Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with Sweet Walnut Crust
Pies and Pastries Recipes
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 225 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Piecrust
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coarsely grind walnuts in a food processor. Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar, then pulse to blend while drizzling in melted butter. Press into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 10 to 15 minutes on second rack from bottom of oven. Set aside to cool. Piecrust can be made up to 3 weeks in advance and frozen.
Filling
- 1 tablespoon whiskey or brandy
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 package gelatin
- 2/3 cup light-brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin, canned or fresh
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1-1/2 cups whipping cream
- 1 crust for a 9-inch pie (see recipe)
- Garnish: walnut halves
In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart pot, whisk liquor, milk, and gelatin together over low heat. Whisk continually until gelatin is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar and eggs, one at a time. Continue whisking over low heat (never let custard come to a boil) as you add pumpkin, spices, and salt. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until custard is smooth and hot. Turn off heat and transfer custard to a large ceramic bowl to cool at room temperature. Do not refrigerate, because you don’t want the custard to firm up. In a separate bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks. When custard has cooled to room temperature (about 45 minutes), fold cream gently into pumpkin custard using rubber spatula. Do not overmix; retain some streaks in the mixture. Fold filling into cooled pie shell; chill at least 2 hours. Garnish with walnut halves. This pie may be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
Reviews by Readers
I made this pie and after our family tasted it and loved it I made a second pie the very next day!! This is definitely a recipe that will be a tradition for our family every fall. – Reviewed by Dana Witterman
I had lost my grandmother's recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, a staple at our Thanksgiving table. I have been searching for 2 years to find a similar recipe...and this is it! My family loves this pie! – Anonymous Review
This is a fabulous pie! It's very light and the pumpkin is not overwhelming. I highly recommend it. – Anonymous Review
This is a great alternative to a traditional pumpkin pie! It is so much lighter! My family loved it and is asking me to make it again this year. – Reviewed by Maryellen Rousseau
This is a new family favorite. I have to make three pies every Thanksgiving. One for my nephew and one for my sister-in-law and one just for me. Yum! – Anonymous Review
My husband wanted to try this--I was a little unsure, but it was a hit. It was chosen over traditional pie -- by pumpkin pie eaters! You can do it without a food grinder, too. – Reviewed by Deb Kukal
This was a little tricky the first time I made it, as I had never made custard, but it was well worth the effort! Everyone that I have served this to absolutely loves it. – Reviewed by Julia Ashton
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