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    Home » Recipes

    Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie

    Published: Oct 5, 2018 · Modified: Oct 17, 2020 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 32 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This Savory Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie is the most unusual Pumpkin Pie you’ll ever try!! It’s perfect for the Fall season and for pumpkin lovers. I love Fall and anything with pumpkin in it. So naturally, I wanted to create a recipe with pumpkin that my children enjoy too. I decided to use a traditional dough from back home and create a new pie. It took me few attempts until I got it right. However, when it was done the house smelled of pumpkin and my kids couldn’t get enough of it. Mission accomplished:) . It’s safe to say that no utensils were used in the consumption of this pie!!!

    A plate full of slices of byrek, a phyllo pumpkin pie. In the background you can see a little bit of a pumpkin.
    Savory Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie

    Some links in my posts may be affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase items by clicking on these links. I will always disclose when a product in a post has been gifted by a company as well as when a post or product is sponsored.

    What is Phyllo Dough?

    Phyllo, fillo or filo is a special dough used to make traditional food in the Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern and Eastern European regions.

    In Albania, we prepare byrek and bakllava with phyllo dough. Bakllava is a pastry  often filled with walnuts and seeped in a sweet syrup. While byrek is a main dish where layers of phyllo dough are filled with meat, spinach or feta cheese. Homemade dough is made with flour, water and oil. Then each layer is rolled and stretched repeatedly in a repetitive motion with the rolling pin until stretched very thin to the desired dimensions.

    Usually you need about 15-20 layers for byrek and about 100 for bakllava. The process is really an impressive work of art! Here in US, I buy the layers of phyllo dough frozen, they’re usually sold in a packet with 2 sheets of phyllo dough.

    Savory Pumpkin Pie

    This Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie is pretty unusual because it is not a dessert like most pumpkin pies. I use the phyllo dough layers to create the pie and the pumpkin/ricotta filling goes in the  middle. Then I bake the whole thing around 375 for about 40 minutes.

    The combination of flavors between phyllo, pumpkin and ricotta cheese is just perfect. My kids couldn’t get enough of it last week, it did help that they could eat each piece by hand:).

    In my native country, this specific dish is called Byrek me Kungull. Traditionally, the pumpkin or squash used for this recipe would be peeled, de-seeded and grated. Then you squeeze the grated squash and then use it in filling. However, I prefer baking the pumpkin before hand and scooping out the flesh afterwards.

    A baking tray with a phyllo baked dish, with a pumpkin towel next to the tray. A slice has already been cut out of this tray.
    Phyllo Pumpkin, Baked and Cut in Slices

    Phyllo Pumpkin Recipe Tips & Notes

    Please note that phyllo dough sheets have to be thawed in room temperature. You cannot microwave them! The time you let them thaw depends on how frozen they are. Pretty much the layers have to come apart from each other and not stick or break when you try to pull them apart.

    Traditionally we’d use Albanian Gjize or Gjiza to mix with pumpkin for the filling of this phyllo pie. However, in the absence of gjiza, the closest thing to it is ricotta!!! Both ricotta and butter can have different salt quantities, so feel free to adjust the salt for this recipe to the other ingredients.

    Baking the phyllo layers is an art of its own. You have to make sure you include enough butter or oil in between the phyllo sheets so they don’t stick together. Back home, we just sprinkled butter with a spoon as I demonstrate in the video below in the recipe card. It’s much easier if you have a brush.

    A rectangular baking dish ready to bake with phyllo pie (byrek) brushed with butter.
    Baking Dish of Phyllo Pie Ready To Bake

    Usually I try to place the first couple of phyllo layers hanging a bit from the edges of the baking dish. At the end I roll them over so filling doesn’t spill out. See the video below for a demonstration.

    Lastly, the final tip is to place an aluminum foil cover over the pie halfway through baking time so the upper layers don’t get burned but the heat can still penetrate towards the middle of the pie. This helps ensure all layers are baked and middle of the pie (byrek) is not soggy!!

    Byrek - a plate of phyllo pumpkin pie slices

    Savory Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie

    Sonila
    A Mediterranean inspired Pumpkin Pie, made with buttery Phyllo layers. This savory Pumpkin Phyllo Pie is the perfect Fall pie. Enjoy:)
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Cooling off 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 336 kcal

    Equipment

    • Glass Baking dish 10×14

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 sheets phyllo dough thawed
    • 1 stick unsalted butter
    • 10 ozs ricotta
    • 1 pumpkin small, about 2 lbs, pie size
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup milk
    • 0.5 tbsp salt Adjust salt to taste depending on how salty ricotta is
    • 0.5 tsp Italian Seasoning

