This pumpkin crème brûlée is a make-ahead fall dessert that feels special without much hands-on time. The custard is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and you add the crackly burnt-sugar top right before serving.
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I bake it in shallow 4-ounce oval ramekins, so every serving gets more of that caramelized crust. The custards keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, so you can bake them ahead and torch the tops when it’s time for dessert.
Baking more for the season? My pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting makes 2 loaves from one batch.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made ahead. Bake the custards up to 2 days early and torch them at serving time.
- Pumpkin pie spices in a silky custard. All the flavors of pie, none of the crust.
- Serves 8. Enough for a holiday table.
- The torch is the fun part. Cracking the sugar top with a spoon never gets old.
Ingredients
- Heavy cream and whole milk: the cream makes it rich, and a little milk keeps it from being heavy.
- Egg yolks: they’re the only thickener, so no cornstarch. Save the whites for my angel food cake.
- Pumpkin puree: use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced.
- Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton or table salt, use half as much.
Substitutions and Variations
- Spices: use ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Topping: turbinado or demerara sugar makes a crunchier, darker crust than granulated.
- Ramekins: deeper ramekins work, but they take longer. Go by the 170°F reading, not the clock.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step by step instructions
Heat the oven to 325°F. Set 8 shallow 4-ounce ramekins in a high-sided baking pan.
In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk, spices, and salt until it just starts to simmer. Remove from the heat and let it steep for 15 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with ½ cup of the sugar until pale and thick.
Slowly whisk the warm cream into the yolks, a little at a time.
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve, then whisk in the pumpkin until smooth.
Divide the custard among the ramekins. Pour about ½ inch of hot water into the pan, roughly halfway up the ramekins. Bake 30–35 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still jiggle (170°F on an instant-read thermometer).
Cool the custards on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate them uncovered for at least 4 hours, covering them once they’re cold. When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle about 1½ teaspoons of the remaining sugar over each one.
Torch the sugar until it melts and turns deep amber. Let the tops harden for 2–3 minutes, then serve.
How to make crème brûlée without a torch
No torch? Use your broiler. I’ve done it both ways, and it works. Set the sugared ramekins on a sheet pan on the top rack, about 4 inches below the heat, and broil on high. It takes a few minutes, longer than you’d expect, and every broiler is different, so watch them the whole time. Once the sugar turns amber, it can burn fast.
Make-ahead pumpkin crème brûlée for Thanksgiving
Bake the custards up to 2 days before you need them, cover them, and keep them in the fridge. Torch the tops right before serving, since the sugar crust softens within a few hours in the fridge. Making dessert ahead frees up your oven for my honeycrisp apple pie.
Sarah’s tips
- Temper slowly. Add the warm cream to the yolks in a thin stream while you whisk. Too fast and the eggs scramble.
- If it starts to curdle, keep whisking, then strain it. The sieve catches any cooked bits.
- Skim the bubbles. Spoon off any foam before baking for a smooth, glassy top.
- Use a thermometer. Pull the custards at 170°F. The centers should still jiggle; they firm up as they chill.
- Chill them completely. Torching a warm custard melts the sugar on top. Give it the full 4 hours.
- Don’t cover them while they’re warm. Steam gets trapped under the wrap and drips back onto the custard, and a wet top won’t caramelize. Leave them uncovered in the fridge until they’re cold, then cover.
Recipe FAQs
Storage
Before torching: cover the baked custards and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
After torching: serve within an hour or two. The crust softens and turns syrupy in the fridge.
Don’t freeze. The custard turns watery when it thaws.
Recipe
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
Equipment
- Kitchen Torch with Butane Fuel optional
- Instant-Read Thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (360g) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (120g) whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5g) ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.3g) ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.3g) ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.3g) ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half as much Morton or table salt)
- 6 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup (122g) pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Set the oven to 325°F (165°C). Arrange the ramekins in a large baking dish with high sides for the water bath.
- In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it just starts to simmer. Remove from heat and let it steep for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup (100g) sugar until light and creamy.
- Slowly whisk the warm cream mixture into the yolk mixture a little at a time to temper (this keeps the eggs from scrambling).
- Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl to catch any lumps.
- Stir in the pumpkin purée until smooth.
- Place ramekins in a large baking pan. Divide custard between each ramekin, filling to the top. Carefully fill the pan with about a 1/2 inch of the warm water.
- Bake until the edges are set and centers are a little jiggly. The time depends on the depth of your ramekins. My ramekins are 1-inch and the custard takes 35 minutes. Begin checking them at 30 minutes. For a more accurate sign, they’re done when an instant read thermometer registers 170°F (77°C).
- Remove the pan from the oven, then use an oven mitt to remove the ramekins. Cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Cover once cold.
- Just before serving, sprinkle 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of granulated sugar evenly over each custard. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown. Let the caramelized top cool briefly before serving.
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