Can you imagine a Thanksgiving dinner without pumpkin pie? It is widely thought by historical experts that pumpkin pie wasn’t actually served at the first Thanksgiving. Pumpkin was served, however, and it was most likely a pumpkin baked with some kind of sweetener; probably a sort of sweet pudding.


Store bought pumpkin pies are rarely worth eating; they are usually several days old (they sit on shelves at room temperature for who knows how long), and are often made with substandard ingredients. Fortunately, homemade Pumpkin pie is not difficult to make. The following Exceptionally Delicious Pumpkin Pie is made with canned pumpkin and can be mixed in just a few short minutes. The crust can be made from scratch (Basic Pie Crust) or for those in a hurry, refrigerated pie crusts can be used. This pie can even be prepared the night before.

To insure a flaky crust when baking the pie in a regular oven, it should be baked on the bottom rack of the oven; if a convection oven is available, the crust will bake evenly no matter which rack it’s baked on.

This luscious and rich pie has a thin layer of apricot preserves between the filling and the crust, which adds a great flavor. For plain pumpkin pie, it can be omitted. It goes without saying that a luscious pie should be topped with real whipped cream; frozen whipped topping will ruin the pie.

Exceptionally Delicious Pumpkin Pie

8 Servings

1 9” unbaked pie crust, chilled or frozen

3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 16 oz. can solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
3 large eggs

1/4 cup apricot preserves (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.


2. Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray; press it down onto the crust.


3. Bake in the preheated oven until the sides are set, about 10 minutes.


4. Remove the shell from the oven and carefully remove the foil.


5. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.


6. While the crust is baking, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a large mixing bowl.


7. Add the pumpkin, whipping cream, sour cream, and eggs, mixing until smooth.


8. Spread the apricot preserves (if using) over the bottom of the crust.


9. Pour in the filling.


10. Carefully transfer the pie to the bottom rack of the oven and bake until the filling puffs at the edges and the center is almost set, 40 - 55 minutes.


11. Cool on rack.


12. Cover; chill until cold.


13. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 474 Calories from Fat 244
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 51% Protein 5% Carb. 44%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 27 g
Saturated Fat 15 g
Cholesterol 155 mg
Sodium 233 mg
Total Carbohydrate 52 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 6 g

Vitamin A 21% Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% Iron 5%