Pumpkin Pie Recipes

When you're looking for the perfect finish to a fall harvest or Thanksgiving meal, you need a pumpkin pie recipe. Whether you choose a traditional custard or a pumpkin cream offering, you are sure to please your guests with this spicy and sweet treat.

History of Pumpkin Pie Recipes

Pumpkin pies have come to symbolize all that is good about fall in North America. They originated with the Native Americans who introduced this rotund orange squash to the early settlers. The Pilgrims used pumpkin as a substitute for other spiced fruit in their recipes, creating the beginnings of the pies we eat today.

About Pumpkin Pie

The most common pumpkin pie recipes use pureed pumpkins, egg, and cream or milk-–often evaporated--along with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to create a custard that is baked in a bottom pie shell. Nutmeg and allspice may also be used to season the filling.

While purists make their own pumpkin puree, the canned form is most popular for making this dessert and it results in the classic flavor most people are familiar with. A perfect pumpkin pie has a golden top and a firm, but not hard, filling. A knife inserted in the center of the baking pie should come out clean when it is cooked through.

Of course, like any great traditional dish, there are multiple variations of this favorite. Substitute pumpkin and spices for other flavorings in a cream or chiffon pie recipe or blend pumpkin into a cream cheese pie filling for delicious treats with different texture and character. Some recipes use different types of crust, such as graham cracker, crushed ginger cookie, oatmeal, or chopped nuts. Others add nuts or raisins to the filling.

Looking for a vegan pumpkin pie recipe? You can use soft tofu instead of the milk and eggs for a perfectly respectable version.