This freezer-friendly and make-ahead pecan praline pumpkin pie combines my tried-and-true flaky pie crust, smooth and spiced pumpkin pie filling, and a sweet/salty crunchy pecan topping. It’s salted pecan pie meets pumpkin pie—in the best way possible! Use my helpful video tutorial to walk you through each step.
As far as Thanksgiving desserts go, pumpkin pie is an icon. And this pecan praline pumpkin pie is a fun twist on my traditional pumpkin pie recipe. I won’t call this rendition an “upgrade” since you can’t mess with perfection, but the crunchy praline topping definitely adds a tasty contrast to the smooth and spiced filling below. If you ever craved a little crunch with your pie, this recipe is for you.
For another fun twist on the classic, try chai pumpkin meringue pie next!
3 Parts to Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie
- Pie Crust
- Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Pecan Praline Topping
For the ultimate finishing touch, I recommend topping this pecan pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of sea salt. The crunchy salt helps cut the praline’s sweetness and whipped cream is ALWAYS a good idea with pie. Agreed?
Partially Blind Bake the Pie Crust
Like my traditional pumpkin pie recipe, today’s version includes partially blind-baking the pie crust which means that we are pre-baking the crust before adding the filling. Do you know how to blind bake pie crust? Let’s review:
- Make pie dough ahead of time, then refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to make the pie. Pie crust must chill for at least 2 hours before rolling out. You can use my favorite pie crust or my all butter pie crust recipe. I prefer the shortening/butter blend in my pie crust because the shortening promises that prized flaky texture. If needed, you can use a graham cracker crust or the gingersnap crust from this pumpkin swirl cheesecake instead. See recipe note.
- Roll the dough out, then fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Crimp or flute the edges. My trick to beautiful edges—don’t trim the excess pie dough. See step 2 in the recipe below and my full tutorial on how to crimp and flute pie crust.
- Chill the shaped pie crust for at least 30 minutes. This prevents shrinking. Remember that pie dough must be cold when it hits the oven. You can chill the shaped crust before or after you fill with pie weights (next step).
- Fill with pie weights. As the pie dough bakes, its fat will melt. The melting fat causes the pie crust to shrink down the sides of the pie dish. To prevent the pie dough from completely losing its shape, weigh it down with pie weights. Carefully line the pie dough with parchment paper first, then pour in pie weights or even dry beans. (Note: 2 packs of these pie weights are needed.)
- Bake until the edges are relatively set, about 10 minutes.
- Remove pie weights + parchment paper, then dock the crust, add a little egg wash around the edges, and bake for a little longer.
Some recipes, like my coconut cream pie and banana cream pie, require a fully blind baked pie crust because the filling doesn’t go into the oven. With this pecan pumpkin pie, however, we’re only partially pre-baking it. (Which is even easier!)
Pumpkin Pie Filling + Secret Ingredient
If you’ve made my beloved pumpkin pie recipe before, you know how good this filling is! To make room for the pecan praline topping, I reduced some of the ingredients so the filling doesn’t overflow. Instead of 3 eggs, we’ll use 2. I also reduced the sugar and liquids, too. This recipe uses an entire can of pumpkin, which is always convenient. I kept the spice amount the same, so we’re getting extra spice flavor in each bite. And you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here—see recipe Note.
Speaking of spices, I add a pinch of fresh ground black pepper to pumpkin pie filling. I got this tip from King Arthur Baking and pumpkin pies are NEVER the same without it. The black pepper brings out the pumpkin pie spice flavors and no one ever realizes it’s hiding in there. (They’ll just ask you why your pie is so good!)
Don’t Forget the Egg Wash
You don’t have to wait for the partially blind baked pie crust to cool down before pouring in the filling—it can still be warm! To prevent a pale and lackluster crust, brush the partially blind baked pie crust with egg wash. Egg wash, a mixture of egg and milk, promises a golden sheen on the edges of your pie.
Pie Crust Shield: Do you notice the edges of your pie crust browning too quickly? Sometimes the crust edges are finished baking before the filling. A pie crust shield helps prevent over-browning. (I link to my favorite one in the recipe notes below.) You can also use aluminum foil. Fold a 12-inch piece of aluminum foil in half, then cut a semi-circle out from the folded edge. Unfold the foil to reveal a circle. Remove the cooking pie from the oven, then carefully place the foil on top so the center is exposed and edges are covered. Return pie to the oven.
