What type of pumpkin is specifically grown for making pumpkin pies?

The type of pumpkin specifically grown for making pumpkin pies is the sugar pumpkin.

Sugar pumpkins are also called pie pumpkins or sugar pie pumpkins. They are generally smaller than carving pumpkins and have denser, sweeter, smoother flesh with less stringy pulp and water. Those qualities make them easier to roast, purée, and bake into a stable pie filling.

A common mix-up is assuming that the large orange pumpkins used for jack-o’-lanterns are ideal for dessert. They are edible, but their flesh is often watery and fibrous, so they are usually chosen for appearance rather than flavor. Other culinary varieties, including Baby Pam and New England Pie, can also work well.

Canned “pumpkin” adds another wrinkle. Libby’s, the dominant U.S. canned-pumpkin brand, uses Dickinson pumpkins, a Cucurbita moschata variety, rather than the small Cucurbita pepo sugar pumpkins commonly sold for home baking. Both can produce pumpkin pie, but “sugar pumpkin” is the standard answer for the fresh pie type.