Cinnamon Pie
A Perfect Cinnamon Pie Recipe for the holidays with a creamy spiced filling and golden crust! Cream cheese gives this pie amazingly silky texture, while cinnamon and nutmeg create bold and warm flavors.
Holiday pies are something I look forward to each and every year. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, chocolate pie… I seriously cannot get enough of them!
However, this year I wanted to try a new (at least new to me) pie variety. Not that there’s anything wrong at all with the classics; but sometimes you just want to mix it up, right? Right.
I was recently listening to an old Paul Simon album and stopped in my tracks when I heard the line She was baking a Cinnamon Pie in the song “Hurricane Eye.”
Cinnamon Pie? Never heard of it.
Don’t get me wrong… I have eaten more than my fair share of cinnamon rolls, cinnamon cookies, cinnamon cake, cinnamon cornbread, and cinnamon bread over the years. Yet had never ever tried Cinnamon Pie.
Paul Simon, challenge accepted!
FINDING THE RIGHT CINNAMON PIE RECIPE
After hunting down multiple recipes I noticed quite a large discrepancy in what is considered a “Cinnamon Pie.” Some were gooey and gelatinous. Some were like a cinnamon cake baked inside a pie crust. Some were double crusted. Some were chunky. There just didn’t seem to be a set standard.
The recipes that stood out to me as the most appealing were the smooth creamy pie recipes.
So I made notes on the the best elements of each recipe, and set off to create my variation of Cinnamon Pie. What I came up with is going to absolutely blow you away, and quickly become your new favorite go-to holiday dessert!
PRESENTING: MY CINNAMON PIE RECIPE!
So here it is: Today’s recipe is my version of Cinnamon Pie.
The filling of this pie is light and silky, with a strong cinnamon essence and a touch of nutmeg to offset the flavor. Both creamy and spicy, I love that this dessert isn’t too rich, while still satisfying your holiday spice sweet tooth.
It’s divine. Truly.
You can make this easy cinnamon pie a day or so before your festivities, and just take it out of the fridge one hour before you’re ready to enjoy!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- Homemade or store bought pie crust
- Cream cheese
- Brown sugar
- Eggs – you’ll need 2 whole large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- Heavy cream
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Ground nutmeg
- Powdered sugar – for dusting
- Whipped cream – for serving
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CINNAMON PIE
Not only is this fabulous pie super flavorful, it’s also incredibly easy to make. Once you’ve got your pie dough or pre-made crust ready to go, you just need one large bowl for mixing all of your ingredients in to create the creamy cinnamon filling.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Firstly, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If using homemade pie dough, roll and fit your pie crust into a standard 9 inch pie dish. Crimp the edges, and place the pie crust in the refrigerator.
2. Place the cream cheese and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, then beat in the two eggs plus one egg yolk. Scrape the sides of the bowl again, then set the mixer on low and mix in cream, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg. Continue to mix on low until very smooth: You want to make sure the spices are thoroughly and evenly blended in the batter.
3. Pour the creamy cinnamon filling into the prepared pie pan.
4. Bake the pie for 35 minutes, until the center seems set when jiggled, but not totally firm. Bake another 5 minutes if needed.
5. Once done, allow the pie to cool completely on a cooling rack. Cover with foil and chill in the fridge.
That’s really all there is to it!
See the Full Cinnamon Pie Recipe Below!
You should take the pie out of the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. And I have to recommend that you lightly dust the top of the pie with powdered sugar: it just makes it so festive!
Your family and friends will absolutely fall in love with this incredibly unique dessert! It’s classified as a holiday recipe, but I guarantee they will be asking you to make this Cinnamon Pie all year long. Try it at your next gathering, and let me know what you think!
MORE FESTIVE HOLIDAY DESSERT IDEAS
- The Best Sweet Potato Pie
- Easy Pumpkin Slab Pie
- Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
- Pomegranate Cream Tart
- Spice Walnut Pear Cake
- Pecan Praline Pound Cake
- Cinnamon Dolce Cake Latte Cake with Marscapone Frosting
Cinnamon Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pie crust, homemade or store-bought
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll and fit a pie crust into a standard 9 inch pie dish. Crimp the edges and place the pie crust in the refrigerator.
