How to Keep Pumpkin Pie Fresh (To Keep It Fresh and Safe)

You may enjoy a few pieces of a gorgeous, fresh, handmade pumpkin pie straight immediately, but you will be left with the remainder pie. You will undoubtedly want more afterwards!

So, how should pumpkin pie be stored? Let us investigate! Check out this article to discover how to keep pumpkin pie so that it remains fresh and tasty.

What Is a Custard Pie?

There are several sorts of pies available, ranging from fruit pies to cookie pies to custard pies. Pumpkin pie is a custard pie, which means the filling is produced using eggs, a liquid, and sweeteners that are all blended together and cooked until the filling is set.

Since the components vary so much, each kind of pie has its own set of storage guidelines. Fruit pies, for example, are normally safe to keep at room temperature on the counter.

A cookie pie (with a thick, cookie-like baked filling) would likewise be OK at room temperature for a few days. A custard pie, on the other hand, is a different story.

Keeping Pumpkin Pie in the Fridge

Pumpkin pie, like other baked custard pies, should be kept in the refrigerator. This is particularly true for no-preservatives handmade pumpkin pies.

Although you may find unrefrigerated pumpkin pies on grocery store shelves, this is because they include preservatives that help them remain at room temperature. A true, from-scratch, handmade pumpkin pie, on the other hand, requires refrigeration to keep fresh.

Since the custard filling in pumpkin pie includes cooked eggs, it should be kept refrigerated. Eggs are heavy in moisture and protein and, if left uncooked, may attract hazardous microorganisms.

If you cook a large batch of scrambled eggs, you are unlikely to leave them out on the counter for days. Consider your pumpkin pie in the same light—it, too, contains cooked eggs! This is one of the reasons why you should keep your pie in the fridge.

Since pumpkin pie filling is so fluid and fragile, it has a high potential for mold and bacteria to develop, both of which thrive in damp, warm conditions.

After only one or two days on the counter at room temperature, your pie may begin to mold! That is far from enough time!

But, if properly kept in the fridge, you may enjoy your handmade pumpkin pie for around 4-5 days, thereby doubling its shelf life.

How to Wrap Pumpkin Pie

Allowing pumpkin pie to cool fully after baking is the first step in properly keeping it. To avoid moisture from leaking out of the filling later, you want the pie to be as cold as possible before putting it in the fridge.

If the pie is warm when covered, condensation will collect on the surface, leaving an unappealing wet film on the pumpkin pie. This is easily prevented if your pie is simply cooled, covered, and refrigerated!

Wrap the pumpkin pie in plastic wrap when it has fully cooled, putting the plastic wrap firmly on the surface of the pie and then wrapping it loosely over the crust and pan.

By pushing the plastic wrap flat on the top of the custard layer of the pie, you will prevent any air from reaching the pie filling, which may cause the pie to dry out.

The direct plastic will help keep moisture away from the pumpkin pie custard if the pie was somewhat warm before being placed in the fridge.

You may keep your pumpkin pie in a basic cardboard pie box or plastic container; but, even if you refrigerate the container, it may lower the shelf life of the pie. The refrigerator may be a highly drying environment, and even if the pie is in a box, it can dry out quicker if it is not directly wrapped.

Try covering your pie in plastic wrap and storing it in a refrigerated storage container for further protection.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Pie?

If you want to bake pumpkin pie ahead of time, freeze it, and then eat it later, this is an option, but it may not be the best. Pumpkin pie may be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to two months.

But, while defrosting your pumpkin pie, be cautious not to split the custard filling.

Remove the pumpkin pie from the freezer and store it in the refrigerator at least one day before serving. This will allow the pie to gently thaw while also preventing the filling from coming apart.

If you put the pie immediately from the freezer into the oven, it will split, allowing the fluids within the pie to leak out, shattering the pie top, and creating a giant pie mess! When it comes to thawing frozen pumpkin pie, slow is best!

Storing Decorated Pumpkin Pie

One of the best things about pumpkin pie is how well it goes with whipped cream. Not only does this taste delicious, but whipped cream may help disguise any flaws in the pie.

When feasible, garnish your pumpkin pie after it has been stored and just before it is ready to serve. Although the pumpkin pie may be refrigerated for many days, the fresh whipped cream cannot.

Use the whipped cream to conceal any flaws on the pie surface created by the plastic wrap on the pie. If your pie has began to dry out, causing the crust and filling to separate, try concealing this with whipped cream, giving the pie a lovely border.

When you employ a few whipped cream repairs, no one will ever know your pie was anything other than flawless!

Don’t be scared to prepare a little extra pumpkin pie the next time you’re ready to bake one. Pumpkin pie may be stored and enjoyed for many days after it has been baked.

Good luck with your baking!