Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving Ideas and Tips Thanksgiving Recipes Thanksgiving Desserts Mini Pumpkin Pies Be the first to rate & review! These mini pumpkin pies are even better than the full-sized version. By Amanda Holstein Amanda Holstein Amanda Holstein fell in love with baking at the age of 6, and continued growing her passion through culinary school and working in bakeries for over 10 years. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on November 17, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Active Time: 35 mins Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Servings: 12 Jump to recipe Mini pumpkin pies are the perfect little bites for serving up for dessert. Whip them up in place of a whole pumpkin pie—they have all the best elements of the bigger version. Just like our Pumpkin Slab Pie is great for a crowd, you can easily serve these up at a party, because these mini bites require absolutely no fork. Nestled in a buttery, flaky pie crust these mini pumpkin pies incorporate candied pecans for some extra Southern flair. You'll impress partygoers when you whip these up. Learn how to make mini pumpkin pies. How To Make Mini Pumpkin Pies The trickiest part of making mini pumpkin pies is probably rolling out and fitting the pie dough rounds into the muffin tin. If you're not careful—and if you don't par bake them with pie weights—the dough might slip into the wells making it difficult to fill them up. Once you've got that part done, it's smooth sailing! Full directions can be found below, but here are the basics: Roll out dough and prepare tins. Llightly coat a 24-well mini muffin pan with cooking spray, and roll out pie crusts into 12-inch rounds, then cut out 24 (3-inch) rounds. Press them into the muffin wells.Par-bake crusts. Place mini muffin liners overtop of the dough rounds in the wells, and distribute pie weights or dried beans across each. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until golden brown, remove them from the oven, let them cool, then remove the muffin wells and pie weights.Make the pumpkin filling. Whisk together the pumpkin mixture: pumpkin, cream, sugar, flour, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, egg, some of the pumpkin pie spice and some of the salt in a small bowl until combined. Spoon the pumpkin pie filling one spoon at a time (about 1 heaping teaspoon each) into the prepared crusts. Bake mini pies. Bake at 375°F until set, about 15 minutes, then remove from the oven to cool.Make candied pecans. Combine brown sugar, water, remaining pumpkin pie spice and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium until the mixture begins to bubble, stirring constantly, add the pecans, and continue to cook until they're toasty and fragrant. Remove from the heat and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool.Serve. Chop the candied pecans. Transfer the cooled mini pumpkin pies to a platter, top with pecans and whipped cream, if desired. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Our Tips For Mini Pumpkin Pies These mini pies are just as easy as a larger pie, but there are a few differences to know before you start baking: Speed it up: Premade refrigerated pie crusts eliminate an extra step of making your own pie dough.Crisp bottom: Par-baking the crust before adding the pumpkin filling helps with avoiding a soggy bottom.Heavy weight: Pie weights (or dried beans) keep the crusts from shrinking and slipping into the tin as you prepare them.DIY or don't: If you don't want to fuss with making your own candied pecans, purchase them already candied from the store. More Pumpkin Pie Recipe Variations Love pumpkin pie and want other varieties of the seasonal favorite? Try one of these: Maple Pumpkin Pie Classic Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Slab Pie With Cinnamon Maple Whipped Cream Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Pumpkin Chess Pie Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients Cooking spray 1 (14.1-oz.) pkg. refrigerated piecrusts (such as Pillsbury) 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (from 1 [15-oz.] can) 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1 large egg 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided 1/4 tsp, plus 1/8 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1 1/2 Tbsp. light brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp. tap water 1/2 cup pecan halves Whipped cream Directions Prepare oven and muffin pan: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 24-well mini muffin pan with cooking spray; set aside. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Cut dough rounds: Roll 1 of the piecrusts into a 12-inch round (about 1/16-inch thick). Using a 3-inch cutter, cut out 12 dough rounds, rerolling scraps as needed. Repeat with remaining piecrust. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Fit dough rounds into muffin pan: Press 1 dough round into bottom and up sides of each prepared muffin well. Place a paper mini muffin liner inside each piecrust cup and fill with pie weights or dried beans (to help maintain shape of piecrusts). Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Bake crusts: Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Make pumpkin filling: Whisk together pumpkin, cream, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a small bowl until smooth. Pour pumpkin mixture evenly into each piecrust (about 1 heaping tablespoons each). Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Bake mini pumpkin pies: Bake at 375°F until pumpkin filling edges are set and center won’t jiggle when shaken, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan, about 20 minutes. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Make candied pecans: Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, water, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and brown sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add pecans and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until evenly coated and fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Remove from heat and spread pecans evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let cool completely, about 10 minutes. Chop candied pecans. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Garnish mini pies with whipped cream and pecans: Transfer cooled pumpkin pie bites to a serving platter. Top with whipped cream and candied pecans. Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Rate It Print