Name: Pumpkin Pie with Sugar Substitute
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup pumpkin, canned or fresh; -cooked; non nutritive sweetener; -equivalent to ¾ c; -sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground ginger, or to taste; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, or to taste; 1/4 tsp ground cloves, or to taste; 2 large eggs, slightly beaten; 1 1/4 cup nonfat milk; 2 cup nonfat evaporated milk; pastry for one 9-inch pie; -crust, unbaked; pie crust; 1 1/3 cup flour, sifted; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 cup diet margarine, melted; 2 tbsp cold water

Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,917 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,686 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,380 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pumpkin: Provides the bulk, moisture, and flavour base of the custard filling.
Eggs: Set the filling into a sliceable custard as they cook.
Evaporated milk: Adds richness and body to the filling, helping it set smoothly.
Flour: Gives the crust dough structure so it rolls out and holds its shape.
Margarine: Adds fat that makes the crust tender and short.

The step that matters

Bake until a knife inserted between the center and outside comes out clean. The eggs set the custard as it heats. Pulling the pie once the center is just set keeps it smooth and prevents overbaking, which can cause cracking and weeping.

Swap the pumpkin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, egg, milk):

Vanillafits better
Raisinfits better
Figfits better
Pumpkinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, egg, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Cloves	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pumpkin	not in our table	0
Pastry	not in our table	0
Pie	not in our table	0
Pie Crust	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

Pumpkin Pie with Sugar Substitute