This high altitude tested pumpkin crumb pie is a delicious twist on a classic Thanksgiving pie! With bourbon in the filling, and a salty-sweet, buttery brown sugar streusel topping that’s spiced with a little nutmeg, this pumpkin pie with crumb topping is sure to become your new favorite pie for the holidays. I think of this as the pumpkin pie for people who have never liked pumpkin 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
It’s all about the 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!
Crumb topping isn’t something you’d 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.
Ingredients
- 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.
- 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. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg gives this pie all the fall flavors, while a pinch of salt balances the sweetness.
- 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.
Instructions
Pre-bake the pie crust.
- Prepare 1/2 Recipe Pie Dough (or make the full recipe, and freeze half the dough for another pie).
- Roll the dough out into a circle, and fit it into your pie pan. Fold the edges under and crimp the edges. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper over the frozen crust, and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake the crust on the center oven rack for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and the paper from the crust, then return the crust to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until it’s a pale golden brown. If the bottom of the crust puffs up a little, just gently press it flat again with a spoon. Set the crust aside while you make the filling.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F.
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.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Of course, it’s totally optional.
You can replace the sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup of heavy whipping cream or half and half + 3/4 cup light brown sugar.
Absolutely. If you have pumpkin pie spice, just use it instead of the blend of spices I use.
Yes, you can use a pre-made frozen or refrigerated crust, and follow the instructions for pre-baking.
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Pumpkin Crumble Pie
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9 Inch Deep Dish Pie Pan or Tart Pan
Ingredients
Crust
- ½ recipe for All Butter Pie Dough (1 single pie crust)
Filling
- 1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Crumb Topping
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Instructions
Crust
- Prepare 1/2 Recipe Pie Dough (or make the full recipe, and freeze half the dough for another pie).
- Roll the dough out into a circle, and fit it into your pie pan. Fold the edges under and crimp the edges. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper over the frozen crust, and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake the crust on the center oven rack for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and the paper from the crust, then return the crust to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until it's a pale golden brown. If the bottom of the crust puffs up a little, just gently press it flat again with a spoon. Set the crust aside while you make the filling.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F.
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.
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. If needed, 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.
Notes
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was awesomely delicious. My go-to pumpkin pie recipe for now on!
I'm thrilled you loved it! Thank you so much for giving it a try with all the pumpkin recipes that are out there. 🙂
Excelentes recetas, son deliciosas
Hello Fellow Coloradan,
I am curious if I can omit the bourbon with out consequence or if it is absolutely needed for the pie. Thank you.
The bourbon is optional.
I really want to try this recipe and will make it for Thanksgiving. I just have one question… Is it possible to make this less sweet? Could I use 3/4 of the can of sweetened condensed milk or is there another option? Thank you!
That may work, but I’ve also made the filling by replacing the sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup cream or half and half (could also use evaporated milk) + 3/4 cup light brown sugar. I have not tried it with less sugar than that.
I make this every Thanksgiving! It is part of our tradition now!