Looking for an easy way to spruce up classic pumpkin pie? This recipe from BlackSalt pastry chef Susan Wallace is both impressive and simple—you don’t even need to make a crust from scratch. Simply fill a store-bought shell with spiced pumpkin purée, and top with buttery oatmeal streusel for crunch. (Bonus: It looks pretty, too.)
Pumpkin Streusel Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie (serves 6 to 8)
For the oatmeal streusel:
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
⅔ cup quick oats
⅓ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
For the pie and filling:
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell (Wallace recommends Pillsbury Pet-Ritz deep-dish)
2 eggs, separated
15 ounces canned pumpkin purée (Wallace likes Libby’s brand)
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, preferably Eagle Brand
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
Prepare the streusel:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Work in butter by hand, until butter pieces are pea-size. The mixture should be crumbly. Chill 15 minutes.
Pre-bake the pie shell:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of pie shell and fill with pie weights, beans, or rice to weigh down shell. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pie weights, beans, or rice.
Finish the pie:
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
In separate bowl on mixer, whip egg whites until stiff. By hand, whisk the whites into pumpkin mixture. Pour the filling into pre-baked pie shell. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until almost set on top (the pie will be dry but shiny about 1 inch around the center).
Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle streusel on top, covering pie. Return to the oven and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes, until topping is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
