Pumpkin pie recipe

Here’s an easy pumpkin pie recipe for kids to make in the autumn. Don’t worry if you haven’t grown any pumpkins in your own garden, they’re not an expensive vegetable to buy.

Slice of pumpkin pie with cream on top

Ingredients for pumpkin pie

  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1¾ cups of pumpkin
  • 200g sugar (we like to use light or dark brown soft sugar)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • 400ml evaporated milk
  • 1 9” unbaked pastry shell

How to make the pie

  1. Cut open the pumpkin, scoop out its seeds and stringy core, then peel off the skin and cut the pumpkin flesh into cubes.
  2. Steam until tender, then mash enough to make 1¾ cups.
  3. Place the pastry shell into a deep pie dish.
  4. Slightly beat the eggs, mix in the mashed pumpkin, add the salt, spices and sugar and mix well.
  5. Stir in the evaporated milk, mix thoroughly and pour into the pie shell.
  6. Bake in a hot oven (190°C / 375F / Gas mark 5) for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat (160°C / 325F / Gas mark 3) and bake for a further 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool slightly, then serve topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Tips for getting kids involved

Kids love to help scoop out the seeds from the pumpkin, stir the mixture, lick the bowl afterwards, and (with assistance) have a go at seeing if the knife comes out clean.

Tips on harvesting your own pumpkins

Pumpkins are usually ready to harvest from September. You’ll know that they’re ready to pick when:

  • they have turned colour, usually from green to orange (but that depends on the variety)
  • they sound hollow when tapped and their skin and stalk have hardened

It’s a good idea to leave the pumpkins for as long as possible before harvesting them, even until the end of September or early October, but do keep an eye on the weather forecast, because pumpkins are killed by frost.

If you’re having problems getting your pumpkins to ripen, remove any leaves that are shading the fruit. Raising them off the ground by placing flat stones under them stops them from rotting on moist soil too.

To store harvested pumpkins throughout the winter, place them on a sunny windowsill for several weeks to ‘cure’ them before putting them away.

Thanks to SanFranAnnie for this lovely photo.

Pumpkin carved with the words Seeds, Soup and Sarnies