5-Ingredient pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust – an easy-to-make Thanksgiving dessert that you can make ahead or at the last minute. This is the easiest pumpkin pie recipe ever!
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Why You Should Make This Recipe
Are you looking for an easy, fast dessert for Thanksgiving? How about a famous holiday pie made easy? This creamy pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust is just as delicious as the classic but without the hassle of making, chilling, and rolling the crust.
Not to mention that you will only need five simple ingredients to make this graham cracker pumpkin pie recipe. Two ingredients to make the crust and three to whip up the filling. And you will not even need an electric mixer; an egg whisk or a spoon is sufficient for stirring the pumpkin pie filling.
If you are searching for more last-minute dessert ideas for the Thanksgiving dinner, check out our Easy Brownie Blondie Recipe or the Banana Muffins with Nutella.
Recipe ingredients
- Graham crackers: They are American sweet crackers made with graham flour and honey. They are not only popular as a snack but are great for making pie or cheesecake crusts, a genius way of getting around making a regular pie crust.
- Pumpkin puree from a can. Not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling, all you need is pure pumpkin puree for this easy dessert.
- Unsweetened condensed milk: A great shortcut when it comes to making pie fillings; it replaces the eggs, sugar, and dairy, making the desserts sweet, incredibly smooth, and creamy. It also makes the recipe faster and easier to whip up.
- Pumpkin pie spice mix: A standard spice mix for making any pumpkin desserts. I use it liberally for pumpkin pies and pumpkin muffins, and I even add a pinch to pumpkin soups sometimes.
- Substitute with a mixture of spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, and a tiny pinch of salt OR 2 teaspoons of carrot cake spice mix.
- Butter: Unsalted butter; you will need it to bind the graham cracker crust.
- Heavy cream and some sugar for serving would be the extra ingredients. However, the whipped topping is optional.
How to make pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust?
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Finely crush the crackers in a food processor. Alternatively, place the crackers in a large Ziploc bag or freezer bag, close it, and crush the biscuits with a rolling pin or another heavy object until you have fine crumbs.
- Crust: Mix the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs until the mixture resembles wet sand (1). Press them into a pie dish (2). Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Filling: Place all the ingredients for the pumpkin filling in a medium bowl and stir them with an egg whisk or spoon until smooth. Scrape the bowl's walls with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is well-mixed (3).
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie graham pie shell (4).
- Bake pumpkin pie in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until almost firm. The filling should still jiggle slightly in the middle, and a knife inserted 1 inch from the graham crust should come out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack.
How to serve?
- Let the pumpkin pie in graham cracker crust cool completely. If you have the time, it’s preferable to cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours or until the next day.
- Slice it directly into the pie dish.
- Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or cream fraiche mixed with a bit of brown sugar. However, the topping is optional; you will still love the pie without it.
- You can also serve this delicious pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream.
Expert Tips
Ensure that the Graham crackers are very finely crushed so the mixture will hold together when you cut the pie.
Heavy cream: Ensure that the cream is refrigerator-cold when you start to whip it. Beat it on medium speed for about 20-30 seconds, add a bit of sugar (not too much), and increase the speed to maximum. Beat it until slightly stiff peaks form, don’t overbeat it, or it will turn to butter. Sweet butter and that’s not something you will like.
Recipe FAQ
You can also use a store-bought graham cracker crust or a traditional pie crust, either homemade or store-bought.
Sure. I love a gingersnap crust, the one I used to make this Creamy Philadelphia Pumpkin Cheesecake.
I don’t need it. The crackers are sweet so that the crust will be sweet enough. And sweetened condensed milk is more than sweet.
Refrigerate it in a pie container or covered it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It will last for about 3-4 days.
Freeze (without the whipped cream) in an airtight container for 2- 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator.
You can freeze the leftover slices or the whole pie well wrapped in plastic and then aluminum foil.
More recipes for the holiday season
- Thanksgiving Chicken Recipe (with Gravy)
- Quick Sweet Potato Casserole
- Easy Air Fryer Turkey Leg Recipe
- Cornbread Recipe Without Buttermilk
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Give my quick recipes a try for your next family meal! Feel free to reach out if you need any assistance!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- Food processor optional, Note 1
- Pie dish 9 inches (23 cm)
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust:
- 12 full sheets graham crackers 1 ½ cups crumbs/ 150 g, Note 2
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pumpkin pie filling:
- 1 can pumpkin puree 15 oz/ 425 g, Note 3
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz/ 400 g
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix Note 4
Garnish (optional):
- 1 cup heavy cream chilled
- 2 tablespoons sugar or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Graham cracker crust:
- Process the crackers in a food processor until finely crushed. Alternatively, place them in a Ziploc or freezer bag, close the bag and crush them with a rolling pin or another heavy object.
- Melt the butter and mix it well with the crumbs. Press the mixture into the pie dish. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Filling:
- Mix: Place the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, and spices in a medium bowl. Stir them well with an egg whisk or spoon until completely smooth (no lumps). Pour the mixture into the pie dish.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until almost firm. The filling should still jiggle slightly in the middle, and a knife inserted 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the graham crust should come out clean.
- Let cool entirely on a wire rack. Refrigerate (covered with plastic wrap) for several hours before serving.
Serve:
- Whip the cold heavy cream for about 20-30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the sugar and beat the cream on high speed until slightly stiff peaks form. Don’t overbeat.
- Garnish the pumpkin pie with whipped cream just before serving.
Notes
- A food processor is perfect for crushing the crackers, but if you don’t have it, crush them in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
- You can replace the graham crackers with a store-bought graham cracker crust or regular pie crust. You can also make the crust with gingersnaps or other sweet biscuits.
- Pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Substitute with a mixture of spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, and a tiny pinch of salt OR 2 teaspoons of carrot cake spice mix.
- You can make the pie a day in advance, cool it, and refrigerate it until ready to serve.
- The pumpkin pie lasts refrigerated for 3-4 days. You can freeze it (well-wrapped) for 2-3 months.
Lori says
No eggs?
Adina says
No eggs.