Buzz
These days, the air fryer is a must-have in my kitchen. It speeds up cooking for tasks that would usually require oven roasting—like peppers or salmon—and unless you own a large toaster oven, you can tuck it away when you need more counter space.
For the holidays this year, I'll keep the oven free for other dishes and air fry my pumpkin pie instead.
Baking pies in an air fryer is absolutely possible.
A perfect pumpkin pie is made with care, ensuring the filling stays intact (so it doesn’t separate) and the crust is perfectly baked. Whether you're using a traditional oven or an air fryer, this can be easily achieved by keeping a few key points in mind.
First, the filling of a pumpkin pie is essentially a custard, often referred to as an egg-heavy filling. This means that eggs are a crucial ingredient, responsible for binding everything together—but they must be cooked gently. As stated by America’s Test Kitchen, “When custards such as crème anglaise are heated, they turn thick and creamy as milk and egg proteins unfurl and bond with each other. However, if they are overheated, too many bonds form and the proteins clump.” If your pumpkin pie has ever turned out gritty or watery, this could be the culprit. We can avoid that by using a lower fan speed. (More details on that later.)
Next, consider the moisture content. In addition to eggs, pumpkin pie contains pumpkin purée, sugar, spices, and a liquid like evaporated milk, all contributing to a rather moist mixture. Unfortunately, wet fillings often lead to soggy crusts. To prevent this, always perform a blind bake on your pie crust, whether you're air-frying or baking in a conventional oven.
Blind baking is the very reason you can prepare this pie in an air fryer. Air fryers heat from the top, which makes them unsuitable for baking double-crusted pies. Thankfully, your pumpkin pie's crust will be fully baked before the filling even goes in.
If you're looking to buy an air fryer, check out my top picks from 2024:
Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill
Instant Vortex 6-quart Air Fryer Oven
Ninja Doublestack XL Air Fryer
How to bake a pumpkin pie in the air fryer
Although the air fryer is known for its intense convection heat, you can still blind bake and gently bake a pie in it. To achieve this, use a lower temperature and choose the “bake” setting instead of “air fry.”
The key difference between these settings is the fan speed. Air frying uses a high-speed fan, while the “bake” setting operates at a slower pace. You’ll likely hear the difference when you switch between them. The pie will cook faster than in a traditional oven but should avoid burning on top.
1. Blind bake the crust
To blind bake the crust, start as you normally would. Once the pie pastry is placed in a pie plate, line it with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights. I use dry beans, but you could also try ceramic beads, sugar, or rice. Then, place the crust in an air fryer set to 350°F on the “bake” setting. This is simple to do in the model with a swinging door, though it’s still doable with a basket-style air fryer: I have a basket model that just fits a 9-inch aluminum pie plate, with barely enough room for my hands.
To lower the pie into the basket without burning yourself or tipping it over, create a foil strap by cutting a piece of foil about 16 inches long. Make sure it’s wide enough to sit under the widest part of the pie and long enough to fold over the sides with extra to grab the ends. Fold the foil three or four times lengthwise to form a strap about two or three inches thick, as shown in the image below. Hold the strap's ends, lift the pie, and gently lower it into the basket. The foil will stay in place, making it easy to remove the pie later. Bend the ends of the foil so they stay within the basket’s limits.
Bake the crust with the weights for around 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Carefully remove the weights by lifting the parchment paper edges. The crust should appear dry at the bottom. Use a fork to prick the bottom five or six times. Close the air fryer and bake for an additional two minutes to allow the bottom to cook through. If the crust puffs up slightly, simply press it down with an oven mitt to flatten it.
2. Lower the temperature and continue baking the pie
Turn the temperature down to 325°F and leave the air fryer on the “bake” setting.
Once the crust is blind baked, pour the raw pumpkin pie filling into the shell. For the basket model, leave the crust in the basket to fill it—this makes it easier to handle. If you have the swinging door style, remove the tray from the air fryer. Fill the pie shell while it’s on the tray, then return it to the air fryer. Bake for five minutes at 325°F, then reduce the temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional 10 to 20 minutes. Keep it set to the “bake” function throughout.
The pie is ready when the filling edges begin to brown and the center is firm, with just a hint of a jiggle. Let it cool on a wire rack. You can enjoy it warm, at room temperature, or chill it in the fridge if you prefer it cold.
When baking your pumpkin pie, remember that cooking times will vary depending on your air fryer model. That’s why the time range is a bit broad. Air fryers vary in speed, pie recipes differ in their ingredients, and whether the pie is deep-dish or not matters too. After the first five minutes at 325°F, then switching to 300°F for 10 minutes, check your pie. Depending on how firm the filling is at this stage, you may need to bake it for a bit longer.
