Everyone loves Thanksgiving, but let’s be honest, it can get expensive, especially when you have several guests to feed. But I’ve got a great little Thanksgiving hack for you. Well okay, maybe two. Thanksgiving hack number one: make these Mini Pumpkin Pies. You get twelve servings with half the amount of ingredients used for a regular-sized pumpkin pie. So instead of trying to slice one pie into razor-thin slices so that everyone gets a bite, be the star of the show with these adorable little Mini Pumpkin Pies. Everyone will die over their cuteness and you’ll be smiling with satisfaction because you just fed more people with fewer ingredients.
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No-Fuss Crust
As much as I love a classic pumpkin pie, I especially love these mini pumpkin pies because they don’t use a traditional pie crust. Pie crust can be tricky to work with, especially for new cooks, but these pies use a really unique dough made with butter, flour, and cream cheese. It has a soft moldable texture that is super forgiving and easy to work with. …Because the last thing you need to worry about on Thanksgiving is cracked pie dough.
Make A Double Batch of Mini Pumpkin Pies
As I mentioned above, this recipe basically uses half of the “filling” for a regular-sized pumpkin pie. So you can use your favorite pumpkin pie filling recipe, or even the pumpkin pie recipe on the label of your can of pumpkin purée and just divide it by two to fill 12 of these mini pumpkin pies. Or use the whole recipe and make 24 mini pumpkin pies!
Can I Make them Ahead?
Yes, you can make these mini pumpkin pies one day ahead of time. When preparing them in advance, allow the pies to cool completely to room temperature before covering and refrigerating. You can also freeze the pumpkin pies, but the quality is much better when fresh or refrigerated. So freezing is a great way to enjoy the leftovers for longer, but I wouldn’t freeze before serving to guests.
Pumpkin Pie Topping Options
You can leave the pumpkin pies bare (I love the color they add to a Thanksgiving spread), or you can top them with whipped cream and a little sprinkle of cinnamon (use any leftover cinnamon to make snickerdoodles!). If you plan to let the pumpkin pies sit out for a while, like as part of a Friendsgiving buffet, you may want to use a stabilized whipped cream to make sure the whipped cream doesn’t collapse as it sits (whip 1 Tbsp cornstarch into every cup of homemade whipped cream to stabilize).
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Servings 12 mini piesIngredients
Crust
- 8 Tbsp salted butter, room temperature ($0.80)
- 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature ($0.58)
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.07)
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar ($0.01)
Filling
- 1/2 15oz. can pumpkin purée ($0.48)
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk ($0.40)
- 1 large eggs ($0.29)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar ($0.04)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Make the pie crust first. Add the butter and cream cheese to a bowl and use a mixer to beat them together until light and fluffy.
- Beat 1 Tbsp sugar into the butter and cream cheese, then begin to beat in the flour, about ¼ cup at a time, until all of it has been incorporated. The result will be a very soft dough.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces, then divide each piece into three so you have 12 equal-sized pieces total. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then drop each one into the well of a muffin tin. Use your fingers to press the dough down into the center and up the sides of the wells (see step by step photos below for more help).
- Next, make the pie filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, egg, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Divide the filling between the twelve pie shells (about 3 Tbsp each).
- Bake the pies for 35 minutes, or until the edges of the pie crusts are golden and the filling is slightly cracked on top.
- Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow the pies to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. After about 10 minutes they should be solid enough to safely remove. Slide a knife around the outer edge of each one until they pop out. Finish cooling the pies on a wire rack.
- Serve the pies at room temperature, or transfer them to the refrigerator once cooled for longer storage (up to four days).
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Nutrition
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How to Make Mini Pumpkin Pies – Step by Step Photos
Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need for these mini pumpkin pies. The ingredients are all super simple pantry staples: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, cream cheese, evaporated milk, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
Start by preheating the oven to 350ºF. Next, add 8 Tbsp room temperature butter and 4 oz. room temperature cream cheese to a bowl.
