Ah, pumpkin pie — that most quintessential of Thanksgiving desserts. Here's my own favorite take on pumpkin pie — one that skips the sometimes finicky, sometimes soggy pie crust for one made from crispy graham crackers. Add a heaping spoonful of fresh, piquant ginger and you have the pumpkin pie I look forward to all year long.
Pumpkin pie didn't use to be a favorite. I liked the flavor and spices of traditional pumpkin pie, but often found it unpleasantly soggy. Then, a few years ago, I wondered what it would be like made with a toasty, firmer graham cracker crust. Presto — delicious. The graham cracker crust is easier to shape and press into place than a regular pie crust (I always use a homemade graham cracker crust; the storebought ones taste stale to me). It also holds up underneath the custard filling of the pumpkin, staying toothsome and snappy.
Other crackers or cookies would also work well in this recipe. Gingersnaps would be lovely in the crust, or even chocolate wafers, if you're feeling daring!
And finally, a note on the ginger. I keep this pumpkin pie fairly classic, with a dash of spices, cream, and eggs. But I do add a large dose of fresh ginger as well. This will be surprisingly mild on the first day you taste this pie. But if you let it rest in the refrigerator overnight, or for two days, you will find that the ginger taste blooms beautifully and becomes a spicy note underneath the mellow pumpkin. For that reason, I do recommend making this pie at least a day ahead.
Ginger Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Makes one 9-inch pie, which serves 6 to 8 people.1 graham cracker pie crust (see instructions and recipe here)
15-ounce can pumpkin puree OR just under 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
Heat the oven 375°F. Bake the graham cracker crust for 10 minutes then remove and let cool in the refrigerator while you make the filling. .
Whisk the pumpkin puree with the eggs, egg yolk, and brown sugar. To grate the ginger, use a piece of ginger about 4 inches long and grate to a pulp using a Microplane or fine grater. Discard the tough fibers; just use the milky juice and puree. Whisk the grated ginger, cinnamon and ginger spices, salt, and pepper into the pumpkin mixture. Add the cream and milk and whisk until smooth. Pour into the graham cracker crust.
Bake for about 50 minutes at 375°F, or just until set. Check after 30 minutes and tent with foil if the edges seem to be browning quickly. (I let mine get fairly dark, as I like the flavor!) The filling will continue to firm up after it comes out of the oven.
Refrigerate the pie after it is just cool to the touch. Let cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving.
Related:
• Recipe: Pumpkin Crumb Cakes
• Technique: Pumpkin Puree
• Honey Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
• Warm Pumpkin Salad with Polenta
Originally published November 20, 2007.
(Images: Faith Durand)
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I am not a big fan of pumpkin pie, but I have to admit that this looks very good. The fresh ginger and graham cracker crust are a nice twist. i'll have to try it out. Thanks!
If you make your own crust (link), don't use as much butter/water as called for and cover your edges with foil from the start to avoid burning.
I've just tried it with the 3 tablespoons of fresh ginger (pressed in a garlic press) and it's delicious. I did end up adding about a 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg and cloves because I'm crazy for them but I'm sure the pie didn't actually need them. Flavorful, delicious, spice-heavy yum.
yummy! delicious. my guests and i loved the pie. try it :)
I make cheesecakes all the time and, still, I don't get the fascination with graham cracker crusts -- and I never, ever use them.
For this recipe I'd use gingersnaps, like I did for the pumpkin cheesecake my guests will be eating in ... 8 hours! Yikes! I'd better get to work!
I made this one for Canadian Thanksgiving and everyone who tried it agreed that it was the best pumpkin pie they'd ever had! I didn't follow the recipe EXACTLY though - I kept tasting the filling as I went and added spices until it tasted the way I wanted.
I took the advice of some previous comments and made a gingersnap crust for this pie which brought out its delicious ginger taste even more. As a final touch I made a bit of cinnamon flavored whipping cream to dab on top. My group of friends really enjoyed this pie, and I think I may even have converted some non-pumpkin pie fans with it as well. Success!
