This pumpkin crème brûlée is made with a creamy pumpkin spiced custard with a caramelized sugar topping. It's the perfect easy way to use up leftover pumpkin purée in a delicious Fall dessert!
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Pumpkin crème brûlée is one of the easiest recipes you can make this Fall season. There are few things more satisfying than cracking into a freshly torched sugar shell into a rich and creamy pumpkin pudding-like custard.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This pumpkin crème brûlée is full of pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavour. So warming and delicious!
- Crème brûlée is surprisingly easy and quick to make. The hardest part is waiting for it to set in the fridge.
- This recipe uses a small amount of pumpkin purée so it's great for using up leftover pumpkin purée from other recipes.
Tools
- 8 oz ramekins - I used shallow ramekins but 8oz ramekins also come in a smaller but deeper shape. Both hold the same amount of volume so the cooking time should be about the same no matter which ones you use.
- Baking tray - You'll need a regular baking tray (like what you would use for baking cookies!) to hold the ramekins and to hold the water bath. It needs to have a rim that's at least 1" high to hold about ½" of water.
- Kitchen torch - You can't really make crème brûlée without a kitchen torch. It's essential for caramelizing that glassy and crunchy brûléed sugar topping. The good news is, you can pick one up for less than $20!
Ingredients
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Whipping cream or heavy cream - You can use either whipping cream or heavy cream. I used whipping cream with perfect results. Heavy cream will make a richer and thicker custard.
- Egg yolks - Egg yolks make a rich custard. Be sure to follow the instructions on tempering the eggs so you don't end up with scrambled eggs!
- Granulated sugar - You'll need sugar for the custard and for sprinkling on top of the baked custard for the torched topping.
- Pumpkin purée - Use canned pumpkin purée (or homemade if you have it on hand). You only need a small amount so it's great for using up leftover pumpkin purée from other recipes.
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice - Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice mix or make your own spice mix with ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. See the recipe notes for the measurements.
- Salt
How to make pumpkin crème brûlée
Prep - Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place 4 ramekins on a baking tray and set aside. Boil a kettle or pot of water while you prepare the recipe.
Heat cream - In a small pot on the stovetop, heat the whipping cream on low-medium heat until small bubbles start coming to the surface and it just begins to simmer.
Mix egg yolk mixture - Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin purée, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
Whisk hot cream into egg mixture - Slowly stream the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly and vigorously with your other hand until all the cream has been added.
Fill ramekins - Use a ladle to spoon this mixture into your ramekins until they're almost full. Dab a paper towel on any air bubbles to get rid of them. Very carefully transfer the entire tray of ramekins into the oven.
Make water bath - Before pushing the tray all the way into the oven, fill the baking tray with hot water from a kettle until the ramekins are submerged about halfway (about ½" of water).
Bake - Bake for about 28-30 mins or until the edges are set but the custard is still very jiggly.
Chill - Carefully remove the tray from the oven and pour off most of the water in the pan. Let the custards cool completely at room temperature. Cover and chill them in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Add sugar topping - Let the custards sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before adding the sugar topping. Right before serving, sprinkle the surface of each custard with an even layer of 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Caramelize sugar - Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar topping until golden brown and bubbling. Let them cool down and harden before cracking into them with a spoon.
Storage
Before adding the sugar topping, the baked pumpkin custards can be stored by covering the ramekins with plastic wrap and storing them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
After you've added the caramelized sugar topping, crème brûlée should be served right away. When stored past a few hours, the sugar topping will absorb the moisture from the custard and turn into a wet syrup.
Tips for success
- Whisk vigorously while slowly streaming the hot cream into the eggs. You don't want your eggs to turn into scrambled eggs.
- Add the water for the water bath when the pan is already in the oven. Carrying a tray full of water from the counter to the oven is very tricky. This way makes it much easier and prevents spills.
- Let the custard sit at room temperature before adding the sugar topping. This allows condensation to form on the surface of the custard and evaporate before you add the sugar. This way, there isn't any excess moisture on the surface that will dissolve the sugar topping.
- Add a generous layer of sugar. The thicker the sugar layer, the thicker and crunchier the brûléed topping will be.
Frequently asked questions
Crème brûlée is done when the edges of the custard are set but it's still very jiggly. If you want to be precise and you have a thermometer, the internal temperature of the custard should be cooked to about 170°F.
Yes, baked crème brûlée can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add the caramelized sugar topping right before serving them.
Not really, but you can try. Others have recommended using the broiler of your oven to caramelize the sugar topping but I've never tried this method. Honestly, I would just buy the kitchen torch if you can (it's affordable!) otherwise, you can just make pumpkin custard without the sugar topping.
More crème brûlée recipes to try
Recipe
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Custard
- 375 g whipping cream or heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 75 g pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, see notes to make your own spice mix
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sugar Topping
- 40 g granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place 4 ramekins on a baking tray and set aside. Boil a kettle or pot of water while you prepare the recipe.
- Heat cream: In a small pot on the stovetop, heat the whipping cream on low-medium heat until small bubbles start coming to the surface and it just begins to simmer.
- Mix egg yolk mixture: Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin purée, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Whisk hot cream into egg mixture: Slowly stream the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly and vigorously with your other hand until all the cream has been added.
- Fill ramekins: Use a ladle to spoon this mixture into your ramekins until they're almost full. Dab a paper towel on any air bubbles to get rid of them. Very carefully transfer the entire tray of ramekins into the oven.
- Make water bath: Before pushing the tray all the way into the oven, fill the baking tray with hot water from a kettle until the ramekins are submerged about halfway (about ½" of water).
- Bake: Bake for about 28-30 mins or until the edges are set but the custard is still very jiggly.
- Chill: Carefully remove the tray from the oven and pour off most of the water in the pan. Let the custards cool completely at room temperature. Cover and chill them in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Add sugar topping: Let the custards sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before adding the sugar topping. Right before serving, sprinkle the surface of each custard with an even layer of 2 teaspoons of sugar.
- Caramelize sugar: Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar topping until golden brown and bubbling. Let them cool down and harden before cracking into them with a spoon.
Notes
- Pumpkin pie spice: You can use store-bought pumpkin pie spice mix or make your own. To make your own, stir together:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Use ½ teaspoon of this mixture and save the rest for other recipes!
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