Streusel Pumpkin Pie

Our streusel pumpkin pie is for anyone who loves desserts with texture. Here, a thick, crumbly streusel topping bakes right on top of an almost-classic pumpkin pie, juxtaposing the super smooth, custardy filling. The pie’s crust is doctored up, too, with finely chopped pecans and shortening instead of butter for a flakier texture. Every bite is a textural treat, but it’s still packed with pumpkin and fall spices. Why pick texture over flavor when you can have both?

Ingredients for Streusel Pumpkin Pie

• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour creates a toothsome, tender and sturdy pie crust.
• Pecans: Toast the nuts beforehand to bring out their nutty sweetness and remove their raw edge. It also adds a little more crunch!
• Shortening: When we tested butter, shortening and lard for pie crust, we found that shortening makes the flakiest. However, feel free to use butter or lard in a 1:1 substitution if you prefer.
• Pumpkin pie filling: Canned pumpkin pie filling is different from canned pumpkin puree. The former includes water, spices, sugar and thickeners, building an almost-ready pie filling that needs just a few perishable ingredients before baking.
• Sweetened condensed milk: Be absolutely sure you’re buying sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. They are packaged similarly and sit right next to each other on grocery store shelves.
• Egg: We’ll need only one egg to bind the filling ingredients together, setting up the custard.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar’s deep, caramelly flavor makes it best for fall desserts, complementing all the heady fall spices and autumnal ingredients.
• Cinnamon: Avid cooks should explore all the types of cinnamon available for baking. You can really add your own nuanced flavor to this pumpkin pie with streusel topping just by reaching for something like spicy Korintje cinnamon or delicate Ceylon cinnamon.
• Butter: Keep the butter very cold so the streusel retains its bumpy, crumbly texture.

Directions

Step 1: Make the pie dough

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, finely chopped pecans and salt. Cut in the shortening until the mixture becomes crumbly. Gradually add in the water, tossing the dough with a fork until a ball forms.

Editor’s Tip: You may not need all the water, so use your best judgment to determine if the pie dough is properly hydrated.

Step 2: Roll out and shape the crusts

Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough half into a 1/8-inch-thick circle. Transfer the circles to two 9-inch pie plates, and form the pie crust inside each of the pie plates. Trim the crusts to the edges and flute the edges. Set the pie plates aside.

Editor’s Tip: If the pie dough is especially soft, cover each half with storage wrap and let them chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Whip up the pie filling

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin pie filling, sweetened condensed milk and the egg until completely homogenous. Pour the pie filling into the crusts, dividing it evenly between them.

Step 4: Mix the streusel topping

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, chopped pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle the streusel over the two fillings. Cover the edges of the crusts loosely with foil to make a pie crust shield.

Step 5: Bake the pumpkin crumble pies

Slide the pies into the oven and bake them until a knife inserted in the center of each pie comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Carefully take the pies out of the oven and cool them at room temperature on a wire rack for two hours.

As soon as the two hours are up, cover the pies with storage wrap and refrigerate them until serving. If desired, serve each slice with homemade whipped cream.

Recipe Variations

• Include more fall spices: We keep the spices light in our pumpkin pie with streusel topping, but feel free to add more if you wish. Try ground nutmeg, ground ginger, cloves and cardamom, or an all-in-one pumpkin pie spice.
• Use other nuts: Not a fan of pecans? Walnuts make a great substitute! You could also use a mixture of pecans with hazelnuts, almonds or macadamia nuts.
• Make mini tartlets: Grab your regular-sized muffin tin and shape and bake all three components into the muffin cups for adorable mini pumpkin tartlets.

How to Store Streusel Pumpkin Pie

Allow the pumpkin crumble pie to cool completely to room temperature, then cover the pie with storage wrap. You could also place slices in an airtight container. Store the pie in the fridge for up to four days.

Can you make streusel pumpkin pie ahead of time?

Yes, you can make pumpkin pie with crumb topping ahead of time. There are a few ways to do this. The first is to completely bake the entire pie the day before serving and keep it in the fridge, covered, until you’re ready to serve.

Another avenue is making all three components—the crust, filling and streusel—ahead of time, keeping them chilled separately in the fridge, then assembling and baking the pie when you’re ready. The crust and streusel can be made three days ahead, and the filling can be made one day ahead.

Streusel Pumpkin Pie Tips

Can you use a regular pie dough for the pie crust?

Yes, you can use regular pie dough for the pie crust. Feel free to use a from-scratch pie crust recipe or one of the best premade pie crusts from the store.

Can you make streusel pumpkin pie with a from-scratch pie filling?

You can absolutely make streusel pumpkin pie with a from-scratch pie filling. Use the pie filling from your favorite pumpkin pie recipe. Just make sure it’s not a no-bake pie filling.

How do you serve streusel pumpkin pie?

Serve the streusel pumpkin pie cold from the fridge. It’s lovely with homemade whipped cream on top or a scoop of ice cream. It really doesn’t need much else, but a glass of sweet wine, like Riesling, port or Vin Santo, makes an exceptional drink pairing.