While pies can be enjoyed year-round, ‘pie season’ is most often celebrated in fall and winter, and oh boy do I have 12 must-try pie recipes for you!
Cozy Up With These 12 Must-Try Pie Recipes For Fall And Winter
When the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to fall, there’s no better time to turn on the oven and fill your kitchen with the comforting aroma of homemade pie.
Whether you’re celebrating the holidays, hosting a Sunday supper, or just craving a seasonal sweet treat, these cozy pie recipes for Fall and Winter are guaranteed to warm your heart and satisfy your sweet tooth.
The Ultimate Collection Of Fall And Winter Pie Recipes: Classic & Unexpected Flavors To Warm The Season
While pie is a dessert we can enjoy any time of year, there’s something undeniably special about pie season, which truly shines in the fall and winter months. As the weather cools and holidays approach, baking a homemade pie becomes more than just making dessert—it’s a tradition, a comfort, and a way to celebrate seasonal ingredients at their best.
In this delicious collection of Fall and Winter pie recipes, I’ll be sharing not only the classic crowd-pleasers you know and love—like apple pie, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and cranberry pie—but also some exciting and unexpected pies that will surprise and delight you. Ever had Tahini Custard Pie? Or a silky White Potato Pie with a hint of spice? These are just a few of the unique takes I can’t wait for you to try.
From Classic To Creative: A Seasonal Pie Collection You’ll Want All Season Long
This curated collection of Fall and Winter pie recipes is all about capturing the flavors of the season, think cinnamon-spiced apples, nuts and dried fruits, tart cranberries, pumpkin spice, and rich chocolate.
These aren’t just desserts, they are edible celebrations of the colder months. Whether you love buttery flaky crusts with creamy custard-style fillings, or a cookie-like crust with seasonal fruits baked inside, this pie roundup offers something for every palate.
What You’ll Find In This Seasonal Pie Recipe Collection:
- Applesauce Custard Pie
- Grandma’s Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Old Fashioned Cookie Crust Sweet Potato Pie
- Pumpkin Pie with Pumpkin Spice Crust
- Chocolate Crusted Pear Pie
- Dried Fruit Winter Pie
- Almond Oat Crusted Fig Tart
- Cranberry Orange Pie
- White Potato Pie
- Mediterranean Sesame Tahini Custard Pie
- Nut Crusted Chocolate Custard Pie
- Holiday Cranberry Cheesecake with Chocolate Antlers
Let’s take a closer look at each pie and win you over to try them!
Applesauce Custard Pie
This Applesauce Custard Pie, made from autumn’s apples and cider, with the creaminess of mascarpone baked in a warm spice scented open-face crust, is perfect for that bundle of apples gathered in fall.
The time of the year inspired most, by a harvest of fresh apples for our recipes, is apple season in the Autumn.
I like to think of this applesauce pie as an apple pie variation, that simply comes together much faster than a traditional Apple Pie.
Bourbon Pecan Pie
Grandma’s Bourbon Pecan Pie, is rich, indulgent and holiday-table worthy, loaded with pecans both in the pie and ground into the buttery crust.
I’ll never forget the tall stack of ‘Southern Living’ magazines my mom collected and read cover to cover. It’s was funny to me because my mom was a first generation Syrian gal.
My mom, later in her life, was no exception and thus… the southern pecan pie first appeared in our home.
What our family now calls Grandmas bourbon pecan pie, has become a family tradition.
Sweet Potato Pie
Old Fashioned Cookie Crust Sweet Potato Pie a nutrient rich, spice warmed custard-like texture with an easy press in crust, the perfect pie for a novice baker.
Taste and texture are what makes sweet potato pie an all time favorite for Thanksgiving dinner, made with fresh sweet potatoes!
Sweet potatoes, when simply roasted, are sweet, custard-like in texture, loaded with a nutrient profile and lend themselves to a variety of sweet potato recipes.
Best Pumpkin Pie – Why?
This Pumpkin Pie recipe is made from fresh, not canned pumpkins which are available nearly everywhere in America around the holidays.
Simply roast, scoop out the pumpkin and freeze what you don’t use, for later in the year.
