Sourdough Pumpkin Pie

This sourdough pumpkin pie puts your starter to work twice, first in the flaky, buttery sourdough pie crust and again in the silky pumpkin custard filling, where it replaces the usual cornstarch as a thickener.

The filling is creamy, gently spiced and packed with real pumpkin flavor, while the homemade sourdough crust stays tender and flaky. Best of all, once your crust is ready, the filling is simply whisked together, poured in and baked.

And don’t worry, using sourdough starter in the filling doesn’t make this pie taste sour. It adds just a little extra depth and balances the sweetness beautifully, while still giving you all the classic pumpkin pie flavor you expect.

Ingredients and Equipment

For the Sourdough Pie Crust

• All-Purpose Flour – Gives the pastry structure while still keeping it tender.
• Salt
• Butter – Use cold butter. I’ve used salted butter, but unsalted butter works just as well.
• Sourdough Starter or Sourdough Discard – Either active starter or discard will work in the crust.
• White Vinegar – Helps create tender pastry. You can substitute apple cider vinegar if you need to.
• Iced Water – Keeping everything cold is important for a flaky crust. You might not need the water, but it’s handy to have on hand if your pastry isn’t coming together.

For the Pumpkin Custard Filling

• Eggs – This recipe uses 3 large eggs to create the classic custard filling.
• Pumpkin Purée – You can use canned or homemade pumpkin purée. I’ve tested this recipe many times with both and they work beautifully.
• Sourdough Starter or Discard – The flour in your starter helps thicken and stabilize the pumpkin custard, replacing the cornstarch used in many pumpkin pie recipes. Either active starter or discard will work, although I prefer discard that isn’t extremely old or acidic for this sweet recipe.
• Heavy Cream + Whole Milk – Give the filling its rich, silky texture.
• Vanilla Extract
• Brown Sugar – I’ve used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will give you a deeper caramel flavor.
• Salt
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

You don’t need any fancy equipment to make this recipe. I recommend a kitchen scale for accurately measuring your ingredients. You can make the sourdough pie crust by hand, in a food processor or using a stand mixer. The pumpkin filling needs nothing more than a mixing bowl and whisk.

For the pie itself, any pie plate around 9–10 inches will work well. I’ve used a 1.4 L / 1.47 qt pie dish in these photos.

Canned vs Homemade Pumpkin Purée

Both canned and homemade pumpkin puree work well in this sourdough pumpkin pie. I’ve tested the recipe with both. Canned pumpkin purée is generally thicker and more consistent, while homemade pumpkin purée can vary in moisture content depending on the pumpkin and how it was cooked.

If you’re making your own, I recommend roasting rather than steaming or boiling the pumpkin. Roasting concentrates the flavor and prevents you from introducing unnecessary water into the filling. Your purée should be thick enough to sit on a spoon rather than pour from it. If it seems particularly watery, allow it to drain before weighing it into the recipe.

I’ve found homemade pumpkin purée can produce a slightly darker baked filling than canned pumpkin, but there’s very little difference in the final texture when the purée has the right consistency.

What Does Sourdough Pumpkin Pie Taste Like?

Despite using sourdough starter in both the crust and filling, this pie doesn’t taste sour. The filling is smooth, creamy and pumpkin-forward, with caramel notes from the brown sugar and just enough warming spice. The sourdough starter adds subtle depth and balances the sweetness rather than creating an obvious sour flavor. Seriously, this is the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten, sourdough or otherwise. I always make 2 at a time because one disappears very fast around here!

I’ve deliberately kept the pumpkin pie spice fairly restrained because I want the pumpkin to still be the star. If you prefer a heavily spiced pumpkin pie, you can absolutely add a little more.

How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Pie

Prepare the Sourdough Pie Crust

Making a flaky sourdough pie crust is easier than you might think. The most important things are to keep the butter cold and avoid overworking the dough. I like to grate the cold butter and place it in the freezer for around 10 minutes before adding it to the flour. This gives you a little extra insurance against the butter melting while you’re mixing the pastry.

Once you’ve brought the pastry together into a rough dough, tip it onto the counter and gently form it into a rough disc. Don’t knead it like bread dough, you only need it to hold together. You should still be able to see small pieces of butter throughout the dough. Those cold pieces of butter create steam in the oven and help give your finished crust those lovely flaky layers.

