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My grandma used to add black pepper as her secret ingredient for the best pumpkin pie 🎃 🥧 you’ll ever have. I promise it. And in this make-ahead pumpkin pie recipe, you can prep the filling the night before baking, which allows the spices to mingle and the flavor to improve. It always feels good to check things off your Thanksgiving to-do list! ✔️ If you’re more of an apple fan, don’t miss my homemade apple pie recipe!
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie Recipe
The holidays aren’t complete without a pumpkin pie from scratch, and I love making this one for my family every year. It’s delicious, and I love that it can be prepped in advance, which allows me to spend more time with loved ones on the big day. Win-win! 🎉
🥧 Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
- Dairy: Instead of sweetened condensed milk, I use a combination of heavy cream and milk.
- Eggs help bind the pie filling together.
- Light Brown Sugar for sweetness
- Cornstarch thickens the filling.
- Salt balances the sweetness.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper combine for the best fall flavor.
- Pie Dough: Use store-bought or homemade if you have a favorite recipe.
- Sugared Cranberries: Totally optional, but you can follow my directions for sugared cranberries if you want to use them to decorate the pie. They’re also great for garnishing cocktails and mocktails.
- Pie Leaves: Cut out leaves from extra pie dough and bake for a cute garnish.
👩🍳 How to Make Pumpkin Pie
- Overnight Pumpkin Pie Filling: Stir all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Par-bake the Crust: Place pie weights or dry beans on the dough to prevent the dough from shrinking. Then par-bake it (AKA partially bake the crust to keep it from getting soggy).
- Bake the Pie: Pour the filling into the par-baked crust and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Place it on a wire rack and let it cool.
- Decorate the pie with sugared cranberries and pie crust leaves if desired.
📹 Watch me make this easy pumpkin pie on IG!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
If you won’t have time to make your homemade pumpkin pie in the couple of days leading up to Thanksgiving, there’s another option. ✅
- Bake the pie, let it cool, wrap it tightly, and freeze it.
- Thaw it in the fridge the day before serving.
🗒 Substitutions
- 🫚 Spices: Substitute an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- 🥛 Milk: Swap whole milk with 2%.
- 🍂 Topping: If you don’t want to use the sugared cranberries and pie leaves, top the pie with whipped cream or serve it plain.
👝 How to Store
Let the pie cool completely. Then, cover it tightly and refrigerate for three to four days.
🤔 Common Questions
Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger are all in pumpkin pie. I also like adding freshly ground black pepper for an extra something special.
Pumpkin pie will last for three to four days after it’s baked, so I recommend only baking it one day early, definitely no more than two days.
You should prebake the crust before adding the filling, which will prevent it from getting soggy.
Yes! Check one more thing off your to-do list and make that filling the day before you bake your pie. And bonus–I think it makes the flavor even better.
Uncooked pie filling will last about one day in the refrigerator.
Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie
Equipment
- Pie weights or dry beans
- 9-inch pie dish
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Pie Crust
- Homemade or store-bought pie dough
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
Toppings
- Sugared cranberries, optional
- Pie dough leaves, optional
Instructions
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Make the pie filling by mixing the canned pumpkin, heavy cream, milk, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Pie Dough
- Bring your pie dough to room temperature, preheat the oven to 375°F, and grease a 9-inch pie dish.
- Make egg wash by mixing 1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Roll out the pie crust and place the crust in the pie dish. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Place a piece of parchment paper over the center of the dough, followed by pie weights or dry beans.
- Par-bake your crust for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are beginning to brown.
Pie
- Pour the filling into the warm crust until it is ¾ full. Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool for 2-3 hours.
- Decorate the pie with sugared cranberries and pie leaves if desired.