Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

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Enjoying the first weekend of the Fall season with this custardy, sweet, delicious Pumpkin Crème Brûlée! It’s a delicious Fall twist on the classic French dessert. A simple vanilla custard, with LOTS of pumpkin mixed in to give it the best pumpkin flavor, baked to perfection, and finished with the classic crackly brûléed sugar topping. There is no better way to celebrate the best time of year. Every bite is sweet, creamy, silky smooth, and extra pumpkiny. The best part? This is a naturally gluten-free dessert that the whole family will enjoy!

About The Recipe

It’s finally Friday and there is no better way to kick off this Fall weekend than with this pumpkin crème brûlée! It’s the perfect dessert to make whether you have company or just want something sweet. They’re fancy, a lot easier to make than you might think, and SO delicious!

Crème brûlée’s have always been one of my absolute favorite desserts, but with the addition of pumpkin…it might just be the ultimate Fall treat!

If you’ve read our blog before, you know that my mom and I love making crème brûlée! There’s always a fun new flavor to add to the custard to really make it a delicious seasonal treat.

While I thought our Maple Crème Brûlée or even our Coconut Crème Brûlée might have been my favorite, once we made this pumpkin, there was no contest.

It might just be the perfect pumpkin dessert. Naturally gluten-free. perfectly sweet, silky smooth, custardy, and FULL of pumpkin flavor. Then, when you get a bite of the brûléed sugar…I could just eat the whole batch by myself!

The sugar almost intensifies the pumpkin flavor in the custard and adds a delicious crunch to every bite. Then, it just melts away leaving you always wanting more. It’s simply a MUST-HAVE recipe this holiday season!

Reasons You Will Love This Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

• Full of pumpkin flavor.
• Easy to make.
• A naturally gluten-free dessert.
• Perfect to make for Thanksgiving, weekends, or just whenever you’re craving a fancy, but oh so delicious pumpkin dessert.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Small Pot
• Sieve
• 5 Large Ramekins or 9 – 10 Small Ramekins
• Large Sheet Cake Pan
• Kitchen Towel
• Blowtorch

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

• Heavy Cream – the higher fat content is essential for a smooth baked custard.
• Pumpkin Purée – is the star ingredient in this custard. Using canned purée makes it more flavorful, deeper in color, and silky smooth.
• Granulated Sugar – adds just the right amount of sweetness to this custard.
• Salt – enhances the flavor of the custard.
• Egg Yolks – bind the filling together and thickens it.
• Vanilla Extract – adds the perfect undertone to enhance the flavor of the custard.

How To Make Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

Step 1: Make the custard

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, pumpkin, 3 Tablespoons sugar, and salt. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and remaining 3 Tablespoons sugar.

Temper the egg mixture by whisking the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture in small amounts.

Stir in vanilla.

Strain custard using a fine mesh sieve.

Step 2: Bake

Ladle custard into 5 ounce ramekins, filling each ¾ full. Place ramekins in prepared pan. Add boiling water to pan filling half way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until just set.

Step 3: Refrigerate

Once cool, remove from water bath and cover each custard with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 hours, or overnight.

Step 4: Brûlée

When ready to serve, top each custard with 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar. Use a kitchen torch or oven broiler to brûlée sugar.

Kitchen Torch or Oven Broiler?

In our opinion, the best way to get the beautiful caramelized sugar top is by using a kitchen torch! The torch safely allows you to really control how burnt the sugar gets! But if you don’t have a torch, you can use the broiler. Just keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly!

How To Store

After baking the custard and letting it cool, you will need to wrap the ramekins individually with plastic wrap. From there, you can put them in either the fridge or freezer! In the fridge, the custards should last about 5 days. In the freezer, they’ll store for about 2 – 3 months!

Just don’t add the sugar on top and caramelize it until you’re ready to eat! It will not keep once the sugar is caramelized on top.

Also, side note, if you freeze the crème brûlée, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Maple Crème Brûlée, Coconut Crème Brûlée, Pumpkin Pie Bars, Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake, Spiced Pumpkin Roll

Expert Tips

• Make sure you have pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
• Don’t skip straining the custard! This ensures no cooked eggs in your crème brûlée.
• The bake time will vary based on size and shape of your ramekins.
• Be careful not to get water in the custards!
• Use about 1/2 – 1 Tablespoon of sugar on top of the ramekins
• If you have a kettle, it’s the easiest way to boil your water!
• If you’re using a creme brûlée pan, you don’t need to put a towel in the bottom of the pan.

When you make this Pumpkin Crème Brûlée, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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