I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, but I do love other pumpkin desserts. My kids and husband, on the other hand, love pumpkin pie. This pie makes us all happy. The pumpkin custard is enough of pumpkin flavor to satisfy the pumpkin-pie lovers, but different enough to satisfy those not so crazy about pumpkin pie.
The best part about this pie is that it can easily be prepped ahead of time. The pie is best chilled overnight, making it an ideal pie for Thanksgiving since it won’t use up oven space. Wait until you are ready to serve to add the sugar on top and brûlée, as otherwise it will soften and not have the classic crack of a crème brûlée.
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Pie
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2.5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 9-inch blind baked pie crust**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Make sure your blind baked pie crust is cooled and read.
- Whisk together ½ cup sugar and egg yolks in a mixing bowl.
- In a saucepan, whisk together heavy cream, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla bean paste, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and heat until cream is hot but not scalded. Remove from heat.
- While whisking, carefully add about ¼ cup of your hot cream and pumpkin mixture to the sugar and egg yolk mixture. Keep whisking to avoid the eggs curdling. Repeat this process, adding about a ¼ cup at a time and whisking continuously, until about half the cream and pumpkin mixture is added. Add the remaining half, continuing to whisk.
- Pass mixture through a fine mesh strainer, then pour into prepared baked pie crust. Bake in preheated oven for about 25-35 minutes, until mixture appears set but still a little wobbly in the middle (if needed, you can cover crust edges with a pie shield or foil if browning too quickly).
- Remove from oven. Let cool on the counter for about 30-60 minutes until no longer hot, then transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for 3-4 hours, or ideally, overnight.
- After chilling, remove from the refrigerator. When nearly ready to serve, sprinkle remaining 2.5 tablespoons of granulated sugar over the top of the pie. Using a kitchen blow torch, melt and then caramelize sugar until golden brown, being careful not to burn. Allow sugar to cool and harden (this should only take a few minutes). Crack top, then cut and serve.
Notes
**To blind bake a pie crust, use a homemade or store bought pie crust dough of choice. Roll out pie dough and place in pie dish, crimping edges if desired. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the dough (the parchment should line the bottom and sides, and extend up past the sides of the dough for removal). Fill parchment with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in a preheated oven (at the temperature recommended for the pie crust you are using) until edges are cooked. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment and pie weights. Prick bottom and edges with a fork a few times (to prevent it from puffing up). Return the oven and continue to bake a little longer until bottom looks cooked through, then remove from oven and let cool before filling.
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