Today is National Pumpkin Day! In celebration, I am sharing one of my favorite pumpkin-based desserts: Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.

A couple of years after college, my roommate and I drove down to North Carolina to stay with a good friend of her’s and have Thanksgiving together. I was so impressed by our host’s hospitality — she had all of the meals planned out for the entire weekend and had given thoughtful attention to details that would make our stay comfortable and enjoyable.

For Thanksgiving Day she made pumpkin chiffon pie. I’ve never been a huge fan of traditional pumpkin pie, so this alternative was a welcome treat. It was so incredibly delicious that I asked for the recipe and, I have made it every single Thanksgiving since then. It’s always a crowd-pleaser, but I also selfishly always crave it!

I don’t have a photo of one of the pies I made (perhaps because it gets gobbled up so quickly!), but it looks very similar to this one from Bon Appetit.  

It’s a super simple pie to make. And you may want to make two — there are never leftovers!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Ingredients

¾ cup brown sugar
1 envelope Knox gelatin
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg
¼ t ginger
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
¾ cup milk
1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin
3 egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 9” graham cracker pie crust (store-bought is easiest, but I prefer to make my own homemade crust (recipe below) which is simple and doesn’t take long to make. 

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine the first six ingredients.

Combine egg yolks and milk; stir into brown sugar mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin. Chill until mixture mounds slightly. Don’t let it get too stiff. 

Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating to stiff peaks. 

Fold pumpkin mixture into egg whites. Pour into crust. Chill until firm. Garnish with whipped cream (fresh whipped cream, of course!). 

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

12 graham crackers (full sheets) (I tend to buy Nabisco graham crackers, but I am sure other brands would be fine)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Instructions

Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until the crumbs are fine.  Add sugar and pulse just to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is combined.

Pack mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan and press firmly to bottom and sides, bringing crumbs evenly up to the rim. Using the bottom of a measuring cup is a helpful way to even it out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. Watch the edges as you don’t want them to get too browned. 

Cool on a wire rack.