With a straightforward gingersnap crust that comes together in a matter of minutes, you can transform a classic pumpkin pie into something truly memorable. Every spoonful of this creamy seasonal staple is enhanced by the crunch and flavor of delicately flavored gingersnap biscuits.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 20 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 1 9-inch pie |
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Make crust: Mix gingersnap crumbs, melted butter, and sugar together in a bowl until well combined. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan; press into the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the filling; keep the oven on.
- Make filling: Combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a mixing bowl. Blend with wire whisk until combined.
- Pour filling into the cooled crust. Bake until the center jiggles slightly but the sides of the filling are set, about 1 hour. Let cool at least 2 hours before slicing.
Reviews
This pie was a big hit with family. I substituted 7 oz. of eggnog instead of the 12 oz of evap milk, & did the crust (Trader Joe’s triple ginger cookies) sans sugar. The cookies are plenty spicy/sweet enough. Also I used 1/2 cup of golden granulated monkfruit in place of the 3/4 cup of brown sugar. I’m at high altitude & the consistency was perfect. Light, creamy & firm
I love anything molasses, and the ginger cookie crust was a perfect compliment to the pumpkin. You’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting a drier, traditional crust; the moisture from the pumpkin oozes nicely into the ginger cookie to make a moist, very slightly chewy pie bottom. I followed the recipe exactly but cooked it 65 minutes- it was not weepy or wet at all on the top. My family loved it, and I’ve shared the recipe already! Happy holidays, all!
I see that others had a hard time with the density of the pie. As did I so I lowered the oven to 270 and cooked to until the center turned stiff. Let cool completely. Wonderful recipe, thank you for sharing
This pie was a HUGE HIT! I made it for Thanksgiving 2014, substituting steamed butternut squash from our garden for the canned pumpkin. I also used fresh grated nutmeg. It took much longer to cook because of the butternut squash substitution I think. It probably had a higher water content than the canned pumpkin. To tell when it was done I would shake the pie plate gently and if I could still see liquid moving around, I would bake it 10 minutes or more. The gingersnap crust came out nicely caramelized (I used Mi-Del cookies). This recipe is a keeper.
I loved the flavor of the crust but it was sure hard to get it out of the pie pan to serve. (maybe is was a user error) The filling was interesting but was just missing something I can’t put my finger on.
This rating is for the crust ONLY (I did not make the filling recipe, since I used my favorite – Paula Deen’s pumpkin/cream cheese filling). I would give the crust 5 stars except that I did make an adjustment to the recipe as written, out of necessity. I was about 1/2 cup shy of the full amount of gingersnap crumbs, so I improvised and used crumbled up crispy homemade sugar cookies for the remainder. Mixed it all together with the sugar and butter, and the result was a really nice, kind of chewy crust that held in the filling nicely and won raves. I am a lover of standard pie crusts, but this crust is my go-to crust for pumpkin pies from now on. Next time I will try it exactly as the recipe calls for, without the sugar cookies as stand in’s.
Oh my Goodness!!! I made this on a chance to make it for Thanksgiving and served it to some friends who were visiting from out of town. Everyone raved, even my picky mil who is very traditional about Thanksgiving dinner. I followed “ohiodeb” review to a “T” and was very thankful I did. We will be having this pie for Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing your recipe Deanna.
I made this pie but put some pecans in with the gingersnaps because I needed more volume. It was ok but I think I agree with some others that I like a flaky pie crust better. My husband thought it was pretty good and it certainly was easy to make. Mine sat up right away and it wasn’t soggy. Put three eggs in the mix like someone else suggested.
An almost perfect pumpkin pie recipe – this is the first time I made one, and it was EASY – I only altered the recipe slightly: For the crust, I substituted about 1/3 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans – for flavor and to add some nutritional benefits) into the cookies before processing, omitted the extra sugar, and used 2T of butter (crumbs were dry though – maybe coconut oil would be better?); For the filling, I only used 1/2 cup of brown sugar, added some ground cloves, and I used 2% evap milk. It tasted great, but I would definitely add more cinnamon and cloves next time. Once the pie cooled, and especially after being in the fridge overnight, the filling firmed up and the crust had a chewier texture, rather than the soft and somewhat soggy texture it had out of the oven. I also used natural ginger cookies with pieces of crystallized ginger in them, and that added a nice dimension to the crust. *I would recommend using cookies with crystallized ginger or adding some crystallized ginger to the crumb mix – delicious!
