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    Home » Recipes » Thanksgiving & Christmas

    Pumpkin Custard

    Published: Aug 18, 2022

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    This Pumpkin custard is an easy and elegant dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They're basically individual crustless pumpkin pies!

    A ramekin of pumpkin custard with whipped cream and walnuts. A spoonful of custard is in the foreground.

    We’ve been elbows deep in pumpkin recipes lately, and today I’ve got a new recipe to share - my baked pumpkin custard recipe.

    This creamy dessert is fantastic for the holiday season, and any special occasions during fall and winter.

    These individual pumpkin custards are less of a pumpkin pudding, and more like a crustless pumpkin pie.

    They whip up in just minutes - a great alternative when you’re looking at pumpkin pie recipes, and just can’t be arsed to deal with making a pastry crust. (Or buying a pie crust, for that matter!)

    In other words?

    This easy pumpkin custard recipe is the perfect dessert for when you’re feeling festive and kinda fancy... but also sort of lazy and/or strapped for time.

    You know, kind of an ideal for the busyness of the season!

    4 individual pumpkin custards topped with whipped cream, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds,

    Ingredients

    This is a super simple recipe, and you should be able to find all of the ingredients in pretty much any grocery store.

    There’s some room for tweaking it to your tastes and dietary needs, so here are a few notes for you:

    Pumpkin Puree

    Use actual pumpkin purée, rather than pumpkin pie filling - which has fillers and other ingredients added.

    I use store bought canned puree, but homemade pumpkin puree is another great option if you have some pie pumpkins to cook down!

    Dairy Ingredients

    I use both full fat cream cheese and heavy cream to make these custards, as I find it gives an amazing richness to this wonderful fall dessert.

    That said, the eggs go a long way in thickening and setting this recipe, so you CAN lighten up in this area, if you’d like - or if you need dairy-free options.

    Whole milk works for those who can handle dairy, while almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk are all great dairy free options.

    You can use a low fat cream cheese if you like, or a plant based cream cheese substitute.

    Sweetener

    We use both light brown sugar and maple syrup in this recipe, which gives a balanced flavour and a nice level of sweetness.

    You can use a little less sugar if you need to... or swap the brown sugar out for coconut sugar or Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute if you prefer.

    Spice Mixture

    I use individual spices as a makeshift pumpkin spice:

    Ground Cinnamon
    Ground Ginger
    Ground Cloves
    Ground Nutmeg

    If you’d rather use Pumpkin Pie Spice, use 2 teaspoon of that in place of the 4 spices.

    Remaining Ingredients

    You’ll also need large eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.

    No real notes on those - I haven’t tried this with any kind of egg substitute.

    Garnish

    Beyond the actual custard ingredients, consider dressing these custards up with some garnish - whipped cream is always perfect with a creamy custard like this.

    (Coconut cream is a great option to top a dairy free custard!)

    Also, we love to add a bit of crunch for contrast.

    Walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, even broken graham crackers go well as a bit of a topping for these pumpkin custard cups!

    A close up view of a pumpkin custard topped with whipped cream, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.

    How to Make Pumpkin Custard

    The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, this is a pictorial walk through.

    Preheat oven to 350 F.

    In a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer), cream together cream cheese and brown sugar.

    A 2 part image showing brown sugar and cream cheese being beaten together.

    Once smooth, add remaining ingredients to the large bowl and mix until smooth.

    A 2 part image showing the remaining ingredient added to the bowl and whisked smooth.

    Pour custard mixture into 4-6 ramekins or custard cups, and arrange in a large baking dish.

    Carefully add hot water to the large baking pan, till water level is about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

    This is a water bath - key to the silky texture of these custards.

    The warm water buffers the custards from the direct heat of the oven, allowing for a slower, more even cook... and a nice, smooth texture as a result.

    A 2 part image showing 4 ramekins of pumpkin custard in a baking pan of water bath.

    Bake until custards are set, but wiggle in the middle – about 30 -40 minutes.

    The bake time will depend on the proportions of your ramekins - keep an eye on it.

    4 cooked pumpkin custards in ramekins on a stove top.

    Remove from oven, allow to cool to room temperature.

    Once cooled, cover individual servings with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

    A ramekin of pumpkin custard with whipped cream and walnuts. A spoonful of custard is in the foreground.

    More Pumpkin Recipes

    When fall is here, is there anything better than indulging in some pumpkin goodies? We’re down for all things pumpkin, whether for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or a healthy pumpkin recipes for a random Tuesday!

    Here are our favourite ways to use the gourd!

    Copycat Pumpkin Spice Latte
    Easy Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins
    Easy Pumpkin Martini
    Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
    How to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro
    How to Make Pumpkin Mead
    Maple Pumpkin Spice Bagels
    Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns
    Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars
    Quick Pumpkin Bread
    Traditional Pumpkin Mousse

    ... and from my other blogs:

    Fluffy Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
    Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
    Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
    Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
    Gluten-Free Sopaipillas Pasadas
    Keto Pumpkin Fat Bombs
    Keto Pumpkin Bars
    Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
    Pumpkin Chia Pudding

    A ramekin of pumpkin pie custard with whipped cream and walnuts. A spoonful of custard is in the foreground.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it to Bluesky, be sure to tag us - @CelebrationGen. We're also on Pinterest, so you can save all your favourite recipes to a board!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    A ramekin of pumpkin pie custard with whipped cream and walnuts. A spoonful of custard is in the foreground.

    A ramekin of pumpkin pie custard with whipped cream and walnuts. A spoonful of custard is in the foreground.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    4.75 from 4 votes

    Easy Pumpkin Custard Recipe [Individual Crustless Pie!]

    This Pumpkin custard is an easy and elegant dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They're basically individual crustless pumpkin pies!
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Chilling time2 hours hrs
    Total Time2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, British
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Servings: 4 - 6 servings
    Calories: 332kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Equipment

    • 4-6 8 oz ramekins

    Ingredients

    • 4 oz Cream cheese softened
    • ¼ cup Brown sugar packed
    • 15 oz Pumpkin puree
    • 2 Large eggs
    • ¼ cup Heavy cream
    • ¼ cup Maple Syrup
    • 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
    • Pinch Ground Cloves
    • pinch Nutmeg
    • pinch Salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 F.
    • In a stand mixer (or in a bowl with an electric mixer), cream together cream cheese and brown sugar. Once smooth, add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
    • Pour into 4-6 ramekins or custard cups, and arrange in a large pan. Carefully add water to the large pan, till about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
    • Bake until custards are set, but wiggle in the middle – about 30 -40 minutes.
    • Remove from oven, allow to cool to room temperature, and then chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

    Notes

    Nutritional information provided is based on 4 servings, all values will be lower if done as 6 servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 373mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 17265IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg

    A close up view of a pumpkin custard topped with whipped cream, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.

    4 individual pumpkin custards topped with whipped cream, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds,

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