Pumpkin Pie is an iconic part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Most people opt to purchase this pie from the grocery store and there are plenty of good tasting pies on the market. Krogers, Meijer, and Sam’s Club all sell very tasty pies, but if you are in the mood to try your hand at making a pie then making pumpkin pie is a good place to start.


Before you begin, here are few tips to make sure your pie turns out delicious.

Tip 1: Don’t over spice. When the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon, 1/2 a teaspoon, or a 1/4 teaspoon, level the spice off and don’t put in any extra.

Tip 2: Blend well. Using an electric mixer will provide the smoothest consistency for the pie filling. Make sure you blend well to dissolve all of the sugar.

Tip 3: Bake the pie until it is done. This sounds simple enough, but with the variances in ovens there is only one way to know if the pie is completely cooked. The pie filling will rise or puff up in the center when the pie is completely cooked. If only half of the pie is puffed up then the pie is not fully baked.

Tip 4: Make the pie in advance. Pumpkin pie is best eaten a day after it is made. You can make your pie and refrigerate it over night or even two days in advance of your dinner. Once it is chilled the flavors of the season will come alive.

Tip 5: Make two! Once your friends and family try your pie they will be begging for more. Take the time to make two pies to make sure there is enough to go around. One homemade pie crust recipe will yield two bottom crust (or you can make pie crust cinnamon rolls with the extra dough). I suggest mixing the pie filling separately from one another for the best quality and taste.

Making Pumpkin Pie

What You Will Need For One Pumpkin Pie

• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Electric mixer
• 9″ pie plate

Ingredients for Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe

• 3/4 cup sugar (granulated or brown)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 large eggs (don’t use extra large or you may have too much pie filling for your 9″ pie)
• 1, 15 oz can Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1, 12 oz can Carnation Evaporated Milk
• Homemade pie crust

NOTE: Following the recipe on the back of the Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin will make a delicious pie. If you use brown sugar over granulated sugar or a combination of the two types of sugar will produce a slight taste variance, but both pies are delicious. In this example I used granulated sugar.

NOTE: Use the spices separately and avoid the use of pumpkin pie spice. The pie will taste better when you use the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Step 1: Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl.

Step 2: Beat eggs with an electric mixer in a large bowl until well blended.

Step 3: Add all of the pumpkin to the eggs and blend well.

Step 4: Add the sugar and spice mixture to the eggs and pumpkin and blend well.

Step 5: Shake the evaporated milk then gradually stir it in your mixture using an electric mixer on low speed.

NOTE: To open the can of evaporated milk, simply use a can opener to make a small slit on one side of the can then turn the can and make another small slit. You can use a butter knife to make the opening slightly wider to all the milk to pour out without splashing.

Step 6: Prepare your homemade pie shell.

Step 7: Slowly pour the pumpkin mixture into the center of the pie shell. Scrape the bowl to ensure all of the filling makes it into the pie.

Step 8: Bake the pie in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Step 9: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 40-50 minutes.

NOTE: Avoid opening the oven while the pie is baking. My oven required 5 additional minutes (55 total) to puff up the entire pie.

Step 10: Once the center of the pie is completely puffed up, carefully remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Step 11: Once cooled, place the pumpkin pie in a container or cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Step 12: Serve your pie with whipped topping, Cool Whip, or ice cream.

The Libby’s Pumpkin Pie recipe is a simple and delicious pie. Even if you are not experienced at making pies this is a great start. We hope you enjoy your homemade treat!

Do you have any tips or tricks on making homemade pies? Feel free to post your ideas for our readers.