Salted Caramel Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you forget to add sugar to pumpkin pie? ›

On the flip side, leaving out most of the sugar creates a beautiful flavor profile. Using one-third of the amount of called-for sugar resulted in a more pumpkin-forward flavor. Though it didn't have much sugar in the batter, the pie still tasted somewhat sweet.

For better pumpkin pie, refrigerate the filling overnight

To that end, we've found that refrigerating pumpkin pie filling overnight before using it not only enhances the spices' flavors, but also mellows them. Any “sharp edges” disappear, and you're left with a smooth meld of complementary flavors.

The Knife Test

The classic knife test is the easiest and most foolproof way to tell if your pumpkin pie is done. Simply insert a knife near the center of the pie. If the knife comes out clean, your pie is done.

In pastry-making, it helps cut the oily mouthfeel of buttery doughs and encourages browning. But mostly, salt is about making things more delicious. It's the key to waking up flavors, creating balance and making desserts totally crave-worthy, giving everything that little edge that makes you take one more bite.

During my testing of pumpkin pies, I tried lots of different milk options – heavy whipping cream, regular milk (I used 2% in my testing), sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Ultimately, I found heavy whipping cream to be the best. It produced the creamiest pie in my opinion.

Honey Or Syrup

General recommended substitution ratios are as follows: For every cup of sugar, you can replace it with a 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of honey or 2/3 cup agave. If using maple syrup or molasses, 3/4 cup to 1 cup will do the trick.

Too many pumpkin pies have soggy crusts that never fully brown. To avoid this, recipes often call for blind baking your crust. That is, baking the empty crust before the filling is added. This gives the crust time to firm up and brown, time it typically doesn't get if the faster cooking filling is added first.

Allow the Pie to Cool Completely

During the pie's cooling period, between 1 and 2 hours at room temperature, the filling continues to bake and firm up. After 2 hours, a good chill in the refrigerator allows the pumpkin custard to set further.

How Long Can Pumpkin Pie Be Left at Room Temperature? Your pumpkin pie can safely sit out on the kitchen counter for up to 2 hours, says the FDA. After that, you run the risk of bacterial growth.

While a wobbly, runny pie is a telltale sign that a pumpkin pie is undercooked, an overcooked pumpkin pie is a bit harder to spot. When you've overcooked a pumpkin pie, you may see: The filling separating from the crust. The filling has visible cracks.

Can you rebake a pumpkin pie that is undercooked? ›

Solution if it's too late: If the pie hasn't been out of the oven for too long, you can put it back in the oven. Cover the pie with foil and bake it at 425°F, checking after 15 minutes.

An average pumpkin pie has 2,378 mg of sodium (according to the USDA). This one is just 158 mg of sodium for the entire recipe, leaving you plenty of room for all your other Thanksgiving favorites.

Adding salt at the beginning of cooking gives it time to migrate into the food, seasoning it throughout. Meanwhile, if you add salt only at the end, it provides a more concentrated, superficial coating that immediately hits your tongue.

But the center may not have reached the temperature it needs to fully set. Another reason could be that the pie hasn't quite cooled enough before slicing. Pumpkin pie needs lots of time to cool and set before you can slice it.

Eggs start to coagulate (turn solid) at 160°F (which is how they thicken the filling); but the longer they cook, the more they tighten up. Those cracks you see in your pie are the result of overcooked eggs, eggs that have tightened up so much, in an uneven way, that they've created fissures in the filling.

Sugar helps cakes stay moist after baking. A completely sugar-free cake will dry out quickly, so wrap cooled cakes in cling film to prevent moisture loss.

A finished pie should be wobbly in the middle, according to Bishop. "A pie might not look set when pulled from the oven; that's OK. You will see the pie thicken as the pie cools and the custard sets," explains Bishop.