The Four Seasons:
Winter, Spring, Summer, and PUMPKIN.
It’s that time of year, where no matter what you are trying to buy, there is pumpkin-flavored something staring you in the face.
Pumpkin candles, coffee, soap, bread, muffins, chewing gum, laundry detergent…
OK, maybe not those last two, but you get the idea…
Let’s be honest, when the pumpkin-craze hits, we’re really just trying to imitate one thing:
The perfect pumpkin pie recipe.
In my humble opinion, pumpkin is THE ultimate pie. It’s the main reason you eat Thanksgiving dinner, of course.
This down-home pumpkin pie recipe is special because:
1) it uses honey as the sweetener, instead of regular sugar (which makes it healthier, AND adds a richer flavor, especially if you go with this warm tupelo honey, with buttery undertones.)
2) I ditch the evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk and use real cream instead.
3) It has the best texture and flavor of many, many other pumpkin pie recipes I’ve tried. For realz.
So let’s do this pumpkin-thing.
Honey Sweetened Pumpkin Pie Recipe
(this post contains affiliate links)
You will need:
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup honey (where to find it)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (how to make your own vanilla extract)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I like this one)
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (how to make your own pie spice)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (half n half or even whole milk will work in a pinch)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 unbaked pie crust (here’s my favorite pie crust recipe)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the puree, honey, vanilla, salt, and spice together.
Mix in the cream, then gently beat in the eggs.
Carefully pour the mixture into the pie shell.
Cover the edges of the crust with a pie shield (or foil) and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the shield/foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.
Cool and serve with a generous dollop of real whipped cream.
Refrigerate the leftovers (if there are any!)
Kitchen Notes:
- Looking for a gluten-free pie crust option? This one looks promising. And here’s an almond flour pie crust too.
- Here’s my super simple method for turning whole pumpkins into puree.
- And here’s how to can your pumpkins while you’re at it.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg instead.
- Dairy-free? Simply substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream.
- Have leftover puree? Make this yummy pumpkin pie smoothie, or my favorite honey maple pumpkin bread.
Want to know the coolest thing about this pumpkin pie recipe? I’m it’s completely legal to eat it for breakfast. After all, it’s just squash and honey– it doesn’t get much healthier than that. And if you do, I won’t tell–promise.
Pumpkin Pie Recipe: Made with Honey

Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup honey (I love this honey)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I like this salt.)
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (half n half or even whole milk will work in a pinch)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 unbaked pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix the puree, honey, vanilla, salt, and spice together.
- Mix in the cream, then gently beat in the eggs.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the pie shell.
- Cover the edges of the crust with a pie shield (or foil) and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the shield/foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.
- Cool and serve with a generous dollop of real whipped cream.
- Refrigerate the leftovers (if there are any!)
More Thanksgiving From-Scratch Recipes:
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- How to Cook a Pastured Turkey
- Perfect Roasted Squash Recipe
- The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe (soaked and unsoaked versions)
haha! I was just about to go get the last piece of our pumpkin pie to have for breakfast. 🙂 I can’t wait to try your recipe. I love the depth of flavor honey brings to a dish.
I think we’d get along well Davi!! 🙂
Okay this is genius! You can bet I’ll be making this on Thanksgiving. And it looks SOOOO delicious, Jill! I seriously cannot wait to try this. Now to go buy a million and twelve cans of pumpkin puree to satisfy my pumpkin needs.
Oh I have to try this for sure. We love pumpkin pie and this makes it totally ok to eat with all the healthy alternatives! thanks!
Jill,
I was just wondering about how to eliminate the sugar in my pumpkin pie. We are having Thanksgiving this weekend and was so glad to see the post! Again with the perfect timing! Can’t wait to try it.
I use sour cream to make it gaps legal !
(No crust for the kids on gaps)
🙂 ?
I think sour cream would be a great substitute!
This reminds me of the pumpkin pie of my youth. This will be a great base recipe to tweak for GAPS!
We never had pumpkin pie that I can recall. We sure had the best sweet potato pie I ever ate. I have tasted pumpkin pie but not a fan.
I know I’m late to the game, but I would recommend putting your pureed pumpkin in a coffee filter lined strainer for a least a few hours to drain off moisture. You won’t be sorry. ?
I am so totally trying this recipe. Looks amazing and I love the idea of more natural ingredients.
It took me double the time to bake all the way through. Is that normal?
It might be a different oven! Perhaps your oven has different temperatures in it. Hopefully it still tasted great!
By far the BEST pumpkin pie I ever had in my life!! ?? Thank you SO MUCH!!!
