Ingredients
1 pie crust (2 if you want to do some fun cutouts, too)
2 cups white pumpkin purée
2 large eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
¼ tsp pink himalayan sea salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp milk (optional for brushing cutouts)
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar (optional for sprinkling on cutouts)
whipped cream (for topping)
Preparation
White pumpkins are not just for decoration. They are, in fact, food! So, if you’re looking for all the flavor of pumpkin, but don’t want the orangey color, this is the way to go.
If you’re wondering if white pumpkin tastes any different than orange pumpkin, I can tell you that I might have imagined the resulting pie tasting creamier, but otherwise, it tasted just like the classic pumpkin pie we all love!
Start By Roasting Your White Pumpkin
First things first, you need a medium sized white pumpkin. I picked ours up at the pumpkin patch for about $5. We’re talking about a roughly 5-lb pumpkin, just a little smaller than a basketball.
Now, I have a whole separate post about roasting pumpkins here, but I’ll cover the basics so you don’t have to switch posts right now. Feel free to circle back, though, and read the pointers on what can be composted and what cannot. Let’s not waste food!
Start by breaking down your pumpkin. Cut out the stem (like you do when you carve a jack o’lantern), and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Then cut your pumpkin in half vertically (cut from top to bottom).
Note: Feel free to separate out the seeds for roasting and then compost the pulp.
Place your pumpkin halves cut-side down on a lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 450ºF, and roast for 45 minutes.
Once your pumpkins are done, they’ll have a bit of brown on the skin, and they’ll be really soft. Cover with a towel to keep the steam in, and let them cool completely.
Peel the skin off, and put the pumpkin flesh in a blender. Pulse until you have a smooth purée.
Push the purée through a mesh sieve to catch any skin remnants or burnt bits.
Save the purée in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in an airtight container or bag for a year.
The Filling for Your White Pumpkin Pie
When you’re ready to make your pie, get your pie crust started and in the fridge. Heck, save time, and use a store bought crust. No judgment. Just know that if you want it to turn out super flaky like mine, you should use this pie crust recipe, which you can find here.
While that chills, make your filling. And, seriously, it couldn’t be easier. We are using 5 ingredients: 2 cups of your purée, 2 eggs, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You just need to make sure the purée and eggs come to room temperature first.
Beat everything together. I wouldn’t use a blender only because that introduces a lot of air and bubbles. Going by hand helps you get things mixed up without the bubbles. That will mean a smoother pie surface once it’s baked.
Then cover the filling and let it rest until your pie crust is ready. I left mine on the counter since everything was already room temperature.
Assembling Your Pie
When you’re ready, roll the pie dough out and press it into your pie plate. I like a nice decorative edge, but you can do whatever you want. I just did a simple ruffle, which is done by pinching the crust with your thumb and forefinger on one hand and the forefinger of the other hand.
If you have leftover dough, use a cookie cutter to cut some cute decorative shapes out. I used a squirrel! Brush your “cookies” with milk and sprinkle on some sugar for sparkle and crunch. I use turbinado sugar like this.
Set the “cookies” on a smaller baking sheet and refrigerate.
How to Bake a Pumpkin Pie
Pour your filling into your now prepared pie crust, and bake at 425ºF for the first 15 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 350ºF for another 30 or until the center is set.
Cool the pie on a baking rack for 1 hour. While that’s cooling, put your “cookies” into the oven at 350ºF for 15 minutes, and then decorate the still-cooling pie with them.
Once your white pumpkin pie is cool, move to the fridge to chill for at least an hour.
Serve it Up!
When you’re ready to serve up this stunner of a pumpkin pie, get it out of the fridge along with your favorite whipped cream. Get a nice sharp paring knife to make your cuts, and use a quality pie server to get a clean slice out.
Let your guests top with as much whipped cream as they want. In fact, make sure you have extra whipped cream. It’s Thanksgiving after all. I like my pie with a nice, hot cup of coffee, but offer milk for the little ones.
And really, that’s about it. If you find people fighting over your pie crust squirrels, make a mental note to make more next year. Or, you can plan ahead and make everyone their own.
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Roll out your first pie crust and place into your pie plate. Make the edges fancy using your method of choice.
In your medium mixing bowl, whisk together the white pumpkin purée, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the filling into your pie crust. Use a toothpick to pop an big air bubbles.
Place the pie into the oven for 15 minutes. Then, leave the pie in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF for another 30 minutes.
While the pie is baking, optionally cut shapes out of your additional pie crust. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Place on a baking sheet.
Your pie is ready to come out when it's set in the middle. Don't turn the oven off yet if you're making the cutouts.
Let your pie cool to room temperature.
While your pie is cooling, bake the cut outs at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Decorate your pie with your cutouts, and then place the pie in the fridge to chill for at least an hour or up until you're ready to serve.