Beat the butter and cream cheese together until they’re evenly combined and fluffy.
Beat 1 Tbsp sugar into the butter and cream cheese, then start adding the flour, about ¼ cup at a time, beating until it is incorporated (1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour total). The end result will be a very soft dough. No dry flour should remain on the bottom of the bowl.
Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. To do this, divide the dough into four equal-sized pieces. From there, divide each piece into three equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place them into the wells of a muffin tin. Use your fingers to press the dough down and up the sides of the muffin tin wells. Make sure to get down into the corners of the well where a lot of the dough can accumulate and get too thick.
Next, it’s time to make the pumpkin pie filling. Whisk together ½ of a 15oz. can of pumpkin purée (about ⅞ of a cup), 1 large egg, ¾ cup evaporated milk, ¼ cup sugar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, and ¼ tsp salt.
Divide the pumpkin filling among the 12 pie shells. The easiest way to do this is to use a 2 Tbsp scoop or measuring cup and add 2 Tbsp to each one first, then go back and add a bit more to each one until the filling is used up. It ends up being about 3 Tbsp filling per pie.
Bake the pumpkin pies in the fully preheated 350ºF oven for 35 minutes or until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is slightly cracked on top. Allow the pies to cool in the muffin tin for about 10 minutes so they can solidify a bit before attempting removal. Once they’re slightly cooled, run a knife around the edge of each one and they will pop right out!
Allow the pies to finish cooling on a cooling rack. Remember, make sure they are fully cooled to room temperature before refrigeration to prevent condensation. Refrigerated pumpkin pies will stay good in the refrigerator for four days.
Did you use regular sized muffin tins or the mini size? I canโt tell from the photos. Iโd like to make these for a baby shower and want to make them bite sized in a mini muffin tin. Will that work?
They’re regular muffin tins! I’m sure it would work for mini muffin tins, but they definitely wouldn’t cook as long, we haven’t tried it with minis so I can’t give you an exact time, unfortunately.
These came out great! I used silicone muffin liners/molds on a baking sheet and it worked well.
My pumpkin pie mixture is really runny, like has no thickness to it at all.
I doubled it, used organic pumpkin purรฉe and evaporated milk. But I didnโt change anything about the recipe. In the pics it looks thick. Is this even going to set when it cooks!? ๐ข I hope it will still turn outโฆ
Hmmm, I wonder if one of the ingredient amounts was accidentally off when you doubled it. The pumpkin mixture will be a liquid before baking, but it should be slightly thick. It does set when baking, thanks to the egg.
Cute little pumpkin pies! Pictures are great. But you lost me in your repetitive dialogue about how much you love Aldi, and what great products they sell. I realize it is your blog and you can post anything within reason on it. I have been to Aldis once and since I am 81 yrs old was put off by the fact that they have no handicap mobility scooters. I have 6 artificial joints so a scooter would have been nice. Then I try to get a grocery cart but find I have to pay a quarter just to use it. Not having a quarter, I decide to just look inside the store and maybe buy a few things. Luckily it is a small store with mostly lawn furniture and accessories. Very limited groceries. None and I mean NONE of the brands are any that I have ever heard of. I did pick out a couple of things but learned at check out that you need to bring your own carry out bags. I left my items there and will most likely not shop there again. I am glad you like Aldis and like their brands of food items and the prices. I have followed your blog for the recipes but you went over board on using the word Aldis in my opinion.
Sorry about your poor experience. Using Aldi brands for this recipe will cost no more than half what it would purchasing from most supermarkets!@
To use an Aldi’s shopping cart, you use a quarter to check out the cart and get it back when you return the cart. I’ll just bet another customer would have helped you with that. Never hesitate to ask for help, either from the staff or other customers. Once in the check out lane, you can buy grocery bags for $.05 apiece if you forgot to bring your own.