    Instructions
     

    • Clean pumpkin inside and out. Deseed with a spoon, knife or carving tool. Turn oven on to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
    • Cut pumpkin in half and place it in a baking dish. Bake for about 25 minutes or until you can easily pierce the pumpkin pieces through with a fork.
    • Let the pumpkin cool until it is cool it enough to handle so you can scoop it with a spoon into a bowl. Mash the pumpkin.
    • Whisk the eggs until creamy then add over pumpkin. Then add milk, ricotta, salt & Italian seasoning to the scooped pumpkin. Mix well for a homogenous filling.
    • Melt  the butter stick on the stovetop or microwave. If using the microwave, please melt in 15 seconds interval because butter gets very hot and can hurt you if it bubbles over. 
    • Make sure the phyllo dough layers are thawed and easily detached from one another. Usually I get them out of the freezer when I first wake up in the morning and let them thaw on the kitchen counter for few hours.
    • Sprinkle some of the melted butter throughout the baking dish with a spoon. I usually use a 14X10 (approximate dimensions) baking glass dish. Place some layers (2-3) of phyllo dough in a way that they lay over the edges. Sprinkle with butter or brush. Keep adding layers and alternating with brushing butter every 2 layers until first sheet of dough is finished
    • Add the filling on top and spread evenly. 
    • Start laying layers of 2nd sheet of phyllo dough on top of filling. Again repeat the process of sprinkling with butter every 2 or so layers. Once you are done with sheet 2, fold over the spilling edges of phyllo dough layers that we left on purpose hanging from the edges. This will seal the pie and make sure it doesn't bubble over. Plus, it makes for pretty servings when it is all baked. 
    • Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes (or until golden brown) on the bottom rack of the oven. Cover with aluminum foil half way through. Once baked, sprinkle some water over the pie and cover so it can continue cooking internally. Leave it covered for about half an hour.
    • Cut in square pieces and serve!! Enjoy:)

    Video

    Notes

    1. Taste ricotta how salty it is and adjust salt qty for filling accordingly.
    2. Make sure phyllo dough sheets are thawed.
    3. Give yourself time to scoop the roasted pumpkin after it is baked, you don’t want to burn your hands.
    4. Feel free to add spices to the filling to taste. Since phyllo dough and pumpkin together are a unique combination, I tried to keep it simple in this recipe. Additional spices you can try are thyme and nutmeg.

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Savory Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 336 Calories from Fat 216
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 24g37%
    Saturated Fat 15g94%
    Cholesterol 122mg41%
    Sodium 695mg30%
    Potassium 896mg26%
    Carbohydrates 22g7%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 20096IU402%
    Vitamin C 20mg24%
    Calcium 208mg21%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 11gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 695mgPotassium: 896mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 20096IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 208mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword Mediterranean Food, Mediterranean Pumpkin Pie, Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie, Phyllo Pumpkin, Pumpkin Pie, Savory Pumpkin Pie
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin it in Pinterest. Thank you:). Feel free to ask questions in comments below or contact me in social media. Thank you:)

    Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.

    An image composed of 2 pictures for Pinterest. Pictures are separated by a title bar. First picture shows sliced pumpkin phyllo pie and second picture the pie baked in baking tray.
    Mediterranean Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie

    Other Pumpkin Recipes:

    For additional and unique Pumpkin recipes, please see below links:

    • Vegan Stuffed Pumpkin
    • Roasted Pumpkin & Feta Cheese Salad
    • Pumpkin Coconut Flan

    If you like Butternut Squash more than Pumpkin, I have some Butternut Squash recipes too:)

    • Leeks, Potatoes & Butternut Squash Soup
    • Shell Pasta in Butternut Squash Sauce

    Update: This recipe was initially published on Oct 5, 2018 and updated with new pictures and video on Oct 16, 2020.

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    • 60

    Filed Under: Albanian, Main Dishes, Mediterranean Food, Recipes Tagged With: Phyllo, Pumpkin

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nisha

      September 01, 2020 at 4:47 pm

      5 stars
      Looks so good and delicious!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        September 01, 2020 at 4:54 pm

        Thank you Nisha, hope to take pictures and maybe a video soon to improve this recipe for my readers:). I appreciate you checking out my post.

        Reply
    2. Trina Welch

      January 14, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      I’ve never thought to combine pumpkin, ricotta & phyllo… OH MY! I’m surprised there’s no honey or sugar. You have amazing re

      Reply
      • admin

        January 14, 2019 at 9:46 pm

        That’s so sweet of you Trina:)), thank you

        Reply
    3. Katherine Fraser

      October 11, 2018 at 1:12 pm

      This is on my ‘to try’ recipe list, thanks!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        October 11, 2018 at 2:02 pm

        Thank you so much Katherine!! If you do let me know how it comes out:). Feel free to add your favorite spices to it. I didn’t add too many at first since it’s a new recipe and didn’t want to overwhelm it between phyllo and pumpkin.

