My All-Time Favorite Pumpkin Pie [Made with Honeynut Squash]

We’ve made it to the final day of Thanksgiving Week and, of course, we’re making a pumpkin pie with a flaky, buttery homemade crust and some healthier ingredients like freshly roasted squash and maple syrup.

But, we’re ditching the pumpkin in favor of a more flavorful squash: the honeynut. 

Have you tried them yet? They’re a cute-as-a-button butternut squash hybrid that’s slightly denser and sweeter, and I absolutely adore them in pie.

So, officially, this pumpkin pie is a squash pie. But pumpkin is a variety of squash, so all pumpkin pies are technically squash pies. Yes, every pumpkin pie you’ve ever eaten was, in fact, a squash pie. Let’s not get hung up on technicalities though. 

Whether we’re calling it a squash pie or a pumpkin pie, the fact remains that this creamy orange beauty is the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. Yes, you’re reading this correctly. THIS IS THE BEST PUMPKIN PIE I’VE EVER HAD. I typically think perfection is overrated and am too humble to claim any of my recipes to be the best of all the internet, but I truly think this is the perfect pumpkin pie. 

Here’s what sets this pie apart from the classic:

Freshly Roasted Squash. Yes, I know it makes this recipe slightly more complicated than using canned pumpkin, but the final flavor of this pie is significantly better than that achieved when canned pumpkin is used. Trust me, I’ve made and eaten enough pumpkin pies in the past month to know that freshly roasted is the only way to go. I opted to use honeynut squash, which roasts up quickly because they’re such a small squash, but you could also use a butternut, if that’s all you have. I find either of them to be superior to sugar pie pumpkins when making pie!

Maple Syrup. We’re ditching the cane sugar for a more complex tasting sugar: maple syrup. It’s robust, caramel flavor profile is the perfect compliment for the roasted squash. If you’re wary of the idea of using maple syrup in pie, know this: real maple syrup tastes nothing like maple-flavored pancake syrup. This pie isn’t french toast flavored or overly maple tasting. If you’d prefer to use sugar, I’d go with brown sugar or Sucanat (natural sugar cane, which is still brown and molasses-y), because they both will lend a more nuanced, complex sweetness to this pie. 

Anything Other Than Evaporated Milk. I know the classic pumpkin pie has a can of evaporated milk in it, but have you ever tasted evaporated milk? From a can? Insert green puke-y face emoji here. I understand the use of evaporated milk in, say, 1945, but in 2018? We have so many better options for fresh dairy that isn’t quite as watery as milk. My personal favorites for this pie are either: sour cream,  full-fat greek yogurt, heavy cream, or even canned coconut milk. I’ve used all four interchangeably (the coconut milk adds a tiny hint of coconut flavor but barely enough to be noticeable) and we love them all. The pie in the photos was made with sour cream, by the way, and Kevin declared it to be the best pumpkin pie he’s ever had. He even refused to let me share leftovers with my family (what we usually do with excess baked good in this house, since I bake so often) because he was determined to eat it all himself. 

Cardamom in the Spice Mix. Until this year I’ve always made my pumpkin pies with a blend of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Maybe a teeny pinch of cloves or allspice, if I was feeling extra fancy. This year I added cardamom into the batter and feel like it plays a huge role in this being the best pumpkin pie, ever. It’s a small amount (only 1/2 teaspoon), but somehow rounds out the spice profile perfectly.

Homemade Pie Crust. If we’re doing this thing, let’s do it right. I know store-bought crusts are easy, but they’re pretty underwhelming in the taste and texture department. Sure, they’re there as a crust, but do they really add anything tasty to the equation? I think not. So, we’re spending a few extra minutes to make our own crust with grass-fed butter, half whole wheat and half all purpose flour, and maximum flaky goodness. I strongly believe that the crust can make or break a good pie, so don’t put this perfect pie filling into a mediocre crust. Please and thank you. (If you happen to have a favorite deep-dish store bought pie crust, perhaps one made with real butter that you love the flavor and texture of, go right ahead and use it! I’m not hating on pre-made crust, just stating the facts that the big name brand ones are pretty lame when stacked up next to homemade).

The good news is, although we’re making this pie completely from scratch, most of it can be made well in advance. In fact, I’d recommend baking the pie itself Wednesday night or first thing Thursday morning, as pumpkin pie needs to set completely before eating. 

If you’re looking to get a head start on your pie, here’s what I recommend doing:

• Make the pie crust dough up to 4 days in advance and keep wrapped in the fridge until ready to use.
• Roast the squash up to 5 days in advance and scoop it’s soft flesh into a container to store in the fridge (or freeze in 2-cup portions to use in pies all winter long).
• You can even blend together the pie filling up to 24 hours in advance of baking, so when it’s time to bake the pie, you simply roll out the crust, pour in the filling, and bake!