Then, if fresh pumpkin is already enough, we make our own pumpkin spice blend, which allows for more of the spices we really love and less of the others.
And if that is not enough to make this the best pumpkin pie recipe, the home blended pumpkin spice is added to both the pumpkin custard and the Pumpkin Spice Crust; a crust that can utilize the scraps by pressing with a cookie cutter and baked on top of the pumpkin pie.
A must for the Thanksgiving table because this is the best pumpkin pie recipe you can find, and that is a promise!
Fall Pear Pie With A Twist
Chocolate Crusted Pear Pie with a pear puree custard topped with pears baked in a chocolate and hazelnut crust abounds with flavor and texture, allowing the humble pear to remain the showcase.
Autumn sings of warm flavors and yet while pears come into season in Autumn, their flavor is oh so gentle.
How do we make a delicate pear the star of a tart without masking its beautiful flavor?
Easy, we add a bit of cacao to the crust to surround the pears with a warm color, make a custard out of the pears, using hazelnut to add structure, and top it with slices of fresh pears, the star of the tart.
Winter Fruit Pie
Dried Fruit Winter Pie with nuts, rum and favorite dried fruits encased in both a rustic pie crust and cookie cut-outs from the crust pastry.
Few fresh fruits are in season throughout the cold winter months, however an abundance of dried fruits – raisins, figs, cranberries, apricots and dates – are abundant.
With the juice from a few slices of apples, a little booze to soak the dried fruits, this winter pie filling will fast become a favorite winter dessert to enjoy fireside.
Oat Crusted Fig Tart
An Almond Oat Crusted Fig Tart with an orange blossom custard is baked, topped with fresh figs.
For many years, in the early autumn, I make this delicately flavored fig tart. Who knew I would end up making it on national television!
As a contestant on The Great American Recipe, and ‘In The Finales’ I chose those elegant tart for my finale recipe.
I called it My Fig Finale. It is the most creative dessert recipe one could make for such an occasion!
Cranberry Orange Blossom Pie
Cranberry Orange Pie is a gluten-free crust where tart meets sweet in a bold seasonal flavor enhanced with nuts, coconut and sweetened with dates.
While creating this Mediterranean cranberry pie, even though cranberries are not Mediterranean, I wanted to bring the flavors of that region to this pie, therefore making it uniquely my own!
Once you taste this pie, you will definitely want to make my Cranberry Orange Blossom Muffins so you can enjoy these flavors for breakfast too!
White Potato Pie – Yes WHITE Potatoes
White Potato Pie, this historic white potato pie recipe, whose roots are found primarily in Maryland, has a light creamy custard with freshly grated ginger and a bit of rum.
Just when you think there are no new recipes, the humble white potato offers itself as the perfect dessert ingredient!
I often wondered, every time I whisked up mashed potatoes for a side dish alongside a main dish, if this creamy cloud of potatoes couldn’t be equally delicious in a dessert.
Sure enough, a southern American cook and author born in the late 1700’s, Mary Randolph sister to Thomas Jefferson’s mother, is accredited for the first white potato pie in America.
Mediterranean Sesame Tahini Custard Pie
Another pie I created for PBS on The Great American Recipe is Mediterranean Sesame Tahini Custard Pie, made with a sweet creamy sesame tahini custard and a cookie-like sesame seed pie crust.
Dare I say this recipe appeared to me in a dream, through a poof of sesame seeds that escaped from my Genie lamp?
Besides the creamy tahini custard filling, it is baked in a buttery, cookie-like pie crust, a bit of sesame flour, and lots of toasted sesame seeds.
A decadent treat Aladdin himself would approve of.
Chocolate Custard Pie
Nut Crusted Chocolate Custard Pie with a cookie-like crust and silky chocolate custard filling.
Before the custard goes into the pan, the almond crust is pressed into the pan, for an easy to assemble pie crust.
Secondly, simple ingredients will make up this luscious chocolate custard: Raw cacao, an equal amount of sugar (not a truckload), and eggs.
Finally, a little color on top of the chocolate pie, using crushed freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, makes it look more festive.
