Hubbard squash pie recipe
Hubbard squash pie is a delicious autumn dessert flavored with maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. The filling is made in a food processor, making it an easy treat for any night. This pie is perfect a welcome addition to any occasion, and a perfect way to use this gorgeous blue gray squash.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
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Hubbard squash pie
This might be one of my favorite Hubbard squash recipes of all time. This pie will replace pumpkin pie in our house from now on. It has a much deeper flavor, and it’s a great way to use this particular squash.
I know some will argue that making a pie from scratch is too much work. I hear you, I really do. But, my argument would be this: it is something most of us do once or twice a year – hardly a hardship. And, once you taste this pie, you’ll understand why it’s worth the extra effort.
What you need to know
Hubbard squash is an ideal candidate for a pie. The flesh is considerably drier than many other winter squash. Because the flesh isn’t watery, and it has a deep earthy flavor, your pie will set up beautifully and taste amazing.
I have old school Pyrex glass pie plates. They are great, but, glass doesn’t conduct heat as well as metal. If you use glass pie plates as well, preheat a metal baking sheet to place the pie on when you put it in the oven. I have found that this really helps to get a crisp bottom crust.
Lastly, the pie filling and the crust can both be made a few days in advance. Wrap the pastry tightly in plastic wrap/cling film, and store the pie filling in an airtight container, both in the refrigerator.
How to choose a Hubbard squash for pie
You’ll need a cup and a half of squash purée for the pie. A Hubbard squash that weighs between 2.5 to 3 pounds (1.1 – 1.4 kilos) will yield what you need for one 9″ pie. To make two pies, choose a squash that weighs between 6 to 7 pounds.
This is the scale that I own and use daily. It is easy to use, plus it measures in pounds, ounces and grams.
Measuring ingredients by weight, ESPECIALLY in baking, is much more accurate than cup measurement.
Ingredients
To make the filling for this blue Hubbard pie recipe, you’ll need some pantry basics, a handful of spices, and a small squash.
- Hubbard squash – This winter squash makes a perfect candidate for pie filling. The flesh is not as watery as some other squash, which gives the pie a beautifully set custard.
- Substitutions: Canned pumpkin can be used in place of roasted squash. If you can’t find a Hubbard squash, but want to use a fresh squash, look for kabocha, honeynut (it looks like a baby butternut) or butternut.
- Brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple syrup – Each of these brings sweetness, and a different flavor to the pie filling.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream gives the filling a richness and creaminess that can’t be beat.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and mace – This combination of spices gives the pie the tradition “pumpkin pie” taste.
- Vanilla – Vanilla has a sweet and earthy flavor that makes everything better.
- Eggs – Eggs provide stability and moisture to the pie filling.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make this Hubbard squash pie recipe. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
How to prepare Hubbard squash
- Preheat oven to 400°F // 200°C. Roast the squash until it is very soft.
- Scrape the flesh from the skin. Measure out the ingredients for the filling and add to food processor.
- Pour into chilled pie crust and bake. Wrap pie crust to prevent burning, about halfway through baking.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing.
Make the pie crust
If you don’t own a food scale, may I suggest you consider one? Weighing ingredients is much more accurate than using measuring cups, and it will give you more consistent results.
- Flour – All purpose flour is the base of the pie crust.
- Cold butter – It is important that the butter be very cold to cut it into the flour.
- Salt and sugar – These give the pie crust some flavor.
- Ice water – Use ice water to add moisture to the crust.
- Egg – Brush egg wash on bottom of crust to create a barrier and prevent a soggy crust.
- Whisk flour, salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then cut in the cold butter.
- Slowly add water and mix with a fork to work it in. Form dough into discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.
- Roll out the dough, and gently place into pie plate.
- Trim excess from the edges and crimp the edges with your fingers, or a fork. Brush the bottom with egg wash, if desired.
Chef’s Tip
If the puree looks too watery or too loose after pureeing, line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth, or thick paper towel, and place over a bowl. Allow the excess liquid to drain for about an hour.
Blue Hubbard squash pie FAQ’s
If you can’t find Hubbard squash, use kabocha, honeynut or butternut.
At 400°f, a medium sized Hubbard squash split in half should take about 45 minutes.
Yes. Because the pie contains eggs and dairy, it should be stored in the fridge, not on the counter.
Variations and substitutions
- Squash – If you can’t find a Hubbard squash, kabocha, honeynut and butternut are all great substitutions..
- Canned pumpkin – You can use canned pumpkin in place of fresh squash.
- Spices – I like a strongly spiced pie. If you prefer a more subtly spiced dessert, you can reduce the amount of spices by a quarter.
More Hubbard squash recipes
Do you have a bit of Hubbard squash left and you’re not sure what to make with it? Here are a handful of our favorite recipes:
Helpful tools and equipment
- Heavy duty sheet pans that hold up to high temps without warping.
