BA’s Best Pumpkin Pie

The best pumpkin pie recipes need to do three things to succeed. They should have a perfectly spiced creamy filling. A crust that’s flaky yet tender. And, perhaps most important, they should seriously tempt anyone who’s choosing from a vast and competitive Thanksgiving dessert spread (we see you pecan tart). This homemade pumpkin pie delivers on all of those fronts, and then some. One commenter even declared, “I don’t think there [are] enough words in the English vocabulary to describe just how wonderful this pumpkin pie recipe is.” 

If you’re new to pie baking, don’t feel intimidated. This homemade pie crust comes together quickly and can be made up to three days in advance, so you won’t need to reach for a store-bought pie shell or frozen pie crust. Blind-baking first (baking once before the filling’s added) means the bottom will stay crisp. Finally, don’t worry too much about your crimping style, while a classic pinch crimp looks nice, a simpler fork crimp works just as well here. 

Sweetened condensed milk adds a decadent richness to the custard, while measuring the spices instead of using a premixed “pumpkin spice” blend, lets you hit just the right ratio to really highlight the flavors of the canned pumpkin purée (we like Libby’s). To ensure the filling stays creamy, remove the pie pan from the oven when the custard is still a bit jiggly; it will set as the pie cools. If any cracks form, simply cover them with fresh whipped cream.