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Pumpkin Pie Tastes Better with Illinois Pumpkin

Chances are that canned pumpkin you got to make your pumpkin pie came from Illinois. Morton, Illinois, a village of about 17,000 people located about halfway between Peoria and Bloomington-Normal and about a 3-hour drive from Chicago, is the “Pumpkin Capital of the World,” so named because 85% of the world’s canned pumpkin is packed in Morton’s Nestle/Libby’s canning plant. 

According to Libby’s, the Morton area is perfect for growing pumpkins. Must be that rich Illinois soil. The Libby’s canning plant has been located in Morton for over 100 years. 

To celebrate its status as the World’s Pumpkin Capital, Morton holds a Pumpkin Festival every year. The 59th Annual Pumpkin Festival is scheduled for September 10-13, 2025. This year’s festival was held September 11-14 and featured such activities as a pumpkin pie eating contest, pumpkin decorating contest, pumpkin princess pageant, pumpkin recipe challenge, and pumpkin weigh off. In addition to the standard pumpkin pie, food available at the fest included pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin chili, pumpkin ice cream, and a variety of pumpkin baked goods including donuts, cupcakes, bars, and cookies.

But back to the pumpkin pie. You don’t have to feel guilty about eating it (maybe) because pumpkin in high in vitamin A and is a good source of fiber. It’s just not a Thanksgiving dinner without the pumpkin pie. This is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. I really like the coconut milk in it. As an added bonus, it’s vegan. But non-vegans will love it too.   

Pumpkin Pie
*Crust, pumpkin pie spice, and filling all based on recipes from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken.                
Fills a 9-in. pie pan

For the crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. + 1 tbsp. vegan butter, cubed
1/4 c. soy milk
Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Scatter cubes of butter into the mixture. Slice into flour with a pastry cutter until texture is crumbly. Drizzle in milk and combine. Mix until you can form it in a ball. Add a little more milk if needed.
Flour a working surface and rolling pin and roll out dough until you have a circle that is several inches bigger than the pie pan. Place dough into pan. Remove extra dough around edges. Pinch edges.

For the pumpkin pie spice: 
3 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
Mix spices together and set aside. 

For the filling:
1 3/4 c. (14 oz.) pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3/4 c. full-fat canned coconut milk (my favorite brand is Chaokoh)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into crust. Spread out evenly with a spatula. Bake for 60 minutes. If edges are cracked and middle is wobbly, that's ok. Cool. Cover with foil and chill in fridge for at least 4 hours. 


Sources:

Morton, Illinois

Morton Pumpkin Festival

Libby’s Pumpkin, Morton Chamber of Commerce.

Morton, Illinois, Wikipedia.

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