With a new week comes a new pumpkin treat! (Find all of my pumpkin recipes here.) I made this pumpkin slab pie for our friends who visited over the weekend and while the pumpkin filling received glowing reviews, everyone commented on the thick, buttery, flaky pie crust. And the cute pie crust leaves and dreamy dollops of homemade whipped cream, too!
This Pumpkin Slab Pie Feeds a Crowd
We’ve all faced the “I need to feed an actual army of people dessert on Thanksgiving and don’t feel like making 1200 pies” problem. Today = problem solved. A pumpkin pie for an actual army of people. Slab pies are a great dessert if you’re hosting a large gathering because:
Slab pie is cut into bars so it’s easy to slice, serve, and eat (and less messy). Guests can eat slices with a fork or hands. Leftover slab pie bars are easier to freeze compared to traditional pie slices. It’s similar to my pumpkin pie recipe but serves many more. It wows a crowd and is festive, too!
For more crowd-pleasing desserts, here are our favorite Thanksgiving pies.
Pumpkin Slab Pie Filling
Channeling my favorite pumpkin pie recipe, I pretty much doubled each ingredient to make a much larger pie. Each ingredient plays an important role, so let’s review:
Pumpkin: This is a big pie so we’re using lots of pumpkin. You can use canned pumpkin puree or fresh pumpkin puree, but I always have the best luck with canned pumpkin in pie recipes. I like Libby’s brand. Brown Sugar: I sweeten this pumpkin slab pie with only brown sugar, not regular white granulated sugar. I use a mix of light brown sugar (1 cup) and dark brown sugar (1 cup) for a layered flavor, though you can use one or another. Eggs: We use 4 eggs in this slab pie filling. It’s just the right number—any more and the pie will taste egg-y. Cream + Milk: The combination of whole milk and real cream create the most luxurious pumpkin pie you’ll ever taste. Salt + Vanilla Extract: Salt and vanilla extract add flavor. (Try using homemade vanilla extract.) Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the pumpkin pie filling. Spices: Gang’s all here! We’re using classic pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Feel free to use homemade pumpkin pie spice, see recipe Note. Black Pepper: A pinch of black pepper adds one more phenomenal layer of flavor. It’s the secret ingredient I use in my regular pumpkin pie recipe and I simply couldn’t leave it out of this slab version. It’s bizarre, but I’ve gotten a lot wonderful feedback from readers on this! No one will know it’s in there except for you. (And all your pumpkin pie eaters will fall in love with the sweet spiced flavor.)
I use the same filling ingredients—only different amounts—for mini pumpkin pies too. Such a delicious combination.
Pumpkin Slab Pie Crust
All-butter pie crust is the only way to go for pumpkin slab pie! You know I have a special place in my heart for the shortening and butter combination in pie crust, but I find the all-butter pie crust (slightly scaled up here) is fantastic for slab pie. If you’ve made my apple slab pie before, you’re familiar with it. It’s enough for the foundation of this pie and you’ll have enough leftover to make adorable leaves, too. Make sure your pie crust ingredients are extra cold. It will help when it comes time to crimp and flute the pie crust edges, too. Time-saving bonus! Begin the crust the night before. I always let my pie crust chill over night before rolling/shaping and highly recommend you do the same.
Optional Pie Crust Decoration
Use any leftover dough for some pie crust leaves. Roll out the dough and cut it into shapes using leaf cookie cutters. Bake the leaves separately. I like how the leaves look placed on top of the baked pie rather than baking them directly on the pie. (When I placed them on top of the pumpkin pie filling, they moved around and looked a little odd once the pie was finished baking.) You could also top this pie with a spiced meringue topping like we do in this chai pumpkin meringue pie.
Best Pumpkin Slab Pie Pan
The most important part! Use the correct size pan. Any larger and you won’t have quite enough dough. Any smaller and you’ll have some overflow. You need a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan. It’s the same pan you need for pumpkin roll and pumpkin bars, too.
More Desserts That Feed a Crowd
Apple Slab Pie & Apple Cake Pumpkin Spice Toffee Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake Pecan Pie Bars Pumpkin Cake Cinnamon Apple Pear Crisp & Apple Crisp
