White pumpkin pie with gingersnap crust

A whole, white pumpkin pie with a pale color.

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White pumpkin pie with gingersnap crust

A twist on the classic pumpkin pie, made with white pumpkin puree, chai spices, and a gingersnap crust.

Prep Time20

Cook Time55

White pumpkin puree1

Total Time2 15

Servings: pieces

Calories: 383kcal

Ingredients

White pumpkin pie filling

15 ounces white pumpkin puree 1 ¾ cups from a 3-lb white sugar pumpkin, instructions below.
3 large eggs
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup white sugar see note on using brown sugar

Spices

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon see note on dark colored spices
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cardamom see note on increasing amount
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

Gingersnap crust

1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs about 6.5 ounces of cookies
⅓ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoon butter, melted
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves

Instructions

Make the white pumpkin puree

If you don't already have the white pumpkin puree: cut a white sugar pumpkin in half (about 3-lb pumpkin) and scoop out seeds. Place cut sides down on a parchment-lined baking tray and roast at 400℉ for about 45 minutes, until the flesh is extremely tender.
Once cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and puree in a food processor. Drain off any pooling water. Measure out 15 ounces for the pie.

Make the gingersnap crust

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Mix all of the gingersnap crust ingredients together in a bowl, then press it into your pie pan. Bake this for 8-10 minutes then remove it to let it cool completely.

Make the pumpkin pie filling

Mix the eggs, sugar, and spices together in a bowl. Then add in the puree and heavy cream and whisk to combine. It will be a very runny pudding texture where you feel some viscosity but it's still very pourable.
Pour the filling into the par-baked gingersnap crust.

Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350℉

Bake the pie on the lower rack until the edges are set and the center 4" are jiggly like jello. The center should not slosh around if nudged. Or use a thermometer and take it out when the center reaches 165-175℉.
Over-baking can crack the top of the pie and turns the custard thicker.
Let cool slightly then refrigerate within 2 hours for safety. This holds really well for several days and the crust never gets soggy.

Notes

Gingersnaps: you need dry, snappy cookies, not soft ones or the crust doesn't work.

White vs brown sugar: white sugar works better with the chai-spice mix with cardamom. It also helps keep the filling whiter in color.

Cinnamon and cloves also darken the filling, so I kept them minimal in the filling and added more to the crust instead. You can add up to 2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the filling if you aren't concerned with keeping the pie a whiter color.

Cardamom: when fresh, you only need a small amount or it can take over the entire flavor. If your cardamom doesn't smell very potent, you can double the amount.

If using a regular pastry-based pie crust: bake at 425℉ for 15 minutes to help make sure the crust is finished baking by the time the pie is done. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350℉ and cook for another 30-45 minutes.

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