13 Pumpkin Pie Recipe Upgrades for When Plain Just Won't Do

Pick one of our festive ideas—from crumbled streusel to a cookie-lined crust—to dress up this iconic Thanksgiving dessert.

Pumpkin pie—like turkey, gravy, and stuffing—has earned a permanent spot on the Thanksgiving table, but that doesn't mean you're obliged to use the same old pumpkin pie recipe every year. A lightly spiced pumpkin filling pairs well with so many other flavors—salted caramel, candied nuts, streusel, and coconut, to name a few—it's rife for a pumpkin pie upgrade.

Read on for our best ideas for ways to elevate your favorite pumpkin pie recipe. Some of our tricks also work on a store-bought pie, allowing you to make it your own. (Guests don't have to know where it came from.)

Crumble on Some Streusel

A buttery, crumbled streusel topping makes a nice contrast with a pumpkin pie's smooth, creamy filling. The simple pecan streusel topping in our pumpkin pecan crisps recipe comes together in one bowl and works with almost any pumpkin pie. Keep that recipe on hand to use again as a topping for pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins, too.

Decorate the Crust

Love your go-to pie recipe but want to make it look a little prettier? Break out the cookie cutters and decorate with pie crust cutouts. Arrange small circles around the edge of the crust, or top the center of the pie with overlapping fall leaves.

This is a smart way to make good use of any extra pie crust, and no one will complain about having extra crust to eat. For extra credit, add food coloring to the crust dough to mimic fall colors or match your tablescape.

Sprinkle on Coconut

Coconut pairs wonderfully with the warm spices—cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg—in pumpkin pie. Try one of these coconutty ideas on your favorite pumpkin pie recipe:

• Swap out the vanilla for coconut extract.

• Add shredded sweetened coconut to a graham cracker pie crust.

• Top the pie with dollops of whipped cream topped with coconut.

• Try our recipe for pumpkin caramel pie bars with toasted coconut.

• All of the above.

Drizzle on Caramel Sauce

One of the easiest ways to upgrade a pumpkin pie is to give each slice a generous drizzle of sweet, buttery caramel sauce. There are many good-quality jarred caramel or salted caramel sauces available, but making caramel sauce from scratch is a fun project that uses pantry staples you probably have on hand.

Add a Cream Cheese Swirl

A swirl of cream cheese in pumpkin pie filling creates a striking marbled look—and tastes great, too. For a truly show-stopping dessert, try our pumpkin cheesecake recipe.

Line the Crust

Everyone will ooh and ahh when they see that there's a layer of hidden goodness at the bottom of their slice of pie. For this trick, before you blind-bake the pie crust, spread a thin layer of crushed gingersnaps and pecans atop the bottom crust for a sweet, crunchy surprise.

Top With Candied Nuts

Candied nuts are great pre-dinner snacks, and they make a pretty pie topper, too. Try sugared pecans, walnuts, or even peanuts to add a crunchy texture and nutty flavor to a plain pumpkin pie.

To make candied nuts, just add nuts, granulated sugar, and butter to a skillet over low-to-medium heat. Stir until the butter and sugar melts into a caramel-like coating, about 5 minutes. Isn't that easy?

Pair With Chocolate

Pumpkin and chocolate are a match made in dessert heaven. Try one of these instant upgrades to chocolate-ify your pumpkin pie:

• Top your pie with piles of dark chocolate shavings.

• Drizzle the top with fudge sauce.

• Give your pie the Magic Shell treatment: Melt 2 parts chocolate with 1 part coconut oil, let it cool a bit, pour over a chilled pie, and serve when hardened.

Alternatively, cater to pumpkin pie and chocolate cake fans by making our dark chocolate-pumpkin dump cake recipe.

Top With Meringue

A billowy, burnished meringue topping is an elegant way to top a classic pumpkin pie. Take it one step further with meringue made with clover honey. For a basic meringue recipe, use the one in our banana pudding pie bars recipe.

Use Sweet Potatoes

Instead of the usual pumpkin pie, why not try an old-fashioned Southern favorite—the sweet potato pie—instead? While the two look identical, they taste quite different:

• Sweet potatoes lend their pie a sweeter flavor than pumpkin (as you might expect from its name) along with an earthy, nutty kick. It also has a lighter, fluffier texture.

• A pumpkin pie has milder notes, crediting most of its flavor from the addition of pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice. As for texture, pumpkin filling is usually denser yet creamier.

Make Them Personal

Who would turn down their own personal-sized pumpkin pie? Trade the pie pan for a muffin pan to make pint-sized pies like our mini pumpkin pies with speculoos crust and whipped cream recipe.

Serve With Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin and cranberry is a quintessential Thanksgiving combo rarely experienced in the same bite, but there's no reason they shouldn't be served together. Try topping your plain pumpkin pie with the sweet-tart sauce to brighten the pie's rich, warm spices and dense texture.

Upgrade Your Whipped Topping

Leave the pie alone and direct your attention to your whipped topping for an upgrade. Start with our homemade whipped cream recipe—which is great on its own, by the way—and then branch out with these variations:

• Add cocoa powder for a chocolatey whip.

• Make an adults-only boozy rendition by adding a splash of amaretto, Frangelico, bourbon, or spiced rum.

• Whip in some maple syrup or a drop or two of maple extract to double down on fall flavors.

• Add a dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to accentuate the pie's flavor.
  

Related: 45 Canned Pumpkin Recipes That Are Incredibly Easy to Make

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