Easy Roasted Pumpkin Pie | Thanksgiving Dinner Recipe

This family favorite Thanksgiving dinner recipe, Easy Roasted Pumpkin Pie, is simple to make and tastes so much better than the store-bought kind.

Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Pie

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One of the things I believe why many cooks shy away from making homemade pumpkin pie is the fear of the unknown when it comes to cooking with fresh produce, especially pumpkins. We’ve all grown accustom to the canned version as our mainstay, so why change?

Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Pie as found on WisconsinHomemaker.com

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with canned pumpkin, but it isn’t necessarily the real deal as I recently found out in this article by FoxNews: Canned Pumpkin Isn’t What You Think It Is.

Even so, my first encounter with using fresh pumpkin for pie started a couple of years ago by watching a program by Chef Curtis Stone, who filmed this episode of Take Home Chef for Thanksgiving. He made it look easy as he cut up pumpkin into chunks, roasted the pulp and then used it as pie filling. I was impressed by how simple the process was and that was what inspired me to make my own homemade pumpkin pie.

For my version, I roast my pumpkin halved but seedless. It takes about an hour or so at 375 degrees for the pumpkin flesh to get soft. After it cools (approximately 10 minutes) it’s just a matter of scooping out the pumpkin with a spoon.

At this point you can continue on with the recipe or you can refrigerate it until you need it.

Cooking Tip: Refrigerating cooked pumpkin has its advantages. When I did this, I found that the pumpkin retained all of its roasted goodness but without any trace of liquid. That is essential because the recipe calls for some cream and you don’t want your pie filling to be too runny.

The rest of the recipe is easily completed using a blender, food processor, or mixer. You’ll want to aim for a smoother texture with your batter. I usually start with an immersion hand blender and then finish with the food processor or blender. The choice is yours.

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For the crust, I use Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust. This recipe makes one 9 inch pie with some batter left over. I pour the batter into the pie shell and bake for about 60 minutes or until a knife comes clean when pierced in the center of the pie.

If you’re worried about the crust getting too dark, you can always wrap aluminum foil around the edges of the pie pan. I don’t but that’s my preference.

Allow the pie to cool before serving. I like to dollop some homemade whipped cream over my slice, but you don’t have to. It’s delicious all by itself.