Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie
Save the best for last this Thanksgiving with a Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie. The silky pumpkin custard sits atop a crumbly graham cracker crust that’s prepped in a fraction of the time of pie dough. Simple, sweet and lightly spiced this pie is perfect with a dollop of whipped cream.
Seize the day, they say, like it’s an effortless act. Let me tell you something, it’s not. I tried seizing the day but didn’t have the energy so I poked it with a pie server instead. Even that was too strenuous, for me and the kitchen utensil.
Pie servers are not meant for jousting, fencing or any other medieval funny business. Their work is serious stuff. Like a stretcher that transports critically ill patients from an ambulance to an ER, pie servers transport sliced pie to your plate.
Basically, they’re the essential workers of the dessert world.
Without pie servers we’d be eating from communal pies like savages. And as fun as it may sound to fight your foes for a bite of pie, we’ll never see it play out with social distancing mandates. In the meantime, my fellow Americans will consume pie divvied out with a pie server like civilized adults.
Now that prime time is upon us for pie season, I’m ready to serve up everyone’s must-have for Thanksgiving dessert: pumpkin pie. My spin on the silky, smooth classic sits atop a crumbly graham cracker crust prepped in a fraction of the time as traditional pumpkin pie.
Homemade and the holidays go together like pumpkin pie and whipped cream. I hope you enjoy all of the above with your family and friends this Thanksgiving.
Before sharing this Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie recipe, here are a few tips to help you out:
Ingredient Tips and Tricks
This recipe calls for canned pumpkin puree. Fresh puree will work in a pinch, but will yield different results than canned due to the higher moisture content. Before baking with fresh puree, place it in several layers of paper towels and squeeze until liquid is reduced.
Preparation Tips and Tricks
Pumpkin pie is done baking when the edges are set but the center is still a bit jiggly. Mine was done after 50 minutes of baking. Avoid overbaking or your pie will crack.
Don’t overpack the graham cracker crust or it’ll bake up so hard it can barely be cut.
How to Store Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie
To store pie, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 5 days.
Pie can be made ahead and frozen up to 3 months. After baked pie has cooled completely, wrap tightly with plastic wrap then with aluminum foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
I hope you enjoy this Pumpkin Pie. Please leave a comment and a rating at the bottom of this blog post when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.
Finally, if you’re looking for more pumpkin pie recipes, check out this Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie. With swirls of sweetened cream cheese and velvety pumpkin custard, this Thanksgiving pie promises pure dessert bliss.
Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 13 sheets)
- 7 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Pumpkin Pie
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
- 1/2 tsp vanilla pure
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Pulse graham crackers in a food processor for 15 seconds until fine crumbs form.
- Add melted butter, sugar and cinnamon then pulse a few more times until combined.
- Add graham cracker mixture to a 9-inch pie dish. Pack mixture into the bottom, up the sides and around the rim of the pie dish until evenly distributed.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until crust is lightly browned. Remove pie dish from oven then place on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the pumpkin pie filling.
Pumpkin Pie
- Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all pumpkin pie ingredients until smooth.
- Place pie dish onto prepared cookie sheet then pour pumpkin mixture onto graham cracker crust. Note: pie will be very full.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until edges are set and the center is still slightly jiggly (it will firm as it cools). Avoid overbaking as it will cause the pie to crack.
- Place pie plate on a wire rack to cool completely, approximately 3 hours.
- Slice and serve.
- To store, cover pie with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days.