Wow, I really didn’t know how to rate this. This was different. I made 2 pies, one with evaporated milk and one with eggnog instead. On both I found myself eating the filling and crust separately as though they didn’t go together. The filling was extra smooth and mild, and the crust was spicy and bold. I like both, but don’t necessarily have the desire to have them together again. I’ll stick with the graham cracker crust for my pumpkin pies and figure out another pie for the gingersnap crust. (BTW, using eggnog instead of evaporated milk is really good)
I noticed that quite a few people complained that the pie was watery, that the crust was soggy, or that the crust burned. So, when I made this, I left the sugar out of the crust, as the cookies are sweet enough already, and the sugar is what caused the crust to burn for some people. Also, I used a package of cream cheese instead of the can of evaporated milk, so that it would not be soggy. Finally, I have found from experience, that if I ever use any number but 3 eggs when a pie requires them, that I will be sorry, so I made it with 3. It turned out phenomenal! The crust was crispy and sticky like candy, and buttery too. The combination of ginger and pumpkin was just so wonderful, it took me right back to my childhood and made me feel all euphoric and happy.
YUMMY … the first pie gone this year. Thanks!
I am not a pumpkin pie fan, but the holidays mean I have to offer it. The first time I made this, I mistakenly bought pumpkin pie filling instead of plain pumpkin, so I used the recipe on the Libby’s can. Baking time was right on for this mixture to set, and the crust really adds some zip to counter what I think is the bland mushiness of pumpkin filling. I’m still not wild about pumpkin pie, but I happily finished my slice. I would give four stars for the crust alone, but the second time, we used the filling recipe here. As one reviewer pointed out, it did not look set. I let it bake about 15 minutes longer, but unfortunately, the extra time scorched the entire crust. When I make this again, I will follow that reviewer’s advice to use the baking time suggested and let the pie completely set out of the oven. Or I’ll just use the Libby’s mixture again. The crumb crust takes up more room in the pan than a regular pie crust, and this recipe makes three times the amount of filling needed for one, non-deep-dish, 9-inch pie. Next time I will either increase the crust recipe or decrease the filling amount. Given the issue with the filling setting, I wouldn’t recommend using a deep-dish pan.
The crust was a little soggy and just too sweet for my taste.
It’s a great idea and I’m glad I found it as I was soo not into making a pie crust this year. But I need to say that the crust burnt before the pie was finished baking, within about 45 minutes, 15 short of the hour recommended. I’d just watch the timing and maybe take it out even earlier next time.
We loved it!
I served this pie for christmas. Everyone seemed to love it. The spice crust added lots of flavor to the old pumkin pie. I took the suggestions of baking the the crust longer to keep it from turning out soggy but it didn’t work for me. I would prefer to crispier crust but my husband love it chewy/firm. My father stated that he love how it was chewy like candy. When the pie was a day old the crust became more crispy.(strange) This pie is worth a try.
The only negative was that the crust was soggy. And I don’t know how to correct this…perhaps pre-baking crust longer??
I used only the gingersnap crust portion of this recipe (I have my own pumpkin pie filling recipe), and it was fantastic! I did need to add an additional Tbl of butter to the crust to make it press into the pan without crumbling. The 2nd time I made this, I left off the sugar (the cookies have plenty!). Would do that again! One tip is to pour the filling almost all the way to the edge, that way, not so much crust is showing (the molasses in the cookies makes the crust look burned, although it isn’t). Thanks for the recipe!
Compared to other pumpkin pies, this one was overflowing with flavor. It was a hit, but I personally disliked the crust. It was soggy, and I couldn’t get over the taste to enjoy the pie. I only ended up eating a few bites.
Really tasty! I appreciated the review which mentioned the filling would still be watery, as I would have let it overbake otherwise. At the suggestion of other reviewers, I also added ground cloves, in addition to the other spices. Anyway, my crust was a little hard on the bottom edge, where the crust bends up the sides, difficult to cut through and bite. Otherwise, it was great. Love the combination of flavors. Will definitely make again!