Maple Butternut Squash Pie

This smooth, sweet, warm, Butternut Squash Pie Recipe is the perfect use of your pureed butternut squash leftovers from Thanksgiving or any other holiday. Transform this leftover side dish into a decadent dessert once the Pumpkin Pie has already come and gone. You’ll look forward to this every year.

How to prepare butternut squash puree:

This recipe for Butternut Squash Pie only requires 2 cups of leftover butternut squash puree from your holiday side dish. However, if you don’t have any or don’t have enough, preparing your own from scratch or purchasing a 15 ounce can of canned squash from your local grocer or Williams-Sonoma will work just fine. And don’t worry about any seasonings already added to your puree from your side dish, everything should still balance out nicely.

Which varieties of squash can be used for squash pie?

While this recipe is for using the leftovers of butternut squash puree you can also use the following:

• Acorn
• Hubbard
• Delicata
• Kabocha
• Pumpkin (yes pumpkin is technically a squash!)
• for a full list of squashes and their preferred uses click here

How to make squash pie:

The Crust

For this pie recipe, you only need one 9-inch pie crust. This is great if you have one leftover from that Pecan Pie you made for Thanksgiving sitting in your refrigerator. Store-bought works just great as does this recipe for scratch-made crust.

Either way, you’ll want to remove your pie crust from the refrigerator or freezer and allow to come to room temperature before rolling. Trying to roll out the dough too soon can cause cracking and tears. If it does tear, use a mixture of beaten egg and water (1 egg, 1 Tablespoon of water) to wet the room temperature pie crust and press together, and smooth, with your fingers.

Line the pie plate with the dough and crimp the edges using the tutorial below if you so choose.

The Filling

The easiest part of this pie is the filling. Grab your ingredients and simply combine them in a large bowl thoroughly. If preparing the butternut squash from scratch, be sure it is cooled before combining with the other ingredients. You don’t want to cook the eggs when combining.

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Toppings

While this Butternut Squash Pie can be served as another variation to the pureed squash side dish, it can also be jazzed up with toppings for a delectable dessert. Feel free to top this pie with homemade whipped cream, coconut shavings, candied pecans, or shaved chocolate. Which will you choose?

Alternatives and Substitutions

If you’re looking for other ways to use up leftovers, check the list below for substitutions and alternatives to the recipe. If you try any of these alternatives, I would love to hear what you thought of them!

• Milk and heavy cream – use instead a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
• Sugar and maple syrup – use 1 full cup of sugar if you don’t have maple syrup on hand, or brown sugar in place of the maple syrup
• Ginger – use zest from one whole orange

How to crimp a pie crust:

Lay the pie crust evenly into the pie plate so that 3/4 of an inch extra dough hangs over the pie plate.

Roll the excess dough underneath itself to form a thick rim. This will give increased stability to the pie and all the goodness it’s holding in, plus extra dough to work with in the next step.

Use two fingers on each hand to form a U. With one on the outside and one on the inside, push firmly against one another. Keep the thumbs in the previous crimp you’ve made as you move along the pie edge. See the image below.

Once you have done this around the entire crust, best practice is to allow the dough to firm up in the refrigerator for close to an hour before adding your filling.

How to tell if your pie is set:

To know if the pie is set, the middle should be slightly firm to touch and should not wiggle when the pie plate has been gently shaken. You can also insert a knife into the middle of the pie. If it comes out clean, it is set. However, this could cause cracking in the pie filling as it cools.  You can also use an instant-read thermometer in the middle. The filling should be 175F. The filling will continue to set as it cools.

Note: With this Butternut Squash Pie recipe, you can expect a bit of bubbling and wiggling. You’ll want to pay attention to the texture across the top of the pie. When the texture of the middle looks the same as the edges, and the inner temperature is 175F you can remove it from the oven. It will continue to bake and firm upon sitting. If the top firms up first, cover with tinfoil and continue to bake so the inside can firm as well.

Can squash pie be frozen?

Yes! When done correctly a freshly baked squash pie can be frozen for up to a month.

You’ll want to ensure that your pie has cooled completely before wrapping to avoid any nasty bacteria buildup, as well as condensation buildup, and thus ice crystals. No freezer burn here, thank you! Wrap your pie tightly and a few times in plastic wrap. Some suggest an additional layer of tinfoil over the plastic wrap as well to ward off the freezer burn.

To thaw the pie for serving, remove from the freezer and set in a refrigerator the night before or at least 12 hours before serving. You want the pie to thaw slowly. Tip: if possible, freeze your pie in a tin pie plate so as not to hold up your favorite dishes for a month.

If any discoloration of the pie occurs during defrosting, simply cover it with one of your favorite toppings. To serve warm, microwave on high for 30 seconds or place into the oven for 10-15 minutes from thawed, at 350F.