Jill we raise our won bees so I always have an abundance of honey so this recipe is perfect. I try to keep may family away from as much white sugar as possible and use honey in everything. Thanks for sharing in time for me to start making pies for Thanksgiving!
Hi Jill, This one looks yum, I will definitely try this recipe tonight …
Um, extra makes pumpkin spice gum haha
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Might try replacing the pumpkin with butternut squash as well. Ours went crazy this year, I’m not sure if even I can handle 30+ squashes this winter 😉
Send some my way I love them! 🙂
I think that’d be a great combo!
This recipe looks absolutely fantastic! I really like this approach. I will be making this, and soon!
So troubleshooting question!! Made this yesterday, totally delicious! I have never made homemade before and the consistency was softer than store bought, but it seemed cooked. Normal for homemade pumpkin pie? I have no idea what to expect!!
And seriously the BEST tasting pie EVER!!
It depends on the type of pumpkin you use, but it might be a bit softer. Glad you enjoyed it!
Would there be a way to make this without egg? My daughter is severely allergic.
Here are some ideas: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/5-ways-to-make-pumpkin-pie-without-eggs/
I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving yesterday. Unfortunately, 3/4 cup of honey was wayyy too sweet for our family; if I was to redo it I would use a little less then 1/2 cup. Also, the spices were off compared to our usual favorite recipe (a 1956 Betty Crocker recipe). That recipe uses 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. cloves. I am sure everyone has their favorite spice blend that says ‘pumpkin pie’ to them, so that is a matter of preference. We did enjoy the idea of using cream instead of milk though.
Thank you for this lovely recipe, Jill! I was looking for a basic one with eggs that I could adapt for my milk-free husband. I used cashew milk. The pie “set” beautifully–better than any pumpkin pie I can remember making! Thanks to Anni’s comments, I remembered 3/4 c honey is too sweet for me, too, and lowered it to her suggested amount. Thanks, Anni! Can’t wait to try it!!
I baked this pie for an hour longer than what your recipe said, in 10-15 increments, and it just didn’t cook. I don’t know if the honey made it not bake properly, or what, but the pumpkin is still raw. I was really disappointed ?
I made your pumpkin pie and pie crust this year for Thanksgiving and it is a new holiday favorite! Thanks!!! 🙂
What would be the best way to store this pie for a couple of days? We’re having so many Thanksgiving get togethers, I need to get a head start on my baking!
Can you use regular honey vs. raw honey? I *think* raw honey is closer to a solid – so wasn’t sure if the liquid ratio would be off?
Yep– regular will work. Same amounts.
Can i use maple syrup rather than honey?
I did try substituting out half the honey for syrup and it worked. 🙂
Wow! We were looking for a good pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving that didn’t use sugar as the main sweeter…highly impressed…best pumpkin pie we’ve ever had period! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Love comments like this! So happy it was a hit for you!
Is there cooking instructions if I was going to make your glorious recipe crustless!?:) thanks
I am trying to eliminate sugars so pie is out but I still love savory dishes with pumpkin.
Last week I had a pumpkin chili that was fantastic.
Hi Jill,
Evaporated milk keeps on the pantry shelf better, when a sudden urge for pumpkin pie beckons. I like your recipe better when proper planning takes over and heavy cream is available.
I would cut back on the honey and use at least some molasses to darken the pie a bit. BTW ‘regular’ honey is ‘raw’ honey that has been heated to reduce the crystallizing factor.
Heating honey reduces the “healthy” natural benefits of honey. This may also happen in a pie, but would rather begin with a quality product!
Also, folks should know, the heated honey found in grocery stores has little nutritional content, especially when not processed in the U.S., but one also needs to be aware of honey from some U.S. providers as well.
Jill, what is the brand of evaporated milk you suggested that does not have carrageen in it? I can’t find that post of yours anywhere.
Thank you!!
Can I just say that I’m thrilled you sent this email out when you did! I was literally just at the grocery store (yuck!) staring at the canned pumpkin trying to decided if I should make my own or just buy a pie. I decide to make it. And then I found your email, thanks a million!!!
