I Tried Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Pie, and Understand Why This Canned Pumpkin Recipe Scored Him a Win on “Throwdown”

Published on November 8, 2025

Few other dishes say “fall” more loudly than a fresh-baked pumpkin pie. Since Mom’s homemade pumpkin pie is my gold standard, I rarely stray from her version. But I was coaxed into doing just that when I came across Bobby Flay’s riff, which one home baker swears is “the best pumpkin pie! Not too sweet and the crust is to die for.” No wonder the holiday pie recipe came out on top on a 2009 episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. That’s when Flay challenged Michele Albano, owner of Michele’s Pies in Norwalk, Connecticut, to a pumpkin pie competition. 

Ahead, I’ll walk you through how to make Flay’s Throwdown Pumpkin Pie, then dish up tips for how to store and serve it to take this fall dessert recipe if you try it, too.

How to Make Bobby Flay’s Pumpkin Pie

To follow Flay’s lead…

1. Prep the crust. In a food processor, blitz together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, granulated sugar, and cinnamon until it has the consistency of wet sand. Transfer this to a 9-inch pie pan, and use the bottom of a glass to press the mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is light brown and firm.
2. Make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Next, whisk in melted butter, pumpkin purée, heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla bean seeds. Whisk to combine, then strain through a sieve. Reserve the smooth strained mixture and discard any solids.
3. Assemble and bake. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pre-baked pie crust, and bake at 275°F for 1 ½ hours, or until the center is almost set. Allow the pie to come to room temperature before serving.
4. Whip up the topping. Just before slicing and savoring the pie, in a large chilled bowl, add cold heavy cream, maple syrup, vanilla seeds, and bourbon. Whip until soft peaks form. For the 21+ crowd, top each piece of pie with spiked whipped cream.

Tips For Making Pumpkin Pie From Scratch

You may have noticed that the overall method of Flay’s pumpkin pie recipe doesn’t stray far from the typical custard pie script. Still, a few helpful pointers might come in handy if you recreate this at home:

• Make a plan for the extra filling. No, you didn’t make a mistake if you have more of the pumpkin mixture than fits in your 9-inch pie pan. Flay verifies that “the filling makes more than what is needed to fill the pie shell.” You’ll have about a half of a pie’s worth of filling, which you can freeze to thaw and add to another pie later, or bake it the same day in mini graham cracker crusts or ramekins for single-serving desserts.
• Swap in extract. The seeds from a vanilla bean pod look showy in the topping and add bold, floral, and sweet flavor and aroma to the filling. You can score similar results using extract if you prefer. To replace the seeds from ½ vanilla bean pod, try adding 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to the filling and ½ teaspoon to the whipped cream. Add more if desired.
• Keep the crust as-is. Although you can substitute the seeds, Flay fans and I highly recommend that you stick with the graham cracker crust. Not only is it easier than pastry pie crust, it also adds pleasant texture and notes of honey and cinnamon. I bet it would still be quite tasty in a classic all-butter pie crust, but one home baker has a very firm warning: “DO NOT SUBSTITUTE. I tried to bake the pie in a traditional pie crust. It ruined this delish pie.” 
• Time things right. Flay suggests removing the pie from the oven once the center is almost set, which should take about 90 minutes. Besides using your eyes as you gently shake the pan to see if it jiggles, our Test Kitchen pros swear by two other “tells” that a pumpkin pie is done: a knife inserted in the center should come out clean or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 180°F. 
• Add more toppings. The bourbon-maple whipped cream is a subtle and spectacular way to add even more flavor to this Thanksgiving pie. But why stop there? After garnishing with a dollop of that zhuzhed-up whipped cream, consider adding a drizzle of caramel sauce, a few cinnamon nuts, or a crumbled piece of toffee to finish things off.
• Store it wisely. If you’re lucky enough to have leftover pie, refrigerate it for up to 4 days or wrap fully-cooled single slices well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks. When you’re ready to enjoy a frozen slice, thaw it for 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a 300°F oven until warm.

The Verdict on Bobby Flay’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe

A few key ingredient alternations make Flay’s pumpkin pie stand out from the custard pie competition. (Sorry, Mom!) Most pumpkin pies stick with white sugar, but Flay’s features a 50/50 mix of granulated and brown sugar. Even that ¼ cup of brown sugar is enough to lend a subtle layer of molasses flavor, which plays really nicely with the honey-forward graham cracker crust. 

As for the texture, I agree with a Throwdown fan who describes it as “more of a cream pumpkin custard than the traditional pie.” This is made possible by the heavy cream (Flay’s substitute for evaporated milk) and extra egg yolks. The result is luxuriously silky; a delightful foil to the crunchy graham cracker crust.

One previous skeptic says, “I am not a pumpkin pie fan, but this was delicious. I am a convert, as long as this is the recipe!” And I, a pumpkin pie-lover, agree that this recipe is always welcome on my table. Bonus points for it being easy to create, too.

Many chefs strive to Beat Bobby Flay. But after trying a slice of this award-winning pie recipe, I wholeheartedly understand the saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” I’ll be doing just that by whipping up this dessert again soon.