This Pumpkin Pie Hack Will Save You So Much Time This Thanksgiving

Planning and preparation: the two key factors to get your Thanksgiving meal on the table. You can start shopping ahead of time, chop your veggies and store them in the fridge, or get your bird defrosting.

But one simple way to knock out an entire course before the big feast is making and freezing dessert. Sure, you can bake a bunch of cookies and throw them in the freezer, but did you know you can freeze pumpkin pie?

Yup! You can freeze a pumpkin pie before or after baking it. If you’ve just finished making it or just dumped the filling into the pie crust, let it cool to room temperature before throwing it into the freezer. This helps to cut down on crystals that could form and make your pumpkin pie less tasty. We recommend using an aluminum pie pan so it freezes faster. A faster freeze means less crystals and therefore a delicious pumpkin pie.

If you’re baking a pumpkin pie straight from the freezer—which is totally possible—you will have to add on some cook time. And if you ever find yourself with extra pumpkin pie filling, you can freeze that too!

You can keep pumpkin pie in the freezer for about a month. Once it’s frozen and the day of serving has come, remove your pumpkin pie from the freezer 12 hours beforehand. Stick it in the refrigerator (not on the counter to defrost at room temp! Hello, soggy crust!), and serve it cold. Or heat it up at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with fresh whipped cream and enjoy the fruits of your labor.