This homemade pumpkin pie without evaporated milk is a rich creamy dessert perfect for thanksgiving. Easy to make and incredibly flavorful, this pumpkin pie turns out enrich and flawless even without evaporated milk.
Not only this, one can also make a crustless pumpkin pie without evaporated milk and that’s what you’re going to know ahead. The final recipe tastes just like the conventional pumpkin pie to which you’re accustomed extremely.
Why Is Classic Pumpkin Pie Made with Evaporated Milk?
Evaporated milk is concentrated canned milk with half or more the water removed than regular milk. It’s heat-treated milk with greater shelf stability used to give a perfect texture and shape to a variety of desserts. The same goes for classic pumpkin pie too.
Evaporated milk is a second staple ingredient after pumpkin for making a thanksgiving pumpkin pie. As an amazing thickener or binder, evaporated milk prevents pie filling from becoming a runny mess and make out perfectly baked pie.
Using regular milk as an evaporated milk alternative doesn’t make sense because it’s not as thicker as canned milk and ruins the texture of the recipe. Rather you can use many other substitutes for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie if don’t have this key ingredient on hand.
How To Substitute Evaporated Milk In Pumpkin Pie?
Substituting evaporated milk in pumpkin pie isn’t challenging as a lot more alternatives are out there to make the perfect replacement.
For instance, condensed milk, powdered milk, half-and-half, and heavy cream are all good to replace evaporated milk in pumpkin pie. For lactose intolerants, dairy-free or plant-based milks such as coconut milk, soy milk, or almond milk are great to go with instead of evaporated milk.
According to substitutesfor.com, you can also make a mixture of two or more ingredients to get the more realistic recipe outcomes. For instance, Greek yogurt with whole milk, heavy cream with yogurt, and sour cream with dairy-free milk are great combinations to replace evaporated milk in pumpkin pie. So, pick up any one of the given substitutions and bake an iconic dessert with a relatable smooth texture.
However, I usually preferred making my own evaporated milk substitute to counteract the thickness of the canned milk. Don’t worry, you can also try this out as it’s not so tricky task to do. Simply, boil two cups of whole milk over a stovetop after adding one tablespoon of cornstarch. Reduce the milk by half, add a little sugar and that’s it. A pretty easier homemade evaporated milk replacement is ready to make things as perfectly creamy as the original.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie Without Evaporated Milk?
Start your holiday morning with a delectable slice of pumpkin pie even if you don’t have evaporated milk in the pantry. This classic homemade recipe is easy to bake and turns out perfectly appealing using few ingredients.
Ingredients For Pie Crust
One cup All-purpose flour
½ cup diced Butter
2 tablespoons Cold water
A pinch of Granulated sugar
Ingredients For Pie Filling
One canned pumpkin puree or 2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree
Homemade substitute for evaporated milk
2 eggs
One tablespoon of cornstarch
One tablespoon of Brown sugar
½ tablespoon of salt
½ tablespoon of cinnamon
½ tablespoon of ground cloves
½ tablespoon of allspice
½ tablespoon of vanilla extract
Step By Step Instructions
After gathering all the ingredients together on the shelf, step forward to make a pie crust if not using a store-bought crust. First of all, turn on the oven and pre-heat at 350°F.
Add the all-purpose flour, salt, and diced butter to the mixing bowl and mix manually or by using a food processor. After vigorous mixing, add cold water to the mixture for getting desired dough consistency.
Knead the dough with gentle hands, roll it, and refrigerate it for proofing for 30 to 50 minutes.
After that, take out the dough from the refrigerator, spread it on waxed paper for easy handling, roll out carefully, and place the dough in the baking pie pan. Trim and fold the dough edges for perfect wavy shape.
Next, put the pie pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Note: Skipping the pre-baking of dough isn’t recommended because it will end your pie cooked from edges but raw from the centre. However, applying egg wash to the crust is optional.
Making fresh pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie without evaporated milk is quite easy. However, if you’re short on time or never experienced making puree, opt for canned puree.
Firstly, cut the whole pumpkin into halves, remove the pumpkin seeds and stringy flesh from the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin halves on baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Take out the tray from the oven, cool the halves, peel the skin, and add the roasted flesh to the food processor. Blend it along with all the required spices until smooth.
Pour this freshly prepared pumpkin puree on the pie crust and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until the edges get browner. Remove the pie from the oven, cool it down, decorate it with pie cutouts or whipped cream, and enjoy.
Try Crustless Pumpkin Pie Without Evaporated Milk!
The idea of making crustless pumpkin pie without using canned milk may surprise you a bit but it really goes fine. The texture of the pie will remain set rather than crumbling or getting messy.
The crustless pumpkin pie pairs well as a side dish with a lot of other thanksgiving savory treats. So, everyone can enjoy the whole slice easily and relish the pumpkin flavor deliciously.
Making crustless pumpkin pie is as easy as assembling recipe ingredients together. As there’s no need to prep dough, it’s easy to make and similarly appealing. The only thing you must consider is the consistency of the pie filling. There would be no crust to support the filling so it must be thicker enough to set perfectly.
The ingredient profile for filling is similar to the ingredients of classic pumpkin pie. Just you have to add extra cornstarch and ½ cup of heavy cream to the batter. It will help to make the batter thicker and turn it out all-set at the end.
After preparing the filling, lightly grease the pie pan and pour the filling into it. Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and let it bake for 50 to 60 minutes. After it’s all done, remove the pan and left it at room temperature until it cools down. Then place the pan into the refrigerator for flawless release and easy slicing.
Serve this splendid dessert with whipping cream or sprinkle cinnamon sugar at the top and enjoy your treat.
This way, you can make your favorite dessert perfectly by using the best substitutes for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie without a considerable change in the texture and recipe flavor.
