Pumpkin pie is like the little black dress of a thanksgiving dessert spread. Every holiday party should have at one. They are a total classic and holiday evenings just aren’t the same without a pumpkin pie.
Now there are many desserts containing pumpkin, but a real pumpkin pie has its own recognizable elements that make it “official“. For the base, you can use everything from a classic pie crust to a graham cracker crust or even a chocolate tart crust and the filling should be bold in the pumpkin department (obviously) with some warm winter spices to add dimensions to the overall flavor.
This light and fluffy pumpkin pie has all of these classics elements, but with a lighter more soufflé like texture. This pie is soft, tender, uniquely fluffy and you are going to love it.
Let’s get started…
Begin by combining 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 2 egg yolks and 3/4 cup of heavy cream.
Once everything is fully combined, set it aside for now.
Place your 2 egg whites into a clean, dry bowl and whisk them with an electric hand mixer on medium speed or a stiff whisk (and a big bicep) until they have doubled in size and large bubbles form (photo above).
Once the egg whites have started to thicken and lighten in color, add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and a pinch of salt and continue whisking on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form (photo above).
When you see the egg whites start to maintain the swirls formed as you move the whisk around the bowl (like in the photo above), increase the speed to medium high and continue whisking.
If you are doing this by hand, this is the stage at which you will wish you were using an electric hand whisk (Keep going! You can do this!).
Whisk until stiff, glossy peaks that will hold their shape have formed (photo below).
Now gently fold the stiff, glossy egg whites into the pumpkin mixture. Treat them kindly and try to keep as much of that glorious puffiness as you can and only mix until everything is mostly combined.
Pour the filling into your pie crust and smooth it out gently…
Bake on the center rack of a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, reduce your ovens temperature to 375 and bake for another 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown and if you shake the pie dish gently, the center should look just lightly set.
When the center is lightly set, turn your oven off, prop the oven door open about half way and let the pie cool for about 45 minutes before transferring the pie onto a cooling rack to continue cooling at room temperature. This will help reduce the amount that the pies fluffiness sinks as it cools and will prevent the filling from releasing some moisture if it cools too quickly.
Look at that gorgeous color! Allow your fluffy pumpkin pie to cool for 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator before you slice it up.
If you feel like dressing your pie up a bit, make some of my leftover pie dough leaves. They are so cute and look like you spent a ton of time on them… plus, you can dip your little leaves in any extra whipped cream that may be sitting on your dessert plate…
This light and fluffy pumpkin pie is my all time favorite pumpkin pie. It is so light and perfect and when you garnish a slice with some brown sugar whipped cream, things get pretty seriously delicious.
If you enjoy pumpkin pie, but wish it were less dense… you must try this light and fluffy pumpkin pie. You are going to absolutely love it. Promise.
Fluffy Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 11" sheet of pie dough
- 1 1/2 cups of pure pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs, divided
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 3/4 cup of heavy cream
- whipped cream (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Roll out your pie dough and transfer it into a 9 inch pie dish
- Use a sharp knife to trim away the excess and shape the edges to your desired shape
- Cover the dough with non-stick foil or parchment paper and fill the interior with pie weights or uncooked dried beans or rice
- Bake the crust for 18 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges
- While the crust is baking, prepare the filling ...
- In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of pure pumpkin puree with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 2 egg yolks and 3/4 cup of heavy cream and then set aside.
- Place 2 egg whites in a clean, dry medium bowl and whip with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until bubbles begin to form
- Add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar into the bubbly egg whites and continue whisking until soft peaks form
- Increase the mixer speed to medium high and continue whipping the egg whites until stiff, glossy peaks have formed
- Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the pumpkin mixture until mostly incorporated and then repeat with the remaining 2/3 until you no longer see white streaks (avoid over mixing the mixture)
- Pour the filling into your pie crust and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes and the reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for an additional 25-30 minutes
- If the pie crust gets too dark, cover with crust with a circle of foil
- Transfer the pie dish onto a cooling rack to cool for 4 hours (or overnight tightly covered in the refrigerator)