I add preserved ginger - in addition to ground -- and cognac; will try adding fresh too.
I think 50 minutes at 375 F is quite a bit too long for a custard pie - 30 to 40 minutes at 350, or until the center is just starting to firm and ever so slightly still wiggly. Otherwise it will crack.
@caseoftornados -- is it possible that your oven runs hot? Or that you're using a convection oven?
Thirty to forty minutes at 350 in my oven (standard oven which runs pretty true to temperature) wouldn't be anywhere near enough to bake a pumpkin pie. (For a standard pastry crust, I bake for 15 minutes at 425 and then 45-50 minutes at 350 and my pumpkin pies never crack.)
Is it possible to replace the pumpkin with sweet potato? My Boy is allergic is pumpkin but loves ginger added to nearly anything. Or would butternut squash be better? I'd try this out with the graham cracker crust first (yay graham crackers!) and then try it again with ginger snaps or even vanilla wafers.
@Cyclokitty, sure! Any fairly dense puree should work. I swap sweet potato for butternut for pumpkin fairly regularly, in all kinds of recipes.
I par-bake my crust with beanweights for about 20 minutes, so that might influence my time. My oven runs very accurately!
I love pumpkin!And I wanna try all the food made of it.Thanks for sharing such an wonderful recipe!
My grandfather's pumpkin pie recipe is the best ever: Dark molasses, clove, ginger, allspice, cinnamon. It is a light pie with a dark deep flavor.
Whoa whoa, just a minute-- is this an updated recipe? Now I'm in a panic! I just went pouring through my emails to myself trying to find the original version of this recipe because this is my go-to pie and previously it used half-and-half rather than milk and whipping cream! I'd tweaked this recipe to perfection and now am nervous that I've lost my favorite pie recipe forever! Is there anyway I could get a text version of the original recipe posted here? (oh because, by the way... I love this pie!)
I grew up with a mom who never really liked pumpkin pie. She loved the flavor, but found the traditional pumpkin custard too heavy. Her recipe is easier than any other I've seen, tastes great, and has the ginger snap crust mentioned in these comments. She always baked the jack-o-lantern from halloween and froze it after she pureed. When she made the pie, she spiced with ginger, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon, sweetened to taste with brown sugar and simply folded in half puree, half whipped cream, and let it set at least an hour in the refrigerator. It has converted tons of folks to pumpkin. We always called it pumpkin chiffon pie to appease the traditionalists with a different name. I have been known to sneak in a layer of dark chocolate ganache between the crust and pumpkin mixture and it really wows.
@FromTheFuture oh no - so sorry to alarm! Yes, I changed the recipe to call for cream and milk, as that is more familiar and available to some readers, especially internationally. I also added an additional egg yolk.
So, if you take out that egg yolk, and go back to 1 1/2 cups half and half, you'll have the previous incarnation of the recipe. But honestly, I do think this is a slight improvement - a bit more creamy.
Thanks so much Faith! You saved me! I might try the updated version next year, but this year I finally convinced my brother to let me make the pumpkin pie, so I get to show off to my family the version of this pie I've been making for a few years now (for just myself and my boyfriend... and eating it between the two of us!)
Here's the real way to skip the crust--resurrect the impossible pie! Don't mock it, until you try it. Going strong since the 1970's. http://wp.me/p2LOx3-NP
Any advice for the lactose-intolerant?? Always so hard this time of year with no butter and no milk.
I just made this and must have done something wrong. The crust didn't stay crispy under the pumpkin. I prebaked it as per the instructions, but ... Not crispy in the end. The pumpkin pie filling is wonderful, though.
AMAZING!!! Loved the fresh ginger and gingersnap crust in a tart pan. Poured leftover filling into its own large ramekin and enjoyed it on its own, too. Will try individual ramekins at some point. Thanks!