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Light & Fluffy Pumpkin Pie from Scratch with Homemade Crust

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This light and fluffy pumpkin pie features a homemade crust and a mousse-like filling that’s airy and not heavy. It’s the perfect fall dessert, made with simple, whole ingredients and a special technique of whipping egg whites separately for an ethereal texture.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons (45-60ml) ice water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 ½ cups (about 340g) pumpkin purée
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
  • ¼ cup (60ml) milk
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or fingers to work butter into flour until it resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized butter pieces. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons ice water and stir with a fork until dough just comes together. Add more water if needed. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  2. Blind bake the crust: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 12-inch circle, about ⅛-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish, pressing into bottom and sides. Trim and crimp edges. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove parchment and weights. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until bottom is dry and lightly golden. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Prepare the filling base: Lower oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, egg yolks, brown sugar, granulated sugar, heavy cream, milk, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
  4. Whip the egg whites: In a separate clean bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Fold everything together: Take about a third of the whipped egg whites and gently fold into the pumpkin mixture. Add remaining egg whites and fold gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain, keeping as much air as possible.
  6. Bake the pie: Pour filling into pre-baked crust and smooth the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until edges are set but center still jiggles slightly. A knife inserted near center should come out mostly clean. Cool completely on a wire rack for 2-3 hours.

Notes

For best results, use room temperature eggs. Cold eggs won’t whip up well. If you forget, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. Don’t skip blind baking the crust to avoid a soggy bottom. Fold the egg whites gently to keep the filling airy. Cool the pie completely before slicing to allow the filling to set properly.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin pie, light pumpkin pie, fluffy pumpkin pie, homemade crust, fall dessert, Thanksgiving pie, from scratch

Find it online: https://ovenmila.com/light-and-fluffy-pumpkin-pie-from-scratch-with-homemade-crust/