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.
This is the absolute best pie out there! Even friends that have told us they “don’t like cream cheese in pies” and someone who “doesn’t like cinnamon” agree this pie is awesome. Thank you so much!!!
We normally have enough filling to make two pies, albeit a little smaller. I use a scale to decide the filling evenly in the crusts. I’ve tried both home-made and store bought crusts and can’t tell enough of a difference to really spend the extra time on the crust. A good whipped cream can make it even better, though. Take the time to whip it yourself for a little extra decadence.
This is, by far, the most requested dessert in our house, and I’m normally happy to oblige since it’s so simple yet so rewarding.
I cannot say enough good things about this pie! My whole family agrees that we like it much better than traditional pumpkin pie. It has a much smoother consistency with a nice added tang from the cream cheese.
The only “con” was that I had about 2 cups worth of extra filling. Luckily I had made a double batch of crust and so just made a second pie. Not sure if I whipped the cream cheese more than Sommer or what added to the increased amount of filling.
Overall though I will 100% be making this pie again (and maybe an extra one just for myself)
When I read 3.5 tablespoons of cinnamon I was thinking wow, that’s a lot. It was amazing. I used fresh ground nutmeg. My mother said it was like a soufflé and a cheesecake had a baby.
I added a little maple butter to the mixture for a bit of pop in flavor. I also, blind baked the crust as suggested by others and I’m glad I did. It came out perfect. Thank you it was a pleasant surprise.
This is sort of like cheesecake in a pie crust. You know how they say that if you want to quickly sell your house, bake an apple pie or burn a cinnamon candle? Bake this pie instead. Thank you to my NYTimes cooking friend James Leaf for unearthing this recipe, and thank you for developing it. BTW, there’s no need to blind-bake the crust: If you bake any filled pie on the bottom rack of the oven, it will come out golden brown and delicious every time.
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Like so many others in the comments, I too heard of this pie from psych. It was delicious. However I really do recommend blind baking the crust in advance. Will absolutely be making this recipe again.
I’m totally here because I got the the Cinnamon Festival! Psych is really filling a much needed lighthearted fun gap in my life. My kids want me to make it due to some game called Undertale, so I’ll be reporting back after this weekend!
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This recipe is AMAZING! I will make it again and again. The only thing that went wrong is that, at least in my experience, the crust absolutely needed to be blind baked a bit before adding the filling (although the recipe and comments both said that was unnecessary.) The crust bottom was still pretty raw after 40 minutes, and I even tried baking it on a dark cookie sheet to help it cook faster. I tried baking the pie even longer to finish off the crust, but the pie ended up cracking badly because it was overcooked…and the bottom was still pretty raw. Next time, I’ll probably blind bake the crust for at least 15–20 minutes before adding the filling!
Does anyone have a favorite type of cinnamon they use? Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, all of the above?
Do you need to blind bake the crust or put it in raw? My husband and I have heard about this from Psych too….can’t wait to try it!!
Hi Deirdre,
You can fill it raw and bake the crust and filling together.
it was easy and excellent! My son and I heard about it on a Psych episode and we thought it was a fake desert just for the show! so then I looked it up and from this recipe and now we’re going to make this instead of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.
Heard about cinnamon pie on the show Psych. Had to see if it was a real thing. I found this recipe and my husband and I loved it. It will be a regular in my home.
Is this more of a cheesecake, or more of a pie?
Hi Helen,
It’s kind of both. The texture is dense, but not exactly like a cheesecake. If you want something lighter, we have a Cinnamon Cream Pie Recipe as well. https://www.aspicyperspective.com/cinnamon-cream-pie-with-brown-sugar-whipped-cream/
I’ve volunteered for the daunting task of creating an allergy friendly pie for “Pi Day” at my daughter’s school. I’m purchasing a gluten free gingersnap crust, but would like to attempt to make this pie egg, nut, and lactose free as well. It’s already nut free…so, cool! I’ve found a lactose free cream cheese, but my question is about the eggs and cream. In all other baking I’ve subbed 1 tbsp. Flax seed meal + 1 tbsp. water for 1 egg. Do you think lactose free whole milk could work in place of cream? Any thoughts?
Hi Megan,
Wow, you are brave! :) I think so, as long as the kiddos are safe with lactose-free dairy. However, if you can find lactose free half & half or cream that would be better for the texture.
I made this last night and everyone loved it, my husband even had seconds. This will definitely be a new family staple :)
I had never heard of cinnamon pie. My family is a big fan of cinnamon, so I baked one following your recipe exactly. Amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Awesome recipe! Unique and delicious. Thank you so much. Love your website, I do not subscribe to hardly any blogs but am subscribing to yours!
Great pie. I’m scared of most calorie intakes but i’m all ways interested. When I went to check,
serving: 1slice, calories: 371kcal. Does that mean, in one slice, there is 371,000 calories. But, a great pie.
Hi Jacob,
LOL! kcal (kilocalorie) is the sciencey abbreviation for 1 calorie. So, fortunately, there are only 371 calories per slice. Whew!