This Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie is a sweet twist on a Thanksgiving favorite! Dulce de leche adds a deep, caramel flavor to the pumpkin pie and gives it a silky-smooth texture.
Behold, the baker who doesn’t like pumpkin pie is posting a pumpkin pie recipe. Hypocrisy, thy name is Elizabeth.
I took one for the team with this post. And by “the team,” I mean my husband, who loves pumpkin pie but rarely gets to enjoy a freshly-baked version. And by “took one,” I mean “baked one,” and by “this post,” I mean…“this post.” Not everything has to be a deep metaphor, alright?
So yes, I have pumpkin pie issues, mostly related to its texture. I also don’t love mashed potatoes, so you can put me firmly in the “no gloopy foods” camp. But I know I’m in the tiny minority with this opinion, and I live with a devout pumpkin pie lover, so I decided it was time to get over myself and write about this Thanksgiving classic.
This is an almost classic version of pumpkin pie. My big change—heck, almost my only change—was to swap out dulce de leche for the sweetened condensed milk in the pumpkin custard. It’s not rocket science, but it is mighty tasty.
The dulce de leche flavor is subtle, but it gives the pie a nice undertone of caramelized sugar and depth of flavor that’s missing from more traditional pumpkin pies. Even with the dulce de leche addition, I didn’t find the pie too sweet, and in fact, thought that it needed a bit of sweetened whipped cream to round it out. Yes…“needed.” That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
So if you’re looking to tweak your usual pumpkin pie routine this Thanksgiving, pick up a can of dulce de leche instead of condensed milk! And this isn’t mandatory, but if you wanted to buy an extra can, thin it out a bit, and drizzle it on top of your pie to give it a glorious dulce de leche bath…well, that would be a good idea too. And while we are on the topic of great ideas, a drizzle of my Cinnamon Syrup will heighten the wow factor of this pie as well!
🧡 MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
If you love pumpkin as much as I do, check out my collection of pumpkin dessert recipes! Here are just a few of my favorites:
Deep-Dish Pecan Pie
Butterscotch Mousse Pie
Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 6.5 oz all-purpose flour, (1½ cups)
- 1 oz granulated sugar, (2 tbsp)
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 oz unsalted butter, cold, cubed and frozen for at least 30 minutes
- 1.25 oz shortening, cold, cubed and frozen for at least 30 minutes
- ¼ cup water, very cold
For the Pumpkin Pie:
- 15 oz pumpkin puree, (1 can)
- 14 oz dulce de leche, (1 can), purchased or homemade, see Note below
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
To Make the Pie Crust:
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the cold cubed butter and shortening, and pulse in short bursts until they’re cut into the dry ingredients and the mixture has the texture of coarse crumbs. Add half of the cold water and pulse in 5-second bursts, adding the rest a little more at a time just until the dough starts to come together. You may not need to use all of the water—stop when the dough starts to come together, and don’t overwork it!
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it just enough to incorporate any dry patches of flour. Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for an hour to chill. The dough can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a circle, and press it into a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges of the pie, and place in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Once at 400 F, spray a piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and press it on top of the pie. Fill it with pie weights, rice, or beans, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the dough no longer looks raw and is starting to cook along the edges. Remove the foil and weights, and if the crust puffs up on the bottom, gently press it down again. Cool the par-baked crust to room temperature before using it.
To Make the Pumpkin Pie:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk together the pumpkin and dulce de leche until smooth and free of lumps. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour into the par-baked crust and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake the pie at 350 F for 50 minutes, or until it barely jiggles when you tap it. If the edges of the crust seem to be getting too dark, cover the edges with a ring of aluminum foil. The pie can be served warm or cool, and can be kept for several days in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
Great recipe! I love that it only uses a few ingredients and all it needs is a can of dulce de leche to sweeten things up. I used a frozen pie crust, blind baked it, and it worked great. Thanks!
Thanks for leaving a review! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Cheers!