Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée – Irresistible Fall Dessert
A luxurious crème brûlée infused with pumpkin puree and warming spices, baked inside hollowed pumpkins or ramekins, and finished with a crisp caramelized sugar crust—elegant, seasonal, and cozy.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Saucepan
- Baking dish or roasting pan
- Kitchen torch (or broiler alternative)
Ingredients
Custard Base
- 2 cups heavy cream (470 g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 5 egg yolks (95 g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67 g), plus more for topping
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree (160 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Tiny pinch ground cloves
- 3-4 small-medium pumpkins (5½" wide × 3" tall; hollowed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 °F (160 °C). If using pumpkins, wash them, remove the tops, and hollow them out; otherwise prepare ramekins.
- In a saucepan, gently heat heavy cream and vanilla bean paste until steaming, not boiling.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale.
- Slowly pour the hot cream into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly until smooth.
- Stir in pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until fully combined.
- Pour custard into prepared pumpkins or ramekins, filling about two-thirds full.
- Set in a baking dish with warm water bath. Bake until edges are set and center is slightly jiggly (about 25–30 minutes).
- Allow to cool for ~10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Sprinkle sugar over the tops and caramelize with a kitchen torch. If no torch, broil briefly—watch closely.
- Serve immediately with the hard sugar crust broken to reveal creamy custard beneath.
Notes
Perfect for fall holidays like Thanksgiving. Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; freeze empty pumpkins or custard (before torching) for up to 1 month and thaw before serving. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}