Persimmon Pie Recipe

If you’ve ever eaten pumpkin pie and thought “this could be better,” persimmon pie is the answer you didn’t know you were looking for. It’s richer, more complex, with a natural sweetness that pumpkin can’t touch. The filling sets up custardy and smooth, with warm spice notes that feel like fall distilled into a single bite.

And yet almost nobody makes persimmon pie. Walk into any bakery in October and you’ll find pumpkin pies stacked to the ceiling. Persimmon pie? Nowhere. This is a crime against dessert, and we’re here to fix it.

The beauty of persimmon pie is its simplicity. If you can make a pumpkin pie, you can make a persimmon pie — the technique is nearly identical. You blend soft, ripe persimmon pulp with eggs, cream, sugar, and spices, pour it into a crust, and bake. The persimmon does the heavy lifting with its deep, honey-caramel sweetness and silky texture.

Choosing Persimmons for Pie

The type of persimmon you use matters, but not as much as you’d think. Both astringent and non-astringent varieties work, with some differences in flavor and preparation.

Hachiya persimmons are the classic choice for baking. These acorn-shaped, astringent persimmons must be completely, utterly ripe before you use them — we’re talking jelly-soft, almost translucent, the kind of ripe where you’d think the fruit has gone bad. That’s when they’re perfect. The pulp at this stage is smooth, intensely sweet, and practically purees itself. One large Hachiya yields about half a cup of pulp.

American persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) make what many consider the superior pie. They’re smaller and harder to process — you need a food mill to separate pulp from seeds and skin — but the flavor is extraordinary. Deeper, more complex, with notes of dates, brown sugar, and a faint spiciness that works beautifully in pie. If you have access to American persimmons, use them.

Fuyu persimmons can work in a pinch, but they’re not ideal. Their flavor is milder and their texture is firmer, even when very ripe. If using Fuyu, let them ripen until very soft and add an extra tablespoon of sugar to compensate for the lower sweetness.

You’ll need about 1.5 cups of persimmon pulp for one pie. That translates to roughly 4-5 large Hachiya persimmons or 2-3 cups of American persimmons before processing.

The Recipe

Ingredients

For the crust (or use a store-bought pie crust — no judgment):

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 3-4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 cups persimmon pulp (from ripe Hachiya or American persimmons)
• 3/4 cup sugar (brown sugar or a 50/50 mix of brown and white)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk for a slightly denser result)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional, but recommended)

Making the Crust

If you’re making your own crust, this is the simplest method that actually works.

Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse sand with some pea-sized butter chunks remaining. Those chunks are important — they create flaky layers.

Drizzle in ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork after each addition. Stop adding water the moment the dough just barely holds together when you press a handful. It should look shaggy and slightly dry — that’s correct. Overworking or over-wetting the dough makes it tough.

Gather the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This rests the gluten and firms the butter back up.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, trim edges to a 1-inch overhang, and fold the overhang under itself. Crimp as desired. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Preparing the Persimmon Pulp

For Hachiya persimmons: Cut each ripe persimmon in half and scoop the pulp into a bowl with a spoon. Discard any seeds. Blend or process until smooth. If you want an ultra-smooth filling, push the pulp through a fine-mesh strainer — this removes any fibrous bits and skin fragments. Most of the time, a good blending is sufficient.

For American persimmons: Wash the ripe fruit and push through a food mill or colander to separate the pulp from seeds and skin. This is the only practical way to process them — the seeds are too large and numerous to remove by hand. A food mill with a medium disk works best.

If your pulp seems thin or watery, don’t worry. The eggs and cream will give the filling body, and it sets up beautifully in the oven.

Making the Filling and Baking

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, 425 — the pie starts hot to set the crust, then the temperature drops.

In a large bowl, whisk the persimmon pulp and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Pour in the cream, melted butter, and vanilla (and bourbon if using). Whisk until fully combined.

Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Whisk again. Taste the filling — this is your chance to adjust. Want more spice? Add it now. More sweetness? A tablespoon more sugar. The filling should taste slightly sweeter than you want the finished pie, as baking mellows the sweetness a bit.

Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust. It should come close to the top but not overflow.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-40 minutes. The pie is done when the filling is set around the edges but still has a slight jiggle — about 2 inches worth — in the center. It will continue to set as it cools. A knife inserted near the center should come out mostly clean, with perhaps a slight film of custard.

If the crust edges are browning too quickly, tent them with strips of aluminum foil or use a pie shield.

Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before slicing — at least 2 hours, ideally 3. Cutting too early means a runny, collapsed slice. The wait is worth it.

Tips for the Best Persimmon Pie

Use brown sugar, at least partially. Brown sugar’s molasses notes complement persimmon’s natural caramel quality in a way that white sugar simply can’t. A 50/50 mix is a good compromise if you find all brown sugar too intense.

Don’t skip the bourbon. Even if you don’t drink, a single tablespoon of bourbon adds a background warmth and complexity that rounds out the whole pie. The alcohol bakes off almost entirely. Brandy or dark rum also work.

Go easy on the spices. This is where persimmon pie differs philosophically from pumpkin pie. Pumpkin is relatively bland and needs heavy spicing. Persimmon has its own robust flavor — the spices should support it, not bury it. The amounts listed above are deliberately moderate. You can always add more; you can’t take them out.

Evaporated milk vs heavy cream. Heavy cream makes a richer, silkier filling. Evaporated milk makes a denser, more structured one (closer to pumpkin pie texture). Both are excellent — it’s purely a matter of preference.

Blind bake for extra insurance. If you’ve had problems with soggy bottom crusts in the past, partially blind bake the crust before adding the filling. Line with parchment, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, bake 5 more minutes, then add the filling and proceed as directed (still starting at 425).

Serving Suggestions

Persimmon pie is outstanding on its own, but a few additions push it into extraordinary territory.

Whipped cream is the obvious and correct choice. Lightly sweetened, with a splash of vanilla. Don’t use the canned stuff — take two minutes and whip real cream.

Crème fraîche or mascarpone for a slightly tangy contrast that cuts the sweetness perfectly.

Candied ginger chopped fine and sprinkled on top adds a sharp, bright note against the smooth custard.

Toasted pecans scattered over the whipped cream bring welcome crunch and nuttiness.

The pie keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, loosely covered with plastic wrap. Some people (reasonably) argue it’s better cold the next day, once the flavors have had time to meld and deepen.

How Persimmon Pie Compares to Pumpkin Pie

Let’s address this directly, because everyone asks.

Persimmon pie is sweeter than pumpkin pie — naturally sweeter, which means you can use less sugar. The texture is silkier, more like a French custard tart than the somewhat dense, firm set of pumpkin pie. The flavor is more complex: where pumpkin is earthy and mild (let’s be honest, pumpkin pie is really a spice delivery vehicle), persimmon brings genuine fruit flavor — honey, dates, caramel, a touch of cinnamon that comes from the fruit itself.

The downside? Persimmon pulp is harder to get than canned pumpkin. You can’t just pop a can. You need to source ripe persimmons and process them yourself, which adds a step. But if you’ve gone to the trouble of ripening persimmons and preparing the pulp, the payoff in flavor is enormous.

If you make persimmon pie this Thanksgiving alongside pumpkin pie, the persimmon pie will disappear first. That’s a guarantee.

Variations Worth Trying

Persimmon cream pie: Make the filling without baking — cook it on the stovetop like a pastry cream (add 2 tablespoons cornstarch), pour into a pre-baked crust, chill, and top with whipped cream. Lighter, more delicate, excellent in warm weather.

Persimmon pie with a gingersnap crust: Crush 2 cups of gingersnap cookies, mix with 5 tablespoons melted butter, press into the pie plate, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. The spicy, crunchy crust against the smooth filling is exceptional.

Streusel-topped persimmon pie: Skip the top crust (there isn’t one) and add a crumble topping of butter, flour, brown sugar, oats, and chopped pecans for the last 20 minutes of baking.

Mini persimmon pies: Use a muffin tin and pre-cut circles of pie dough. Fill and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Perfect for parties or gifting.

Once you’ve mastered persimmon pie, explore other ways to bake with persimmons — our persimmon bread is another fall classic that uses the same pulp preparation.