Pumpkin pie (without evaporated milk)

Easy recipe for pumpkin pie without evaporated milk with a delicious shortcrust pastry and lightly spiced filling. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

Why make this recipe?

• Great recipe if you don’t have evaporated milk
• Easy to bake

What to use instead of evaporated milk

The original recipe for pumpkin pie has 1 1/2 cup of evaporated milk. This is about 12 f oz or 350 ml.

Evaporated milk is processed from regular milk by reducing the amount of water in the milk, which then makes it thicker.

This of course makes a difference when you are making your pumpkin pie filling. If you were to use the same amount of regular milk instead of evaporated milk your filling would be too thin (watery) and will not set.

To counteract the thickness of the evaporated milk, I usually do the following:

Use 1 cup of regular milk (full fat) with 1 teaspoon of cornflour to thicken the milk and also use extra egg (this is how I’ve done this recipe – see the recipe card).

Use half-half (double or single cream) and reduce the amount to 1 cup or 1 1/4 cup maximum. Add cornflour to thicken the mixture too.

How to make the pumpkin puree (if you haven’t got one already made or bought)

Cut a medium size pumpkin to 4 parts (this makes the baking quicker) and scoop out the seeds and fibers.

Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F) and place the pumpkin quarters on a baking tray (face down).

Bake for 30-40 min or until soft and a little bit browner (but not dark or burned)

When cold enough to handle, scoop out the pumpkin flesh and puree it in a food processor or with a handheld smoothie maker.

Measure out about 425 g (about 1 3/4 cups to use in this recipe) and store the rest in a jam jar for other uses (last about 2 weeks in the fridge)

My top tips on making this recipe successfully the first time round

• Leave out a little bit of milk from the measured quantity and only add it in at the end if the mixture looks too thick.
• Taste the filling before you pour it to the pastry case, just in case if it needs more sugar or spice

What makes this recipe work

Reducing the amount of liquid from the original recipe and adding an extra egg and cornflour to thicken the mixture.

Any specialist equipment needed?

• Round Pie Tin (9 inch or 23 cm)
• Rolling Pin

Time saving tip

• Use a shop bought ready made pastry pie case to save time when making this pumpkin pie
• Make the pumpkin pie filling in advance or buy a shop bought Pumpkin Pie filling.

Ingredients & Possible Substitutions

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup brown sugar add up to 1/4 cup more to your liking
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon or use 1 3/4 – 2 teaspoons of pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger –  leave out if using mixed pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or cloves –  leave out if using mixed pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 can pumpkin pie puree or filling (unsweetened) Usually comes in 15 oz tins – or use 425 grams (about 1 3/4 cups) homemade pumpkinn puree instead
• 1 cup milk or double or single cream (half-half cream), full fat milk
• 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)

Pie Crust

• 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1-2 tablespoons cold water

How to make pumpkin pie without evaporated milk step by step

To make the pie crust pastry – if not using shop bought version

If you are using pre-made pie pastry, you can skip this step.

Mix the flour and the butter with the tips of your fingers (or use a dinner knife) and only add enough cold water to bring the dough together. Try not to overmix it or over handling it.

Chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge to make it easier to work with later on.

When ready, roll out the pastry to about 5-6 mm thickness and carefully cover the baking tin. Patch up any gaps and pierce the bottom with a fork.

If you prefer, you can ‘blind bake’ the pastry for about 5-10 minutes on it’s own. Ideally you want to add a layer of baking parchment filled with baking beans or something heavy that will prevent the pastry from rising. Pre-baking helps to keep the crust dryer and firmer when you add the filling, but it can be skipped.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 C)

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To make the pumpkin pie filling

In a large bowl, make the pumpkin pie spice by measuring out the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg ( or your own homemade pumpkin pie spice mix), salt and cornflour and mix everything together.

Add the eggs and mix in.

Add the milk (or your prefered evaporated milk replacement) add mix everything together until smooth.

Add the pumpkin pie filling, half at a time and mix until smooth. You want to make sure you have a thicker consistency. To make the filling thicker, you can add more cornflour or extra sugar if needed. Double check that you are happy with the amount of spice by tasting the filling. Add more spice if needed.

Pour the pumpkin pie mixture into a prepared short crusty base.

Bake the pumpkin pie at higher temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit(220C) for 15 minutes. Afterwards, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180C) and bake for further 30 minutes until the short crust pastry is lightly brown and the pumpkin pie filling looks set.

Leave to cool down on a cooling rack. This can take 1-2 hrs and the filling will continue to firm up whilst cooling down.

It’s best to chill the pumpkin pie before serving it (if you have the time).

Serve with extra whipped cream

How to serve your pumpkin pie

Add a dolop of freshly whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice). Homemade Vanilla Ice cream will also work great.

Can this recipe be made in advance?

Yes, 1-2 days in advance. In fact the pie is best 12 hours after you’ve baked it as it has a time to chill properly in the fridge.

How to store this recipe – any leftovers

It’s best to store your pumpkin pie in the fridge. It’s best to eat the pie within 1-3 days as the pastry will start to absorbe the moisture from the filling. The pie won’t go off as such, so you can eat it safely up to 3-4 days.

The pie is not suitable for freezing as the pastry and the filling are affected by the freezing and defrosting (the pie will become soggy and the filling might start to run).