Buttery Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Deep dish pumpkin pie is the perfect extra-large dessert for your family gathering. Buttery, homemade crust is pressed into a springform pan and then filled with creamy, spicy pumpkin pie filling. Recipe developer Leah Maroney says, "The springform pan is a great tool for making deep dish pies. There's lots of extra room for the filling. It also makes it so much easier to cut and serve the pie since the sides can be removed completely after baking."

The streusel topping really takes this pie to the next level. The sweet, crumbly topping pairs perfectly with the silky smooth filling. A quick caramel sauce is drizzled on top right before serving. If you really want to take it to the next level, top it with some homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Though this recipe may be more involved than your average pumpkin pie, the final result is something far more delicious than your average pie, so the extra elbow grease is well worth it.

Any good pie starts with the crust, and this deep dish version is no different. You'll need unsalted butter, flour, sugar, and salt for the crust. Then you'll need pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, heavy cream, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract for the filling. 

While most pumpkin pies would stop there, we're taking things a step further with a caramel streusel topping. To make the crumbly topping, you'll need brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and flour.

Add all of the crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse until large crumbs form.

Pour in a tablespoon of ice water at a time until the dough sticks together when you squeeze it between your fingers, about ¼ cup of water in total.

Gently and quickly knead the dough into a large ball.

Roll out the dough into a large sheet.

Place the sheet into a 9 inch springform pan. Cover the bottom and sides and trim the edges so they do not hang over.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Add all of the filling contents to a blender and blend until smooth. Set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Pour the filling into the chilled crust and place in the preheated oven.

Lower the temperature of the oven to 325 F immediately. Bake for 2 hours or until filling has set and jiggles just slightly.

For the caramel topping, place ½ cup of the brown sugar and ¼ cup of the butter into a pot and cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon frequently.

Add in the heavy cream, watch carefully for steam. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla extract. Stir and set aside.

Melt the butter with the flour in the microwave for 30 second increments or until the butter is melted.

Mix in the remaining brown sugar and stir until clumps form.

Top the warm pie with the streusel topping.

Allow the pie to cool to room temperature. Release the pie from the springform pan and drizzle with the caramel sauce.

Slice and serve.

Deep dish pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert for any large gathering like Thanksgiving or Christmas to go alongside your other pies like pecan pie and apple pie. You can prepare several of the elements of the pie ahead of time, as well as the entire pie. Prepare the crust in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 6 months. The filling will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

You can bake and cool the pie and then wrap it very well in plastic wrap. It will store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Or you can freeze the pie for up to 6 months. Simply thaw when you are ready to serve. We don't recommend trying to freeze the unbaked pie, as the filling is very loose and will not transfer to the freezer well.

This pumpkin pie recipe makes a large pumpkin pie, and there's quite a bit of filling to fit into a single pie dish. This quantity will not fit in most 8- or 9-inch pie pans. However, if you have a very deep pie pan, you can add the filling. Just add filling until it comes just below the edge of the crust. The filling tends to puff when it is cooking. 

If you have pumpkin pie filling leftover, you can add it to pumpkin pancake batter for a festive treat. Or you can make another very tiny pie. The recipe makes just enough streusel for this pie, but you can always make more if you like, just double that portion of the recipe. The caramel sauce is a generous portion. Feel free to save some of the caramel for other recipes or pour it on top your apple pie!