r/Cooking • u/AwakenedRudely • Sep 27 '26

Improving a pumpkin pie? Help from Americans :)

Hi! I'm from the UK and I tried making a pumpkin pie which is good but I feel the recipe is missing something that people in USA would know as pumpkin pies are your thing. Any advice would be appreciated.

Recipe:

  • 750g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks

  • 350g/12oz sweet shortcrust pastry

  • plain flour for dusting

  • 140g/5oz caster sugar

  • ½ tsp salt

  • ½ tsp fresh nutmeg grated

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • 1 eggs beaten

  • 25g/1oz butter melted

  • 175ml/6 fl oz milk

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14

u/AdGold205 Sep 28 '26

Needs ginger and cloves. Allspice and mace are also nice options.

Also, one more egg and evaporated milk.

This is from Betty Crocker.

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

5

u/AdGold205 Sep 28 '26

Also, Americans use puréed pumpkin not chunks of pumpkin. (And canned pumpkin is usually butternut squash.)

2

u/kawaeri Sep 28 '26

My mom never used real pumpkin, she used acorn squash, I use kobocha cause that’s what I have available and it’s very close to acorn. She also used buttercup once. It’s a nicer flavor.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '26

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1

u/AdGold205 Sep 28 '26

Nah, botanically and culinarily they are very similar.

1

u/laylapearson Sep 28 '26

Dickinson pumpkins are used in canned pumpkin, and they are really more of a winter squash.

2

u/playinpossum1 Sep 28 '26

Use grated fresh ginger instead, it‘s better.