Julie Clark
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Butternut Squash Pie
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Switch up your holiday pies and try this lightly sweetened Butternut Squash Pie with a gingerbread cookie crust. An old recipe made new!
Last summer had an overabundance of butternut squash in the garden. It was our first time growing squashes and we ended up with enough to feed an army! Roasted butternut squash is healthy and delicious, but it is fun to change it up a bit and make something special like this Butternut Squash Pie.
Butternut squash has a sweet, nutty flavor similar to sweet potatoes (which are also great in pie). We dressed up this pie for the holidays by using gingerbread cookies for the crust. It’s beautiful change to pumpkin pie and your holiday guests will love it!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- old fashioned flavor
- 100% homemade
- a great way to use up butternut squash
- a fun change from pumpkin pie
Ingredients Needed
- Crushed Gingerbread Cookies. Both frosted and unfrosted cookies will work. The crust pictured is made from cookies frosted with royal icing. Our gingerbread cookie recipe would be amazing, or you can use store bought gingersnaps.
- Unsalted Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Eggs. Large eggs are standard in recipes unless it calls for something different.
- Maple Syrup. Use 100% pure maple syrup for the best flavor.
- Salt
- Ground Spices: cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, cardamom
- Orange
- Butternut Squash. This should be cooked. Wondering how to cook it? See below.
- Milk. Use 2% milk at minimum. If we have whole milk I use that.
How to Cook Butternut Squash for Pie
Preheat the oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out any seeds. Place cut side down in a baking pan and roast for about 45 minutes until it is soft and “mashable”. The exact timing will depend on how large the squash is. (And if you love this, try our mashed butternut squash!)
How to Make Butternut Squash Pie
Make the crust.
- Preheat the oven to 300º Fahrenheit.
- Add the crushed gingerbread cookies, butter and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until a soft crumble forms.
- Pour the crumble into a 9 inch pie pan and press down to form the crust. Make sure to create edges along the side of the pan as well.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes. If the crust lost some of its shape during the bake, use the back of a spoon to gently guide the crust back into shape. Allow to cool completely.
Pro Tip: If your crust requires further cooling, put it in the freezer for ten minutes before adding the filling. Just don’t put the crust directly into the freezer straight out of the oven. Allow ten minutes of cooling on the counter first.
Make the filling.
- Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the eggs and egg yolk in a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, syrup, salt, spices and orange zest and mix on a low speed until combined.
- Add the milk and butternut squash and mix on low until combined. It should be a thick liquid consistency. Pour the filling into your cooled crust.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the center is wiggly, but set. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. The filling may be inflated when you remove it from the oven, and deflate as it cools.
For a softer crust, create a pie shield for the crust out of foil or use a silicone one to cover the pie edges. For a crunchier crust, leave the pie edges bare during the bake.
How to Store Squash Pie
Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the baked pie up to one month, wrapped in foil, and set on the counter to bring to room temperature when ready to eat.
Recipe Variations:
I developed this recipe from the surplus of holiday cooking and baking. You can easily adjust this recipe:
- Crust. Try substituting ½ a cup of another kind of cookie. Golden Oreos would be delicious!
- Filling. Switch between pumpkin, sweet potato and butternut squash for filling. Just make sure it’s been cooked and pureed.
- Spices. Leave out, increase, or substitute your favorite holiday flavors. The current spice combination is based on gingerbread flavors with a little extra holiday spice. The orange zest could also be left out, but I do highly recommend it!
Butternut Squash Pie
Switch up your holiday pies and try this lightly sweetened Butternut Squash Pie with a gingerbread cookie crust. An old recipe made new!
Servings 8
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups crushed gingerbread cookies*
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
For the filling:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Zest of one orange
- 2 cups pureed cooked butternut squash
- ½ cup 2% milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300º Fahrenheit.
- Add the crushed gingerbread cookies, butter and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until a soft crumble forms.
- Pour the crumble into a 9 inch pie pan and press down to form the crust. Make sure to create edges along the side of the pan as well.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes. If the crust lost some of its shape during the bake, use the back of a spoon to gently guide the crust back into shape. Allow to cool completely.
- Raise the oven temperature to 350 ℉.
- Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the eggs and egg yolk in a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, syrup, salt, spices and orange zest and mix on a low speed until combined.
- Add the milk and butternut squash and mix on low until combined. It should be a thick liquid consistency. Pour the filling into your cooled crust. For a softer crust, create a pie shield for the crust out of foil or use a silicone one to cover the pie edges. . For a crunchier crust, leave the pie edges bare during the bake.*
- Optional step: If your crust requires further cooling, put it in the freezer for ten minutes before adding the filling. Just don’t put the crust directly into the freezer straight out of the oven. Allow ten minutes of cooling on the counter first.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the center is wiggley, but set. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. The filling may be inflated when you remove it from the oven, and deflate as it cools.
- Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Enjoy!
Notes
*You can use gingersnaps.
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of pie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 4096IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 3mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you eat butternut squash pie warm or cold?
The pie is intended to be eaten at a room temperature or chilled
Can you use frozen butternut squash?
We have always used fresh, but I think you could use frozen squash as long as it is cooked and isn’t too watery.
Can you bake this pie in a regular butter pie crust?
Yes! You can bake the pie in a traditional crust.
