Amaretto Pumpkin Pie! This decadent twist on pumpkin pie (without evaporated milk) is infused with almond flavor from sweet almond liqueur. Topped with a crunchy almond praline, it may become the most requested pumpkin pie recipe of the season!
This post was originally published on November 21, 2012 and updated on November 11, 2021.
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It's that time of year!! Pumpkin, pie and pumpkin pie galore.
I'm going to share an unpopular opinion: I've never cared much for pumpkin pie; I can take it or leave it. However, I have family members who would be lost without some form of pumpkin pie on the table for the holidays, so I'm glad that I discovered this Amaretto Pumpkin Pie years ago that satisfies everyone, including me!
What's so special about it, you might ask? Well, for starters, it's infused with sweet amaretto liqueur, an almond-flavored Italian aperitif and digestif.
Secondly, it's got this deliciously crunchy almond praline topping that lends some extra flavor and texture to the pie. Finally, this is the perfect recipe if you're looking for a pumpkin pie without evaporated milk!
Be sure to check out my other Thanksgiving-worthy pie recipes such as my Pumpkin Dutch Apple Pie with Speculoos Crumble, Vanilla Bean Sweet Potato Pie with Gingersnap Cookie Crust or Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars!
This recipe can be made gluten-free, nut-free and vegan. (See Variations & Substitution area below.)
Jump to:
What is evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk is just milk that has been cooked down, concentrated (60% of the water is evaporated), homogenized and canned. This process produces a thicker, richer product that is also shelf-stable.
My baking pantry almost always contains a can or two of evaporated milk, especially around the holidays, but it's easy to forget to pick some up, and incidentally, many traditional pumpkin pie recipes call for evaporated milk.
If this happens to you, don't fret! In most recipes, any dairy or non-dairy milk can be used in its place. This recipe uses heavy cream in place of evaporated milk, which creates a rich and luscious filling. This article discusses other substitutes for evaporated milk should you find yourself in a pinch!
Ingredients
- Butter. Because all good holiday desserts start with butter.
- Flour. You'll need this for the crust, along with...
- Amaretti cookies. Amaretti are Italian cookies made with ground almonds, egg whites & sugar. They give this pumpkin pie crust an extra delicious flavor! You can find them in many grocery stores this time of year.
- Pumpkin puree. This is essential in pumpkin pie. I just use the good ol' canned kind.
- Heavy cream. This is the replacement for the evaporated milk that you usually find in pumpkin pie recipes. It makes it extra rich and decadent!
- Eggs. Eggs help the filling set and give it a custardy feel.
- Sugar. It's not dessert without sugar! Regular granulated is what you'll use here. You will also use sugar in making the crunchy almond praline that will go on top of the pie.
- Amaretto liqueur. Amaretto (such as Disaronno) can be found in most liquor stores. It has a sweet almond flavor. If you don't want to use something with alcohol, you can substitute almond extract in its place.
- Spices & extracts. This pie calls for nutmeg and vanilla extract, but you could also use pumpkin pie spice if you want more traditional pumpkin pie flavor.
- Sliced almonds. Sliced almonds drive home the amaretto flavor and lend a perfect crunch to the praline topping.
Directions
Yes, this pumpkin pie has a few more steps than a plain pumpkin pie, but stay with me... it's all worth it in the end.
First, we'll start by making the crust. Combine the cold butter, flour and crushed amaretti cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process until mixture is coarse and crumbly. You can also do this by hand using a pastry cutter or pastry blender, but it's a lot easier in the food processor.
Slowly pour in the cold water while continuing to process (about 1 tablespoon at a time) until a dough ball forms. If dough becomes too wet, just add a bit more flour.
Press the dough into a 9 inch pie dish, pushing up the sides -- I like to use the back of a ½ cup measuring cup for this task. Poke dough with a fork, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes until chilled.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover chilled pie dough with foil, and fill with pie weights or dry beans to weigh down. Bake for about 25 minutes.
Remove foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, heavy cream, eggs, amaretto, nutmeg, vanilla extract and sea salt until smooth and combined.
Pour filling into pie crust and bake for about an hour or until the pie is mostly set. (It will still be slightly jiggly in the middle.) Cool completely.
Now, we make the praline topping! (You're almost there, don't worry.)
Prepare a baking pan by lining with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. You will need to move quickly once you are ready to pour the hot sugar onto the mat, so have everything ready.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, cook sugar and 1 tablespoon water over medium high heat until it comes to a boil, swirling the pan every so often instead of stirring. (Stirring can cause the mixture to crystallize.)
When sugar turns honey brown, remove from heat and stir in sliced almonds and salt.
Pour onto the prepared non-stick surface and spread with a spatula in as thin of a layer as possible. Cool completely. Once cool, break into small pieces.
Sprinkle the praline over the pie just before serving! (If you put it on too early, the hardened sugar will dissolve and liquify, so make sure to save this as a final step before serving.)
FAQ's
Pumpkin pie should look set and slightly puffed along the edges and have a slight jiggle in the center when it's fully cooked. It should not be liquidy or too watery. The filling should read 170 degrees F on an instand-read thermometer when it's ready.
Much like a cheesecake, the custardy center of a pumpkin pie needs to harden and set. This will happen when the pie is allowed to cool for several hours after baking. Refrigerating the pie overnight will also result in a more set filling and cleaner slices when it's time to serve. Pumpkin pie is best when made a day ahead so that it has time to fully set and the flavors can marry.
