Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

5 from 1 vote

This Pumpkin Chiffon Pie is the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert! Like a lighter, airier version of a classic pumpkin pie, it's the perfect addition to your holiday table.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword pumpkin chiffon pie

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Chilling Time 8

Total Time 8 40

Servings slices

Calories 493kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

For the Crust:

2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (I use 60 whole Nilla wafer cookies)
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup sugar

For the Filling:

4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
¼ cup Drambuie or water
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree (NOT sweetened pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup sugar
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon salt

For the Meringue:

4 egg whites, at room temperature
Cream of tartar
Salt
⅓ cup sugar

For Serving:

Whipped Cream
Dusting of cinnamon

Instructions

Prepare the Crust:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Pat the mixture onto the bottom and sides of a buttered 9-inch pie plate. I use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to press the crumbs in an even layer.
Bake the shell in the 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, transfer it to a rack, and let cool.

Prepare the Filling:

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over Drambuie or water to soften for 5 minutes. Place the bowl over a double boiler (or a pot of hot water) and whisk the mixture until the gelatin dissolves. Do not boil.
In a heavy saucepan, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Cook the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the gelatin mixture, and let the mixture cool (about 1-2 hours).

Prepare the Meringue:

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Beat in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the meringue holds stiff peaks. Fold the meringue into the pumpkin mixture.

Chill the Pie:

Pour the filling into the shell and chill the pie, covered, for at least 6 hours. If you can’t fit all of the filling into the pie shell, save the extra filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s like a delicious pumpkin mousse when it sets!
When the pie is chilled and set, slice and serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

Notes

Drambuie is a golden-colored liqueur made from Scotch whisky, honey, herbs and spices. It adds a fairly strong flavor to the pie, which is perfect for adults on a holiday. If you're serving the pie to children, or if you prefer to bake without alcohol, substitute an equal amount of water for the Drambuie. It's delicious each way!
Use Libby's canned pumpkin puree, which is 100% pure pumpkin -- not pumpkin pie filling from a can.
Stir the filling constantly while it cooks. This keeps it nice and smooth -- you don't want to find flecks of scrambled egg yolks in your pie!
Use room-temperature egg whites for the meringue. Cold egg whites will not whip up as well.
Carefully fold the meringue into the pie filling, making sure that you don't stir the air out of the egg whites. You want to maintain that light, fluffy texture!
You may have more filling than will fit in the crust. Refrigerate any extra filling -- it will set up and be a delicious pumpkin chiffon mousse to eat with a spoon or scoop with cookies. The chef's treat!
Garnish the chilled pie with whipped cream or bourbon whipped cream for a truly decadent touch!

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