When I was little, my mom made a fresh pumpkin pie using the guts of a Jack-o-Lantern. I didn’t like pumpkin much to begin with and that pie turned me off to it completely. Years later, I tried pumpkin pie again; this time, from a typical recipe using canned pumpkin. Thanks to its mild flavor and the fact that the pie was made by a very good baker, I was on my way to liking pumpkin. I still don’t love pumpkin or any type of squash and I still rely on canned pumpkin for all my recipes. But I have a feeling there are some amazing fresh pumpkin pie recipes out there and I’m missing out. One day, I’m going to try one. But here’s what I know.
1) Use a “pie pumpkin” not a Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin
2) Don’t include the guts in your pie. Scrape it out, clean it off, bake or steam, then puree
Here’s a how-to with photos. It’s that time of year, so I suppose you’ll find more using Google.
Also, here’s a recipe that was on the sticker of the pie pumpkin I bought this morning (I bought it to paint, not bake….another story).
Fresh Pumpkin Pie
2 cups cooked pumpkin (Steam and puree)
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon molasses
Dash cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ up honey
Dash nutmeg
½ teaspoon ginger
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour ingredients into a pie shell. Bake for 1 hour.
Frizzy Funk
Beeeeeeeeellllllllllchhhhh!!!! Excuse me! I just made a fresh pumpkin pie and can u say “YUMMMMEY”? The thing to remember is that fresh pumpkin tends to get a little too ripe really fast once you do the pumpkin mash. So you need to add about 1tsp of lemon juice to off set the over ripening. Also, DO NOT over bake your fresh pumpkin pie, it will cook whilst it cools and you fix your self a cocktail. You can not over cook these like canned pumpkin, so watch it carefully.
Anonymous
I love this recipe! It is way better than the “traditional” one!
Teresa
You don’t need to do anything with the fresh pumpkin except cook and mash it. I have been making fresh pumpkin pie for years. After you mash the cooled fresh pumpkin (with your hands)you can package it into 2 cups per bag and freeze it. After you thaw the pumpkin just put all the pumpkin pie ingredients into a blender and whiz until pureed. Just pour into your pie shell and bake. Perfect smooth and creamy pumpkin pie!
Kate
I use this recipe every year. Unfortunately, every year I lose the recipe and have to frantically look for those pumpkins so I can have it again. It happened again this year, so I am glad you put it up. I just wanted to tell you I think it is the best pie recipe ever. It is less sweet than regular pumpkin pie and much richer. I love it!
Linette
My favorite pumpkin pie is still the one on the back of the “Libbys” pumpkin can. It’s what I make every year, with my grandma’s pie crust.
Anna
Monica, you are tempting me. I suppose if I do make a fresh pumpkin pie, it will be this one.
Monica
I made this exact recipe a few weeks ago and my family loved it. I like that it uses honey and molasses instead of sugar. This recipe is the one I’ll use from now on.
One of the nice things about the pie pumpkins is that the skin is easy to peel using a vegetable peeler. After I peel it, I cut it in half, scrape out the seeds, then cut it into bite size pieces that fit nicely in my steamer. It takes about 15 minutes to steam.
Kim
I am a pumpkin FIEND. I adore it. I regularly make pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin. The main thing you have to remember is after you cook and puree the pumpkin is to squeeze it in a cheesecloth to remove the excess water. If you don’t do this, your pie will be runny and awful. It’s also important not to put in too much sugar–it’s all about the cinnamon and spices! I use mainly dark brown sugar and a bit of molasses or high quality maple syrup for flavoring.
Once you make a “real” pumpkin pie, you’ll be hooked!
HeartofGlass
I remember seeing on ATK, or maybe hearing Ruth Reichel on the radio talking about a pumpkin recipe…anyway one food authority or another I trust and they said that they tried pie with the fresh and the canned, and the canned came out better and it wasn’t worth the effort.
I like pumpkin pie but I don’t LURRVE it like some people do, and reading this post made me feel better–I actually often like the crust with just a taste of pie better than the pie itself. I think lots of people over-season it. I had a taste of one recently with so much allspice it burned by tongue!
clumbsycookie
So Lizzie is into pumpkin I see! Since you’re not doing pie, let’s see what you’re gonna paint…
Anna
Sheri, thanks for the Pioneer Woman link. I don’t know how she finds time to post all those photos. It takes me a million years just to upload one! Her pumpkin puree looks great.
If anyone tries the recipe above, let me know.
Claudia, that Paula Deen recipe sounds great. I love your description. Then again, I’m inclined to just go with Karen’s “secret recipe” and move on.
Joanna, I can relate to your sweet potato pie story. I did the same thing with shoo fly pie then came to the conclusion I just didn’t care for shoo fly pie.
Joanna
i like the sour cream in this pie. that sounds cool and unique. i haven’t tried making pumpkin pie before. last year, i made 4 different sweet potato pie recipes… i found out that i HATE sweet potato pie haha
Lisa Ernst
Claudia, you must have read my mind! I started wondering what cream cheese would be like in pumpkin pie. I’ll bet it’s wonderful.
Sara
I love pumpkin bread and I usually make it with canned pumpkin, but one year I thought it would be better if I used fresh pumpkin. I was dissapointed – I couldn’t tell the difference and it was a lot of extra work! Another vote for canned 🙂
Claudia
First time poster, long time reader here…
I’ve never used sour cream in place of evaporated milk but I did try a Paula Deen recipe with a stick of cream cheese instead of the milk and it was SOOO GOOD!!! Very creamy and cuts the sweetness that pumpkin pies can have. However, it wasn’t like cheesecake at all…although I wouldn’t have minded that if it was!
Sheri
Lizzie looks adorable!
For fresh pumpkin recipe I just recently read this on one of my other favorite sites .
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/10/make-your-own-pumpkin-puree/
Her post, like your post often make me laugh out loud and want to try your recipes
Karen
I once made a pie starting from a fresh pumpkin and concluded it wasn’t worth it. My “secret” recipe is the one from the Libby’s can, except I use half and half instead of evaporated milk and prebake the pie crust so that it will be crisper. I’m curious about the sour cream – that might be good.
Katrina
Interesting recipe with sour cream. I’ve never tried making a fresh pumpkin pie. My husband loves pumpkin pie, so I’ll definitely be making a few. Seems like too much work when it’s already yummy in a can for me.
Lisa Ernst
My husband always asks for pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving so I’m going to bake at least one. This recipe looks interesting and different with the sour cream. If anyone tries it, or has used sour cream before, I hope you’ll post the results here.
VeggieGirl
I see Lizzie!! 😀