Cranberry Cheesecake With Chocolate Reindeer Antlers
Holiday Cranberry Cheesecake With Chocolate Antlers is as whimsical as a holiday pie gets with its ginger cookie crust, mascarpone rich custard, cranberry compote topping with handmade chocolate reindeer antlers sticking out from each individually baked cheesecake.
You know Santa is famous for his indulgence in Santa Cookies?
Well this year, Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, is getting his first and most delicious holiday dessert indulgence as well. Eat your heart out Santa!
And yes… cheesecake is a pie and not a cake!
The Tradition Of Seasonal Baking
Seasonal pie baking is more than a tradition, it’s a nostalgic way to savor nature’s cold-weather bounty.
Fall fruits like apples, pears, and cranberries reach their peak, while hearty winter ingredients like sweet potatoes, nuts, and warming spices come into play.
These recipes also pair beautifully with other seasonal dishes, making them perfect for your holiday menu planning.
Each recipe is designed to bring a little warmth and joy to your cold-weather gatherings, from Thanksgiving dessert tables to cozy fireside evenings.
Why Fall And Winter Are The Best Seasons For Pie
What would fall be without the comforting aroma of cinnamon-laced apple pie wafting through the house? Or the creamy goodness of a sweet potato pie gracing our holiday table?
And in the colder months, rich and decadent pies featuring dried fruits, warm spices, chocolate, nuts, and a splash of bourbon or rum to bring a festive flair to winter gatherings and cozy nights by the fire are as nostalgic as it gets.
But what makes fall and winter pies extra special, is the reason they give for us to grow ingredients in spring and summer, for many of the pies we long for during the shorter, colder days.
Ingredients kissed by the sun, harvested in early fall, canned, frozen or dried for the long months that lie ahead with little sunshine.
Pies remind us of sunshine, warmth, and give us reasons to gather and share our bounty with those we love.
Familiar Pie Baking vs New Unexpected Pies
Pie season isn’t just about the well-known favorites. There’s a world of seasonal pie inspiration between the classics and the unexpected.
With ingredients like olive oil, figs, tahini, and even almonds and oats to create depth of flavor and texture, pies can be created that you’ll crave all season long.
If we but borrow a few ingredients, techniques and traditions from other cultures, different from those we grew up with, the possibilities will create new pies to pass down to our families.
The Perfect Pie Is A Play Of Textures And Flavors
What makes pie the ultimate seasonal dessert, is the beautiful contrast in every bite that we don’t obtain from most other desserts.
The flaky or crisp crust gives way to creamy custards, tender fruits, or silky chocolate fillings.
And no matter your flavor preference, there’s a pie for you, hot or cold, rustic or elegant, traditional or completely out-of-the-box, as is my ‘white potato pie’ one I’ve tweaked from a vintage recipe from my state of Maryland!
Best Tips For Making Pies
- Use seasonal produce for the best flavor and freshness.
- Crusts often require the fats to be cold and the flour to be sifted.
- Incorporate warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Try flavored crusts like ginger or chocolate cookies, or nut-based versions.
- Don’t forget a drizzle of homemade caramel or bourbon whipped cream for added decadence.
Pin, Bake, Share Your Favorite Pie Recipes From This Collection
This pie collection is taken from my personal favorite fall pie recipes and winter pie ideas.
They are perfect for sharing, whether you’re baking with family, gifting pies to neighbors, or pinning your favorites for later.
Bookmark this post, and don’t forget to follow me on YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram for even more seasonal recipes, baking tips, and behind-the-scenes kitchen moments.
Homemade Pie Crust Tips
Is there just one way to make a pie crust, as in flour and butter rolled into a moldable pie crust?
We think not! In fact, some of our favorite pie crusts are not far from being a cookie dough, and we love that crisp idea!
So let’s chat a bit about pie crusts.
Traditional Pie Crusts
Most traditional pie crusts are made from all-purpose flour and butter or some other type of fat to bind it together.
The trick is to keep the dough cold while making the pastry, and get it into the baking dish quickly.
Of course the more we fiddled with butter, the temperature from our hands causes it to become soft.