You are absolutely right that you’ve never heard of any of the brands–they are Aldi’s own, but I can assure you that the quality of those items is just fine and equal to major commercial brands here in the US, although branded items show up from time to time. Additionally Aldi imports a lot of fun items from Europe and sells them very reasonably.
I’m 80 and the small size of the store is an advantage IMO–no electric carts, but no need to walk 1/4 mile to the back of the store, either. You can also arrange to order groceries online at most locations and they will be delivered for a modest charge.
I would suggest enlisting a friend or relative to help you explore another time. Try this economical little chain and you may change your mind.
But don’t let one bad shopping experience discourage you from this delicious little recipe!
Can you freeze these mini pumpkin pies and thaw later?
Yes. Double wrap with plastic and then foil. Then place in an airtight freezer-safe container! XOXO -Monti
I was a little short on evaporated milk, so I added a couple tablespoons of almond milk (I know, I know, baking is a science). I ended up having to bake them for an extra 20 min (until the tops were poofy and started to crack) but they still turned out great!
Also wanted to join the other commentors in saying I don’t mind the sponsored post. Thank you for bolding things and making it easy to read. This blog has taught me SO much and made me love cooking!
Quick question – you mention that they can be made one day ahead of time, but stored for 4? Do you forsee any issues if made 2 days ahead of time? Want maximum freshness, but trying to get ahead of schedule as much as possible
It’s really kind of subjective, I suppose. The freshness declines over time and personally, I’d probably only do them one day ahead of time if I were serving them to guests. :)
Made these for Friendsgiving this weekend and they were perfect! My daughter helped with the pie crusts and I can attest that the crust IS very forgiving and easily comes out of an ungreased muffin tin…have you tried this pie dough with any other fillings or is pumpkin the best since it’s so sturdy? Super yummy and perfect to bring to a potluck style celebration
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I do have one other version, chocolate pecan mini pies. :)
All of the recipes on this site are provided to us for free and every one that I’ve tried has been awesome! I come here first when looking for inspiration or particular recipes. Beth is not the first to have sponsored posts. She has to pay the bills too. I made these cute little pies using the brands I always buy. I didn’t feel pressured to shop at Aldi. The pies are cute and tasty and budget friendly.
Question- can I use unsalted butter? ย I seem to remember my mom always telling me to only bake with unsalted butter. ย Thank you for your help! ย
I used salted butter, but you could use unsalted if you prefer. You may want to add a little salt to the dough to compensate, but I’d need to test it to see how much would be needed, if any, to keep it from being too bland.
There’s nothing like a great grocery store! I have my own grocery store favorites, but we don’t have any Aldi’s in our state. :( ย It sounds like a really good chain. Honestly, I’d be more thrilled checking out an Aldi’s than going to a high end department store. I guess I just love good food and bargains.
Thanks for this fantastic recipe, Beth! Rugelach uses the same forgiving cream cheese dough for delicate and delicious rolled cookies. You should try them for the holiday season!
These pies are so good! Pumpkin pie always tests my patience because I like to eat it after it has chilled, and it takes forever for a hot pumpkin pie to get cold. I was able to make these pies around 3 and they were cold enough to eat after dinner the same day! The only thing I would do differently next time is make a double batch.
Hi Beth! Love your blog, thanks so much for sharing your wonderful talents with us! I don’t mind the occasional sponsored post. :-)
I’d love to try this recipe with some pre-packaged mini graham cracker tart crusts, should I adjust the baking time if I use these crusts instead?
Thank you, Michelle. That means a lot to me. :) I’m not sure how the graham cracker crusts would work out here, unfortunately. I’d need to test it first to see if the baking time is too much for them. I definitely wouldn’t reduce the bake time, though, because that is the amount needed for the filling to set.
Hello, these looks great! Can you make them with vegan butter and vegan cream cheese, coconut milk if you canโt have dairy?
Thanks!
