My pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust recipe is easy and delicious! Made with sweetened condensed milk and canned pumpkin puree, it’s a simple way to make a homemade Thanksgiving dessert. With warm spices like cinnamon and ginger, a smooth, creamy filling, and a buttery graham cracker crust, it’s sure to be a hit with your friends and family. While you can definitely use a store-bought crust, I highly recommend making your own for the best flavor and texture. Although this dessert is perfect for fall, it’s good enough to make for any holiday—or any day! If you want to learn how to make pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust, follow my step-by-step directions and watch the video below!
Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- Pie Filling
- 1 15 oz can 100% pure pumpkin puree
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (10g)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3 large eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- *If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use my homemade mix:
- -1 teaspoon cinnamon
- -1/2 teaspoon ginger
- -1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- -between 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- Homemade Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients
- 4.8 oz graham crackers, crushed into crumbs (136g)
- 1 stick butter, unsalted (113g)
- 3 Tablespoons white sugar (45g)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
- Start making the graham cracker crust by crushing the graham crackers.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Press the crumbs into a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate, pushing them up the sides and spreading them as evenly as possible.
- Bake the graham cracker crust, empty and uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.
- Take the crust out of the oven and set it aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350F (180C). If using a storebought graham cracker crust, start the recipe here.
- Make the filling by adding the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and then the eggs to a large mixing bowl and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Although it's optional, I recommend tasting the filling before adding the eggs so you can adjust the spice level if you desire.
- Sprinkle an additional 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon into the graham cracker crust before adding the filling.
- Pour the filling into the empty crust, stopping about 1/8 inch below the rim of the pie plate to avoid overfilling. You may have a little leftover filling, depending on the depth of your crust.
- Bake uncovered at 350°F for about 45–50 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center still has a slight wobble.
- Allow the pie to cool for at least 1 hour (but preferably 3-4 hours) before serving.
Recipe Review
I really liked how this pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust turned out. The flavor was excellent, with the pumpkin coming through nicely and the warm spices complementing it without being overpowering. I thought my homemade pumpkin pie spice blend was well balanced, adding plenty of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove flavor without making the pie taste too spicy. The sweetness was also just right. One 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk was all this pie needed, especially considering that the graham cracker crust also contained some sugar. Overall, the filling was flavorful, sweet, and perfectly suited to a holiday dessert.
Speaking of which, the texture was another highlight. The pumpkin filling was smooth and creamy, while the graham cracker crust was crunchy and buttery. I really liked the contrast between the two, and the cinnamon in the crust added another layer of flavor that complemented the pumpkin filling. Although canned pumpkin puree was the main ingredient, the filling still had plenty of flavor, and the spices helped give the pie that warm, comforting taste I associate with fall desserts.
I also liked how this pie looked when it came out of the oven. The filling had set nicely, and the graham cracker crust gave it a homemade appearance. However, the edges of the filling were a little darker than I would have liked. I think this was partly because the filling came too close to the edges of the pie plate in some places. For that reason, I recommend checking the pie after 40–45 minutes rather than automatically baking it for 50 minutes. The center should still have a slight wobble when you take it out of the oven, as the filling will continue to set while it cools.
One thing I particularly liked about this recipe was how easy it was to put together. All you have to do is mix the filling ingredients, pour the mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust, and bake. I made my own crust using graham crackers, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt, but you can definitely use a storebought crust to make the recipe even easier. If you option for a storebought crust, I recommend sprinkling a little extra cinnamon into the crust before adding the filling to make it taste more homemade.
Although I guess you probably could make this pie without baking the crust first, in my experience a homemade graham cracker crust holds its shape much better if it’s baked. Also, an unbaked crust might absorb more of the liquidy filling when it’s first poured into the empty shell, making the bottom soggy. So for those reason, I wouldn’t recommend a no bake crust for this pie.