Working with a cold pastry blender, a cold marble rolling pin and on a cold surface will help keep the dough stable while making it.
No-Roll Pie Crust
Having been a baker most of my life I’ve figured how to work with fiddly dough; however in want of teaching my kids or grandchildren the love for baking a pie, I veered from the traditional and created easier pie crusts that have now become my favorites.
Nuts and whole grains, such as oats, can easily be crushed in a food processor and turned into a flour.
Fat binding ingredients can be as far reached as olive oil, coconut or other nut oils, in making a fantastic pie crust, using an egg white to bind the crust together.
Or simply tried and true butter with ground nuts, grains, or cookies to create a unique pie crust.
Quick Pie Crust With Phyllo Dough
Sure, phyllo dough makes a great pie crust but if you’ve ever worked with phyllo dough, you know there are often lots of scraps of stuck or torn sheets of dough.
Don’t throw those scraps away. Instead, turn the trash into a great pie crust in minutes!
The Pie Crust Hack You Didn’t Know You Needed
Most pies are baked in a pie pan, often ceramic, though back in the day nearly every cook had a collection of tin pie pans, which are fine too.
However, suppose you wanted to serve mini, individual pies for dessert at an event gathering, or you simply don’t like the way a leftover pie looks once a few slices have been removed; filling oozing out and mess for the next time you serve it.
I’ve got just the ‘pie hack’ you need and all that is needed for this fun technique is a bunch of the lids from your wide-mouth Mason Jars!
Pie Baking Is A Delicious Global Delight
Baking of pies is definitely not exclusive to America, though the U.S. has popularized certain styles of sweet pies, think of our love of apple pie, pecan pie, and the must-have pumpkin pie, that has become iconic, especially around holidays like Thanksgiving.
The history of dessert pies spans centuries and continents. The concept of encasing fillings in a pastry crust is ancient and evolved across different cultures.
From ancient times until this very day, pies have been made with some type of pastry filled or encased with both sweet and savory fillings.
Pie is universal in spirit, even if the styles differ. The idea of wrapping a sweet filling in pastry, whether rustic or refined, is one of the world’s most beloved culinary traditions.
History And Pies
I am delighted to share with you pages from a nearly 200 year old memoir I found in a shoebox, transcribed and published for Adelaide Hall, sister to Asaph Hall the astronomer who discovered the two moons around Mars.
No where on the internet will you find stories about the famous astronomer’s early life, yet through his sister’s writings she tells all.
Here is just a sample page from 19th Century Memoirs of Adelaide Hall’s story about farm life in Goshen Connecticut, apple picking festivities and the importance of pie making and preserving harvested crops.
Let This Pie Season Be Your Most Delicious Yet
Whether you’re prepping for Thanksgiving, baking for Christmas, or simply looking for a weekend treat that warms the soul, this collection of seasonal pie recipes offers something for every mood and moment.
These easy pie recipes range from traditional holiday pies to unique desserts that will wow your guests, and maybe even start a new tradition of your own; as I set out to do when making my Mediterranean Tahini Custard Pie for PBS on The Great American Recipe!
Stay tuned as I roll out each of these recipes with easy baking instructions, baking tips, and ideas for pairing your pies with homemade toppings like a boozy whipped cream, freeze dried strawberry dust, and easy chocolate shapes, such as reindeer antlers.
Summer Gardening Contributes Much To Our Fall And Winter Pies
If you have a small garden at home, or love to take family outings to your nearby farmers markets and roadside stands, you already know the intense work that has gone into growing pie ingredients.
Planting of pumpkins, potatoes, berries and fruit trees happens in the dead of winter, often in small pots in a greenhouse somewhere, and isn’t ready for gathering until weeks before fall arrives.
Nut trees burst with leaves and eventually their fruits appear later in the summer, often gathered in the fall.
If you are one who loves the process of growing what we can cook with, or perhaps simply want to teach your kids and grandkids about the work that goes into the pies they love to eat, then my book Dirt To Dish is a perfect gift for you or your family for the holiday gift giving season of fall and winter!
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.