Unfortunately, that’s a lot of ingredient substitutions so it’s impossible to know without testing it first. Baking can be quite finicky so when you switch out even one ingredient that can often drastically change the outcome. :)
I’ve done a lot of dairy free baking and I would use a plain unsweetened soy milk rather than coconut milk as the soy milk would be a little closer nutritionally to the evaporated milk. I have successfully substituted vegan butter and vegan cream cheese in recipes.
I so appreciate this blog. I have learned so much and all for free! Thank you for all that you offer your readers. I fully support your sponsored posts and I consider those sponsors when Iโm shopping.
We know you have to make a living too. I love that your sponsors are helping keep the lights on over there.
I have worked in grocery industry for a long time. I am a huge fan of Aldiโs
I canโt wait to try this recipe Beth!๐
Presumably this was a sponsored post? While I’ve loved your blog for years, Beth, and I know we benefit from your free content, oof, this level of name dropping is REALLY off-putting. I enjoy shopping at Aldi, too, but there aren’t any in the state where I live.
Yes, this post is sponsored, which is disclosed at the very beginning of the post. :) I have partnered with ALDI several times in the past and plan to do more in the future. I limit my sponsored content to just a couple of times per year and with brands that I truly love. This is one of the ways we cover the costs of providing free content for the rest of the year. My hope is that the recipe itself is still useful, even to those who do not live near an ALDI, as it uses basic ingredients that can be found anywhere. But, not every blog post will be relevant to every reader, so it’s there for people to take or leave as they see fit.
I’m a huge ALDI fan, and this is a great sponsored post!
I always struggle with pie crust coming out pretty, so I’m excited to try this recipe. Would this dough work for full size pies as well? I’m wondering if it could be the solution to all my pie woes!
These look so cute! Definitely going to try these soon. Surprised to see people upset about a sponsored post from Aldi. Itโs such a great store with budget prices so itโs a perfect match for your blog. Also LOL at people calling it โbrand nameโ products. Itโs Aldi yโall. Chill and happy holidaysย
This comment is not intended for posting. Are all your recipes in future going to be touting specific brands? If so, please cancel my newsletter subscription. Thank you.
I enjoy your site…Can I ask (unless I overlooked), do you SPRAY the muffin tins or grease before adding the dough? I plan to make these but I don’t want to have them stick.
Thank you for your time and your feedback!
Nope, no spray or grease needed! :) The pie crust has so much fat in it that it doesn’t stick.
Thank you! I appreciate your quick response! I printed a copy and will make a “note to self”.
P.S. I love Aldi. Keeps me on budget track.
This looks so good! I do want to try it, but wondering if the bottom crusts are soggy. They don’t spend alot of time in the oven, is the bottom baked through?
Yes, they’re baked through. :)
so cute and so delicious! perfect little bites and the crust is amazing
I made the mini pecan pies last year. Yum. I made another Aldi sponsored recipe you posted and liked it. I’ll try these this year, along with the pecan pies again. I’ll sub gf flour. Thank you. I have a new Aldi that opened near me. It’s poorly stocked and weirdly disorganized, and quite pricey, but I know from shopping at other Aldis around the world that it’s usually a good, budget-friendly store.
Forgot to add, I have a wooden “tart tamper” that makes shaping the tart shells super easy. I recommend using one.
Oh that’s such a great idea!!
I am so happy i came across your blog! My kinda girl AND you shop at Aldi!? Can we be besties!? ๐
Yes we can! :D
Can’t wait to try this for thanksgiving!
Does somebody know if I can replace the evaporated milk with something like half n half or coconut milk? I just can’t find it and I’d rather not be bothered by reducing milk on the stove.
The mini pies look very lovely!!
I’m not sure about in this recipe, but I’ve successfully subbed milks with a higher fat content (half and half and heavy cream) in for evaporated milk in similar recipes.ย
I was wondering the same thing. Anyone have any input? Iโll prob just end up subbing canned coconut milk, even with the added flavor, we like coconut.. so hopefully it wonโt be too weirdโฆ
I haven’t tried it to know for sure, but I do know that the very low water content of the evaporated milk is what helps the pie filling set correctly. If there’s too much water it probably won’t set. Half and half probably has too much, but heavy cream might work. I’m not sure about coconut milk.
