Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

With pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, an egg, pumpkin pie spice, and a nutty streusel top, this delicious pumpkin pie comes together quickly and easily in a buttery graham cracker crust for one of the best fall desserts ever, perfect for Thanksgiving Day and throughout the holiday season.

One of our best Homemade Pie Recipes, this creamy pumpkin pie in graham cracker crust is perfect on a pie buffet alongside a Lemon Meringue Pie from Scratch and a Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie, two of our favorite custard pies.

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If you or someone you love has never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie, I want to help you think outside the box. This Pumpkin Pie in Graham Cracker Crust is a game-changer, so much better than your classic pumpkin pie recipe.

This homemade pumpkin pie with sweetened condensed milk has a graham cracker crust and a crunchy, sweet, nutty top, which offset the smooth custard and make for a great combination of textures. This recipe will cause you to love pumpkin pie!

Why Make This

It’s delicious. With a crust made of graham cracker crumbs, just the right amount of spices in a luscious pumpkin filling, and a crunchy streusel top, this is the best pumpkin pie recipe, full of texture as well as classic pumpkin flavor. 

It’s different. Unlike a classic pumpkin pie, this version with an easy graham cracker crust just hits different. The graham cracker bottom adds such great texture, that you won’t miss the regular pie crust. If you try any new recipe this fall season, let this be it! This delicious pie will fast become a favorite dessert at your Thanksgiving.

It’s easy! There’s so much to prep for a Thanksgiving Dinner, but this pie is easy breezy. I cheat with a store-bought graham cracker crust. The filling comes together in no time, no mixer or food processor required. With just a few simple ingredients, this really is the easiest pumpkin pie recipe!

It’s a good cheap eat. The ingredients for a graham cracker crust pumpkin pie usually go on sale every fall and aside from the butter, they are all pantry stable ingredients, so you can stock up and always have what you need for the perfect pumpkin pie recipe.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy pumpkin pie in graham cracker crust:

graham cracker crust – You can use a store-bought pie crust or make a Homemade Graham Cracker Crust with your own graham crackers and melted butter. 

pumpkin puree – This can be fresh pumpkin puree or canned. If you use canned pumpkin, be sure to get 100% pure pumpkin puree and not the canned pumpkin pie filling which has added ingredients and sweeteners. You can also make your own pumpkin puree.

sweetened condensed milk – This is what helps sweeten and thicken the pie. It’s a shortcut to using milk and sugar. Don’t confuse it with evaporated milk.

egg – This adds texture to the pie. Don’t omit it. We tried once when my daughter was eating vegan and it didn’t work.

spices – I use a combination of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg, but you can also just sub pumpkin spice mix.

salt – a little salt always helps to balance out all that sweetness and helps the texture of the pie filling. 

brown sugar –  You can use light or dark brown sugar in the streusel. It adds a wonderful caramel, sweet note! Remember, you can make your own brown sugar if you run out.

butter – You want this cold and cut into cubes and work this into your streusel to create crumbs. You can use margarine or a plant-based butter, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.

flour – I use unbleached, all-purpose flour in my baking. You’ll need this for the streusel. 

nuts – I like adding some crunch to my streusel and added in some nuts, but you can always leave these out if there’s a nut allergy. Alternatively, you can substitute pumpkin seeds for a fun twist.

heavy whipping cream (for serving) – Homemade Whipped Cream is a great option for topping this delicious pumpkin pie recipe.

Variations

• Gluten-free – I have made this with gluten-free honeygrams along with a gf baking blend in the streusel. No one noticed a difference!
• Mini Pumpkin Pies – Keebler makes pre-made pie crust in mini sizes that you can use with this easy pumpkin pie recipe. You’ll need at least two or three packages as each only contains six shells. Be sure to adjust the baking times 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to make pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust:

Preheat the oven to 425°. Place the prepared pie crust (in its pie pan) on a baking sheet to catch any drips.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, egg, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. I usually do this with a whisk. Pour the filling into the graham cracker pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. The center of the pie will be jiggly, but set.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, and remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in the nuts.

After the initial 15 minute bake time, remove the pie from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the pie. 

Bake the pumpkin pie for another 40 minutes or until set. You may need to cover the edges of the crust or even the streusel topping loosely with a piece of foil to prevent the top from over-browning.

Let the finished pie cool on a wire rack at room temperature and then chill, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for several hours. Serve cold with whipped cream.

Leftover pumpkin pie will be good for 2-3 days. After that both the crust and the streusel topping will soften. It’s still safe to eat, but loses some of its crunch factor.

FAQs

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This post was originally published on November 11, 2009. It has been updated for content and clarity.