Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chili, pumpkin spice potato chips (they exist!), pumpkin scented candles, and about a billion other pumpkin spice items this time of year. But where does it all begin? The Iconic Pumpkin Pie, of course. The motherhood of everything pumpkin spice, pumpkin pie is the original source for our pumpkin fix. It’s a very popular recipe this time of year and one of the most frequent questions I receive is “how can I turn this into mini pumpkin pies?” I’m always happy to answer this, but I figured it’d be most helpful to have a separate post dedicated to Mini Pumpkin Pies. Instead of telling you how I do it, let’s show you the process. These are FUN and let’s be honest… the cuteness is hard to resist on a dessert table next to your other Thanksgiving pies!
You Will Love These Mini Pumpkin Pies Because:
They’re fun to make with kids Unlike the full-size version, there’s no blind baking the crust (YAY!) They’re deeply spiced and sweetened with flavorful brown sugar Bake time & cool time are a lot quicker than regular pie Decoration can be minimal with a simple dollop of whipped cream They’re handheld & easy to serve, just like mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins
If larger pies intimidate you, try shrinking it. Or if you don’t want to mess with pie crust at all, you’ll appreciate my easy pumpkin pie bars instead.
Overview: How to Make Mini Pumpkin Pies
Have you made my mini pecan pies or mini quiches before? We’re doing the same thing here, only switching the filling. (One note, if you ever try my mini pecan pies, you need to pre-bake the crusts since the filling is so thin. Not necessary today though.)
Filling is Adapted From My Favorite Pumpkin Pie
These mini pumpkin pies are an adaptation of my favorite pumpkin pie recipe.
Reduced Amount: The most notable change is the reduced amount of filling. We don’t need as much filling as we would for a large 9-inch pie. These mini pumpkin pies are dough heavy—lots of crust in each bite. The filling really has to stand out, so we’ll use flavorful brown sugar and extra pumpkin pie spice. You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here! No Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the filling for the full-size pie so we’re guaranteed neat slices. We’re not slicing these mini pumpkin pies—and the crust already keeps the filling tight and compact. Black Pepper: Black pepper is our secret ingredient. I learned about the addition of black pepper to pumpkin pie filling over at King Arthur Flour a few years ago. I’m forever changed. Seriously! This little bit of spice turns your pumpkin pie into the BEST pumpkin pie. No one will know it’s there—all they’ll taste is a delightfully spiced flavor. I’m just going to shout it: IT’S SO GOOD.
This recipe uses 1 and 1/4 cups (285g) of pumpkin puree and if you have more to use up, here are recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
More Variations of Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie Bars Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Nutella Swirled Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Streusel Bars
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
