"When it comes to homemade pumpkin pies, George shares her experience from a self-instigated baking extravaganza. "I put myself to the test myself by baking 12 different pumpkin pie recipes (mostly from food bloggers, with a couple from cookbooks)," she explains. Only one of the recipes required puréeing fresh pumpkin, so it was easy to distinguish the results compared to the other 11 pies. In her opinion, all the extra work didn't justify the time, mess, and effort."
""To me, the flavor wasn't noticeably better, and the texture wasn't improved," notes George. The textural consistency of the pie's custard far outweighed any flavor difference gained from the fresh pumpkin purée. "Since pumpkin itself is fairly mild, classic pumpkin pie gets most of its flavor from the spices, sugar, dairy, and eggs. Once everything is baked together, the difference between fresh and canned pumpkin is subtle at best."
Pumpkin purée is used year-round but fresh pumpkins are harder to find outside autumn and early winter. A baking specialist tested 12 pumpkin pie recipes to compare fresh and canned purée. Only one recipe required puréeing fresh pumpkin, making the comparison clear. The specialist concluded that homemade purée did not justify the extra time, mess, and effort. Flavor differences were not noticeably better and texture was not improved by fresh purée. Pie custard texture and ingredients—spices, sugar, dairy, and eggs—supply most of the flavor, rendering the fresh-versus-canned distinction subtle after baking.
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