Mini Pumpkin Pies Recipe | One Little Project (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between canned pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree? ›

They are the same product. Both canned pumpkin puree and pie filling are useful, shelf-stable ingredients that can help speed up your kitchen prep time. Just remember that puree is unsweetened, while pie filling contains sugar and spices. This will help you choose the right pumpkin product for your recipes.

Pour pumpkin pie mixture into the Jack-Be-Littles. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350. Continue to bake until centers are set but slightly wobbly, about an additional 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Don't use pumpkin pie filling in place of pumpkin purée.

Every can of pumpkin pie filling has a different amount of sugar and spices and if you add it to a bread or muffin recipe you might get a very sweet and not-spiced-enough loaf. Try this instead: Buy pumpkin purée!

Start with the right variety of pumpkins, sugar pumpkins. Large pumpkins that we traditionally think of as jack-o-lanterns aren't ideal for pie as they are very stringy and have a lot of seeds. There really isn't very much “meat” to the larger pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins, also known as pie pumpkins, are sweeter.

The canned option had a more powerful pumpkin flavor and a silkier texture. While some of my colleagues preferred the apple sauce-like texture of the fresh, I can't say all that extra work of cleaning, roasting and pureeing a whole pumpkin is worth it, especially during a busy holiday season.

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin

In this taste test, our Test Kitchen pros found that the biggest name in the pumpkin game does, in fact, make the best canned pumpkin on the market. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin is a favorite among our culinary crew.

When shopping for pumpkins, look for the ones usually generically labeled “sugar pumpkins” or “pie pumpkins.” Some specific names are Baby Pam, Autumn Gold, Ghost Rider, New England Pie Pumpkin, Lumina (which are white), Cinderella, and Fairy Tale.

Store-bought pumpkin pie mix (sometimes labeled "pumpkin pie filling") is a shortcut for making homemade pumpkin pie. It contains puréed pumpkin plus added spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. It also contains sugar and other chemical additives.

Yes, it's already been cooked via steaming. It's safe to eat canned pumpkin straight from the can, but it's infinitely better baked into a pan of pumpkin bars.

How do you thicken pumpkin pie filling without cornstarch? ›

Cornstarch Substitute for Fruit Pie Fillings

Just be sure to use 2 tablespoons flour or tapioca starch for every 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in the recipe.

Not all pumpkins are suitable for pies. If you end up with the wrong type of pumpkin your pie could turn out to be a watery mess! Pie pumpkins should be relatively small- 4 to 8 pounds. They have dense flesh and a high sugar content.

Baking a large batch of pies from a jack-o-lantern pumpkin can bring joy to your neighbors and family. A true pumpkin pie lover cannot purchase a great pumpkin pie, so receiving one in the fall causes excitement among pumpkin pie fans.

Carving pumpkins or Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins are typically thinner, easier to saw into and have less and more stringy guts on the inside; making them easier to clean while pie pumpkins, meant for baking, are usually smaller and more rounded. Pie pumpkins are used for cooking or baking and are also called sugar pumpkins.

Canned pumpkin (labeled as "100% pure pumpkin") is a purée of pumpkin that is sometimes mixed with other kinds of winter squash. It is unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks.

What exactly is canned pumpkin? There isn't much of a difference between canned pumpkin and fresh pumpkin puree, and looking at the list of ingredients on the back of the can will tell you that. It will probably just say pureed pumpkin or steamed pumpkin puree.