Black Pepper Adds A New Depth Of Flavor To Pumpkin Pie

It's never too soon to start planning what recipe you will use for your holiday pumpkin pie. When the season is upon us, nothing brings all those warm, comforting tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice, tempered by the sweetness of sugar and pumpkin like this beloved dessert. These traditional flavors of sweet and spice are delicious but expected. That's why if you want to add some real depth to this classic, you need to break out the black pepper.

Black pepper is a spice that not only adds a little heat, but a spice that transforms and complements whatever food it touches with its piney, citrusy, and earthy undertones. This is why when added to pumpkin pie, black pepper works in harmony with and deepens the overall flavors that hit your tongue when you bite into it. What you love about this addition is that it only takes a pinch. But, before you add it, you may want to consider the grind of the pepper because it can influence the overall taste of your pumpkin spice.

If you are going to add black pepper to your pumpkin pie, pay attention to what you sprinkle into the mix. Pure ground black pepper will give your pumpkin pie the most intense taste because of the potency that a pinch of this grind adds. A shaker or table grind will be lighter in spice, but it will also be clearly visible when your guests bite into their pumpkin pie that there's a little bit of pepper in that smooth pumpkin, custard-like filling. 

If you feel like the pepper might be too overpowering with the other spices, you can leave out the cloves – but you don't have to. You may want to experiment with the amount and type of pepper before serving it up to guests so you can get the taste just right. But trust us, pepper will not only change your pumpkin pie experience, it will have your guests asking for your secret.