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Black Bottom Pumpkin Custard Pie

Black bottom pumpkin custard pie with a chocolate ganache base and a silky pumpkin custard baked until just set around the edges. The flaky crust is blind-baked first, then the chocolate layer freezes briefly for clean slices and a smooth pumpkin top.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Chilling 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Crust
  • 1 deep-dish pie crust Use a crust that can be blind-baked.
Black bottom chocolate layer
  • 0.5 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 0.33 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp butter
Pumpkin custard
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
  • 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Serving
  • 1 whipped cream For serving only.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Blind-bake the crust
  1. Heat oven to 375F and bake the deep-dish pie crust blind-baked for 10 minutes, until just set. Cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
Make and set the black bottom layer
  1. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and butter until simmering. Pour the hot mixture over the dark chocolate chips and rest 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.
  2. Pour the ganache into the cooled crust and spread evenly. Freeze for 15 minutes to firm the chocolate layer.
Mix and bake the pumpkin custard
  1. Whisk the pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the custard carefully over the set chocolate layer.
  2. Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until the edges are set with a slight center wobble. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the pie for 3 hours to fully chill and set the custard. Serve each slice with whipped cream.

Notes

Pro tip: freeze time for the ganache helps prevent the pumpkin custard from mixing into the chocolate, giving a clean black bottom when sliced. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze baked pie (without whipped cream) up to 1 month—thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. For a dairy-reduced option, use dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut cream instead of heavy cream, keeping the rest the same for similar texture.