Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie. Just reading the words is enough to make one intrigued or at least pique curiosity. For me, the words are powerful. They make me want to run to the nearest grocery store and fill my basket with the finest butter and the biggest jar of honey I can find. This is how this story goes: I flip through the pages of Dessert Person, I see Claire’s pumpkin pie slices staring back at me, I know I need to make it. I know it’ll change my life.
I’m not wrong.
Claire Saffitz’s Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie
This is another Claire Saffitz’s classic. I’m a fan. I’m a big fan. For a while, I challenged myself to make every recipe in her book. But it’s a lifelong challenge, I suppose. I like savoring and enjoying each one.
This Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie is a labor of love. It’s worth every minute and hour you spend on it. It’s a perfect Thanksgiving dish in the sense that it can be the one recipe you stress over and try to perfect every year. Traditions are good to have.
You might be thinking: what’s so special about a pumpkin pie, anyway? All you have to do is mix some ingredients together, pour into a crust, and call it a day.
Why should I brown the butter, caramelize the honey, parbake the crust, and make my life so much more difficult?
Well, I’ll let Claire answer that one:
“There are thousands—maybe tens of thousands—of pumpkin pie recipes out there, and almost all of them contain a filling that follows this basic formula: pumpkin + eggs + sugar + dairy + warm spices. So why come up with yet another? Because so often the proportions are off between all these components. Sometimes it’s an overwhelming amount of warm spice, other times too few eggs so the pie isn’t custardy. Most often, there’s too much sugar. I wanted a filling that set firmly into a custard and used strong flavors to balance out the vegetal quality of the pumpkin so I came up with browned butter for richness and caramelized honey (just honey that’s cooked to intensify the flavor) for sweetness. I love this pie and would gladly eat it on any occasion, not just Thanksgiving.”
Same, Claire. Same.
A few tips from Claire
Make ahead: this caramelized pumpkin pie – covered and refrigerated – will keep up to 3 days but is best served on the first or second day (the crust will soften over time).
Honey: use a good-quality, dark-hued honey. The more strongly flavored the better, so it stands out against the pumpkin. Just don’t use buckwheat or chestnut honey, which are too intense.
Pumpkin puree: don’t bother making your own puree from fresh pumpkin since it’s hardly ever worth the effort (I might slightly disagree with this one!). Canned pumpkin like Libby’s is lower in moisture and produces a perfectly smooth, flavorful pie.
Spices: if you don’t like this combination of warm spices, or if you are missing one, or can’t find them all at the store, or just don’t like certain spices, feel free to come up with your own blend!
You may have some leftover filling: bake any remaining pumpkin filling separately in a small ramekin. That’s a good way to prevent ingredient waste and also allows you to sample the filling prior to cutting into the pie!
A well-made crust is the key to successful pie
Indeed. You can find Claire’s all-butter pie dough recipe here. It’s one you’ll want to make over and over again.
A flaky, well-baked pie crust is imperative for a successful pie. I often see pie crusts that look pale and underbaked.
You want your pie crust to be nice and bronzed, and the only way to achieve that is by properly baking the dough. That’s why parbaking is so important. You might end up having to bake your pie a bit longer than expected, depending on your oven.
That’s completely fine—ensuring a well-baked dough will prevent that unpleasant soggy bottom.
When it comes to the filling, it’s wonderfully rich and complex. I’m picky when it comes to pumpkin pie—for the exact reasons Claire mentions—and this one is the perfect balance of pumpkin, custard, and spices. It’s a real treat. I hope you make it and enjoy it!
If you make this Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie, please let me know in the comments!
You Might Also Like…
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Cake: soft pumpkin cake with tangy cream cheese swirls baked right in.
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese: creamy, cheesy mac with a subtle pumpkin richness and cozy fall flavor.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Tomato Soup: smooth, roasted squash-and-tomato soup with bright, warm flavor.
Garam Masala Caramelized Pear Crêpes: warm, spiced pears tucked into simple, buttery crêpes.
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Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie
1
9-inch pie45
minutes15
minutes2
hours2
hoursIngredients
Flaky All-Butter Pie Dough, parbaked in a 9-inch pie plate and cooled
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (2.5 oz / 71g)
1⁄3 cup honey (4oz/113g)
1 3⁄4 cup heavy cream (6 oz / 170g), at room temperature
4 large eggs (7 oz / 200g), at room temperature
1⁄4 cup packed dark brown sugar (1.8 oz / 50g)
1 (15 oz / 425g) can unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), preferably Libby’s
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.11 oz / 3g)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably freshly grated), plus more for serving
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
Softly whipped cream, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the parbaked pie crust on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium-low heat, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides constantly with a heatproof spatula. The mixture will sputter as the water boils off. Continue to cook, stirring and scraping, until the sputtering subsides, the butter is foaming, and the solid bits turn a dark brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Caramelize the honey: Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add the honey (to prevent the butter from burning), stirring to combine. Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring to a boil. Continue to cook, swirling often, until the mixture is darkened slightly and has a savory, nutty smell, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stream in the heavy cream, stirring constantly (be careful—the mixture may sputter) until it’s smooth. Set the warm honey mixture aside.
Make the pumpkin filling: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the whites and yolks, then add the brown sugar and whisk vigorously until the mixture has lightened in color by a shade or two, about 1 minute. Whisk in the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves until smooth. Slowly stream in the warm honey mixture, whisking constantly, until the filling is completely homogenous.
Fill the crust and bake: Pour the filling into the parbaked crust all the way to the top. (Depending on the height of your crust, you may have some leftover filling, which I recommend you keep! 4 ) Ever so carefully transfer the pie to the center rack and bake until the filling is set and puffed around the edges and the center wobbles gently, 45 to 60 minutes.
Cool the pie gently: Turn off the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Let the pie cool completely in the oven. Doing so will allow it to cool gradually, which will prevent cracking on the surface.
Serve: Slice the pie into wedges and top each piece with softly whipped cream. Grate a bit of fresh nutmeg over the cream and serve.
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