Pumpkin pie with a crisp topping instead of a crust, which removes the only difficult part of pumpkin pie and adds a buttery oat layer in its place.
The filling is three ingredients, and it takes about twenty minutes of work.
Why This Recipe Works
- Pumpkin butter is already cooked down, sweetened and spiced, so the filling needs nothing but eggs to set it and milk to loosen it.
- Evaporated milk brings richness without much extra water, which matters in a custard that has to set in a shallow dish.
- Cold butter cut into the oats makes coarse crumbs rather than paste, and it is those crumbs that crisp instead of turning into a lid.
- A 9×9 dish gives the filling enough depth to stay custardy while the topping browns in the same 45 minutes.
Pumpkin Butter, or Not
The filling is only three ingredients because pumpkin butter arrives already sweetened, spiced and reduced. That is the whole shortcut, and it is also the one thing worth checking before you start.
Do you have a jar of pumpkin butter?
Yes — a jar of pumpkin butter
Make it exactly as written: 1 1/2 cups pumpkin butter whisked with 2 eggs and 3/4 cup evaporated milk or cream.
Pumpkin butter is puree already cooked down with sugar and spice, so the sweetening and seasoning are done. Three ingredients genuinely make a finished filling.
No — only plain pumpkin puree
Sweeten and spice the puree yourself before adding eggs and milk, tasting as you go until it is noticeably sweeter and more spiced than you want the finished dish to be.
Puree is unsweetened, unspiced and much wetter than pumpkin butter. Substituting it directly gives a bland, loose filling — the eggs and milk cannot make up for what the butter was carrying.
Unsure which you have
Taste a spoonful. Pumpkin butter is sweet and spiced on its own; puree tastes of plain squash.
The two are sold in similar jars and cans and are not interchangeable here. One spoonful settles it before you have committed the eggs.
Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin butter
- A cup and a half, and the ingredient the recipe is built around. Sweetened and spiced already, which is why the filling needs nothing else.
- Evaporated milk or heavy cream
- They work as equals. Cream gives a richer, slightly softer set; evaporated milk is closer to a classic pumpkin pie.
- Cold butter
- Half a cup, cubed and cold. Cut in only until coarse crumbs form — worked further it becomes a dough and bakes as a sheet.
- Old-fashioned oats
- Rolled rather than instant. Instant oats are cut too fine and disappear into the topping instead of staying distinct.
How to Make It
Heat the oven
350°F (175°C), with a 9×9-inch baking dish greased.
Whisk the filling
Pumpkin butter, eggs and evaporated milk whisked until smooth and creamy.
Pour and smooth
Spread the filling evenly in the prepared dish.
Cut the topping
Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, then cut in the cold cubed butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs.
Top and bake
Scatter the crumbs evenly over the filling and bake until the topping is golden and the centre is just set.
Cool before serving
Let it settle before scooping — the custard firms as it cools, as any pumpkin pie does.
Success Tips
- Taste the filling before it goes in. Pumpkin butter varies a lot in sweetness between brands.
- Keep the butter cold right up to the moment you cut it in. Warm butter gives you paste, not crumbs.
- Scatter the topping rather than pressing it down. A pressed topping steams instead of crisping.
- Let it cool properly. A warm custard always looks underset, and scooping early is what makes people think it failed.
Serving Ideas
Warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It also eats well cold from the fridge the next day, when the custard is fully firm and it tastes closest to pie.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate covered up to 4 days. The topping softens after the first day but the filling improves.
Freeze
Freezes up to 2 months. Custard fillings can weep slightly on thawing, so thaw in the fridge overnight rather than at room temperature.
Reheat
15 minutes at 325°F, uncovered, which also re-crisps the topping. Individual portions can be microwaved but the topping goes soft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin butter?
Not as a direct swap. Puree is unsweetened, unspiced and wetter, so you would need to sweeten and spice it yourself and expect a looser filling. If you can find pumpkin butter, the recipe is much better with it.
Can I make it gluten-free?
Swap the flour for a 1:1 gluten-free blend and use certified gluten-free oats. The topping behaves much the same, since it is bound by butter rather than gluten.
The middle still wobbles. Is it done?
A slight wobble in the centre is right for a custard — it firms as it cools. If it is liquid rather than wobbling, give it longer and cover the topping loosely if it is already golden.
