32 New Ways to Upgrade Your Plain Ol' Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I substitute for cinnamon in pumpkin pie? ›

If you don't have ground cinnamon, you can use ginger or allspice in place of pumpkin pie spice. Just use half of the amount called for since ginger and allspice have stronger flavors than cinnamon.

Although they both come in cans and the packaging looks almost identical, they can't be used interchangeably. Pumpkin puree doesn't have anything added to it, but pumpkin pie filling comes with pumpkin spice and sugar already mixed in.

Cook It on the Stove

Briefly cooking your canned pumpkin purée on the stove can help improve both the flavor and texture. This method helps reduce excess moisture, which gives the pumpkin a superior texture. It also releases the natural pumpkin flavor and helps reduce the metallic taste from the can.

The trick is to substitute cream cheese for the condensed milk that's typically added. This not only creates a drier filling that doesn't dampen the bottom crust, but also gives the filling a tangy flavor that boosts its pumpkin-iness without masking it.

While many recipes call for it, you can absolutely make an outstanding pumpkin pie without evaporated milk. If your recipe calls for one can of evaporated milk (as most do), you can substitute 1 ½ cups of cream or half and half, or a combination of the two. You can also use milk (any kind from whole to skim).

Yes, you can use pumpkin puree in place of pumpkin pie filling by adding some additional ingredients. You'll need to add sweetener, spices, and possibly a thickener (like eggs).

There are a few spices that are similar to cinnamon in flavor profile including nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and mace.

Pumpkin pie mix can be used as a substitute for pure canned pumpkin in some recipes. However, since it is already sweetened and flavored, you'll need to make some adjustments. In most dessert recipes, leave out the pumpkin pie spice and cut down on the sugar since the pumpkin pie mix includes it.

Choose The Right Kind

For cooking, you'll want to use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. Long Island Cheese pumpkins, which are more oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese, are also good to eat.

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin

In this taste test, our Test Kitchen pros found that the biggest name in the pumpkin game does, in fact, make the best canned pumpkin on the market. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin is a favorite among our culinary crew.

What brings out the flavor of pumpkin? ›

Raw pumpkin is mostly water — up to 90%! — so it really doesn't have much flavor. In fact, the flavor that we usually think of as “pumpkin” is actually pumpkin pie spice, a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

A little bit of pepper is imperceptible in the final product but adds great complexity to the flavor. Everyone knows pumpkin pie is really about pumpkin pie spice, and the slight kick it imbues on the pie filling. Put simply, ground pepper adds 'oomph' and highlights ginger and cinnamon's natural spiciness.

The pie is generally flavored with pumpkin pie spice, a blend that includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves or allspice. The pie is usually prepared with canned pumpkin, but fresh-cooked pumpkin can be used.

Insider asked chefs, foodies, and bakers to share their tips for making store-bought pie better. Melting butter or cheese on top can balance out overly sweet pies. You can decorate your dessert with a designed dusting of powdered sugar or frosted lettering.

Choose from powdered spices like cinnamon and ginger or sprinkle in fresh herbs like rosemary and sage to the canned peaches you're preparing to spoon into an empty pie shell. Crunchy Himalayan salt can help offset the sweetness of the canned cherries you've brought home from the store.

The best solution I've tried, besides making one from scratch, is combining crushed graham crackers, cinnamon & sugar, and softened butter and spread it on the crust. If your done want to make your own crust, just but the graham cracker crust the next time your are grocery shopping.

In their book, David and Susan disclose that Costco's pumpkin pies are only semi-homemade, which helps cut down on costs. Each pie's crust is pressed into the pie tin by hand at a Costco central bakery commissary, but a pie-filling device takes it from there.