Butternut Pumpkin Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is heavy cream or evaporated milk better for pumpkin pie? ›

During my testing of pumpkin pies, I tried lots of different milk options – heavy whipping cream, regular milk (I used 2% in my testing), sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Ultimately, I found heavy whipping cream to be the best. It produced the creamiest pie in my opinion.

Butternut pumpkin, or butternut squash, has smooth skin that's light orangey-beige. Its flesh is a brighter orange, and it's relatively sweet and dry. They are known for their elongated shape, with a longer 'neck' than other pumpkin varieties. Its long rounded shape makes it easier to cut.

Due to its high yield, butternut squash is my favorite option for pie, but so long as the total weight of purée remains the same, feel free to make use of alternatives like kabocha, buttercup, and acorn squash instead.

Butternut squash! It's more sweet and dense than sugar pumpkins and tastes more bright and fresh than canned. It takes just a few minutes of active time to make and you can use it in your favorite pumpkin recipes, from gluten-free pumpkin pie to creamy pumpkin pudding to super moist gluten-free pumpkin bread!

Pies with too much evaporated milk formed blisters on top.

Though the interior of the filling had a great, creamy texture. The flavor was ever-so-slightly muted and had a hint of milkiness to it.

While many recipes call for it, you can absolutely make an outstanding pumpkin pie without evaporated milk. If your recipe calls for one can of evaporated milk (as most do), you can substitute 1 ½ cups of cream or half and half, or a combination of the two. You can also use milk (any kind from whole to skim).

We like butternut pumpkins best when they're roasted, but this hardy oblong variety is one of the most versatile options in the pumpkin aisle. Butternuts are a little sweeter, dryer and can be turned into soups, roasted with cinnamon or put to use in most cooked pumpkin dishes.

In the kitchen the pumpkin is tougher, both skin and flesh. The butternut squash is also much softer and sweeter and can be easily mistaken for a sweet potato in both taste and texture. However, these differences also depend on the variety and origin of the pumpkin and squash.

So the real controversy should be: which squash to use for your homemade puree? We scoured the internet for pie recipes and found two clear winners: butternut and kabocha. Butternut offers a delicate sweetness and smooth texture, while kabocha offers a uniquely silky texture, chestnut flavor, and bright-orange color.

What is butternut pumpkin called? ›

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata), known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma, is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp with a compartment of seeds in the blossom end.

Zucchini, Yellow Crookneck, Acorn, Spaghetti, Patty Pan, Delicata, Pumpkins and Gourds (except edible snake gourds) all may cross with each other. Butternut, Buttercup, Banana, Hubbard and Turban squashes may cross with each other.

Butternut squash contains slightly more vitamin A and C compared to pumpkin and twice as much iron. It's also a good source of magnesium, vitamin E and potassium. Compared to pumpkin, it's higher in calories and complex carbs and contains more than twice the amount of dietary fiber.

Recommendation: Butternut squash wins in this category if you want a more complex flavour or taste profile. Although sweet, pumpkins are stringy and grainy.

Butternut, buttercup, honeynut and acorn squashes are all suitable substitutes. Each of these types of squash has a similar texture to pumpkin and some natural sweetness. To substitute these squashes for pumpkin, prepare them as you would pumpkin for fresh pumpkin puree: clean, roast, puree in a food processor.

Evaporated milk is best for recipes in which heavy cream is a liquid ingredient, such as in baked goods, since it will not provide the same thickness as heavy cream and does not whip as well. For best results, substitute heavy cream with an equal amount of evaporated milk.

Evaporated Milk – With a similar consistency, you can use a 1-to-1 swap of evaporated milk for heavy cream in most sweet and savory dishes. Its flavor is richer with unique caramelized tones and is not a lower-fat option, but evaporated milk makes do in a pinch.

The only downside is that heavy cream can also leave you feeling excessively full – very quickly, and there are two good reasons for that as you can see in the nutrition label comparison below. The bottom line is that heavy cream has more than twice the calories and five times the fat content of evaporated milk.

Evaporated milk is an ideal heavy cream substitute in recipes that use heavy cream as a liquid. It won't whip well, but it's a great way to add moisture to baked goods. Substitute an equal amount of evaporated milk for heavy cream. Best for: baking.