This is pumpkin pie with a twist! You all know how much I love this great pumpkin pie recipe. It’s a reader favorite too, especially when it comes to Thanksgiving pies. But this year I felt like doing things a little differently—spicing things up a bit. Chai spicing them up, if you will. If you’ve ever had trouble deciding whether to order a pumpkin spice latte or a chai latte, this pie is for you!
Why You’ll Love This Spiced Chai Pumpkin Meringue Pie
This is a spice-forward pumpkin pie, with aromatic chai spices in both the filling & the meringue. Smooth, creamy pumpkin filling sits atop a buttery, flaky pie crust. Sweet meringue topping tastes like toasted marshmallows. A wonderful combination of sweet + spicy! Pumpkin pie freezes well, so you can make it ahead and then add the topping before serving.
You Need a Par-Baked Pie Crust
Like my traditional pumpkin pie recipe, today’s spiced chai pumpkin meringue pie includes partially blind-baking the pie crust, which means that we are pre-baking the crust before adding the filling. Do you know how to blind bake pie crust? Let’s review: Let me show you this process in a few photos. Here is the pie dough shaped into the pie dish. You can crimp the edges with a fork or you can flute them. If you need a tutorial on how to do either, see my detailed post on how to crimp and flute pie crust. Now, add some parchment paper and pie weights: Bake the crust with the weights for only about 10 minutes, to help set its shape. Then remove the pie weights and dock the crust with a fork. Now that you have the crust ready to go, let’s move on to the filling. First, make the spice mix.
Grab These Spices for the Chai Spice Mix
Ground cinnamon Ground ginger Ground cardamom Ground allspice Ground cloves (or substitute nutmeg, if preferred)
This spice blend is similar to pumpkin pie spice, but the addition of herbal cardamom changes the flavor profile with its aromatic warmth. I love using fragrant chai spices in baked goods, like chai spice cinnamon swirl Bundt cake, apple pie with chai spices, and chai latte cupcakes.
Other Ingredients in the Filling
Pumpkin Puree: Canned pumpkin is best for this pie, but if you want to use puree from fresh pumpkin, lightly blot out some moisture before using. Bake time may be longer. Eggs: Eggs set up the pumpkin pie filling. They give the filling its rich, luxurious texture. Brown Sugar: The molasses in brown sugar adds a depth of flavor to the filling. Cornstarch: A starch thickener is one of the most important ingredients in a creamy pie filling, such as this coconut cream pie, to really help set up the pie. Makes it a little sturdier and firm, while keeping everything smooth. Salt: Flavor enhancer, a key ingredient. Heavy Cream: Heavy cream makes pumpkin pie creamy and silky smooth. Whole Milk: Do not substitute a lower-fat milk—the fat in whole milk is needed.
Here are the ingredients you need, plus egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar for the meringue topping. Whisk the filling ingredients together, and then pour into the warm par-baked crust. The pie takes about 55–60 minutes in the oven. Chai pumpkin pie! But let’s not stop there…
Chai Spice Meringue Topping
I generally make 2 types of meringue toppings for pies. The first is a really fluffy topping that I use on lemon meringue pie. The second one, which is what we’re making for this spiced chai pumpkin meringue pie, is more of a billowy, soft and creamy topping. It’s basically Swiss meringue buttercream, only without the butter. And it tastes like melted marshmallows! I use this topping often and have an entire separate post about how to make homemade marshmallow meringue; it’s actually what I use as the topping for brownie baked Alaska. I slightly reduced the quantities in today’s version so it yields less, and I also reduced the sugar and left out the vanilla so you can really taste the chai spices. You need room-temperature egg whites, sugar, a little cream of tartar, some of the remaining chai spice mix, your stove, and a mixer. Cream of tartar is a non-negotiable because the egg whites won’t set up very well without it. And since you’ll have cream of tartar, a batch of quick-and-easy snickerdoodles on the side is always a good idea. 😉 Gently cook the 3 ingredients together in a double boiler OR in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out. The mixture will be thick and tacky at first, then thin out and appear frothy on top. (As you can see above, left.) As noted in the printable recipe below, you can use your finger to test for doneness or an instant read thermometer. Transfer mixture to your mixer, add some more of your chai spice mix, and beat until stiff peaks form, pictured above on the right. You can spoon and spread it on top of the pie, like I do with this bourbon sweet potato pie, or pipe it with large star piping tips such as Wilton 1M: 3 Helpful Tips for the Meringue Topping: If you want to skip the meringue topping, you can serve this pie plain or topped with whipped cream, like I do for my spiced pumpkin tart. (Feel free to add some of the chai spice mix, to taste, to the whipped cream ingredients before you start whipping it.) This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