Wrap the dough and place it into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This gives the flour time to hydrate and allows the butter to become completely cold again. You can leave the pastry refrigerated for up to 48 hours, making this an easy part of the recipe to prepare ahead of time.

Roll and Shape the Pie Crust

When you’re ready to bake, place the chilled pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a round large enough to fit your pie plate. Gently lower the pastry into the dish and push it into the base rather than stretching it. Stretching the pastry can encourage it to shrink as it bakes. Trim and shape the edges however you like. I’ve just done a simple crimp with a fork.

Why Blind Bake the Sourdough Pie Crust?

Pumpkin pie has a very wet custard filling, so I recommend partially baking the sourdough crust before adding the filling. This gives the base of the pastry a head start and helps prevent a soft or doughy bottom crust.

Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the pastry and fill with pie weights. If you don’t have pie weights, dry beans or rice work perfectly well. I like to make sure the parchment also protects the outer edges of the pastry so they don’t brown too quickly.

Blind bake the crust for around 10 minutes while you prepare the pumpkin filling. If the pastry still looks raw at the 10 minute mark, pop it back in for another 5 minutes.

Don’t worry about owning a special pumpkin pie dish. A fluted plate looks beautiful, but a standard 9–10 inch pie dish works perfectly. Use what you already have!

Prepare the Pumpkin Pie Filling

While the crust is blind baking, whisk together the pumpkin purée, eggs and brown sugar until smooth and well combined. Add the cream, milk, sourdough starter, vanilla, salt and pumpkin pie spice and whisk until everything is completely incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and slightly foamy. Set aside until the crust has finished blind baking.

Bake the Pumpkin Pie

Remove the pie weights and parchment from the blind-baked crust. Carefully pour in the pumpkin filling. You want the filling to come to around three-quarters of the height of the crust, leaving a little room for it to rise as it bakes. Return the pie to the oven and bake for around 50 minutes to 1 hour.

How Do You Know When Pumpkin Pie Is Done?

Don’t wait for the center of the pie to become completely firm. The filling around the outside should look set, while the very center should still have a gentle wobble when you carefully move the pie. The custard will continue setting as it cools.

Serving Suggestions

Sourdough pumpkin pie works beautifully with all the classic pumpkin pie toppings. I’ve tried plenty of them in the name of recipe testing, and these are my favorites:

Vanilla Whipped Cream – Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon powdered sugar to 300 g whipping cream and whip until soft peaks form. For an even richer vanilla flavor, add the seeds from a vanilla bean.

Maple Whipped Cream – Add 20 g maple syrup to 300 g whipping cream and whip until soft peaks form. This one is my absolute favorite!

Vanilla Ice Cream + Maple Syrup – Add a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream and finish with a small drizzle of maple syrup.

Easy Make-Ahead Sourdough Pumpkin Pie Schedule

One of the best things about sourdough pumpkin pie is that it works beautifully as a make-ahead dessert. And you know I love anything that let’s me take charge, rather than have it run my schedule!

Up to 48 Hours Ahead – Make the sourdough pie crust and leave it wrapped in the refrigerator. For even more advance preparation, you can roll the pastry into your pie plate and freeze it unbaked. Blind bake it from frozen before adding the pumpkin filling. 

The Day Before Serving – Roll and blind bake the crust, make the filling and bake the pie.

After Baking – Allow the pie to cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

When You’re Ready to Serve – Take it from the refrigerator and serve chilled or allow it to sit at room temperature for a little while first.

If you’re short on time, you can also make the crust, chill it for the minimum 1 hour and bake the entire pie on the same day. Gotta feed those sourdough pumpkin pie cravings, right?

How To Store + Freeze

Because pumpkin pie contains an egg-based custard filling, store the finished pie covered in the refrigerator once it has cooled completely. If you’re storing the pie for a few days, make sure condensation does not form under the aluminum or plastic covering the pie as it can make the filling too wet and it will collapse when you cut it.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

To freeze your filled sourdough pumpkin pie, let the baked pie cool completely and chill it thoroughly in the refrigerator first. Wrap the chilled pie well and freeze for up to 2 weeks for the best custard texture. When you’re ready to serve it, thaw the pie overnight in the refrigerator.

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