This pie sounds like a winner. But, have you made or even like bread pudding? My husbands grandmother taught me how in the late 60’s and I’ve tinkered with the recipe over the years. Our favorite is pumpkin spice flavored. I use 2 qts. of torn apart day old bread (or a bit older from the fridge), a medium sized bottle of pumpkin spice coffee creamer, 1/2-3/4 cups of brown sugar (dark preferred), 2 teaspoons vanilla, a teaspoon of cinnamon (a bit more pumpkin pie spice if we decide we want more), a teaspoon of either maple or rum flavoring and 3 eggs. I put the bread in a large bowl, pour the coffee creamer over it and mash it down with a potato masher. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. All day is good. Before baking, add eggs that have been beaten a bit and rest of ingredients. You may need more milk because you want the batter to resemble cake batter. I mash it up again to break down bread crusts. Butter a 9×13 pan and pour it in. Put butter pats on top every 2-3 inches. Set it on a cookie sheet and put in a preheated 350 oven for at least an hour. Check center with a knife. If it comes out clean, it’s done if not, cook in 15 minute increments checking each time until knife is clean when removed. Make a homemade caramel sauce with a bit of rum seasoning and drizzle servings. It is best warm and stores well in the fridge and re-heats good in the microwave.
Oh my goodness, this pie is delicious! I made the pie and the shortening-free crust last week as a “trial run” for Thanksgiving, since I’m responsible for the pies every year. This is my new favorite, “go-to” recipe for all of my pumpkin pies AND any other pies requiring a crust!
I have made your pie the last 3 years for the holidays and fall in love with it each and every time. I keep my own honeybees and will be using it in our Thanksgiving pie this year. Today I am making it for my daughters 4H bake sale…..is it wrong to buy my own pie??
Cannot wait to try your honey sweetened pumpkin pie recipe! My husband is “ chomping at the bit” ( no pun intended) for us to get started on it! I’m also thrilled about the honey because refined cane or beet sugar triggers migraines, so it’s very nice to be able to enjoy some sweet treats again! I laughed out loud when I read your comment about leftovers (if there are any)!
Thank you for sharing!
I’ve never been a big pumpkin pie fan – I always thought it was mediocre at best, no matter who makes it – and when I was asked to bring 2 pumpkin pies to Thanksgiving #1 this year, I was unenthusiastic. I decided to try and make a non-mediocre pie, so I tried this recipe and one by America’s Test Kitchen – generally accepted as my most reliable cookbook.
I did make a couple modifications to your recipe based on the comments – I used my mom’s pumpkin pie spice (2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1 tsp fresh nutmeg) and added 4 tsp of the spice mixture to the pie filling, instead of three. I also used a scant 3/4 c honey, instead of the full thing. I followed the test kitchen recipe exactly, except that again, I used my own pie spice. I used my own butter pie crust for both pies.
I then asked the whole family to taste the two different pies. Yours was the winner BY FAR. The test kitchen pie was mediocre at best, like every other pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. But yours was GOOD. I actually WANTED to eat it, instead of eating it because…it’s Thanksgiving and you have to. I was also really sad when the entire pie was eaten and there were no leftovers to take home – the other pie, by the way, was only half eaten, and I ended up throwing it out. I’m actually making yours again for Thanksgiving #2 tomorrow, and this time, I’m hoping for those breakfast leftovers. 😉 Thanks so much for sharing!!! I’ll be trying more of your recipes, for sure.
My grandma and mom always puts in molasses, so of course I do too. Will definitely try this.
Thanks for sharing this…my family rated it the best pumkin pie ever. It is so rich with an amazing depth of flavor. We used mostly organic ingredients and I made homemade whipped cream to top it but substituted coconut sugar for regular & it complimented the pie perfectly.
We have been using this recipe exclusively now since we found it almost 4 years ago. Absolutely amazing, and very difficult not to finish the entire pie in one night. Just printed another copy for our kitchen. Thanks for such a great recipe!
This is THE BEST pumpkin pie I have ever had. Absolutely delicious and healthy too! 🙂
Yay!! So happy to hear that! 🙂
This recipe came out so beautifully. Very good. I’ve been looking for a good recipe for ages. The honey and the heavy cream made it perfect!
We’re so glad to hear that! That’s awesome. 🙂
I have not tried this recipe yet, however I plan to in the near future! One note I did want to make for anyone new to homemade pumpkin purée, you will not get the same colouring as commercially canned purée, for me at least, it was quite a surprise. It doesn’t “look” right at first, having said that, I will NEVER go back to canned pumpkin because the fresh stuff tastes soooo much better.
I also found that home grown pumpkins are way sweeter than even the store bought sugar pumpkins, so I always reduce/ eliminate the sweetener, then taste and adjust (can be done before adding the eggs if your concerned)
Great points! Thanks for sharing!
I would give it 5 stars! It is delicious! Even my picky husband like it! I will definitely make it again!
I have always used candy roaster instead of pumpkin. Have you tried that with the recipe