Description
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée is the cozy, creamy fall dessert that gives you silky pumpkin custard under a glassy brûléed sugar lid. It looks fancy, yet it’s simple, make-ahead friendly, and perfect for Thanksgiving or any crisp night.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream (or 1 ¾ cups cream + ¼ cup whole milk)
- ¾ cup (180 g) pumpkin purée (100% canned pumpkin, not pie filling)
- 6 large egg yolks (about 110 g)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (for custard)
- 2–3 Tbsp (24–36 g) granulated or superfine sugar (for brûlée)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- Optional: lightly sweetened whipped cream, crushed gingersnaps, toasted pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Arrange 6 ramekins in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set a kettle of water to boil.
- In a saucepan, whisk cream, pumpkin purée, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Heat over medium until steaming (do not boil). Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with ½ cup sugar until lighter in color. Slowly whisk in the warm pumpkin mixture to temper. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or spouted bowl.
- Divide custard among ramekins. Place baking dish in oven and carefully pour hot water around ramekins until halfway up sides. Bake for 35–45 minutes until edges are set and centers jiggle.
- Cool ramekins for 30 minutes, then chill at least 4 hours. To serve, sprinkle 1–2 tsp sugar on each and brûlée with a torch until glassy and amber. Let set 1–2 minutes before serving.
Notes
Use a fine-mesh strainer for silky texture. Always bake in a water bath. Pull custards when the centers wobble gently. Chill thoroughly before brûléeing. For a dairy-free version, use full-fat coconut cream and reduce pumpkin to ⅔ cup.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35–45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ramekin
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 200mg
Keywords: pumpkin crème brûlée, fall dessert, thanksgiving dessert, baked custard, brûlée, creamy pumpkin dessert