Pumpkin Pie recipe
Pumpkin pie recipe for Halloween and Bonfire Night
Looking for a pumpkin pie recipe for Halloween that will also see you through Bonfire Night? This autumn bake combines homemade buttery pastry with a smooth pumpkin filling, brown sugar and warming spices. Finish with sweetened whipped cream for a seasonal dessert to share after an evening of fireworks.
Created by Sophie Carey, resident baker at Matthews Cotswold Flour, the recipe uses the producer’s Regenerative All-Purpose White Flour. There is no blind baking involved: the filled pie goes straight onto a preheated baking tray to help the pastry base cook.
Keep the decoration simple for an autumn Sunday lunch, or use the pastry trimmings to make little pumpkins, leaves or spooky shapes for a Halloween gathering.
A spiced pumpkin pie for autumn gatherings
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves give this pie its autumn character, with allspice and a little black pepper adding extra warmth. Double cream enriches the pumpkin filling, while a mixture of caster and light brown sugar provides sweetness.
It is a useful Bonfire Night dessert idea because the pie needs to cool before serving. Bake it ahead of your gathering, then add the whipped cream when you are ready to bring it to the table.
Baking with Matthews Cotswold Flour
Sophie’s recipe uses Matthews Cotswold Regenerative All-Purpose White Flour. According to Matthews Cotswold Flour, it is milled from 100% regeneratively grown grain sourced from UK farms, with farming practices intended to support soil health and biodiversity.
Pumpkin pie recipe with homemade pastry
Recipe by: Sophie Carey, Matthews Cotswold Flour
Makes: 1 x 23cm pumpkin pie
Equipment: 23cm pie dish or tart tin, rolling pin and baking tray
Chilling time: At least 30 minutes, plus a second chill once the tin is lined
Cooking time: 45–55 minutes
Also allow: Time for the pie to cool before serving
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 250g Matthews Cotswold Regenerative All-Purpose White Flour
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 150g cold butter, diced
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 100g ice-cold water, plus a little extra if needed
For the pumpkin filling
- 450g pumpkin purée, canned or homemade
- 3 eggs
- 70g light brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 170g double cream
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
For the whipped cream topping
- 200g double cream
- 30g icing sugar
To decorate, optional
- A little milk, for brushing
- Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
- Pastry shapes made from the trimmings
Method
1. Make the pastry dough
Put the flour, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold diced butter until mostly incorporated, leaving some larger flakes of butter in the mixture.
Mix the apple cider vinegar with the ice-cold water in a jug. Gradually add this to the flour mixture, stirring with a knife or spatula until the dough comes together. Add only as much liquid as you need; if it still feels dry, add extra cold water a tablespoon at a time. The dough should feel slightly softer than a traditional shortcrust pastry, without becoming sticky.
2. Fold and chill
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 5mm thick. Fold it into thirds, like a letter.
Roll out and fold twice more, then wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Line the tin
Roll the chilled pastry to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin and use it to line a 23cm pie dish or tart tin.
Trim away the excess pastry and save it for decorations. Return the lined tin to the fridge while you prepare the filling.
4. Heat the oven
Preheat the oven to 200°C, placing a baking tray inside as it heats. The pie is not blind baked, so the hot tray helps give the base a good start.
5. Mix the pumpkin filling
Place all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand until smooth and evenly combined.
Pour into the chilled pastry case, leaving about 1cm of space below the top edge. Do not overfill; depending on the depth of your tin, you may not need all the filling.
6. Add the pastry decorations
If decorating, brush the pastry rim with a little milk and attach your pastry shapes around the edge. Brush the shapes with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar for a little crunch.
Small leaves or pumpkin shapes work well for an autumn pie, while simple spooky cut-outs give it a Halloween finish.
7. Bake
Carefully place the pie on the hot baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and continue baking for another 35–45 minutes.
The total baking time is 45–55 minutes. Turn the pie once or twice if needed to help it colour evenly.
The pie is ready when the filling is set around the edges but retains a slight wobble in the centre. It may puff up during baking and will settle as it cools.
8. Cool and serve
Leave the pie to cool in its tin. Whip the double cream with the icing sugar until softly peaked, then spoon over the cooled pie or serve alongside individual slices.
