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Creamy, smooth and so easy to make, Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée is the dessert recipe you need for all your fall gatherings. So simple and so addicting with a crisp sugar crust that’s just begging to be cracked with a spoon.
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Pumpkin spice fans….are you ready? I love a good pumpkin dessert but by this time of year I’m almost already over it. But this Pumpkin Creme Brûlée recipe gets me every time. It’s the ultimate pumpkin treat that’s simple to make with just a few ingredients.
The best part, besides eating it, is that it’s perfect for making in advance so entertaining is a breeze.
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Much like a Pumpkin Custard or the filling for a pumpkin pie, this easy creme brulee recipe is light, creamy and subtly spiced with pumpkin pie seasoning.
Creme Brûlée is a dessert made up of a rich custard base topped with a crunchy shell of burnt sugar. Also known as Burnt Creme or Trinity Cream, classic creme Brûlée is normally served chilled and is warmed slightly by the creme Brûlée torch that is used to caramelize the sugar topping.
It’s like a creamy, sweet bite of fall that’s simply irresistible. We love to serve it as an alternative to pie for Thanksgiving dinner but it’s great during the cooler months as a fun dessert on any night of the week.
How To Make It
Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee is simple to make in under an hour. You’ll have to leave time for it to chill and it’s best if you make it a day in advance.
Heat the half and half with a bit of cream in a saucepan.
Stir in the pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and a few extra spices until smooth.
Whisk in the eggs and sugar.
Cook until beginning to thicken.
Arrange the ramekins on a baking sheet or roasting pan.
Divide the cream mixture evenly among the ramekins.
Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the ramekins.
Bake for 50 minutes or until set.
Cool to room temperature then refrigerate.
Sprinkle the custard with the sugar and melt with a kitchen torch until caramelized.
Pro Tips
- Plan ahead….the Very Best Creme Brûlée recipe is best if made in advance. At least a day is optimal. This gives the custard time to chill and set up in the fridge.
- Ramekins….Be mindful of the size of your custard cups. I used 6 6-ounce ramekins with a baking time of approximately 50 minutes until they seemed set up. If you go bigger they will take longer to cook. So, if your custard is about 1 inch deep….baking time will be approximately 30 minutes…..2 inches deep and you’re looking at about approximately 50-60 minutes of baking time. Low and slow is the only way to go. The shallower your dishes, the better.
- Sugar…Don’t go too heavy handed when sprinkling the top with sugar for the brûlée step. And be sure to coat evenly for best results. You don’t want to leave the torch in one spot too long because it will begin to cook the custard beneath the sugar crust…and that’s no good.
- Bain Marie…aka the water bath for your creme brulee. Don’t skip this step because it helps ensure your custard cooks gently without any hot spots that could scramble the eggs. AND be careful not to get any water in the custard mixture because it will cause your custard not to set up at all.
- Temper the Eggs….When adding the milk mixture to the eggs, be sure to do it slowly and whisking constantly so you don’t scramble the eggs. Pouring the hot milk into the eggs too quickly will result in very lumpy (and very egg-y tasting) creme Brûlée.
- STRAINING – IF you do end up with a few lumps in your custard, you can strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lumps. But that’s best as a last resort.
How To Serve It
This Pumpkin Creme Brulee recipe is great on it’s own but we love topping it with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of homemade gingersnaps.
My favorite part of the Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée is the crispy sugar topping…it’s fun to make and fun to eat. The crunchy contrast to the smooth custard is creme brûlée perfection. Just what you’d expect in such a swanky dessert, your guests will think you slaved for hours but really..it just takes under an hour from start to finish.
More Easy Pumpkin Desserts
If you like this recipe be sure to try this Pumpkin Bread Pudding and this ice box cake. We also are loving this Pumpkin Dump Cake, lately because it’s so super easy and these Pumpkin Spice Donuts are made with just TWO ingredients.
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Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée
Equipment
- 1 kitchen torch
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 5 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and nutmeg stirring to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and turn off the heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar until the mixture becomes a pale yellow color.
- Temper the egg mixture by slowly adding 1 cup of the hot cream to the bowl while whisking constantly.
- Slowly add the egg mixture to the saucepan while whisking the cream mixture until everything is incorporated.
- Turn the heat to low and cook the cream until it begins to thicken stirring constantly, approximately 5 minutes. Do not boil.
- Divide the mixture evenly amoung 6 4-ounce ramekins and transfer to a baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the edges are slightly firm and dry to the touch. (The center of the custard will still be jiggly.)
- Cool the ramekins on a wire rack for 30 minutes and transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight.
- Before serving, spread 1 tablespoon granulated sugar evenly over the surface of the custard and melt with a kitchen torch. Or transfer to a baking sheet and melt the sugar under a broiler for 2-3 minutes watching to ensure the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I think this will turn out well but there are mistakes. Topping/brûlée sugar should be 6 TBSP and you forgot to list how much sugar is whisked in with the eggs. And you talk about Pumpkin Spice Creamer in the instructions. So I have to estimate from other recipes. I appreciate this recipe but please fix this. BTW, am I to assume the other commenters did not actually make this? I’m sure they would have noticed the errors if they had even looked at it closely.
Thank you for your comment. Yes, this definitely needed a correction but it is only about 1 tablespoon of sugar for the coating. You don’t want to add too much sugar or it won’t caramelize to a crispy crust but more of a chewy taffy topping. The recipe has been fixed to reflect that. Happy Thanksgiving!
You need to look over the recipe and correct it or you are going to set people up for failure. I was going to make this, but I pulled the plug when I realized that the ingredients and the instructions do not match up.
If one just goes by the ingredient list they are going to end up with an overspiced concoction that’s only sweetness is the sugar on top.
The ingredient list calls for half & half and heavy cream, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice PLUS an additional teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/2 tsp. nutmeg…..that is WAY too much spice for 3 cups of dairy, plus there is no sugar in it at all. When you read the instructions, it says “Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer” instead of “pumpkin pie spice” like the ingredient list says. Since there is already sugar in Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer, I imagine that’s where the missing sugar is. The recipe makes more sense if you use Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg instead of actual pumpkin pie spice PLUS cinnamon and nutmeg.
It’s really confusing and people who aren’t familiar with brulee are going to have a bad time with this.
There are 3 tablespoons sugar mixed into the custard….the original recipe called for pumpkin pie spice creamer and was updated to use whole ingredients. The only thing that was incorrect was the amount of sugar for the topping. So, while there was an omission, I added another tablespoon of sugar for the topping but it’s still only 3 tablespoons mixed in with the egg yolks.
These are delicious! They are also very rich, as are all creme’s, which is why I prefer to make smaller servings. I do my creme brule or chocolate pots de creme in a sous vide setup in 1/2 pint mason jars.
Preheat the water to 181°F. Mix it up, pour it, seal it, submerge it, forget it for an hour. Sous vide won’t let it get anymore done than 181° if left in there all day. That’s the beauty of that method. Then proceed to brule it. I use a butane torch to burn the sugar.
Oh my word, I need to make this Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée! I’m so ready for fall. I noticed yesterday on my walk that the leaves were falling and starting to cover the bridge! I love it!
Creme Brulee is one of my most favorite desserts! There is nothing like when you first crack that crust!
This looks GREAT!! I’m in love with this easy creme brulee. MMMMMM!!! And your topping looks so perfectly done! I love that crack!
Creme brulee is my absolute favorite indulgence in the world. And pumpkin spice? Yes please!
sounds like a win win to me! thanks for sharing