I finally fixed my runny pie filling after a holiday disaster

Taylor Wells · 2026-03-07T10:45:35.635944+00:00

Last Thanksgiving, my pumpkin pie filling was so liquid it never set. I tried chilling it longer, but no luck. After some reading, I learned that overcooking the pumpkin can release too much water. Now I drain the puree well before mixing, and my pies come out perfect. Has anyone else had this issue or found other tips?

margaret2297mo ago

Try pressing your drained puree in a colander with a paper towel or two. It soaks up way more moisture than you think is even in there. I went from soupy pies to almost too dense a filling one year because I got overzealous with the pressing. Let it sit for ten minutes while you prep the spices and crust. The extra water that cooks out is what really wrecks the setting, so removing it early is the fix. Cooking the mix on the stove for a minute to evaporate a bit more liquid can help too, but it's easy to overdo.

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claireg897mo ago

Margaret's paper towel trick works but go easy.

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torres.pat7mo ago

Cooking the mix on the stove can risk curdling the eggs if you're not watching closely. Better to just drain the puree really well and skip the extra heat.

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