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How to Make the Fluffiest Pumpkin Pie

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Pumpkin pie is typically dense, and heavy, but in this post, I’m going to teach you how to make the lightest, fluffiest pumpkin pie, ever.

When I was a kid, I didn’t even ~like~ pumpkin pie. Till I made this one for my husband, on the first Thanksgiving that I hosted, all by myself. He kept going on and on about how good it was: so much better than any other pumpkin pie he’d ever had before. So I took one small bite, and oh, mercy! It was the fluffiest pumpkin pie I’d ever had! 

The lightest, fluffiest pumpkin pie you'll ever have, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas! #easy #homemade #fromscratch #pumpkin #pumpkinpie

My two Thanksgiving pies: Fluffiest Pumpkin Pie, and Old Fashioned Pecan Pie.


My Two Traditional Holiday Pies

I use the same crust recipe on my fluffiest pumpkin pie one as I do for my pecan pie. Since they’re both one crust pie, I make one recipe for a double crust pie, and use one pastry disc for each of my pies that I’m making that day. Pumpkin Pie and Old Fashioned Pecan Pie are the two pies I typically make at Thanksgiving, and thankfully, (see what I did there?) both are delightfully easy to do. While you’re on my blog, you should definitely check out my recipe for how to make Old Fashioned Pecan Pie. I make it a bit differently than most you’ve had, but the secret ingredient I use makes all the difference!
The lightest, fluffiest pumpkin pie you'll ever have, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas! #easy #homemade #fromscratch #pumpkin #pumpkinpie

The lightest, fluffiest pumpkin pie you’ll ever have! Please, pin this on Pinterest so you’ll have the recipes, when the holidays roll around.

How I Make Two Pies for One Holiday

On Thanksgiving or Christmas, here’s what I do. I make the pie crust dough the night before, and then wrap it in plastic wrap to chill overnight in the fridge. When I get up, I bake the pies first thing in the morning. That way they are fresh for the evening meal, but the oven real estate is open for business for the stuffing and rolls. (Or in the case of Christmas, the oven is hosting the roasted potatoes and the standing rib roast.) Anything that has to go in the oven, near meal time is able to go in, because I got my pies done in the morning.
Anyway, here’s the pumpkin pie recipe, and, again, I’ll give it crust/pastry first, since that is what I make first. This recipe comes from the Southern Living Cookbook, and is their recipe for Sweet Potato Pie, and I just substitute canned pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes. I have tried other recipes, but keep coming back to this one because of how light the texture is due to beating the egg whites. Maybe you get the idea from looking at the surface of the pie in the pictures. It is the lightest, fluffiest pumpkin pie I have ever had.

A Tip About Nutmeg:  

Always use freshly grated nutmeg. You can buy whole nutmeg cloves if you look for them at most health food/whole food stores these days, and it wouldn’t surprise me if most major grocery chains carry them now. When I was growing up, nutmeg made me gag. My mom used to sprinkle it on eggnog, and I thought it was putrid. As an adult, I have learned that this was probably due to the fact that she was using stale, already ground nutmeg from a can. (Which is very reminiscent in flavor to cigarette ashes.) I grate my nutmeg with a Microplane grater, which is a glorified wood rasp, and it works beautifully. No need for a special tool only for nutmeg.

The Recipe for the Fluffiest Pumpkin Pie Ever

Yield: 8 servings

The Fluffiest Pumpkin Pie

The lightest, fluffiest pumpkin pie you'll ever have, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas! #easy #homemade #fromscratch #pumpkin #pumpkinpie

The lightest, fluffiest, most delicious pumpkin pie you'll ever have.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • For a 9" crust:
  • 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/3 c. plus 2 T. shortening
  • 3 to 4 T. ice water
  • For the Pie Filling:
  • 1 15 oz can pumpkin
  • 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 c. butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 eggs, separated, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

  1. For the Pie Crust: Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
  2. Sprinkle ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, evenly over surface.
  3. Stir with a fork after each new tablespoon of water is added, until dry ingredients are moistened.
  4. Shape into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.
  5. Roll dough to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Place in pie plate, and flute edges.
  6. For Pie Filling: In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites (at room temperature) until foamy; gradually add the 1/4 c. sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Transfer fluffy egg whites to another bowl, and set aside.
  7. Combine pumpkin, brown sugar, butter, egg yolks, spices, and salt in the now-empty large mixing bowl; (no need to wash bowl after beating egg whites). Beat pumpkin mixture until light and fluffy.
  8. Add evaporated milk to pumpkin mixture; beat just until blended. (Mixture will be splattery.)
  9. Fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin mixture. Pour filling into pastry shell. Bake at 400º for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350º, and bake an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until set. Cool. Top with dollops of whipped cream.



Notes

Before you begin making the pie, be sure that your eggs and butter are at room temperature. Otherwise you’ll have big fat blobs in your pie filling mixture, and nobody wants that.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 398Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 377mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 6g

Chyanne

Thursday 26th of November 2020

help! I made this pumpkin pie today for Thanksgiving and the filling overflowed by about 3/4 of a cup - all over the crust and into the cookie sheet!!! It puffed up a bunch and then crashed after I took it out to cool. Also, it took an extra 20 minutes to set up. I followed the instructions as written and either 1/2 cup milk is too much, or something. any suggestions? would using a 10 inch pie plate work better?

Susan Williams

Saturday 28th of November 2020

I use a 9" pie plate, so I'm frustrated for you at your overflow, Chyanne! First, I'd encourage you to double check the size of the can of pumpkin that you used. There's a smaller can, and a larger can, if you know what I mean. An approximately 14 oz can and a 28 oz. can, so be sure to use the 14.5 oz can. That would account for the overflow, and the extra time it took to set up (baking time). Also, mine falls a bit after it comes out, too. That's normal. But be sure that your egg whites are beaten so that their peaks stand, and that when you fold them in, that you fold them in gently, so that you're not losing all the air you've beaten in. Even after it falls a bit, it will still have a light texture. And then, if all your ingredient amounts were correct, keep in mind that your oven's performance may be different than mine, so it's possible the temperature could be off by 25 or 50 degrees. And that would account for the difference in baking time. If your pie dish is the same size as my Pyrex 9" pie dish, but your results are varying so differently from my results, then, definitely, yes, go to the 10" pie plate. Sorr this didn't work out well for you.

NotaSupermom

Monday 6th of December 2010

Can you just mail me one?

Andrea

Monday 6th of December 2010

Susan, I think I will just come move in with you and eat. :)

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