Unlike in this pecan pie cheesecake where the topping is spooned over the finished dessert, we bake today’s topping right on the pie.
To start, let’s almost fully bake the pie before we add the praline topping. Why? First, the topping would burn if it’s in the oven that long and second, we could risk under-baking the filling if it’s hiding under the topping the whole time.
Pumpkin Pie Praline Topping Ingredients
As the pie bakes, make the 3 ingredient praline topping. You need:
- Chopped Pecans: This is a pecan praline topping, which is reminiscent of my favorite pecan pie filling and the topping on my sweet potato casserole. If you don’t like pecans, feel free to substitute with chopped walnuts or pistachios. Or instead of using 1 cup of chopped pecans, try 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1/2 cup pepitas. Yum!
- Brown Sugar: Praline is the mixture of cooked sugar and nuts, so we can’t have a praline topping without sugar! I recommend brown sugar, which pairs with the brown sugar in the pumpkin pie filling.
- Honey: We need a sticky liquid sugar for this praline topping. The honey cooks and melts down, creating a delectable sticky crunch. If needed, you can substitute the honey with light corn syrup or even maple syrup.
Top the pie with the praline topping, then return to the oven for about 15 more minutes.
How to Make Ahead + Freeze Praline Pumpkin Pie
Pecan praline pumpkin pie is perfect for entertaining because (conveniently!) it needs to cool completely before serving. I always make pumpkin pie the day ahead of time, let it cool, cover it with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight. You can bring to room temperature before serving or serve cold. And with whipped cream, of course.
Freezing: You can also freeze the baked and cooled pie. If freezing, I recommend baking your pie in a disposable aluminum pie dish because its thin weight will help prevent ice crystals from forming on your pie. Cool the baked pie completely, then wrap the whole thing—pan included—in plastic wrap or Press & Seal, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. This is how to freeze cakes, too. Freeze for up to 3 months, then keep pie in the wrapping and thaw in the refrigerator before topping with whipped cream and serving.
- You can also freeze the semi-baked pie before adding the praline topping. To maintain the praline topping’s crisp texture, this is what I recommend. Follow the recipe below through step 7, cool the pie, follow the freezing and thawing instructions above, then bring the pie to room temperature. Continue with step 8 in the recipe below. This way your praline topping is fresh!
I honestly don’t know which is the best: the crunchy sweet/salty topping, the creamy pumpkin filling, or the flaky pie crust. But who has to pick favorites? If you’re looking for more inspiration for your Thanksgiving dessert table, here are all of my favorite Thanksgiving pies.
See Your Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pies!
So many of you have tried this recipe. Feel free to email or share your recipe photos on social media.
Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours, 10 minutes (includes pie crust)
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This pecan praline pumpkin pie combines flaky pie crust, smooth and spiced pumpkin pie filling, and a sweet/salty crunchy pecan topping. For recipe success, read my recipe notes and watch the helpful video tutorial above before you begin.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 unbaked Buttery Flaky Pie Crust (what I used) or All Butter Pie Crust*
- egg wash for pie crust: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk or heavy cream
Filling
- one 15oz can (about 2 cups; 425g) pumpkin puree*
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup (160ml)Â heavy cream*
- 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk*
Praline Topping
- 1 cup (130g) finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (43g) honey*
- for garnish: sea salt and whipped cream
Instructions
- For best success, read the recipe in full before beginning.
- Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making pecan praline pumpkin pie. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the disks of chilled dough (use the 2nd pie crust for another recipe!). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. To make a lovely thick edge, I do not trim excess dough around the edges. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a nice thick rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. You can see me do this in the video tutorial above or in my detailed how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial.Â
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Pre-bake the crust: Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights. Brush edges lightly with egg wash. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork to create steam vents and return crust (without weights) to the oven for 7–8 more minutes or until the bottom is *just* starting to brown. (Review this how to par-bake pie crust page if you need extra help with this par-baking step.)
- Whisk the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, cream, and milk together in a large bowl until completely combined and smooth. If desired, you can use an electric mixer for this step.
- Pour filling into warm crust. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly. It can still be a little sticky in the very center on top, just as long as it no longer jiggles when you lightly tap the pan. During bake time, if you find the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, apply a pie crust shield or a ring of aluminum foil to protect it.
- Topping: Remove pie from the oven and add the topping. I like to make the topping as the pie bakes so I have it ready. Using a fork, mix the pecans and brown sugar together. Drizzle in the honey and mix until combined. Spoon on top of the pie, then *very* gently press it down with a spoon or fork so it sticks on the filling.
