27 Pumpkin Pie Recipes to Make for Thanksgiving (2024)

FAQs

How many days ahead of Thanksgiving can you make pumpkin pies? ›

Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.

The general rule for a holiday family meal, which takes into account larger portions than a normal meal, budgets for each person, on average, to eat one three-inch wedge of a nine-inch pie (there are six of these slices in the pie). Simplified, a family should have one full pie for every six guests at the table.

For best results, I typically bake pies up to no more than 2 days in advance if I plan to store them in the fridge or at room temperature.

Think of it this way: poor pie dough wouldn't stand a chance (aka be a soggy mess) with a custard filling if we don't give it a head start. Hence why we pre-bake, because custard pies are too delicious to have soggy bottoms. Custard pies = pumpkin pies.

Why Are Store-Bought Pies Not Refrigerated? So that brings many of us to the question: Why are the pumpkin pies at the grocery store sitting out? Store-bought pumpkin pies include shelf-stable ingredients such as preservatives which allow them to last longer, even at room temp.

It is typical for a guest to eat about a 3 inch wedge of pie, and a 9″ pie would have 6 wedges this size. However, after a large meal like Thanksgiving, your guests may not eat quite as much dessert so you would probably be ok with 1 pie per 8 guests. Based on these numbers, you would need 3-4 pies for 20 guests.

The heirloom breed of pumpkin is grown in Illinois and sold to Costco in canned form—the store goes through 1.2 million cans of said pumpkin in peak pie season.

While pumpkin pie reigns supreme in the majority of American households, sweet potato pie is still the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert in the South.

Apple. There are five states they prefer apple pie to other flavors. Apples came to the United States with Europeans. Apple pie has English origins, according to Smithsonian magazine, but the dessert is an American classic.

The short and easy answer: Yes, pumpkin pie needs to be stored in the refrigerator. The USDA advises that all "egg-rich pies" must be kept refrigerated after baking and cooling. Pumpkin pie falls into this category, along with custard, pecan, and meringue pies.

Can I leave my pumpkin pie out overnight? ›

The USDA advises against leaving food out of refrigeration for more than two hours to avoid the “danger zone,” the temperature range (between 40°F and 140°F) where bacteria grows the fastest. If your homemade pumpkin pie has been refrigerated, it can safely sit at room temperature for up to two hours before serving.

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.

Pumpkin pie will last up to three to four days in the fridge. If you plan to make pumpkin pie in advance, we'd suggest making it one to two days in advance and refrigerating — this way you'll still have a couple days for leftovers, too!

The USDA says that pumpkin pie will last safely in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Some store-bought pumpkin pies may have preservatives that could affect this, but in general, pumpkin pies that are homemade or baked fresh at the bakery or store will follow this general rule.

When you should start cooking: The day before Thanksgiving. Pies may be the last dish that you'll eat on Thanksgiving, but they can be one of the first menu items that you prepare. Baking pies the night before Thanksgiving is an easy way to get ahead and avoid stress on Thanksgiving day.

What about pumpkin pie filling? Fresh pumpkin puree will last about 1 week in the fridge. Store in an airtight container. If you've already added the other ingredients the storage guidelines are 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.