No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a homemade pumpkin pie. The spicy dessert adds a cozy touch to the fall chill and helps bring everyone together.
Although, once it’s on the table, you may find it a bit challenging to slice. So, if you’re wondering how to cut a pumpkin pie, you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s take a look at the best way to segment your dessert.
Prepare Your Pie and Tools
Before you consider cutting your treat, you have to prepare the dessert and your tools.
For starters, it’s not a good idea to cut a pie while it’s warm. The filling will still be a little runny and create a mess.
On top of that, the crust will be a bit brittle and may fall apart.
That’s why it’s crucial that you wait until the pastry is completely cool and the center is set. It’s best to pop the dessert in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Although, a few hours at room temperature should do the trick.
Next, you can start gathering your tools. For this task, you’ll need a long serrated knife and a short paring knife.
It’s also good practice to have a cup of warm water nearby. You can use that to clean your knives after cutting each slice.
That way you ensure you get perfectly even segments every time.
Once that’s done, you’re ready to carve the pie. Yet, the way you do that will depend on how you topped your dessert.
Cutting a Pumpkin Pie
At first, the task of cutting a pumpkin pie sounds easy enough. However, there are a few tips and tricks to getting the perfect slice.
So, without further ado, let’s jump into what you should do.
No Topping
If you like your pumpkin pie with no toppings, then you’re in luck. This is the easiest variety to slice and dice.
To begin the process, place your sweet treat on a flat, cool surface. Your kitchen countertop should work great here.
After that, mark the center of the pie. This will help you line up your cuts later on.
Then, with a single motion, score the top of the dessert straight down the middle. During this step, you only want to cut through the top edges of the crust.
The best tool for this job is the long serrated knife. It should be sharp enough to make an indentation on the pie without cutting all the way through.
Once that’s done, turn the pie 90° clockwise. Next, score the pie again, making sure the second line is perfectly perpendicular to the first.
Now, you should have four equal segments. Use your knife to draw a line in the center of each section, leaving you with eight slices.
That’s when you can pull out your paring knife. Grab the tool, and using the sharp tip, go over all the marks you just made.
This time around, the knife should make it all the way to the bottom of the crust. After every swipe through the pie, rinse the knife in warm water.
Nuts and Cream Topping
If you like toppings on your pumpkin pie, then the process is a little more complicated.
Since the nuts are tough to cut through with a knife, you’ll have to flip your dessert over. Before you do that, pop it in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
This can help you avoid the toppings sliding around. On top of that, it’s a good idea to cover the top of the pie with a couple of layers of cling film.
Then, it’s time to turn the treat upside down.
Once that’s done, use your serrated knife to score the bottom of the crust. You want to create a line that goes through the center of the pie.
Then, using a sawing motion, gently cut through the dessert. Next, turn it 90° clockwise and repeat the process.
With the pie in quarters, you can cut each of the slices into two pieces to give you a total of eight.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways you can go about slicing desserts. However, if you’re wondering how to cut a pumpkin pie, there are a couple of factors to keep in mind.
First off, it’s always a good idea to chill the pie. Before you cut into it, place the dessert in the fridge for a couple of hours to ensure it’s fully set.
After that, use a serrated knife to score where you want your slices to be. Then, you can grab a paring knife and cut through the pie.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.