See you back here tomorrow for my Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup, complete with recipe ideas for breakfast, mains, appetizers, sides, and dessert! And thanks for following along with Thanksgiving Week! If you missed any of the previous recipes, here’s what I’ve shared this week:

Garlic + Herb Tempeh Meatballs

Easy Mushroom Gravy

Spicy Gochugaru Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Butternut Squash + Herb Hummus

4-Ingredient Salted Chocolate Pecan Fudge

Flaky Coconut Oil Biscuits

As always, if you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram so I can see all your Thanksgiving recipes in action!

My All-Time Favorite Pumpkin Pie [Made with Honeynut Squash]

2018-11-18 13:44:15

Serves 8

This pumpkin pie has a flaky, buttery homemade crust and some healthier ingredients like freshly roasted squash and maple syrup. A touch of cardamom in the spice blend makes all the difference in the flavor of this pie!

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Cook Time

1 hr

Cook Time

1 hr

Ingredients

1. 2 large honeynut or 1 small butternut squash (to yield 2 cups, mashed)
2. 1 cup organic sour cream, greek yogurt, heavy cream, or canned coconut milk*
3. 3 large eggs
4. 3/4 cup maple syrup
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla exract
6. 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
7. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
8. 1/2 teaspoon ginger
9. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
10. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
11. 1/4 teaspoon salt

Flaky Pie Crust

1. (or use your favorite store-bought deep dish pie crust)
2. 1 1/2 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour (or a combination of the two)
3. 10 Tablespoons cold butter (preferably grass-fed and/or organic), sliced into 8-10 chunks
4. 1 Tablespoon cane sugar
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
7. 6-8 Tablespoons cold water

Instructions

1. 1. Start by roasting the squash and making the pie dough. Cut the squash in half, place cut-side down on a sheet pan or large casserole dish, and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until completely soft.
2. 2. Add all pie crust ingredients EXCEPT water to a mixing bowl and use a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers, to break the butter up into the flour. Stop when the butter is in bits about the size of a chickpea. Add in water (start with 6T and add more, as needed) and stir with a spoon to combine. When dough just barely holds together (a few small floury bits are fine), dump onto the counter and press it into an 8-inch circle and cover (with plastic wrap or in a container with a lid) before placing in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes, or up to 4 days. Alternately, this dough can be made in a food processor: add all ingredients except water to the processor, pulse 8-10 times to break up the butter, add water, then pulse again until a rough dough forms.
3. 3. When squash is finished roasting, carefully flip over and use a spoon to remove and discard the seeds. Measure out 2 cups of squash, packing it tightly into the measuring cup, and save the rest for future use. If making pie immediately, place 2 cups of squash into the bowl of a food processor or blender, add all remaining pie ingredients, and blend to combine (about 15-20 seconds). Alternately, the 2 cups of squash can be chilled for up to 5 days before baking the pie, or the blended filling can be chilled for up to 24 hours before baking.
4. 4. When ready to bake the pie: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Move an oven rack to the lowest possible rung.
5. 5. Remove pie crust from the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface (countertop, large cutting board, or parchment paper for easy clean-up). Sprinkle the top with more flour and use a rolling pin to roll out a large, approximately 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer the pie crust to a deep dish pie plate. If the dough doesn't hang over the edge by at least 1-inch, place back on the counter and roll it out a bit more. Create a crust by folding the overhanging pie dough up onto the edge of the pie plate and crimping with your fingers or a fork.
6. 6. Pour pie filling into prepared crust and bake on the lowest rack of your oven for 60-70 minutes, or until filling is just barely set (no longer looks liquid when gently shaken). Let cool completely in pan before slicing and serving (at least 2 hours, but preferably 6-8 or even overnight. Leftovers keep at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5.

Notes

1. *We find sour cream, yogurt, heavy cream, and coconut milk to make almost imperceptibly similar pies. The coconut milk version is ever so slightly coconut flavored, but if you didn't know it was in there, you might not even taste it. We typically opt for cultured organic sour cream or full-fat greek yogurt, since they're almost always in our fridge.
2. This recipe makes enough filling for one deep-dish pie. If you only have a standard pie pan, reduce the filling quantities by 1/3, or fill your pie as full as you can, and bake off the extra filling in ramekins for about 20 minutes and eat as little pumpkin custards.
3. Make it dairy-free: use coconut milk and vegan butter (like Miyoko's) in the crust.
4. Make it gluten-free: use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend in the pie crust recipe or a store-bough GF pie crust.
5. Make it vegan: use dairy-free subs above + 1/4 cup cornstarch in the filling and an extra 1/2 cup of pumpkin instead of the eggs. This version doesn't set quite as well as the version with eggs, but is still quite tasty!

By Chelsea Colbath

Baked Greens https://www.bakedgreens.com/