The Best Pumpkin Pie
Stella Parks’ no-fuss fall favorite.
- Serves
makes one 9-inch pie
- Cook
45 minutes

America's favorite pumpkin puree is actually made from squash, so why not turn to the earthy sweetness of fresh butternut squash? It's dead easy to prepare at home and tastes more vibrantly "pumpkin" than anything from a can. By that same token, homemade condensed milk is rich and creamy like no other. Baked together in a crisp and flaky All-Butter Pastry Crust, these DIY ingredients elevate a traditional pie into something more than the sum of its parts.
Stella Parks' tome on the art, science, and history of American desserts is a must-read for anyone with a sweet-tooth
Featured in: BraveTart is the Best Baking Book We’ve Seen in Years
What You Will Need
Ingredients
- 1 whole medium butternut squash (about 7 inches long and 4 inches across at the base; at least 24 oz.)
- 2 cups (19 oz.) Quick Condensed Milk (or substitute canned)
- 1⁄2 cup (4 oz.) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract or bourbon
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 tsp. grated nutmeg, plus more to garnish if desired
- 1⁄4 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
- 1⁄8 tsp. ground cloves
- 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 whole large eggs, straight from the fridge
- 1 whole Fully blind-baked 9-inch all-butter pastry crust
- 2 cups whipped cream (optional)
- 1 cup (5 oz.) crushed toffee bits (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Step 2
Recipe reprinted from BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts. Copyright © by Stella Parks. Reprinted with Permission of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.