illinois Extension. And it’s not jack-o’-lantern pumpkin in there. It’s a dense, tan-skinned baking variety. Somebody already did the roasting and draining for you. Nice of them.
What Goes in a Classic Pumpkin Pie
Basically, seven things. Amounts (cups and grams) live in the card further down. This table’s for the “wait, I’m out of ___” moments:
| Ingredient | Job | Easy swap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) pumpkin puree | Body, color, flavor | 1 3/4 cups thick homemade puree |
| 1 can (12 oz / 354 ml) evaporated milk | Creamy, firm set | 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) half-and-half |
| 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar | Sweetness | Light brown sugar for a caramel note |
| 2 large eggs | Sets the custard | No good swap here, sorry |
| Cinnamon, ginger, cloves | That pie smell | 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice |
| Unbaked 9-inch deep-dish crust | Holds it all | Homemade butter crust |
One thing I’m picky about: deep-dish crust. Those shallow 9-inch shells just can’t fit a whole can’s worth of filling, and you’ll be chiseling burnt pumpkin off the bottom of your oven on Friday.
Pumpkin Puree vs Pumpkin Pie Filling: Grab the Right Can
Oh, this one gets everybody at least once. There’s two cans on the shelf that look almost like twins. The label on one reads “100% pure pumpkin,” and the other is “pumpkin pie mix” (or “filling”), which already has sugar and spice dumped in.
So you want plain pumpkin. The pie mix makes this recipe way too sweet and somehow under-spiced at once. Already bought the mix? No drama, just follow the recipe printed on that can instead of mine.
Tips for Pumpkin Pie With Canned Pumpkin
The recipe card has every step. These are the little things that make the difference between “fine” and “who made this?”
Whisk, Don’t Beat
Mixer? Nah. Mine stays put away. Beat it and you trap air. Then that air puffs up in the oven and you get cracks plus a weird, spongy top. Whisk, my friend. A couple of minutes, until the egg streaks disappear, and you’re there.
Start Hot, Finish Gentle
Two oven temps feels fussy, I know. But the hot part (425°F / 220°C) only lasts 15 minutes, and it’s there so the crimped edge holds its shape. After that? Knock it down to 350°F (175°C) and go do something else. I literally set a phone alarm for the switch. Forget it and the custard puffs, sinks, cracks and goes grainy. Not cute.
Use a Sheet Pan Under It
Tiny thing. Huge difference, though. Set the empty pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet before the filling goes in. Trust me on this one. You’re carrying a sloshy pie to the oven, after all. And if it bubbles over, well, the pan catches it instead of your oven floor.
Hate a Soft Bottom Crust?
Fair. After all, old-school recipes don’t pre-bake the crust, so the bottom stays kinda soft. If that drives you nuts, bake the empty crust first for about 15 minutes at 400°F, lined with parchment and weighed down with pie weights or dried beans. That’s called blind baking, and I go through it step by step in my Jarrahdale pumpkin pie.
RECIPE
Classic Pumpkin Pie With Canned Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 can pumpkin puree 15 oz / 425 g, not pumpkin pie mix
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 oz / 354 ml
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie crust store-bought or homemade
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the lower third. Set the unbaked deep-dish crust on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt together so the spices are evenly spread.
- Whisk in the eggs, then the pumpkin puree. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk until smooth. Whisk by hand; a mixer adds air that causes cracks.
- Pour the filling into the crust and carefully move the baking sheet to the oven. Bake 15 minutes at 425°F (220°C).
- Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake 40 to 50 minutes more, until the edges are set and only the center 2 inches wobble slightly. A knife inserted 1 inch from the crust should come out clean (about 175°F / 80°C in the center).
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Refrigerate within 2 hours of baking.
Nutrition
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!How Do You Know When Pumpkin Pie Is Done?
Short answer? When there’s still a little jiggle in the middle. Tap the pan. Outside ring: firm, maybe slightly puffed. Middle: a little 2-inch spot that shimmies like Jell-O. Slide a knife in an inch from the crust and it comes out clean? Good. Thermometer folks, you’re looking for about 175°F (80°C) in the middle.