        Reply
    4. Ntensibe Edgar Michael

      October 11, 2018 at 5:54 am

      Ppppppiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee….. I love this one, too! Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    5. blair villanueva

      October 11, 2018 at 1:44 am

      5 stars
      This is perfect for a morning breakfast (or snacks) and I love pumpkins. Oh seems perfect with brewed coffee as well.

      Reply
      • admin

        October 11, 2018 at 7:51 am

        Thank you:)). Yeah my kids had it as early dinner because they kept snacking on it and wouldn’t stop so by dinner time they were full:)

        Reply
    6. Carolina

      October 10, 2018 at 8:51 pm

      5 stars
      A prepararlo! ❤️

      Reply
      • admin

        October 10, 2018 at 10:42 pm

        Gracias Caro 😘

        Reply
    7. Elizabeth Keene

      October 10, 2018 at 2:41 pm

      This looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it out. 🙂

      Reply
    8. Anshika Juneja

      October 10, 2018 at 3:02 am

      5 stars
      These look like a festive treat to me. I’m going to make this on Diwali!

      Reply
      • Cat

        January 02, 2025 at 9:54 am

        This was so amazing and very unique. My Albanian neighbor told me about Byrek. It is one of their traditional New Years dishes. Had no idea there were savory fillo dishes. Thank you for the video accompanying. It really helped for fillo newbies. We made the filling from Musqueè de Provence pumpkins from the garden and added extra for a thicker ricotta filling. Decided to add Italians herbs and just a few dashes of nutmeg and it was delicious.

        Reply
        • Sonila

          January 02, 2025 at 4:24 pm

          Thank you so much Cat!! I appreciate your comment especially since this is a lesser known recipe!! I have a phyllo pie (byrek) with spinach and feta and another one with ground beef filling in my blog, oh and another that is more summer appropriate with an onion/tomato filling. So you have more options for savory fillo dishes. Hope you have a great New Year celebration and thank you for trying my recipe and I appreciate your feedback so much!!

          Reply
    9. Regularlee

      October 09, 2018 at 9:19 pm

      5 stars
      Looks delicious! Perfect for this autumn season.

      Reply
    10. Meygan

      October 09, 2018 at 2:39 pm

      5 stars
      These are perfect for this season! I will definitely be making some for Thanksgiving dinner. 🙂

      Reply
    11. Juna Kandha

      October 09, 2018 at 3:05 am

      5 stars
      Wow , i loved the recipe. I want to test it .
      Thanks for the post

      Reply
    12. FS Page

      October 09, 2018 at 2:44 am

      5 stars
      Wow. I loved how you have described the recipe in such simple steps. Never knew that a pie can be made out of a pumpkin. I am not very fond of pumpkin but try out this yummy recipe for sure. Thanks

      Reply
    13. Almany

      October 08, 2018 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      This is such an interesting recipe! I am so used to seeing pumpkin in dessert recipes. I’m going to add this to my Fall Bucket List of things to try!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        October 08, 2018 at 10:22 pm

        It took some experimenting and few tries, but i was happy with the final result.

        Reply
    14. Trish Veltman

      October 08, 2018 at 6:22 pm

      5 stars
      I love pumpkin as a savoury and this looks fantastic with the phillo pastry. Will be trying it soon.

      Reply
    15. Evelyn Hernandez

      October 08, 2018 at 12:55 pm

      We love using Phyllo Dough for pies and desserts! This recipe is so perfect for the fall, love it!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        October 08, 2018 at 12:58 pm

        Hi Evelyn, thank you:). I really appreciate the feedback!!

        Reply
    16. Jennifer Dagi

      October 08, 2018 at 11:44 am

      Oh My! This Phyllo Dough Pumpkin Pie looks really delicious! I wish I could bake! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        October 08, 2018 at 12:12 pm

        Thank you Jennifer!!

        Reply
    17. Krish

      October 07, 2018 at 12:20 pm

      I never knew pumpkin could look so tempting….you have actually finished and plated it so well..
      Thank you..
      God bless you

      Reply
    18. Monidipa Dutta

      October 07, 2018 at 12:18 pm

      5 stars
      I love anything in pumpkin. The recipe to me however looks interesting. I would love to give it a try.

      Reply
    19. Heather

      October 07, 2018 at 10:00 am

      This looks so yummy! I cannot wait for our kids to come home at Thanksgiving. I just know they will love this!

      Reply
      • Sonila

        October 07, 2018 at 10:16 am

        Thank you Heather:)

        Reply
    20. Nicole

      October 07, 2018 at 9:52 am

      5 stars
      This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try it out.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        October 07, 2018 at 10:16 am

        Thank you Nicole:)

        Reply

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    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    More about me →

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