Looking for more Halloween recipes? Click here or the image below!
Pumpkin pie recipe with homemade pastry
Ingredients
- 250 g Matthews Cotswold Regenerative All-Purpose White Flour
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 150 g cold butter diced
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 100 g ice-cold water plus a little extra if needed
- For the pumpkin filling
- 450 g pumpkin purée canned or homemade
- 3 eggs
- 70 g light brown sugar
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 170 g double cream
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- For the whipped cream topping
- 200 g double cream
- 30 g icing sugar
- To decorate optional
- A little milk for brushing
- Demerara sugar for sprinkling
- Pastry shapes made from the trimmings
Instructions
- Method
- Make the pastry dough
- Put the flour, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold diced butter until mostly incorporated, leaving some larger flakes of butter in the mixture.
- Mix the apple cider vinegar with the ice-cold water in a jug. Gradually add this to the flour mixture, stirring with a knife or spatula until the dough comes together. Add only as much liquid as you need; if it still feels dry, add extra cold water a tablespoon at a time. The dough should feel slightly softer than a traditional shortcrust pastry, without becoming sticky.
- Fold and chill
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 5mm thick. Fold it into thirds, like a letter.
- Roll out and fold twice more, then wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Line the tin
- Roll the chilled pastry to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin and use it to line a 23cm pie dish or tart tin.
- Trim away the excess pastry and save it for decorations. Return the lined tin to the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Heat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, placing a baking tray inside as it heats. The pie is not blind baked, so the hot tray helps give the base a good start.
- Mix the pumpkin filling
- Place all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand until smooth and evenly combined.
- Pour into the chilled pastry case, leaving about 1cm of space below the top edge. Do not overfill; depending on the depth of your tin, you may not need all the filling.
- Add the pastry decorations
- If decorating, brush the pastry rim with a little milk and attach your pastry shapes around the edge. Brush the shapes with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar for a little crunch.
- Small leaves or pumpkin shapes work well for an autumn pie, while simple spooky cut-outs give it a Halloween finish.
- Bake
- Carefully place the pie on the hot baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and continue baking for another 35–45 minutes.
- The total baking time is 45–55 minutes. Turn the pie once or twice if needed to help it colour evenly.
- The pie is ready when the filling is set around the edges but retains a slight wobble in the centre. It may puff up during baking and will settle as it cools.
- Cool and serve
- Leave the pie to cool in its tin. Whip the double cream with the icing sugar until softly peaked, then spoon over the cooled pie or serve alongside individual slices.
Tips for making homemade pumpkin pie
Keep the pastry ingredients cold. Use cold butter and ice-cold water, and allow time for chilling between handling the pastry.
Use smooth pumpkin purée. If making your own, steam or roast the pumpkin flesh, blend until smooth and pass through a sieve for a finer texture. Avoid adding excess cooking water to the purée.
Check the canned pumpkin label. Use plain pumpkin purée rather than a ready-sweetened, spiced pumpkin pie filling, as this recipe includes its own sugar and spices.
Look for a gentle wobble. The centre should have a slight wobble when you take the pie out of the oven; the filling will continue to firm as it cools.
Pumpkin pie recipe FAQs
Can I use canned pumpkin purée?
Yes. This pumpkin pie recipe works with either canned pumpkin purée or homemade purée. You need 450g for the filling.
How do I make pumpkin purée for pie?
Steam or roast fresh pumpkin flesh until tender, then blend until smooth. Pass it through a sieve if you want an especially smooth filling, and weigh out 450g for the recipe.
Do I need to blind bake the pastry?
No. Sophie Carey’s method uses a chilled pastry case and a preheated baking tray, with the filling added before baking.
How do I know when pumpkin pie is cooked?
The outer filling should be set, with a slight wobble remaining in the centre. Start checking towards the shorter end of the 45–55 minute baking time.
How can I decorate pumpkin pie for Halloween?
Use the pastry trimmings to cut out small pumpkins or spooky shapes and attach them around the rim with milk before baking. Serve the cooled pie with sweetened whipped cream.
Recipe supplied by Matthews Cotswold Flour and created by Sophie Carey.