Amaretto Pumpkin Pie can be covered carefully with foil or plastic wrap and stored in a refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Most pumpkin pie can, indeed, be frozen. I have not personally tried with this pie (and odds are that you won't have any leftovers to freeze!), however, I recommend placing any leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freezing for up to 2 weeks. Allow slices to thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
Yes! If you don't want to use Amaretto liqueur, you can use ¾ teaspoons almond extract instead. This will give the pie the almond flavor of amaretto. (Although, the recipe only calls for 2.5 tablespoons for the entire pie which is almost a non-existent amount of alcohol per serving.)
Variations & Substitutions
It's hard to beat this version of pumpkin pie, but here are a few ways you can change things up if you'd like! Here are my suggestions:
- Try using a different type of cookie in the crust, such as gingersnaps or biscotti!
- Swap at the amaretto for another liqueur or liquor, like citrusy Grand Marnier or hazelnutty Frangelico.
- Save time and effort by skipping the praline topping and buying store-bought candied nuts to sprinkle on top.
- We've already made a pumpkin pie without evaporated milk, but why not try using coconut cream in its place for a tropical twist?
Dietary-specific Substitutions:
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite one-to-one gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour in the crust. Amaretti cookies tend to be gluten-free (just be sure to check the label).
- Nut-Free: Omit the praline topping and swap the amaretti cookies for another type of cookie or use a traditional graham cracker crust.
- Alcohol-free: Substitute the liqueur for ¾ teaspoon almond extract.
- Vegan: Use plant-based butter, "heavy cream" and vegan egg substitute in place of regular. (Note: I have not actually tried this myself, so it could affect the texture, but I imagine it would still work. Alternatively, this vegan pumpkin pie uses cornstarch to help the filling set.)
Amaretto Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
For Crust
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ cup crushed amaretti cookies
- ¼ cup ice water
For Filling
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ tablespoon amaretto liqueur
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For Praline Topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Make Crust
- Combine cold butter, flour and crushed amaretti cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- Slowly pour in cold water while continuing to process (about 1 tablespoon at a time) until a dough ball forms. If dough becomes too wet, just add a bit more flour.
- Press into pie dish, pushing up the sides -- I like to use the back of a ½ cup measuring cup for this task. Poke dough with a fork, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover chilled pie dough with foil, and fill with pie weights or dry beans to weigh down. Bake for about 25 minutes.
- Remove foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes.
Make Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, heavy cream, eggs, amaretto, nutmeg, vanilla extract and sea salt until smooth and combined.
- Pour filling into pie crust and bake for about an hour or until the pie is mostly set. (It will still be slightly jiggly in the middle.) Cool completely.
Make Praline
- Prepare a baking pan by lining with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. You will need to move quickly once you are ready to pour the hot sugar onto the mat, so have everything ready.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, cook sugar and 1 tablespoon water over medium high heat until it comes to a boil, swirling the pan every so often instead of stirring. (Stirring can cause the mixture to crystallize.)
- When sugar turns honey brown, remove from heat and stir in sliced almonds and salt.
- Pour onto prepared non-stick surface and spread with a spatula in as thin of a layer as possible.
- Cool completely. Once cool, break into small pieces.
- Sprinkle praline over pie before serving.
Notes
- Try using a different type of cookie in the crust, such as gingersnaps or biscotti!
- Swap at the amaretto for another liqueur or liquor, like citrusy Grand Marnier or hazelnutty Frangelico.
- Save time and effort by skipping the praline topping and buying store-bought candied nuts to sprinkle on top.
- We've already made a pumpkin pie without evaporated milk, but why not try using coconut cream in its place for a tropical twist?
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite one-to-one gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour in the crust. Amaretti cookies tend to be gluten-free (just be sure to check the label).
- Nut-Free: Omit the praline topping and swap the amaretti cookies for another type of cookie or use a traditional graham cracker crust.
- Alcohol-free: Substitute the liqueur for ¾ teaspoon almond extract.
- Vegan: Use plant-based butter, "heavy cream" and vegan egg substitute in place of regular. (Note: I have not actually tried this myself, so it could affect the texture, but I imagine it would still work. Alternatively, this vegan pumpkin pie uses cornstarch to help the filling set.)
Sloane@ Life Food and Beer says
The apples look amazing!! I would be so fat if I made all these sweets! I do not know enough people in Florida to bake a lot. My Husband does not eat sweets:(
thekitchenprep says
Thanks, Sloane! I definitely have to plan ahead & think about who I will share all these sugary goodies with... otherwise I'd be going up a dress size every week! 😉 Hope you had a perfect first Thanksgiving as Mr. & Mrs.!
Take A Bite Out of Boca says
Those coconut caramels sound so good!!! And easy!!! I think I may have to make them. Thanks for the recipe! Have a Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
thekitchenprep says
Thanks Shaina! They are a super quick, super yummy treat! Let me know how you like them! Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. 🙂
Louise Roberts says
Not special only super special! Almond is most favorite to me so I like any kinds of sweet dish with the touch of almond. It's healthier and highly enrich of food value. Thank you so very much for placing some awesome dishes for the special festivals to make these more special.
halal sweets
thekitchenprep says
Thanks, Louise! I love almonds, too, and they were delicious in this pie!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Um, so, I'm coming to your house for the next holiday, mmkay? I want all of this, especially those caramels!
thekitchenprep says
@Dorothy - Any time! 😉 I think those caramels will be making another appearance soon... everyone who tried them couldn't get enough. And they are SO easy to make!
Joan Hayes says
Just found you via Dorothy. I was about to be upset with her when at the top of the post you have "healthy" food, lol. Then I saw your caramels and your caramel apples (gorgeous!)Can't wait to try them. So glad to meet you!
thekitchenprep says
@Joan - Thanks so much for visiting! I do try to temper the bad with the good... everything in moderation, right? 😉 Great meeting you, too!