Maple Pumpkin Pie

There's a lot to love about this maple pumpkin pie! Let's start with a gorgeously plush filling made from fresh cream and pure pumpkin puree. And let's not forget the maple syrup! It adds beautiful floral caramel notes to make this pumpkin maple pie stand out. And you won't find evaporated milk here - the heavy cream in the custard filling makes it unbelievably smooth and delicious.

I usually pair a gluten free all butter pie crust with my maple pumpkin pies, but you could use any pie crust of your choice. For a more traditional pumpkin pie made with brown sugar, see my classic gluten free pumpkin pie recipe.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This maple pumpkin pie is made with easy-to-find ingredients, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and spiced with an easy homemade spice blend. It's perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other fall celebration.

• Rich and lush. The combo of heavy cream and maple syrup makes this pie taste oh-so-decadent.
• Sweetened just with maple syrup. This maple pumpkin pie just needs maple syrup for sweetening and earthy flavor. I love the touch of natural sweetness that the maple syrup gives as well as its beautifully unique flavor that just seems like "fall".
• Easy ingredients. You'll see below that the ingredients list is brief, meaning you may already have a lot of what you need in the pantry and fridge.

Ingredient Notes

• Pie crust - You'll need 1 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
• Pure pumpkin puree - Make sure to use pure pumpkin - pumpkin pie filling has added sweeteners and stabilizers.
• Heavy cream - For the best-tasting custard, heavy cream adds richness. In a pinch, use half-and-half or whole milk.
• Eggs - Use large eggs and not jumbo eggs which can make the filling too liquidy.
• Maple syrup - Pure maple syrup is the only syrup to use in this pie. Do NOT use a substitute!
• Ground spices - A combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt is best.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.

Variations

• Pie crust options - You can use your favorite homemade or store-bought pie crust for this pie. You won't need to pre-bake it because the pie starts baking on higher heat before dropping down a bit to finish the custard. Try my oat flour pie crust or gluten free pie crust recipes instead of all butter pie crust if you like.
• Brown sugar - If maple syrup is out of the budget, substitute ¾ cup of light brown sugar in the filling.
• Salted caramel pie - Add ¼ cup of homemade salted caramel sauce to the filling to turn this into a salted caramel pumpkin pie!

If you have a hankering for cake on Thanksgiving in addition to or instead of pie, try my gluten free pumpkin bundt cake recipe!

Tips for the Best Maple Pumpkin Pie

• Prepare the filling ahead. You can whisk together the filling ingredients and store the mixture in a glass jar or airtight container up to 24 hours before you plan to bake the pie. A rest will help the filling to deepen in flavor. Give the filling a good whisk to integrate it again before adding it to the crust.
• Use a large enough pie pan. Spillage is the worst! Make sure you use a 9-inch pie pan that isn't too shallow so that the filling cooks evenly and doesn't leak over the top.
• Heat a baking sheet. In addition to baking the pie on the lower rack, place a large baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. Then, when the oven is ready, place the pie on the baking sheet. The hot pan will help the crust to cook evenly and crisply.
• Don't overbake. It's almost inevitable that you'll get a few cracks in your pumpkin pie, but the way to avoid this is to not let the pie bake for too long. The pie should look firm around the edges but still a little soft and "jiggly" in the center although NOT liquidy. Identifying when a pumpkin pie is done does take a bit of trial, error, and experience, so know that even if you get a cracked surface the pie will still taste delicious.
• Fully cool the pie. I can't stress how important this is! Custard pies need time to cool fully after being baked. Cool your pie at least to room temperature and then cut it or place it in the fridge to chill. I love pumpkin pie served cold, but it depends on personal preference!
• Make it dairy-free. Use whole-fat coconut milk in the filling or your favorite non-dairy milk to make this pie dairy-free.
• Use pumpkin pie spice. If you don't have all the spices in the pantry you can easily use pumpkin pie spice for the combination of the spices (2 ½ teaspoons).

Serving Suggestions

Whipped cream, preferably very lightly sweetened homemade whipped cream is hands down the very best topping for maple pumpkin pie. Next best is store-bought whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

You could add a little flavor to your homemade whipped cream, too, to complement the flavors of the pie. Try pure vanilla extract, a tablespoon or two of maple syrup, or ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon for cinnamon whipped cream.