Pumpkin Crumb Pie with Bourbon and Brown Sugar Streusel

This pumpkin crumb pie is a delicious twist on a classic favorite! With bourbon in the filling, and a salty-sweet, buttery brown sugar streusel topping that’s spiced with a little nutmeg, this pumpkin pie is sure to become your new favorite pie for the holidays.

My recipe for the filling is a pretty classic one, using canned pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, vanilla and spices. It’s as easy as just whisking everything together in a bowl and pouring it into the crust. I also added a couple tablespoons of bourbon that really makes the flavor of the custard shine.  The alcohol cooks off, of course, leaving behind buttery notes of bourbon that complement the pumpkin and spices so well.  You can leave it out, but I wouldn’t.  It’s the holidays, after all.  Add the bourbon.

What really makes this pie special, though, is the crumb topping.  It’s not something you usually find on a pumpkin pie, but it makes this dessert simply spectacular.  It adds such depth of flavor with its crunchy, crumbly, salty-sweet buttery-ness that lingers on your tongue with each bite and makes you wonder why you haven’t been putting streusel topping on your pumpkin pies your whole life?  Seriously, I didn’t want to stop eating it. So, just in time for Thanksgiving, the pie for people who don’t like pumpkin pie.  And if you already like it, I think you’ll love it even more after trying this recipe for pumpkin crumb pie.

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? You’ll love this pumpkin crumb coffee cake, pumpkin pie spice shortbread cookies, and pumpkin pecan waffles.

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Why You’ll Love This Pie

Buttery Crumb Topping. I’ll admit, pumpkin pie has never really been my thing.  It’s not that I dislike it, it’s just that I’ve always thought it’s kind of boring. And when there is apple pie, or pecan pie, or chocolate cream pie to be had, pumpkin has always fallen into last place for me. And, I’d dare to say, for a lot of other people, too, who also don’t think that it’s worthy of all the attention that it gets this time of year. But since streusel makes everything better, I knew that it would be fantastic with streusel topping. And since developing this recipe, I’ve had so many people tell me that this streusel topped pie has completely changed their mind about this classic Thanksgiving dessert!

Bourbon. A little bourbon is always a good thing, and it adds wonderful flavor to the filling. You can even add it to whipped cream, like I did to top my flourless chocolate cake.

Fall Spices. When September arrives, I’m ready to bake with all the fall spices, and if you step into my kitchen, you’ll be greeted with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and cardamom.

Ingredients

Crust

• ½ recipe for All Butter Pie Dough. Since you only need a single pie crust, you can either make half the pie dough recipe, or wrap and freeze the other half of the dough for another pie.

Filling

• Canned Pumpkin. Be sure to use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk. Sweetens the pumpkin filling, and makes it rich and creamy.
• Eggs. Thickens and emulsifies the filling, so it essentially bakes into a pumpkin custard.
• Bourbon + Vanilla. The bourbon is optional, but it adds such a nice flavor, along with vanilla extract.
• Spices. Ginger, cloves and nutmeg gives this pie all the fall flavors, while a pinch of salt balances the sweetness.

Streusel

• Butter. I use unsalted butter, but if you use salted, just omit the extra salt.
• Flour. Plain, all-purpose flour works well for crumble toppings.
• Sugar. You can use either brown sugar or granulated sugar, and both work great.
• Nutmeg. A little more spice right on top adds extra flavor.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.

Instructions

Pre-bake the pie crust.

• Starting with the crust, I always make my All Butter Flaky Pie Dough that’s so light, flaky and tender.  The perfect pie crust for anything you want to fill it with. I highly recommend pre-baking your crust.  If you think that it will over-bake once you add the filling, don’t worry.  You might need to cover the edges with a pie shield to keep them from over-browning, but the crust will be perfectly cooked.
• Prepare the pie dough and follow instructions to pre-bake the crust, according to my All Butter Pie Dough recipe and post. After the crust is pre-baked, it’s ready to be filled.

TIP: When the crust isn’t pre-baked, it tends to be rather pale and flabby, never really fully cooking in the short bake time that this pumpkin crumb pie requires. So baking the crust before filling it ensures the crust will be flaky and crisp.

Whisk up the filling.

• While the crust is baking, you can mix up the filling and topping.
• In a large bowl, whisk together all of the filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping.

• In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg until thoroughly combined, moist and crumbly.

Bake.

• After you have pre-baked the crust, remove the pan from the oven, and set the oven temperature to 375 F.
• Carefully pour the filling into the hot crust, then sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling.  Place a pie shield on the edge of the crust to prevent it from over-browning.
• Bake at 375 for about 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling is set.  Cool completely before slicing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of pumpkin should I use?

You should use plain, canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. You could also roast and puree your own pumpkin, but make sure you use a sweet sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin, not field pumpkins intended for carving rather than eating.

Can I leave the bourbon out of the filling?

Of course, it’s totally optional.

Is there a substitute for the sweetened condensed milk?

You may be able to substitute heavy cream or half and half, along with some sugar, for the sweetened condensed milk. I haven’t personally tried this substitution, so I can’t say for sure how much you would need to use.

Can I use pumpkin pie spice?

Absolutely. If you have pumpkin pie spice, just use it instead of the blend of spices I use.

Will this recipe work with a store bought pie crust?

Yes, you can use a pre-made frozen or refrigerated crust, and follow the instructions for pre-baking.

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