Mini Pumpkin Pies Recipe | One Little Project (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between canned pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree? ›

Although they both come in cans and the packaging looks almost identical, they can't be used interchangeably. Pumpkin puree doesn't have anything added to it, but pumpkin pie filling comes with pumpkin spice and sugar already mixed in.

Wash Jack-Be-Littles well and cut off the tops scooping out the flesh and seeds. Sprinkle the insides of the pumpkins with extra brown sugar. Line them up on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, spices, vanilla, eggs, cream and milk puree in a large bowl.

If you are making a pumpkin pie, the canned filling can be used in place of the puree, sugar, spices, and thickeners. You would want to adjust the recipe for the extra ingredients in the filling. Just remember, stay away from the canned pie filling unless you want the dish to taste like pumpkin pie.

Start with the right variety of pumpkins, sugar pumpkins. Large pumpkins that we traditionally think of as jack-o-lanterns aren't ideal for pie as they are very stringy and have a lot of seeds. There really isn't very much “meat” to the larger pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins, also known as pie pumpkins, are sweeter.

Pumpkin Puree Taste Comparison:

Fresh: Squashy/pumpkiny, subtle almost herbaceous flavor. Regular Canned: Deep, slightly intense unique flavor. Organic Canned: More similar to the fresh stuff than the regular canned, but with more flavor than homemade.

Canned pumpkin (labeled as "100% pure pumpkin") is a purée of pumpkin that is sometimes mixed with other kinds of winter squash. It is unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks.

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin

In this taste test, our Test Kitchen pros found that the biggest name in the pumpkin game does, in fact, make the best canned pumpkin on the market. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin is a favorite among our culinary crew.

For cooking, you'll want to use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. Long Island Cheese pumpkins, which are more oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese, are also good to eat.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

For the filling: cooked pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt.

Cornstarch Substitute for Fruit Pie Fillings

Just be sure to use 2 tablespoons flour or tapioca starch for every 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in the recipe.

What can I use if I don't have enough pumpkin puree? ›

Sweet potato purée is an excellent substitute for pumpkin. Add some brown sugar to increase the sweetness. The textures are quite similar and the tastes are similar as well. You may use carrot purée in place of pumpkin purée when making cakes,specially that of orange carrots,although the red ones will be okay too.

Not all pumpkins are suitable for pies. If you end up with the wrong type of pumpkin your pie could turn out to be a watery mess! Pie pumpkins should be relatively small- 4 to 8 pounds. They have dense flesh and a high sugar content.

Jack O Lantern pumpkins, which is lighter than baking pumpkins and also can be baked and turned into a pumpkin pie or desert.

Carving pumpkins or Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins are typically thinner, easier to saw into and have less and more stringy guts on the inside; making them easier to clean while pie pumpkins, meant for baking, are usually smaller and more rounded. Pie pumpkins are used for cooking or baking and are also called sugar pumpkins.

Yes, it's already been cooked via steaming. It's safe to eat canned pumpkin straight from the can, but it's infinitely better baked into a pan of pumpkin bars.

Pumpkin purée is simply cooked and mashed pumpkin.

Pumpkin purée can be homemade with whole pumpkin or canned and sold in grocery stores. Canned pumpkin purée that says “100% pumpkin” on the label may also contain one or more types of winter squash, like butternut, Hubbard, Boston Marrow, and Golden Delicious.

Plain, canned pumpkin is the healthiest choice for your dog. Both fresh and canned pumpkin are good sources of nutrients and fiber, but canned pumpkin contains a higher concentration of fiber and nutrients compared to fresh pumpkin. This is because fresh pumpkin has higher water content than canned pumpkin.