I like to think of my mother-in-law as the Martha Stewart of England. She is one of the best, most natural cooks I’ve ever encountered and she inspires me every single day. While they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in England, she does make one heck of a pumpkin pie. This is her recipe that she wrote when my husband was about 5 years old.
The pastry is my recipe that I use for most of my pies. It’s easy and versatile. And the filling is super quick. This pie is so super easy to make and can be made a coupe days ahead of Thanksgiving! Phew, thank goodness! No pie baking on the big day is one step in the right direction!
PS – if you don’t want to go through the effort with a whole pumpkin, I have 2 other super easy pumpkin pie recipes below. They get easier as you scroll through since I’ve been making a new one each year. 🙂
Let me know which one you like in the comments below!
Lorraine's Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- Homemade single-crust pastry or store bought pastry
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- A pinch of salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Directions
- If preparing pastry from scratch, prep pastry and turn it into pie dish. If using store bought, let defrost and place in pie dish. Set aside.
- Pare, seed and cut pumpkin into 2-inch pieces. Simmer in 1/4 inch water over low heat until mushy (about 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Let cool, then squeeze pulp in clean tea towel until really well drained of moisture. Set aside.
- Over a gentle heat, mix together remaining ingredients, except the eggs. Remove from heat and add eggs.
- Bake until golden brown, about 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!
Alternatively, you can use canned pumpkin. Here’s the recipe for how I do that:
Easy Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- Homemade single-crust pastry or store bought pastry
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 15oz can (2 cups) pure pumpkin
- 1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, salt, and spice.
- In a large measuring cup, beat together the eggs, pumpkin, and cream or evaporated milk. Whisk into the dry ingredients.
- Lightly grease a 9″ pie pan that’s at least 1 1/2″ deep. Roll the pie dough out to a 13″ circle, and transfer to the pan. Crimp the edges above the rim; this will give you a little extra headroom to hold the filling when it expands in the oven. Refrigerate the crust while the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
- When the oven is hot, place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until the filling is set 2″ in from the edge. The center should still be wobbly. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack; the center will finish cooking through as the pie sits. Enjoy!
Finally, here’s the easiest pumpkin pie recipe I’ve made, by far!
The Simplest Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- Homemade single-crust pastry or store bought pastry
- 2 eggs
- 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. If preparing pastry from scratch, prep pastry and turn it into pie dish. If using store bought, let defrost and place in pie dish. Set aside.
- Combine eggs, pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish; pour pumpkin mixture into the crust.
- Place pie on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until filling is set, about 35 to 40 minutes more.
- Cool on a cooling rack and enjoy!
Season Generously 