- Return pie to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Use a pie crust shield to protect the crust from over-browning, if needed.
- Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely, at least 3-4 hours. If not serving right away, cover cooled pie and store at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Serve room temperature or cold with a sprinkle of sea salt and whipped cream. I used Ateco 849 piping tip for the whipped cream, but you can just use a spoon to top each slice with a dollop.
- Cover and store leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: See post above for detailed make-ahead and freezing instructions.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Rolling Pin |Â 9-inch Pie Dish | Parchment Paper | Pie Weights | Pastry Brush | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pie Crust Shield | Cooling Rack | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) |Â Ateco 849 Piping Tip
- Pie Crust: Both linked pie crust recipes make 2 crusts. You only need 1 crust for this pie, so freeze the 2nd half for another use. If using store-bought pie dough, you still need to pre-bake it. If needed, you can use a graham cracker crust or gingersnap crust instead of traditional pie crust. Pre-bake the cookie crust at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes. No need for pie weights if using a cookie crust.
- Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin is best in this pumpkin pie recipe. If using fresh pumpkin puree, lightly blot it before adding to remove some moisture. The bake time may be longer.
- Spices: Instead of ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Be sure to still add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
- Heavy Cream & Milk: Do not substitute a lower fat milk– the fat in whole milk is needed. Feel free to use 1 cup of half-and-half instead of heavy cream + whole milk.
- Honey: If needed, you can substitute the honey in the praline topping with light corn syrup or even maple syrup.
So yummy! This was my first time baking pumpkin pie and I knew I was in safe hands. Here are my notes:
Milk – instead of 1/3 cup whole milk I subbed about a quarter heavy cream and three quarters 2% milk into my 1/3 cup. Brown sugar – I reduced the brown sugar in the filling by about half and it still tasted plenty sweet on its own, especially with the praline topping. Spices – instead of subbing the ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper for allspice (thank you for the tip!), I subbed a heaping teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice, which is similar. Praline topping – I used walnuts instead of pecans. The nut topping added a yummy crunchy, nutty, dimension, but it didn’t taste like candied/carmelized nuts which I was hopping for. Maybe I didn’t use enough brown sugar (I only slightly reduced it by like 1/5th) and I used Agave instead of honey…? Next time I would toast and candy the nuts beforehand and then add them to the pie after it’s done baking. Or just buy candied nuts and add them at the end.
Hi Sally, I’m attempting to make this for Thanksgiving this year. I’ve found a couple different pumpkin praline pie recipes, but anything I’ve made of yours has never let me down so I decided to give yours a try. But can I use sweetened condensed milk instead of either the milk or heavy cream?
Hi Jen, the heavy cream and whole milk are necessary for helping the pie to set properly—we don’t recommend swapping with sweetened condensed milk.
Are there any modifications you would recommend if I am using heavy duty one-time use foil pie pans?
Hi Aubrey, no changes necessary if using a disposable pie dish. If the dish isn’t 1.5 to 2 inches deep, the filling may be thicker and therefore, the bake time may need to be extended.
hi sally, what’s the purpose for the cornstarch? is it to thicken the pie up a bit so it’s not so liquidy when done? ty 🙂
Hi Sonny, yes, that’s correct! For thickening.
Help! I cannot print out the recipes so that they’re dark enough to read. It’s not my printer or cartridge. The photo and heading are fine, but the body is too light.
Hi Gail, it seems to be working just fine when we test it this morning, but we will continue to look into it. Sorry for any trouble!
Hi, I’m wondering if there’s a non-dairy product that could be substituted for the milk and heavy cream here? Would love to make this for someone with a dairy allergy!
Hi Rachael, We haven’t tested this recipe with any dairy free alternatives, so we’re unsure of the results. Please let us know if you decide to experiment with it and if you find something that works!
I’m trying to accommodate some folks who prefer pumpkin pie without pecans. Do I need to make any changes to bake half the pie with the praline and half without (such as foil on the half without)?
Thanks!
Hi Mol, it should be fine simply adding the topping to half the pie without any other changes. If you notice the plain side browning too quickly, you can lightly tent the pie with aluminum foil. Hope it’s a hit!
