Costco Pumpkin Pie Recipe » Recipefairy.com (2024)

Costco is the place to find the perfect Thanksgiving dessert – Costco pumpkin pie. People just love Costco pumpkin pie and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. It’s always the right consistency, delicious, and inexpensive.

Their mega-pastry is great if you’re serving a hungry crowd on this holiday, but what if they are sold out of the Thanksgiving dessert? Or, what if you want to enjoy this delectable pie on a regular day?

Don’t worry, we have a recipe that will help you make an ultra-creamy and silky-smooth pumpkin pie that may even be better than the Costco’s legendary pie.

How to Make Copycat Costco Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is basically a custard based on eggs. It should be cooked on gentle, low heat until the egg base is set. If the filling is firm once removed from the oven, it means it’s overbaked and lacks the characteristic smooth texture.

That’s why you should bake it only until the eggs are cooked. It should be a little jiggly when removing it from the oven.

This Costco pumpkin pie recipe uses a greater proportion of yolk which makes the texture even richer, creamier and smoother. Using egg yolks instead of some of the egg whites makes the pie more tender and creamy while creating a richness and a deeper flavor.

This recipe also uses more cream than milk. Replacing all the milk and cream with half and half or using non-dairy milk won’t create the same pie, so it’s not recommended. Even though you can make a dairy-free pumpkin pie, that would mean losing the legendary flavor and texture of the Costco pumpkin pie. So, you may want to stick to real dairy.

When it comes to pumpkin, Costco uses cans of pumpkin as the store is making the dessert on a large scale. But, the texture and flavor of their pie have a lot to do with the type of pumpkin they use. This is one of their secrets.

Namely, they use Dickinson pumpkin because of its more intensive pumpkin flavor and a texture that’s perfect for baking.

Another secret to making the perfect Costco pumpkin pie is baking the crust in advance. That’s because the pie is baked at a low temperature, so the crust needs to be completely cooked when the custard filling is ready.

Pre-baking the crust is the key to cooking the perfect crust and custard filling. You’ll achieve that by solidifying the fats in the dough before baking it. Once the dough is put in the pan, it should be stored in the freezer for 15 minutes before put in the oven.

To keep the shape of the pie dough and prevent the crust’s sides from slumping to the pan bottom while baking, use parchment paper to line the unbaked crust and place pie weights inside to prevent the crust from shrinking when baking.

You may want to put the dough in the chiller before rolling it to firm up the fat solids, especially if you are in a warmer environment. You can also consider doubling the recipe so that you can have enough dough to make a braided crust or other decorations.

Here’s everything you need to make your own Costco pumpkin pie.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• Ice-Cold Butter: Provides fat for a flaky and tender pie crust.
• Salt: Enhances the flavor of the crust.
• All-Purpose Einkorn Flour: Forms the main structure of the crust.
• Ice-Cold Water: Binds the dough together, keeping the crust tender.

For the Filling:

• Canned Pumpkin Puree: The primary flavor and body of the pie.
• Egg Yolks: Add richness and help set the custard filling.
• Large Egg: Provides structure and stability to the filling.
• Whole Milk: Contributes to the creamy texture of the filling.
• Heavy Cream: Adds richness and creaminess to the filling.
• Ground Ginger: Offers a warm, spicy flavor.
• Ground Cinnamon: A key spice for the pie’s signature flavor.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor.
• Sugar: Sweetens the filling.
• Salt: Balances and enhances the flavors.
• Ground Cloves: Adds depth with its intense, spicy flavor.
• Nutmeg: Provides a warm, nutty flavor.

Preparation Overview

• The crust is made by combining flour, salt, and butter, then adding water to form the dough. It’s rolled out and pre-baked before adding the filling.
• The filling is a mixture of pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, cream, and spices, whisked together and poured into the pre-baked crust.
• The pie is then baked until the filling is set but still slightly jiggly in the center.