- Place the cream cheese and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, then beat in the eggs. Scrape the bowl again, then set the mixer on low and mix in cream, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg until very smooth.
- Pour the cinnamon filling into the prepared pie pan. Bake for 35 minutes, until the center seems set when jiggled, but not totally firm. Bake another 5 minutes if needed. Cool completely. Cover and chill.
- Take out of the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Dust the top of the pie with powdered sugar. Cut and serve with whipped cream if desired.
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I have wondered about that very same Paul Simon line! Honestly, I thought it was just made up because the words worked in the song. Now that I know cinnamon pie is a real thing, I’m going to have to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Lack of refrigeration was definitely the problem. LOL! Tasted so much better this am. Texture is like a pumpkin pie. Quite yummy, even without the nutmeg.
The Taste was good. The texture was a little different. It was kind of gritty from the cinnamon & I’m not sure if the pie was possibly under cooked. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing…
My frozen pie crust was apparently a little small, so I had leftover filling. I put that into 4 little dishes & baked separately. 3 of the 4 didnt want to set up, 1 did. They all came out with a different LOOKING texture from the pie.
I did not refrigerate the little ones before trying them. Maybe that’s the problem. Saved the pie for Christmas Eve. Hope this is better.
Can this be made a day ahead or frozen?
Hi Becca,
Yes to both! If you freeze it, just make sure to thaw slowly in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours. :)
I really want to make this but I was looking for a recipe to fill the graham crust I already have. Think that could work? I’ve never baked a graham crust…
Hi Cindi,
I think it would work, but haven’t tried it myself. Personally, I would not prebake the crust. Fill the crust and bake on the lowest oven rack. If it looks like the crust is starting to get too dark, place a piece of foil loosely over the top. Good luck!
I made this pie last night to bring to an office party at work today. It smelled wonderful while it was baking! It did crack a little in the middle after it cooled, but that could be due to my cooking time/oven. And let’s face it, it tastes the same, cracked or not! It was delicious. I got rave reviews from everyone!
I admit to using frozen pie crusts, usually deep dish ones. Would this pie fall under the category of cream pie or filled pie, like pumpkin or pecan? There are different baking instructions for the crust depending on the type of pie. Thanks in advance!! : )
I used Pillsbury refridgerated uncooked dough and just baked it according to the recipe. Â This is more of a filled pie.
Hi Suzanne,
I know it can be confusing when you have multiple sets of instructions. However, just follow the recipe in the post as-is and I promise it will turn out! :)
Could the filling  be made without Flour to make gluten Free?
Hi Deanna,
You could definitely substitute a gluten free baking mix for the flour in the filling. However, you would also need to address the pie crust. At this point, the only recipe for a gluten free pie crust I have is this one: http://www.aspicyperspective.com/fresh-strawberry-pie/
Could bake in ramekins without a crust, and call them “cinnamon custards”. Or “cinnamon chiffons”. Or “crustless cinnamon tarts”.
Should it be stored in the refridgerator?
Hi Nicole,
Yes, chill the pie until an hour or two before serving. :)
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I’ve never had a cinnamon pie…what I would do for this one right now!
What a great looking pie!!
So excited to try this, looks delicious!
Sounds good.
With this recipe, should I cook the pie crust first, or pour the filling into the uncooked crust? Â Im not much of a baker, and I don’t want to screw it up. Â Thanks!
Hi Serene,
Just pour the filling into the unbaked crust and bake it together! :)
What a perfect holiday dessert!
OMG, thank you for finding cinnamon pie and taking up this challenge….it does sound divine!
I read everyone’s comments and some bakers have had “some” mixture leftover. No one mentioned they had enough for another entire pie, which I did. What did I do wrong?
Hi Debbie,
It sound like your pie plate is very shallow, instead of deep dish.