I know it feels wrong to take it out while it’s still wiggly. Do it anyway! The center keeps setting as it cools. Then leave it alone on a rack for 2 hours, minimum. Cut it warm and you’ll get pumpkin soup in a crust.
Common Pumpkin Pie Problems (and How to Fix Them)
Pie looks a little sad? Happens to all of us. Find your problem:
| Problem | Likely cause | Next time |
|---|---|---|
| Crack down the middle | Baked too long or too hot | Pull it while the center still wobbles |
| Filling overflowed | Regular, not deep-dish, crust | Use a deep-dish shell, bake extra filling in a ramekin |
| Soggy bottom | Unbaked crust under wet custard | Blind bake the crust 15 minutes first |
| Too sweet, weak spice | Used pie filling, not puree | Buy “100% pure pumpkin” |
| Dark, burnt crust edge | Thin edges, long bake | Foil ring over the edge after 20 minutes |
Oh, and if you used a regular crust and ended up with spare filling, don’t toss it. That goes in a buttered ramekin next to the pie for 25 to 30 minutes. Crustless pumpkin custard! Eat it with a spoon while nobody’s looking.
Easy Ways to Change It Up
Look, I love the original. But I can’t leave anything alone. My favorite tweak is half brown sugar, half white, which tastes almost like caramel. The weird one that actually works? A tiny pinch of black pepper plus a little extra nutmeg. If you’re a maple person, swap 1/4 cup of the sugar for 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup. And bourbon? One or two tablespoons, for the adults’ pie. Need a second dessert for the table? The pumpkin cheesecake bars and the pumpkin roll both make ahead nicely.
Does Pumpkin Pie Need to Be Refrigerated?
Grandma left hers out on the counter for days, right? However, this pie’s basically a custard (eggs plus milk), so I chill it within 2 hours of pulling it out of the oven. A night on the counter parks it right in the USDA’s 40°F to 140°F danger zone, where bacteria grow fast.
It’ll keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge with something loosely over the top, according to the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart.
Want to freeze it? Sure. Let it chill all the way, wrap it twice, and eat it within a month or two. Thawing? Fridge, overnight. Not the counter. The crust does go a little softer, I won’t lie. Honestly, nobody notices under whipped cream. For Thanksgiving I’d bake on Wednesday afternoon and let it chill overnight, so Thursday you’re cutting nice clean slices.
Pumpkin Pie With Canned Pumpkin FAQ
How many cups are in a 15-ounce can of pumpkin?
1 3/4 cups, or 425 g if you’re weighing. Which happens to be what one deep-dish 9-inch pie holds, so most older recipes just say “one can.”
All I’ve got is a regular crust. Okay?
You can! There’ll be filling left over, so bake the extra in a little greased ramekin beside the pie. Twenty-five to 30 minutes and it’s barely set.
Do I have to pre-bake the crust?
For this classic version, no, they bake together. Me, I usually pre-bake it anyway, because soft crust is my pet peeve: 15 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Your call.
Out of evaporated milk?
Happens. Half-and-half or heavy cream works, 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of either. The pie gets a bit richer and softer. There’s a whole swap chart in my pumpkin pie without evaporated milk.
My pie’s runny in the middle. What happened?
Two suspects. Either it came out a few minutes early, or somebody couldn’t wait and cut it warm. (It’s okay, we’ve all been that somebody.) Bake until only a little circle wobbles, then give it the full 2 hours.
Can I use fresh pumpkin?
Sure thing. Measure 1 3/4 cups of thick homemade puree, and if it’s looking wet, let it drip in a strainer for 20 to 30 minutes. My pumpkin sugar pie goes the fresh route start to finish.
Leftover slice? Blend it into my copycat A&W pumpkin pie milkshake. And if you have pumpkin left in the can, here’s what to do with leftover pumpkin puree.
Bake One This Weekend
Honestly? Make a practice pumpkin pie with canned pumpkin this weekend. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and you’ll eat it no matter what. The real one happens the day before Thanksgiving. Once you’ve made it, tap a star rating on the card, and tell me down in the comments: whipped cream, ice cream, or plain? (I’m whipped cream, always.) And pin it, so you’re not hunting for it at 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
