Should You Serve Pumpkin Pie Hot or Cold? [Reheating Tips Included]

Pumpkin pie hits all the right tastebuds marks—not too rich, not too sweet. Its smell and taste are incomparable, and that could be why it’s included in virtually all Thanksgiving dinner desserts. But as the serving time comes, you may wonder if you should reheat your pumpkin pie or eat it cold.

A pumpkin pie can be eaten cold or warm, so whether to reheat depends on your taste and preference. If you want a savory and spicy taste, serve it while it’s still warm; but if you’d like the sweet and firmer taste, serve it when it’s just below the room temperature.

Even so, you should avoid extremities when serving your pumpkin pie. While a hot pie can be messy, a very cold pie can irritate those with sensitive teeth.

Pumpkin pie is an undeniably delicious festive treat. But, can you let the pie rest on the countertop, do you need to refrigerate it, and how can you reheat it? Read on, and learn; I’m serving up knowledge.  

Serving pumpkin pie, cold vs. warm

You can eat pumpkin pie warm or cold. When warm, its delightful, creamier filling will satisfy your pie craving. However, a warm pie might make the toppings drippy. Note that when you want to serve a freshly baked pumpkin pie warm, you should first chill it completely and then reheat it.

Cold pumpkin pie is also tasty, especially when served with whipped cream on top. It has a firmer filling, with incredible texture. But a cold pumpkin pie can be unpleasant to someone with sensitive teeth.

How to reheat pumpkin pie?

There’s no comfort compared to the kind that comes from digging into a warm slice of pie. Reheating your pumpkin pie is a cinch and will take the chill off your pumpkin pie. However, before you reheat it, you should allow the pie to sit at room temperature.

You can warm a pumpkin pie by reheating it in the microwave for at least 10-30 seconds on a microwave-safe plate. This reheating method allows you to heat only the slice of pie you want to eat and leave the rest to heat for the next meal.

Reheating the pie in an oven is convenient when you want to heat the entire pie. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 10-15 minutes. You should protect the outer crust edge from burning by wrapping it with strips of aluminum foil.

Note that pumpkin pies are better reheated at room temperature. So, allow the refrigerated pie to stand on the counter for 30-40 minutes before heating it. Also, you should unwrap the aluminum or plastic layering before reheating the pie.

However, keep in mind that it’s not mandatory to reheat your pumpkin pie. You can like to indulge in a cold pumpkin pie. But, it would be best if you allowed it to thaw to at least room temperature.

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More pie reheating tips

You can make the reheated pumpkin pie taste extra delicious by adding more spices. For example, you can lightly sprinkle some nutmeg on top or try a light dusting of cocoa powder for an even better taste. Besides, if you’re worried about ending up with a dry pie, adding an appropriate sauce from ginger, lemon, cinnamon, or honey through a slit in the crust will help the pie ooze with moisture.

You could also add a fun topping to your heated pie like chopped candied pecans, a scoop of maple walnut ice cream, warm cinnamon applesauce, or a drizzle of hot fudge sauce.

To check if the pumpkin pie is warmed all the way through, you should slide a knife in the middle of the pie, and when it comes out warm to the touch, the pie is reheated. Allow the pie to sit for some minutes before serving.

If you’re worried about soggy pie, rewarm it on the oven bottom rack. This ensures the heat is trapped between the pie bottom and the oven bottom and hence helps keep the crust crisp.

Moreover, avoid reheating and refreezing the pumpkin pie more than once. That’s because each time you rewarm and freeze a pie, its texture and quality degrade. Besides, repeated temperature fluctuations promote bacterial growth. It’s also important to know how long to thaw a frozen pie so it’s tastes great after reheating.

Can you eat pumpkin pie right out of the oven?

If you’d slice into the pie when it’s still hot, the filling will not have set properly, the pie will be runny, and you’ll probably get a mess. Also, the center may fall apart or melt, and you’ll end up with an unsightly treat. Besides, the custard won’t be fully cooked, and you’ll risk deflating or cracking the custard more than necessary.

Moreover, pumpkin pie filling will thicken as it cools. Hence, even though it might be tempting to dig in immediately after the oven timer dings, you should let it cool before serving it. Cooling allows the pumpkin pie to finish the cooking process and makes the pie infinitely easier to slice and considerably less messy.

Ideally, you should cool the freshly baked pumpkin pie for between thirty minutes and two hours. 

Should you heat store-bought pumpkin pie?

Whether to heat a store-bought pumpkin pie also depends on your taste and preference. It may also depend on where you picked it from- on the shelf, the refrigerator, or the frozen section. You might want to warm up refrigerated or frozen pumpkin pie a bit if you want to indulge in it immediately, otherwise, continue keeping it chilled. 

However, I don’t suggest heating it up more than once because you never know how many times was the pie reheated in the store’s bakery.

Can you cool pumpkin pie in the fridge?

It’s okay to put the pie in the fridge while it’s still warm to cool. However, you should wait for at least 30 minutes after taking it out of the oven before placing it in the refrigerator to complete the cooling process.

Allowing the pumpkin pie to cool ensures the delicacy is kept without changing the taste and texture. After that, you can refrigerate the pie for up to two days. Even after four days, the pie might be good to eat, but the flavor and texture will have changed.

Note that you shouldn’t cool the pumpkin pie right from the oven in the fridge. That’s because it could form ice crystals on the pie surface, which causes the delightful pie to become soggy and messy when you thaw them. So, ideally, allow the pie to cool before wrapping it completely in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

Can you leave pumpkin pie out all night?

FDA doesn’t recommend a homemade pumpkin pie to stay out at room temperature any longer for over two hours after it has cooled. [1] That’s because it contains eggs and milk, which allows bacteria to multiply when left at room temperature for long.

Conversely, a ready-made, store-bought pie contains preservatives that make them shelf-stable and that allows you to leave it at room temperature for days. Hence, it can hang out on the countertop until the sell-by date (provided you didn’t pick the pie from the fridge or frozen section). Moreover, the store-bought pumpkin pies can be good even after a few days after the best-by date on the label.

However, it’s recommended to put the pumpkin pie in the fridge after reaching home. This will keep it safe no matter what, and you might even add some months to the best-by date.