How to Make the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever for Thanksgiving

Whether you want to top off an amazing dinner or be the hit of the family or church potluck, this Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe will do the trick. I’ve spent years perfecting this recipe and people often tell me it’s the best pumpkin pie they’ve ever had. The secrets to making the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe are: (1) Make your own filling instead of the canned stuff. (2) Add a sweet potato to the pumpkin. (3) Make some whipped cream at the last minute (trust me, home-made whipped cream tastes a LOT better).

How long does it take to make the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe?

The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe is easy to make, but it does take a bit of extra hands-on time. Expect to spend around 45 minutes from start to finish IF you prepare and cook the pumpkin and sweet potato in advance. The pumpkin and sweet potato take about 15 minutes to prepare. The pumpkin needs 1-1.5 hours to bake in the oven. The sweet potato takes around 5-10 minutes to cook in the microwave.

I’ve found it fairly easy to make this Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe while preparing the rest of the meal. Other than the part where you cut the pumpkin, this recipe is also fun to make with children.

Does making the Best Pumpkin Pie recipe Ever require making a pie crust from scratch?

Here’s the good news. Making the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe does not require baking pie crusts from scratch. Though making your own pie crust could take things up a notch. For The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever, all you need are those yummy, store-bought, graham cracker pie crusts.

Ingredients for the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe.

Want to get started with making the Best Pumpkin Pie recipe ever? Here are the ingredients you’ll need. You may be wondering why there’s a sweet potato on the list. That’s because I read somewhere that pumpkin pies that were half pumpkin, half sweet potato scored best on blind taste tests. I can’t find that article, but taste tests definitely confirm that home-made filling beats canned filling every time.

BONUS for the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever � sweet-potatoes are super-nutritious and packed with vitamins, according to Web MD.

Here’s a list of the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe ingredients:

• 2 graham cracker pie crusts
• 1 small sugar pumpkin
• 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
• 1 Ã?½ cups cream (can swap evaporated milk)
• 6 tbsps. Brown sugar
• 2 tbsps. White sugar
• Ã?½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Ã?½ tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• Ã?½ cup molasses
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1 cup (8oz) chopped walnuts

Also, buy an extra carton of whipping cream and have some extra sugar and vanilla on hand for the whipped cream. The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever requires fresh, home made whipped cream.

Instructions for The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe.

Making the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe can be a bit labor intensive, but it’s worth it. Plus, it will only take around 45 minutes if you prepare the pumpkin and the sweet potato in advance, and set aside them aside in the refrigerator

1. Prepare the pumpkin: Cut the small sugar pumpkin into quarters with a big, sharp knife (this shouldn’t be so hard, sugar pumpkins have thinner rind) and scrape away the seeds and strings (while leaving the flesh – the lighter orange part against the rind). Place on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 1-1.5 hours. Remove from oven and peel away the skin.
2. Prepare the sweet potato: Wash with a scrub brush, poke holes in the skins with a fork (to allow steam to escape), pop in the microwave for 5-10 minutes. Remove from microwave and peel away the skin.
3. Puree the pumpkin and sweet potato together: Puree the pumpkin and sweet potato together in a food processor, with egg beaters, or with a hand blender.
4. Set up the double boiler: Use a double boiler (or a pot that fits on top of another pot so the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever filling doesn’t come into direct contact with the heat. Fill the bottom pot with water and bring to a boil on high heat (once it’s boiling you can lower the heat to a slower boil).
5. Mix and cook the Best Pumpkin Pie Ever filling ingredients: In the top pot, combine the following ingredients: 1 �½ cups cream (can swap evaporated milk), 6 tbsps. Brown sugar, 2 tbsps. White sugar, �½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, �½ tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves, �½ cup molasses, the pumpkin and sweet potato mixture, and 3 eggs (beaten lightly in a separate bowl first).
6. Cook for around 30 minutes: Leave on stove-top, stirring occasionally, for around 30 minutes or until the mixture gets thick and gloppy.
7. Add the final touches: Let mixture cool a bit, add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 cup chopped walnuts, and then spoon the mixture into your two pie shells.

The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe comes out with an amazing texture that is rich, velvety, and slightly lumpy with bits of chewiness, thanks to the walnuts.

How to make whipped cream for The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe.

Of course The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe will need to be topped off with some home-made whipped cream. The home-made kind complements the pie filling without the cloying taste you get from canned whipped cream.

1. Pour one pint of heavy cream into a bowl.
2. Add two tablespoons of sugar (you want it to be a little sweet, not cloying)
3. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla
4. Beat until fluffy

The whipped cream also gives you some cover in case your Best Pumpkin Pie Ever recipe turns out a little too lumpy looking the first time (it’ll still taste delicious).

Featured photo of a pumpkin pie that looks a lot like The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever by Ian Alexander Norman via Flickr Creative Commons.