Pumpkin Creme Brûlée is a wonderful way to enjoy pumpkins when they are in season and it tastes like the custard of a pumpkin pie but with the bonus of that delicious hard sugar creme brûlée crust. This is such an easy recipe and I will walk you through all of the steps to make this easy and delicious Fall and Winter dessert.
I love all types of Fall desserts and drinks and this recipe is one of my favorites. Every Fall I make this along with my, mulled apple cider and my spiced pear martini because of the Fall pumpkin spice vibes they have.
The base of this easy creme brûlée is my tried and true recipe for vanilla creme brûlée and it always comes out amazing. The addition of pumpkin just makes it even better.
You only need simple ingredients to make this. Canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree works best.
Try to avoid using pumpkin pie filling since it's loaded with seasoning already. You want to add your own cinnamon and nutmeg since it will taste better.
Best sugar topping for the Brulee
Demerara sugar is used for the caramelized sugar topping. After years of having issues getting a nice crust on my creme brûlée when using superfine sugar, I decided to switch to demerara which is a more raw form of sugar.
The demerara sugar always produces a nice beautiful crust in seconds. So, if you have struggled with making a crust on your creme brûlée in the past, this sugar will fix that.
How to make pumpkin creme brulee
- Mix: Here you are just mixing all of the ingredients in a large bowl and then you pour it into your ramekins. Place the ramekins first inside your roasting pan before you pour in the custard.
- Prepare the Roasting Pan and Ramekins: Place the roasting pan with the ramekins in the oven. Now pour hot water (I use a kettle for this) into the roasting pan until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. A water bath helps gently cook the pumpkin custard and helps prevent cracking.
- Bake: Close the oven door and bake the creme brulee until it sets and is not jiggly anymore.
- Cool: Just let the pumpkin custards that came out of the oven cool completely on the counter before refrigerating them.
- Torch: Right before serving, remove the pumpkin custards from the fridge and sprinkle on your demerara sugar. Use a creme brûlée torch to burn the sugar which creates a nice crust.
Recipe Tips
The size and shape of your ramekins are going to determine the baking time of your pumpkin creme brulee. This recipe uses a slightly deeper ramekin that is circular in shape.
Another common ramekin for creme brulee is a shallow oval-shaped ramekin. If you do decide to use this type of ramekin, make sure to adjust the baking time and use the jiggle test for determining doneness.
Recipe Faqs
If you do not have a creme brûlée torch, you can easily use a long grill lighter and use the flame of the lighter to make contact with the sugar to burn it into a crust.
Alternatively, you can use the broiler method where you place the pumpkin creme brûlée onto a sheet pan and place it under a broiler on high until the sugar starts to melt and brown.
Creme brulee is chilled until the sugar top is torched. When the brulee portion is done, the creme brulee will be at room temperature.
Technically you can but it is not advised. Freezing any type of dairy will cause the cream to separate which affects the texture of the creme brulee.
More Fall Sweets
If you love this pumpkin creme brulee recipe, you may also like these
More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Creme Brûlée Recipe
Equipment
- 6 Ramekins: 3.5 wide x 1.5 deep
Ingredients
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup demerara sugar for the crust
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add your granulated sugar, vanilla and egg yolks and mix until it becomes a pale yellow color.⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 8 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Now add in your heavy cream, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well.2 cups Heavy cream, ½ cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Grab 6 ramekins. I use ramekins that are 3 ½ inches wide and 1 ½ inches high and holds about 5 ½ ounces.
- Place your ramekins inside a large roasting dish.
- Fill the ramekins evenly with the pumpkin custard.
- Fill a tea kettle or pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Place the roasting pan with ramekins inside your oven.
- Pour the hot water inside the roasting pan while it is in the oven making sure to fill with enough water so the water comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.
- Cook the custards for 40-50 minutes or until the very center of the custards jiggles just a very little bit.
- Once they are ready, carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and place on the counter.
- Allow the custards to cool inside the water bath.
- Once the custards are completely cool, remove them from the water bath and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to chill.
Making the sugar crust
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of your demerara sugar evenly over the top of your custard.¼ cup demerara sugar
- Using a creme brûlée torch, torch the tops by using a back and forthe motion with the flame until the sugar strats to brown and bubble.
- Do this until all the sugar is melted.
- Serve immediately after making the crust.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer hereTried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Beth says
They came out amazing! We will be adding this to our thanksgiving menu
Lyndsey says
These were a hit! The sugar crust was perfect
Melissa says
I am so glad you enjoyed them!
Melissa says
I am glad you enjoyed it and that the sugar tip helped 🙂