One thing to keep in mind is that you may have a little leftover filling, depending on the depth of your pie plate and how thick you make the crust. I wouldn’t try to force all of the filling into the crust because overfilling can cause the pie to overflow and may affect the texture of the crust. Instead, fill the pie plate to about 1/8 inch below the rim and reserve any extra filling to cook separately. I poured about 2-3 tablespoons of leftover filling into a mason jar and microwave it on high for about 1 minute, but be aware that cooking times may vary depending on how much leftover custard you have.
Honestly, there isn’t really anything I’d change about this recipe. You could tweak the amount of spice, but I recommend using 2-3 teaspoons in total. Although the graham cracker crust was incredible, I also think that a gingersnap pie crust would be good as well since ginger is one of the main spices in pumpkin pie spice. If you want a deeper flavor, 1 teaspoon of molasses might be a good addition as well.
Overall, this pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust and sweetened condensed milk was a big success! It had a flavorful, creamy filling, a delicious balance of sweetness and warm spices, and a buttery graham cracker crust that provided a pleasant contrast in texture. Best of all, the recipe is easy to make and works with either a homemade or storebought crust. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other occasion when you’re craving homemade pumpkin pie. If you’re looking for an easy holiday dessert with a delicious twist on traditional pumpkin pie, this recipe is well worth trying!
Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust FAQs
Yes! You can make a pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust by first making a homemade crust (or buying a storebought one), mixing up the filling, pouring it into the empty crust, and then baking. With a buttery, crunchy base infused with hints of honey and cinnamon, it complements the creamy, spiced filling in a way that regular pumpkin pie doesn’t.
Yes! Baking a homemade graham cracker crust makes it firmer and helps it hold together. This will help the pie hold its shape when cut, as well as hold the filling without getting soggy—all you need is 10-15 minutes at 375F.
You can make a graham cracker crust for pumpkin pie by crushing graham crackers into crumbs and mixing them with sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, and salt, then pressing the crumbs into an empty pie plate and baking for 10-15 minutes at 375F. If you want more detailed instructions on how to make a graham cracker pie crust, see my full-length article and video.
Although you can use a no-bake graham cracker crust, I don’t recommend it. Pies with no-bake crusts don’t hold their shape when sliced, and they can also sometimes get soggy if the filling has a lot of liquid—so while I don’t think that baking the crust before pouring in the filling is absolutely necessary, I highly recommend it.
Yes! A storebought graham cracker crust would be a great way to make this pumpkin pie recipe even easier—although I do think that you’d sacrifice some of that homemade flavor. While I recommend sprinkling 1/2 teaspoon of extra cinnamon into even a homemade crust before pouring in the filling, I think the extra flavor is especially important for a readymade crust.
Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and creaminess to pumpkin pie while helping create a smooth, custard-like filling. Because it contains both sugar and evaporated milk, you don’t need to add extra sugar or milk, so it’s a super easy way to make a delicious homemade pumpkin pie.
No, you can’t use evaporated milk in this recipe because sweetened condensed milk contains sugar and has a thicker consistency. If you really want to use evaporated milk, I recommend following a specific recipe for pumpkin pie with evaporated milk.
Yes! Make your own pumpkin pie spice by mixing together about 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 nutmeg, and between 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cloves—if you have allspice, feel free to add 1/8 teaspoon if you want, but it’s totally optional. If you’d rather not spend the money on a bunch of spices, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (and nothing else) will still give you a good flavor.
Bake this pumpkin pie at 350°F for about 40–45 minutes. The edges of the filling should be set, while the center should still have a slight wobble. Avoid waiting until the center is completely firm, as the filling will continue to set as the pie cools.
Allow the pie to cool, then cover and place it in the refrigerator where it should keep for 3-4 days before the filling starts to lose flavor and the crust starts to soften noticeably. The filling contains eggs and sweetened condensed milk, so don’t leave the pie at room temperature for more than two hours.
Other Pumpkin Pie Recipes
For more versions of the classic Thanksgiving dessert, take a look at the following:
Crustless Pumpkin Pie – Skipping the crust lowers the calories dramatically, making this a much lighter version of old-fashioned dessert.
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