Description
Pumpkin crème brûlée is a fall-inspired twist on the classic French dessert, combining the rich, velvety custard with warm pumpkin spice flavors and a crisp caramelized sugar topping. It’s an elegant yet easy dessert perfect for Thanksgiving or any autumn celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Custard
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 5 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 6 teaspoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C) to ensure it is ready for baking the custards evenly.
- Heat cream and milk: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream and whole milk until just steaming; then remove from heat to prevent boiling.
- Mix pumpkin custard base: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, egg yolks, ½ cup granulated sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
- Temper the eggs: Slowly add the warm cream and milk mixture into the pumpkin mixture, whisking constantly to gradually raise the temperature and prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Strain the custard: Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl to remove any lumps and ensure a smooth texture.
- Prepare ramekins and water bath: Divide the smooth custard evenly among 6 ramekins. Place ramekins in a large baking dish and pour hot water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake the custards: Bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes, or until custard centers are set but slightly jiggly, indicating a creamy texture.
- Cool and chill: Remove ramekins from the water bath carefully and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to set completely.
- Caramelize sugar topping: Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar evenly over each custard. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden and crisp.
- Serve: Allow the caramelized sugar to harden for a minute before serving immediately for the best texture and flavor contrast.
Notes
- For extra flavor, try using maple sugar for the topping instead of granulated sugar.
- This dessert can be made up to 2 days in advance; just brûlée the sugar topping right before serving for optimal freshness.
