How do you like your pumpkin pie, home-baked or store-bought? Pumpkin pie is delicious anyway, whether baked in your kitchen or bought from the store. It is always a showstopper whenever you place the pie at your table’s center for dessert.
Most times, by the time dinner is over, there is usually nothing left. But there’s always that time when you will have some pumpkin pie leftover. In such situations, what do you do? Can you refrigerate it?
How long does pumpkin pie last in the fridge? According to the USDA, your pumpkin pie will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Store-bought pumpkin pie might not follow this rule due to the addition of preservatives, but home-baked pumpkin pie or freshly baked pumpkin pie from the store will follow that rule.
The USDA recommends that all egg-based pies be refrigerated after leaving them to cool after baking. Pumpkin pie falls in the category of egg-based pies, so it doesn’t matter if you bought your pumpkin pie at the grocery store or baked it yourself.
If you need to keep it fresh and safe to eat for some days, place it in your fridge. Don’t keep it on your kitchen counter.
How Long Does Pumpkin Pie Last at Room Temperature?
Your pumpkin pie can’t sit for long at room temperature. It is not advisable. The USDA recommends that your pumpkin pie can only sit on the kitchen counter for up to 2 hours. Any longer, and you risk bacterial growth that can adversely affect your well-being.
Bacteria proliferate at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F; you want to keep your pumpkin pie at temperatures lower than that to prevent bacterial growth.
Your pumpkin will not go bad immediately after it has sat for longer than 2 hours on your kitchen counter. It might even look and taste okay, but the bacteria in it could cause food poisoning leading to an upset stomach or worse.
How to Tell if Pumpkin Pie Had Gone Bad
Pumpkin pie is made of dairy products and eggs. It is quite easy to tell when these things have gone bad.
Generally, pumpkin pie is great, and some people try to keep it for five, six days, or even an entire week. But the ideal period for your pumpkin pie to remain fresh and at its best quality is within 2 to 4 days. It doesn’t last forever and will eventually go bad like every other food.
Telling if your pumpkin pie has gone bad is relatively easy. One of the safest ways to keep track of your pumpkin pie. If you lose track of things quite frequently, it is best to label the container in which you have stored the pumpkin pie with the storage date. This is a safe food practice that helps you identify if your pumpkin pie is past its expiration date.
If you can’t remember how long you have kept it, and you suspect your pumpkin pie is going bad, there are several ways you can know for sure.
Appearance
The first sign your pumpkin is going bad is probably from the filling. You will see this sign on the filling, and it usually appears as mold. You need to take a very good look at your pie. If it looks odd, don’t eat it.
Don’t even try tasting to know for sure. It is best to just throw it out.
Smell
When your pumpkin pie goes bad, your nose will know. If your pie doesn’t show any visual signs of going bad but has a strange, unpleasant odor, you should chuck it into the waste bin. A pungent, unpleasant aroma signals that your pumpkin pie is past its expiration date.
For pumpkin pie, skip the taste test. If it doesn’t smell good or look good, it is probably bad, and you should discard it immediately.
Bacteria and other pathogens that can make us seriously sick are invisible to the naked eye. But they are present in spoiled food, so steer clear.
How to Store Your Pumpkin Pie to Last Longer in the Fridge
If you bought your pumpkin pie from the store, you could simply place it in your fridge as soon as you get home and try finishing it before the 4-day expiration mark once you’ve opened it. If you have freshly baked your pumpkin pie yourself, you need to cool it down before placing it in the fridge.
That’s not all it takes to keep your pumpkin pie safe in the fridge. There are ways and methods you can make sure your pie lasts for as long as possible without drying out or going bad before its allotted shelf life expires in the fridge.
Storing Pumpkin Pie in the Fridge
To store your pumpkin pie in the fridge, you can keep it in the baking pan or transfer it into a food container with a lid that can keep the air out.
When storing your pie, the aim is to make sure that the pie is not exposed to air. This is the only way for your pumpkin pie to stay fresh and moist when you want to eat it again.
You can also wrap your pumpkin pie loosely with plastic wrap to keep the air out. If your pie is store-bought, you can keep it in the packaging it came in from the store if you are sure of the integrity.
Another tip is to store your pie in slices, so you don’t have to bring the entire thing out each time you crave a bite.
What is the Best Temperature to Store Pumpkin Pie?
Temperature plays a vital role in how long your pumpkin pie lasts in the fridge. When you are done baking it, you should let it sit on the cooling rack till it cools down to room temperature.
If you try storing your pumpkin pie while it is still slightly warm, condensation will form, gathering moisture that will make your crust soggy. No one likes a pumpkin pie with a soggy crust.
Final Thoughts
Freezing might be a good idea if you think you wouldn’t be eating your pumpkin pie for a few days. Freezing will keep your pie fresh for a whole month. You can choose to freeze a slice, half, or the entire thing.
Don’t waste that leftover pie. The fridge will keep pumpkin pie great for 3 to 4 days. If you need more time, just freeze it.