Related: If you like this, you might also enjoy Ninja Foodi pumpkin pie

Costco Pumpkin Pie Recipe

4 from 123 votes

Recipe by Laura Ritterman Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

See Also

Moist Pumpkin Bread Recipe - These Old Cookbooks

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour

5

minutes

Calories

220

kcal

Making Costco pumpkin pie at home is so fun and easy to do. You’ll recreate this classic dessert and bring a smile to your family’s face.

Ingredients

• For the Crust

• 10 tbsp. 10 or 140 grams of ice-cold butter

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose Einkorn flour (180 grams)

• 3-4 tbsp. ice-cold water

• For the Filling

• 1 canned pumpkin puree (16 ounce) make sure it’s not pumpkin pie filling

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 large egg

• ½ cup whole milk

• 1 cup 1 heavy cream

• ¾ tsp. ground ginger

• 2 tsp. 2 ground cinnamon

• 2 tsp. 2 vanilla extract

• ¾ cup sugar

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1/8 tsp. 1/8 ground cloves

• ½ tsp. nutmeg

Directions

• For the Crust
• Pour the flour and the salt in a food processor and pulse until well combined.
• Cut the butter in pieces and add them to the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter shrinks to small pea-sized pieces, or about 30 seconds.
• Pour 2-3 tablespoons of ice-cold water into the mixture and pulse for another 30 seconds. Don’t over-process. It should look like loose sand.
• Dust a surface with flour, transfer the dough here, and shape it into a ball. Flatten it into a disk and cover in plastic wrap.
• Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Flour your working surface and roll the cool dough until large enough to fit in the 9-inch pie plate with 2-3 inch overhang.
• Finally, take the excess overhang and roll it under itself. Crimp the edges.
• For the Filling
• If you are using a pre-made crust, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Roll the dough out on a floured board, after letting it stay in the fridge for about 15 minutes, and place the pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate.
• Fold the pie dough edges under and use a fork to decorate. Put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Use parchment paper to line the pie crust and place pie weights inside. If you don’t have pie weights, use dried beans.
• Put it in the oven and let it bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove the pie weights and put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes.
• Remove the pie crust and set it aside.
• In the meantime, lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
• To prepare the filling, whisk the egg yolks and the egg in a large bowl. Put the rest of the ingredients for the filling, and whisk until well combined.
• Once the pumpkin filling is blended together, pour it into the pre-baked pie crust.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes. You may notice the center of the filling jiggling when the pie is finished cooking, but don’t worry. That’s a sign that it’s not overcooked. Besides, it’ll firm up when cool.
• Let it cool on a wire rack for about two hours, wrap it with a plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

• For the crust you can also use a store-bought crust or make your own as instructed in the recipe below.

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Tips & Tricks

1. Gentle Baking: Bake the pie on low heat until the egg base is set. The filling should be a little jiggly when removing it from the oven to ensure it’s not overbaked and retains its smooth texture.
2. Egg Yolk Proportion: Use a greater proportion of egg yolks instead of whole eggs. This makes the pie texture richer, creamier, and smoother, enhancing the custard’s tenderness and flavor.
3. Cream vs. Milk Ratio: Opt for more cream than milk in the recipe. Avoid replacing dairy with half-and-half or non-dairy milk to maintain the pie’s legendary flavor and texture.
4. Pumpkin Type: Use Dickinson pumpkin for its intensive flavor and texture perfect for baking, as it closely replicates the type used in Costco’s pumpkin pie.
5. Pre-Baking the Crust: Pre-bake the crust since the pie bakes at a low temperature. This ensures the crust is fully cooked when the custard filling is ready, preventing a soggy bottom. Use pie weights or dried beans to maintain the crust’s shape during pre-baking.

Canned or Fresh Pumpkin?

Costco’s pumpkin pie is known for using canned pumpkin. This choice is largely due to the consistency and convenience it offers, especially when producing pies on a large scale. Canned pumpkin provides a uniform flavor and texture, which is crucial for maintaining the quality and taste that customers expect from Costco’s pumpkin pies.

Conclusion

With this Costco pumpkin pie recipe, you can make a homemade pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving that will be as delicious as the original. This is a simple dessert to make, now that you have all of the required ingredients. Best of all, it will be ready quickly and taste as good as, if not better than the original.

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