Lovely recipe that reminds me of my Mom’s (she wrote a cookbook that spanned 50 years of cooking/baking, more than 700 recipes, many of them Greek from family and friends). Suggestion you might like is to add some orange zest to the topping, it adds a hint of citrus that really makes the topping pop! I enjoy your recipes and how diligent you are with your testing and thorough with your instructions. Thanks!
This is an amazing pie -best of all Thanksgiving desserts if you ask me. And a huge crowd pleaser every year! @sally I’m curious if this could be modified as a slab pie and if so, do you have recommendations?
Hi Bstrong, Absolutely, and so glad you love this recipe too. We would prepare and bake the pumpkin slab pie for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, sprinkle with this praline topping (we would double it) and continue baking for the remaining slab pie time.
If using this pecan praline topping for your pumpkin pie bars, would the bars have to be baked again after adding the topping as is done in this recipe?
Hi Ang, yes, we’d recommend adding the praline topping during the last 15 minutes or so of bake time for the pumpkin pie bars. Or, you can simply bake the pumpkin pie bars and use the topping from this pecan pie cheesecake instead. Let us know what you try!
Used maple syrup instead of honey and an egg white for the pecans. Other than that, I exactly followed the recipe. Yummy!!!
This pie is the best of all worlds of Thanksgiving (and/or Holiday) dessert!
I messed up the pastry by mistakenly using low gluten flour, so it fell apart a bit on the bottom, but most of the sides and crust were fine and it all tasted amazing!
Made some bourbon vanilla frozen custard which paired wonderfully with the pie.
Thank you for another great recipe!
This pie was easily one of the best I’ve ever had and definitely the best pumpkin pie I’ve had. The flavor wasn’t over spiced, but wasn’t too “creamy” either (by that I’m referring to those pies that taste like pumpkin mixed with cream, but without any real flavors). I followed the recipe exactly and used Sally’s pie crust recipe. I highly recommend this. Don’t be scared of the black pepper.
Can you freeze half of the pie?
Sure! See blog post above for freezing instructions.
Hi! I saw that you need to use heavy cream, which I believe has 36%+ milk fat, for this recipe. However, I currently only have whipping cream that has 35.1% milk fat on hand. Is it going to be good enough for the filling to set properly? If not, would another pumpkin pie recipe work for the pumpkin portion of the pie? Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Anny! What you have is just fine. There will be no difference.
hi sally!
should the pecans be toasted before making the topping? thank you
Hi Sonny, no need to pre-toast the pecans. They’ll get wonderfully toasty while baking on the pie!
Thanks for your recipe! I’m going to try the homemade crust. Can I use salted roasted pecans?
Absolutely!
I volunteer with international students at our university in town and made this pie for a Thanksgiving dinner we put on for them.. Someone approached me saying it was the best pie they’ve ever eaten. Thank you all!
Can i reverse the layers and put the pecan on botton/pumpkin on top?
Hi Pam, we don’t recommend it. The pumpkin pie has a much longer bake time than the pecan topping.
Can you leave the praline topping separate to top individual slices with? I’m thinking it might need a bit of stovetop cooking to melt the honey and brown sugar together, at the least.
Hi Alex, We haven’t tested it this way but we don’t see why it wouldn’t work to have the toppings separate that way. Happy baking!
We love this recipe ! Can I use this to make your pumpkin slab pie – last thanksgiving I had to make four of this wonderful pie which was so much work I’d rather make two of the slab pies but we love the pecan praline part of this. What things do I have to make sure to change/ or do?
Absolutely, and so glad you love this recipe too. I would prepare and bake the pumpkin slab pie for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, sprinkle with this praline topping (I would double it) and continue baking for the remaining slab pie time.
hi sally, i would like to add kahlua to the pie mix for a little twist…how much would you recommend ? thank you 🙂
Hi Sonny, you could try replacing 1/4 cup of the heavy cream with Kahlua but we haven’t tested it!
I have made this pie about 5-6 times. Everyone who has ever tasted has proclaimed it to be the best pie ever! Even pumpkin haters love it.
In my 50 plus years baking, I have never blind baked a pumpkin pie and I did not do so for this pie either. It came out perfect.
Loved the flavor and crust! I made the crust originally for the pecan pie and it was just as amazing for the pumpkin pie. The only issue I ran into was the pie came out rather mushy, and the filling was runny. Do you know what caused this or how I could have prevented it? Thank you!
Hi Caleb, Did you make any ingredient substitutions? Make sure to use full fat heavy whipping cream/heavy cream. Anything with a lower fat content will cause the filling to not set properly.