Old-Fashioned Canadian Pumpkin Pie

This old-fashioned Canadian pumpkin pie is a lovely way to use fresh autumn pumpkin. Inspired by Prairie home baking, it has a rich, gently spiced filling and a flaky crust. Serve it at Thanksgiving, or make it whenever you want a simple fall dessert.

Roasting the pumpkin takes a little extra time, but it gives the pie a deeper flavour. Plain canned pumpkin works too when fresh pumpkin is unavailable.

Old-Fashioned Canadian Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Servings: 8
Pie size: One 9-inch deep-dish pie
Baking time: 60–90 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie crust
• 3¼ cups roasted pumpkin purée, well drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

How to Make Pumpkin Pie

1. Roast the pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Cut a small pie pumpkin into sections and scoop out the seeds. Place the pieces cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30–45 minutes, until soft. Let cool, remove the skin, and mash or blend the flesh. Drain any excess liquid before measuring.

2. Prepare the crust. Place the pastry in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Keep it chilled while you mix the filling.

3. Make the filling. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. In a larger bowl, mix the pumpkin and eggs. Stir in the dry ingredients, then add the melted butter and milk. Mix until smooth.

4. Fill the crust. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust, leaving a little room below the edge. If your pie plate is shallow, you may have some filling left over.

5. Bake the pie. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 60–90 minutes. The edges of the filling should be set, and the centre should have only a slight wobble. If the crust begins to brown too much, loosely cover its edges with foil.

6. Cool and serve. Let the pie cool completely before slicing. Add a spoonful of whipped cream if you like.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Pie

Drain fresh pumpkin well. Watery purée can keep the filling from setting properly. Let it sit in a fine-mesh sieve if it looks thin.

Use plain canned pumpkin if needed. Choose unsweetened pumpkin purée, not canned pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices.

Make it ahead. Pumpkin pie is easy to bake the day before serving. Once it has cooled, cover it and keep it in the refrigerator.

With its warm spices and satisfying pumpkin filling, this is the kind of straightforward pie that feels right at home on a Canadian autumn table.