Libby's printed this exact recipe on cans since 1950—Carnation evaporated milk, not cream, is why it sets so smooth.
Famous Pumpkin Pie
A classic pumpkin pie recipe perfect for holiday gatherings, yielding two pies with a rich, creamy filling.
Prep
0
min
Cook
60
min
Serves
20
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
This all-American classic actually hijacked an English custard tart tradition—seventeenth-century colonists in Massachusetts had no wheat for proper pastry, so they gutted actual pumpkins, filled them with spiced milk and baked the whole blasted vegetable, and only later did canny New Englanders realize a pie shell was far less effort than excavating a squash.
Regional Twist
In Louisiana's Cajun parishes, cooks swap half the granulated sugar for dark cane syrup and add a hit of bourbon, turning Libby's humble pumpkin filling into something with proper backbone, the kind of pie that'd make a Yankee grandmother clutch her pearls.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 20🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 3 cups (24 fl. oz.) Carnation Evaporated Milk
- whipped cream (optional)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
📦Other(4)
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can (29 oz.) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
- 2 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shells
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
209
Protein
4g
Carbs
30g
Fat
8g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl.
- 2
Beat eggs in large bowl.
- 3
Stir in pumpkin and dry ingredient mixture.
- 4
Gradually pour in evaporated milk.
- 5
Pour into pie shells.
- 6
Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes.
- 7
Reduce temperature to 350°F; bake for 35-45 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
- 8
Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.
- 9
Serve immediately or refrigerate.
- 10
Top with whipped cream before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Use evaporated milk (not regular milk) because its 60% reduced water content creates a custard with proper set and prevents curdling—regular milk would require 50% longer baking and risk overcooking the filling.ingredient60% water reduction in evaporated milk
- ✓The 425°F initial blast for 15 minutes sets the crust edges and cooks the outer custard layer before reducing heat; this prevents a soggy bottom by creating structural integrity before the interior softens.timing425°F for 15 minutes, then 350°F
- ✓Bake only until a knife inserted 1 inch from center (not dead center) comes out clean—the residual heat will continue cooking the filling's center by 5-8°F as it cools, preventing overcooked, cracked custard.technique1 inch from center insertion point
- ✓Cool for exactly 2 hours on a wire rack because pumpkin custard undergoes a phase transition: proteins set completely around 160-165°F (takes ~90 minutes), then needs additional time for starch granules to fully absorb and thicken the filling to proper slice-ability.timing2 hours; 160-165°F protein set point
- ✓Beat eggs for 1-2 minutes before incorporating other ingredients to increase air incorporation by 15-20%, which creates a lighter, fluffier crumb structure in the final custard.technique1-2 minutes beating; 15-20% volume increase
Share this recipe
Prep
0
min
Cook
60
min
Serves
20
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Libby's printed this exact recipe on cans since 1950—Carnation evaporated milk, not cream, is why it sets so smooth.
Famous Pumpkin Pie
A classic pumpkin pie recipe perfect for holiday gatherings, yielding two pies with a rich, creamy filling.
The Story
This all-American classic actually hijacked an English custard tart tradition—seventeenth-century colonists in Massachusetts had no wheat for proper pastry, so they gutted actual pumpkins, filled them with spiced milk and baked the whole blasted vegetable, and only later did canny New Englanders realize a pie shell was far less effort than excavating a squash.
Regional Twist
In Louisiana's Cajun parishes, cooks swap half the granulated sugar for dark cane syrup and add a hit of bourbon, turning Libby's humble pumpkin filling into something with proper backbone, the kind of pie that'd make a Yankee grandmother clutch her pearls.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 20🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 3 cups (24 fl. oz.) Carnation Evaporated Milk
- whipped cream (optional)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
📦Other(4)
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can (29 oz.) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
- 2 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shells
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
209
Protein
4g
Carbs
30g
Fat
8g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl.
- 2
Beat eggs in large bowl.
- 3
Stir in pumpkin and dry ingredient mixture.
- 4
Gradually pour in evaporated milk.
- 5
Pour into pie shells.
- 6
Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes.
- 7
Reduce temperature to 350°F; bake for 35-45 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
- 8
Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.
- 9
Serve immediately or refrigerate.
- 10
Top with whipped cream before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Use evaporated milk (not regular milk) because its 60% reduced water content creates a custard with proper set and prevents curdling—regular milk would require 50% longer baking and risk overcooking the filling.ingredient60% water reduction in evaporated milk
- ✓The 425°F initial blast for 15 minutes sets the crust edges and cooks the outer custard layer before reducing heat; this prevents a soggy bottom by creating structural integrity before the interior softens.timing425°F for 15 minutes, then 350°F
- ✓Bake only until a knife inserted 1 inch from center (not dead center) comes out clean—the residual heat will continue cooking the filling's center by 5-8°F as it cools, preventing overcooked, cracked custard.technique1 inch from center insertion point
- ✓Cool for exactly 2 hours on a wire rack because pumpkin custard undergoes a phase transition: proteins set completely around 160-165°F (takes ~90 minutes), then needs additional time for starch granules to fully absorb and thicken the filling to proper slice-ability.timing2 hours; 160-165°F protein set point
- ✓Beat eggs for 1-2 minutes before incorporating other ingredients to increase air incorporation by 15-20%, which creates a lighter, fluffier crumb structure in the final custard.technique1-2 minutes beating; 15-20% volume increase