Pumpkin Meringue Pie Recipe | Brown Sugar Meringue | Best Pumpkin Pie | Best Pumpkin Meringue Pie | Creamy Pumpkin Pie

The most delicious pumpkin meringue pie – the mountain of toasted brown sugar meringue on top is the crowning glory!

You haven’t experienced pumpkin pie until you’ve tried this impressive pumpkin meringue pie. It is a must make for Thanksgiving!

The most delicious pumpkin pie topped with a mountain of toasted brown sugar meringue.

I have a confession to make. I’m not a big fan of standard pumpkin pie – it’s just….not very exciting to me. But this pumpkin meringue pie? It’s so good you’ll want to make it year round. This is an absolute must-have on my Thanksgiving table every year.

The most delicious pumpkin pie topped with a mountain of toasted brown sugar meringue.

Here’s confession #2 – I haven’t made my own pie crust in ages. I always have such a long cooking to-do list around the holidays that I end up running out of time and buying a pre-made crust. Really, the crust is not the focus of this recipe, it’s all about that fluffy brown sugar meringue. If you want to make your own pie crust, that’s great. If not, grab a good quality store bought version and you’ll still have an amazing pie. This pie does require a few specialty kitchen tools; a candy thermometer and a torch. You don’t have to buy one of those expensive culinary torches, any small inexpensive torch from the hardware store will do.

The most delicious pumpkin pie topped with a mountain of toasted brown sugar meringue.

How do you make pumpkin meringue pie?

Clearly this pie is just as much about the meringue as it is the pumpkin filling, but the filling here is extra silky thanks to a special ingredient. While most pumpkin pie recipes use evaporated milk, this one uses cream. In addition, all of the filling ingredients are pureed together in the food processor for the smoothest, creamiest filling.

The most delicious pumpkin pie topped with a mountain of toasted brown sugar meringue.

Have I convinced you to put this pie on your holiday table? You’ll never go back to regular pumpkin pie after you make this version!

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Pumpkin Meringue Pie Video

4.67 from 3 votes

Pumpkin Meringue Pie

AuthorSara Welch
The most delicious pumpkin pie topped with a mountain of toasted brown sugar meringue.
This pumpkin pie is topped with a mountain of toasted brown sugar meringue.
Time
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Serves 10

Ingredients 

For the pie

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pie crust for a 9 inch pan, homemade or store bought
  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

For the brown sugar meringue

  • 3/4 cup egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

Instructions 

For the pie

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray 9-inch deep pie dish with cooking spray.
  • Roll out dough on a floured surface to a 12 inch round. Transfer to prepared dish. Fold the edges under and crimp, forming a decorative border.
  • Line the crust with foil that has been coated with cooking spray; fill with dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Bake until the edges are light golden brown about 7 minutes. If bubbles form, press the crust gently with the back of a fork if bubbles form. Cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
  • Puree pumpkin in processor. Mix in next 5 ingredients. Add eggs 1 at a time, pulsing after each addition. Gradually add the cream in a thin stream, processing just until blended. Process 5 seconds longer.
  • Pour the filling into the crust. Bake until edges are puffed and center is set, about 1 hour. Cool completely on rack.

For the meringue

  • Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Place the brown sugar into a medium heavy saucepan and add just enough water to cover.
  • Put your candy thermometer on the pan and turn the heat to high. When the sugar reaches 240 degrees, start whipping the egg whites by turning your mixer to high speed; you want the egg whites to be foamy and starting to thicken before you add the sugar syrup.
  • When the sugar reaches 245 degrees, remove the thermometer from the pan and turn the mixer speed down to medium. Pour the sugar into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream avoiding the moving whisk.
  • When all the sugar has been added, continue whipping until the meringue reaches the firm peak stage. Quickly spread the meringue over the pie with a large spoon or offset spatula.
  • Use your torch to brown the outside of the meringue. Store the pie in the fridge for up to 3 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 7570IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1.7mg

Hello! I’m Sara!

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Comments

  1. Hi Sara, love to make this pie but I don’t have a thermometer for the sugar how can I know when to remove the sugar from the heat?
    Thanks Teresa

    1. Unfortunately this is a recipe that really requires the thermometer, candy thermometers can be purchased in most larger grocery stores in the baking aisle and they typically are inexpensive.

  2. wow does this look pretty. not being a baker, I could definitely not make those meringue swirls pretty at all! But what a pie!

  3. What a beautiful pie! I have a pumpkin filling lover so I’m wondering if I could double the amount of filling on this to be more pumpkin-y?

    1. The filling in this pie is pretty standard for a typical pumpkin pie, if you doubled it you would want to use a deep dish pie plate. Otherwise you could cut the amount of meringue in half for a more proportionate meringue to filling ratio!

  4. 5 stars
    I did put mine in the oven to brown and it turned out great, I did use the torch after but just to give it an extra finished look. Can you make this meringue with a white sugar syrup for a whiter meringue on lemon Pie and if so are the measurements the same for the syrup?

  5. Mmmmmm I can not wait to make this magical pie!
    Though is there an alternative to using the torch? Granted I know an oven doesn’t deliver the outstanding results of using a torch but could I use the oven just the same?

    1. You could try broiling it in the oven for just a few minutes, watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn!

  6. This is beautiful! I have never attempted meringue but I think I have to try. I bet this would be so pretty on a holiday table.

  7. Lovely twist on a classical pumpkin pie recipe…. Amazing topping and genius idea with the meringue.

  8. Wow, look at that topping! I’ve actually never had (or even heard of!) meringue on a pumpkin pie but am imagining the flavors and textures now – such a delicious idea!

  9. That is one fantabulous meringue pie! You certainly have inspired me and I also now want to buy a torch!!! And don’t feel guilty about the crust – I do that all the time and with that delicious filling – no one will care if it’s homemade or not. Love this!!!