- Food processor
- Metal pie plate
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Hubbard squash pie recipe
Ingredients
For the pie crusts
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour + extra for dusting 320g
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter VERY cold, cut into small cubes / 2 sticks // 226g
- 4 – 6 tbsp. ice water
- 1 egg whisked, for brushing on crust, optional
Hubbard squash pie filling
- 1 ½ cups Roasted Hubbard squash purée *See notes // 375g
- ¾ cup heavy cream 175mL
- 3 large eggs whisked
- ¼ cup brown sugar 53g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- ¼ cup maple syrup 78g
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. ground mace
Instructions
Make the Hubbard pie filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°f / 200°c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.Slice the Hubbard squash in half, and remove the seeds. (Save the seeds to make roasted squash seeds later.)
- Roast the squash for 45 – 60 minutes, uncovered, until a knife easily pierces the flesh with no resistance. Let the squash cool to room temperature, then scrape the flesh away from the skin. Discard the skin.
- Measure 1 ½ cups of squash, and place it in the bowl of a food processor, or a high powered blender.Purée the squash in the food processor just until it is completely smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients for Hubbard squash pie filling, and turn on processor to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated, then give it another few pulses. The filling is ready to use, or refrigerate for later.
Make the pie crust
- While the squash is roasting, make the pie crust. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add cold butter to the bowl, and using a pastry blender, or a fork, cut butter into flour until there are only a few pieces the size of a pea remaining.
- Add a tablespoon of water at a time to the flour mixture, using a fork to slowly incorporate the water into the flour. (You'll need between 4 – 6 Tbsp. of water total. Do not be tempted to add more.) Use the fork to smoosh the mixture against the side of the bowl, as you are working it in.
- When the dough has formed, but is still a little crumbly, dump the mixture out onto a floured surface, and form two even-sized balls of dough.
- Flatten into a disk, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 days. (You'll only need one ball of dough for the crust. The other is for back-up, in case you need it, or for cutting decorations out for the crust.)
- After the dough has rested in the fridge, let it warm up for 5 minutes on the counter before rolling it out.Lightly flour a work surface, then roll the dough out to roughly an 10½" (27cm) circle, starting from the center, and rolling out to the edge of the dough.
- Gently roll the dough onto the rolling pin to transfer to the pie plate. Lift the edges of the dough to fit it, do not pull on the dough. Tuck the edges underneath, and crimp with a fork, or your fingers to make a decorative edge.Place the crust in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before filling.
Fill and Bake the pie
- Preheat the oven to 400°f / 200°c. Place a metal baking sheet in the oven to heat if you are using glass pie pans. (*If you are using metal pie tins, no need to preheat the baking sheet.)Brush egg wash on bottom of crust, if desired, to help seal the crust.
- Pour filling into chilled crust, and place on preheated baking sheet. Bake at 400°f for 10 minutes.Reduce heat to 325°f / 160°c, and bake for an additional 50 – 60 minutes. You may want to cover the crust with foil to prevent burning, about halfway through baking.
- The pie is done when the center looks slightly "jiggly", but not wet. To test the pie, a knife inserted in the center should come out with only a little filling stuck to it.Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving. Store leftover pie, covered, in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Both the filling and the dough can be made a couple of days ahead. Store in refrigerator.
- In the unlikely event that your squash looks too watery after you’ve puréed it, line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth, and set it over a bowl. Scrape the purée into the strainer and let it drain for about an hour before making the filling.
- Spices – I like a strongly spiced pie. If you prefer a more subtly spice dessert, you can reduce the amount of spices by a quarter.
- I made this recipe both with heavy cream and with evaporated milk, to taste test the difference. For me, the pie made with cream yielded a much creamier and silkier filling. The pie filling made with evaporated milk wasn’t as smooth, and it wasn’t as creamy.
- If the crust is starting to brown too much: cut a 12″ piece of foil, then fold it in half, then in half again to make a square. Cut the center out so that it will give you a circle in the middle of the foil when opened up. Place over the top of the pie and secure foil under the edge of the pie plate.
- Store leftover pie, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Lastly, everyone’s oven is different! Unless you’ve had your oven calibrated, or you use an oven thermometer, know that your oven is likely off by a few degrees. When you are within 10 minutes or so of the timer going off, start checking the pie. Especially if you know your oven runs a little hot.
Nutrition
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How have I never heard of Hubbard squash?! Now I’m on the hunt so I can make this pie!
I hope you find one! They are so delicious!
I recently had the pleasure of savoring a Hubbard Squash Pie using this recipe and I must say, it was an extraordinary culinary experience! The moment I took my first bite, I was greeted by a perfectly flaky crust that crumbled delicately, setting the stage for the star of the show—the filling.
The filling itself was a revelation, boasting a deep, rich flavor that was both comforting and complex. The use of heavy cream lent an exquisite smoothness to the texture, creating a delightful contrast to the buttery crust. Each mouthful was a harmonious blend of sweetness and warmth, reminiscent of autumn evenings spent with loved ones.
Overall, this Hubbard Squash Pie is not just a dessert; it’s an experience that captivates the senses and warms the heart. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to indulge in a slice of seasonal bliss! This is a recipe that will be added to my family cookbook😊
Wow. Thank you!