These look delicious and I will be trying them!ย
I live in Southern California and I love to get Thanksgiving staples at Aldi too. I find it so much more affordable than our mainstream grocery markets – especially for items like pumpkin puree, heavy cream, and evaporated milk.
Your blog is one of the only cooking blogs I bookmark and check regularly. It gives me great ideas and I prefer your step-by-step pictures to watching videos. I love your blog and thank you for all the time and effort you invest in it!ย
You do some really great graphics that pin well on pinterest! I’ve pinned this to my Thanksgiving food ideas board! Thank you!
Could you freeze these after baking?
Yes, the quality is best before they’re frozen, but it’s a great way to enjoy the leftovers for longer. :)
Do you think subbing the 7.5 oz of pumpkin purรฉe for mashed sweet potato would work?
I’d think so, the filling will probably be a little denser.
Probably! :)
Another Aldi fan here! I love it both because of the bargains on every day staples, and the really fun specialty items that are not available elsewhere in my small town. While, for instance, jars of European cornichons and German mustard may not be the cheapest thing in Aldi’s, they are not found elsewhere in my area, or at least not for the same price as American pickles and mustard in the supermarket. Produce often has the same brand names I see in chain supermarkets in my area, but for less–and why would anyone ever buy an avocado elsewhere. Lots of gluten free products, too, for those who worry about that. When I go late in the day, the shelves are nearly empty, so no fear that what is stocked the next day is anything but really fresh. These little pies will definitely be on our table! I’m going to make some mini-pecan pies, too.
The crust portion of the recipe looks easy. Do you think it can be used for other pie fillings? What time would recommend for cooking just the crust? Thinking of using this for small chocolate filling pies.
I have a pecan pie version on the blog that works really well, but I haven’t tried any other types! I’m not sure how long the crusts would need to bake on their own, since I haven’t tried it without filling. :)
Thanks for a great idea and recipe! I shop regularly at Aldi’s and enjoy recipes that use items easily found there. With this recipe though, you can get these ingredients at any grocery store – so it’s good for all!
These look so good! My kids will love them. Iโm happy to see a sponsored post because it means that you can continue to bring us free content. Thanks for all you do, my family enjoys so many of your recipes.ย
I agree Haley, a once in a blue moon sponsored post is Beth making sure we keep getting her great recipes for free. ย Thanks for all you do Beth! Plus, Iโm also an Aldiโs fan. ย I love their inexpensive yet extensive cheese selections. ย Iโve yet to meet a cheese I havenโt liked.ย
I agree with Haley and Jeri Anne!ย
We appreciate you Beth!
I love this blog & have made many of your recipes! ย Youโve been a big help to me, butโฆI do not care to be manipulated by advertisers. ย Thanks for everything.
Seconded.
Fabulous recipes that don’t break the budget don’t need brand names.. Aldi, who?
Looks delish! Wondering if this can be made with GF flour.. do you think it would hold up?
While I haven’t tried it, I bet that would work since the gluten isn’t needed to make the correct texture in the crust, like it would for a yeasted bread. :)
I’m hoping to try this with gluten free flour too. Looks amazing!
I’ve made it with GF flour. It works great. Typically I use either Pamela’s or Trader Joe’s gf flour, but I can’t remember specifically which one I used for this crust. Any decent all purpose gf flour blend should work fine.
I understand why you would do a sponsored post, but I wish there was another way that we could support you instead.
The recipe looks great though.
This recipe looks great, can’t wait to try it. But I don’t like the way you included the ingredient brand names in the ingredients list, it makes it very hard to read it quickly, I hope this is not the new norm.
It’s not the norm, no. :) This recipe is sponsored by ALDI so they want to highlight their ingredients.