Pumpkin Cream Pie

This Pumpkin Cream Pie is a modern twist on classic pumpkin pie, featuring a silky-smooth pumpkin pudding filling, pecan shortbread crust, and luxurious whipped cream.

It's pumpkin pie, but with a twist! This Pumpkin Cream Pie is a unique recipe that showcases velvety pumpkin pudding in a sweet, crumbly, pecan shortbread crust, topped with a tangy stabilized whipped cream. Yes, there are three components to put together--the crust, the pudding, and the whipped cream--but the end result is well worth the effort! And many might actually find this easier to make than a Classic Pumpkin Pie, as there is no need to worry about the pie cracking!

So, let's get to making it, shall we? The article below is jam-packed full of useful information. You can jump around using the menu below, or skip to the end of the article for the full recipe.

Jump to:

• Behind the Scenes of the Development Process
• Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
• Making the Pie Crust
• Preparing the Pudding
• The Whipped Cream
• Serving + Storage
• More Pumpkin Recipes
• Full Recipe

Behind the Scenes of the Development Process

This recipe has been waiting to be created for over two years, sitting on my idea list season after season. When I envisioned this pie, I thought for sure it would be a simple task, as my other recipes similar to this, such as Chocolate Cream Pie or Butterscotch Cream Pie, did not prove to be tricky to develop. However, I must admit this Pumpkin Cream Pie took many versions to get it to where I wanted it to be. I struggled with the consistency and the flavor of the pie in the first few trials. At one point, I thought maybe adding white chocolate to the pie might help with some of the textural flaws. Let me just say, I never hated a pie more than that version.

So, I finally settled on the use of an extra tool (a blender) to help with the textural issues, and added additional butter and egg yolks to help bump up the flavor. I also tested it several times with canned pumpkin purée and homemade pumpkin purée, and I really preferred the homemade version! However, it works just fine with the canned stuff too--since that is what most people have available.

While there are a few steps and kitchen tools required to make this recipe, I'm positive the resulting pie is worth it, and has been worth the wait.

Ingredients Needed and Substitutions

Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card.

• pumpkin purée (use canned, or if you are feeling adventurous like I was, make your own pumpkin purée)
• whole milk + heavy cream
• eggs
• butter
• cream cheese (this is used to stabilize the whipped cream)
• pecans (if you need to skip the nuts for allergies, use this crust from this Pistachio Cream Pie instead, as it's nut-free!)
• all-purpose flour
• sugar: granulated, dark brown and powdered sugar are all needed
• ground cinnamon + salt (I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt in my recipes, if you use Morton's or fine table salt, the salt amount should be decreased by roughly half)
• vanilla extract

Making the Pie Crust

The pie crust in this recipe is a sweet, crumbly, shortbread-like crust with added pecans. It's very stable and holds up well in the refrigerator, which is ideal for a chilled pie.

It also comes together quickly in a food processor following the typical method to make a "shortbread" pie crust:

The consistency will be that of play dough when it's done. It's easist to roll it out after a brief 30 minute chill in the refrigerator.

It also should be chilled briefly before you blind-bake it (conveniently, for about the same amount of time it takes to preheat the oven). And yes, it absolutely does need to be blind-baked since the filling of this pie is a pudding that never goes into the oven.

If you are new to blind-baking, check out this Tutorial for more in-depth information.

If you don't want to make a pastry crust, a quick Biscoff Pie Crust would be really awesome with this pie. Or a Pecan Gingersnap Crust, a Vanilla Wafer Crust or even a Graham Cracker Crumb Crust.

I would not suggest using a flaky pie crust for this pie, since it will be served cold. But if you really want to, you can use this Butter Pie Crust recipe.

Preparing the Pudding

The pudding filling requires no more than a simple cook in a pot, however the recipe also calls for using a blender to combine the pudding ingredients. I don't ever call for additional steps like this unless it's absolutely necessary. Without blending the pudding ingredients, the finished pumpkin pudding had an odd texture that I found distracting. Blending all the ingredients together purées the pumpkin just a bit finer to result in a super smooth, velvety texture.

The trick with this pudding recipe, which doesn't temper the egg yolks, is to slowly heat the eggs with all of the ingredients at once. The added cornstarch helps to stabilize the egg mixture and thickens the pudding.

Once the pudding is cooked, it should immediately be placed in the blind-baked pie crust. This is to ensure the pudding sets up properly in the pie. I find it slices more neatly this way.

A few readers have questioned this method before, wondering if putting hot pudding into a pie crust will make it soggy. And the answer is: as long as your pie crust is properly baked, it won't turn it soggy.

The Whipped Cream

What would a cream pie be without a pile of whipped cream on top?

This recipe calls for adding cream cheese to the heavy cream, along with a touch of sugar and vanilla. Not only does this addition introduce another dimension of flavor to the cream, but it also contributes to its stability. While whipped cream is always best served fresh, the stabilized whipped cream will hold up well on any leftover pie for about 2 days if need be.

Serving + Storage

This pie can be made in its entirety up to one day ahead of time. It's best consumed within two days of making the pudding.

Serve the pie cold, with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

More Pumpkin Recipes

I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Pumpkin Cream Pie, please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, and tag me on Instagram!