Easy Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée Recipe
Impress your family and friends with this creamy pumpkin spice crème brûlée made without any refined sugars. It’s the perfect dessert for fall entertaining.
What is Crème Brûlée ?
Creme brûlée is a classic French dessert traditionally made with cream, egg yolks, vanilla and topped off with burnt sugar. Literally translated, the French term, creme brûlée means “burnt creme”.
Why You Should Make This Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée
The season of autumn brings with it an abundance of tasty comfort foods seasoned with warmth and wrapped in love. It all comes to a head at Thanksgiving dinner with traditional desserts like sweet potato pie and and pumpkin pie. Of course you know I like to give most recipes a healthy spin around here.
And, if you want to change it up even more this year, this pumpkin creme brulee recipe is where it’s at.
The mixture of heavy cream, worked in with real pumpkin, partnering with sunshiny egg yolks, enveloped in pumpkin pie spice and kissed in sweet vanilla extract is in fact, a dessert lovers dream. The pièce de résistance is the caramelized sugar crust rested gently on top. These are many of the elements that you’d come to expect in any good creme brulee recipe.
But what would surprise you is that this recipe is made no refined sugars. Don’t be fooled by the recipe name. it’s not on over the top pumpkin flavor, but a subtle enhancement to flavors you already know and love.
Oh yeah…did I mention that your dinner guests would be rather thrilled to partake of such a delightful creamy pumpkin custard in the endearing warmth of your home? There’s that too.
This is truly the ultimate fall dessert.
Tools You Need
kitchen torch (optional) – I’m not going to say that you need to make this dessert happen, but if you have one, go ahead and use it. If you don’t have a culinary torch, you can make this recipe work without it.
oven broiler – If not using a kitchen torch, you will need to set your oven to 500°F.
small sauce pan – to gently heat the heavy whipping cream.
shallow ramekins – You’re going to need some ramekins to make this recipe work. I recommend using 4 ounce ramekins. They’re quite important for the execution of the recipe. You can use cute pumpkin ramekins or not. You can even use carved out mini pumpkins if you’d like. Just make sure that they are not too deep.
large bowl – For mixing all the goodness before the magic unfolds.
baking sheet – Trust and believe that you should place the ramekins on a baking sheet before they hit the oven. Otherwise, there could be a lot of clean up to do.
Here are some ideas for ramekins and where to get them:
Ingredients in Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Recipe
A large part of the success to this recipe is based on using quality simple ingredients. And you already know that I believe that those ingredients should be raised or grown in a natural environment, eating their natural diet if applicable.
egg yoks – You only need the yolks. They help to add a creamy texture to the custard mixture. Save the egg whites for another recipe, like these egg white tortillas.
sucanat or coconut sugar – You could use brown sugar in a pinch, but we’re trying to use unrefined sugars here. Stick with me.
pumpkin puree – Well, it’s called pumpkin creme brulee for a reason. That would be odd if this recipe didn’t contain any pumpkin.
pumpkin pie spice – A staple in many pumpkin recipes.
heavy cream – Mixed with egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and warm spices to make this creamy custard.
vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract versus vanilla essence, (which is artificial vanilla) for smooth and delicious flavor. You can also use vanilla bean.
Topping
A little sucanat is sprinkled at the top of the custard after chilling for a crispy sugar top.
Directions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 325°F.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sucanat sugar until smooth.
Step 3: Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice to the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Step 4: In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it starts to steam. Do this slowly so that it doesn’t get too hot and boil over.
Step 5: Move the milk from the heat and slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture. You want to temper it slowly so that the eggs don’t curdle.
Step 6: Pour the mixture into your chosen ramekins, filling it until about 3/4 of the way full.
Step 7: Place the ramekins on a 9×13 baking sheet.
Step 8: Carefully pour hot water around the ramekins (into the baking sheet) to make a water bath.
Step 9: Fill about 3/4 the way full (about 1/2 way up the sides of the ramekins).
Step 10: Bake for 50 minutes or until the center is just cooked. but slightly giggly in the middle.
Step 11: Remove the individual ramekins from the water bath and set them aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 12: Once cool, set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until fully chilled.
Step 13: Just before serving. sprinkle a small amount of additional sucanat. over the top of each custard cup.
Step 14: If you are using a butane torch, carefully caramelize the sugar by moving the torch over the top of the chilled custards in a circular motion.
Step 16: It should look golden and bubbly.
Step 13: Allow the sugar to harden for a minute before serving.
Step 14: Enjoy!
Q & A
Q: Can I make this pumpkin spice crème brûlée recipe ahead of time?
A: Yes you can. The fact that you can make this recipe ahead of time is what makes it great for entertaining. You can make it 2-3 days ahead of time. Here’s how to do it.
Make and Bake: Make the recipe as usual and bake in the oven.
Cool and Chill: Cook the custard to room temperature and then refrigerate. I like to store the individual ramekins in a larger glass or plastic container with a secure lid. Store up to 3 days.
Caramelize and Serve: Make sure to only add the additional sucanat right before torching or broiling in the oven. If you add it too early, the sugar will get soft from the added moisture.
These steps will keep your custard creamy and enjoyable when you’re ready to serve.
Q: Can this dessert be made dairy free?
A: Absolutely. Coconut creme brûlée is a thing. Try swapping out the heavy cream for coconut cream for a dairy free option. Cooking times may vary.
Creamy Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Recipe
Impress your family and friends with this creamy pumpkin spice crème brûlée made without any refined sugars. It's the perfect dessert for fall entertaining.
Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sucanat sugar
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- sucanat sugar (pr other raw sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sucanat until smooth
- Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice to the egg mixture and whisk until fully combined.
- In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it begins to steam, but not boil. Stir to prevent burning.
- Remove the heavy cream from the heat and slowly pour into the egg mixture while whisking. Temper the eggs to prevent them from curdling.
- Pour the mixture into your choice of ramekins, filling each to about 3/4 full.
- Place the ramekins on a 9x13 baking sheet.
- Carefully pour hot water into the baking sheet around the ramekins, creating a water bath. It should be filled about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for 50 minutes, or until the custard is set but still slightly giggly in the center.
- Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let them cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, refrigerate the creme brulee for at least 2 hours, or until fully chilled.
Notes
Four ounce shallow ramekins highly recommended. If you don't have sucanat sugar, other none refined sugars include coconut sugar, muscovado sugar and date sugar.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 490Total Fat 46gSaturated Fat 29gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 273mgSodium 40mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 6g
Other Pumpkin Puree Healthy Dessert Recipes:
Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Muffins
