Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée Recipe for Fall & Halloween
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This Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée is the ultimate fall dessert for pumpkin lovers!
Rich, creamy, and full of cozy autumn spices, this elegant dessert combines everything you adore about classic pumpkin pie with the silky texture and caramelized sugar topping of crème brûlée. Whether you’re hosting a Halloween Dinner Party, a Thanksgiving feast, or just craving something indulgent, this recipe hits all the right notes!
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Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée Recipe
I first shared this recipe way back in 2011—one of the very first on The Purple Pumpkin Blog! It’s been a reader favorite ever since.
- Classic meets elegant—a mashup of cozy Pumpkin Pie flavors and the sophistication of Crème Brûlée.
- Perfect make-ahead dessert—ideal for dinner parties, as it chills beautifully until ready to torch.
- A fun twist for pumpkin season—when you want something more refined than pie but still full of fall flavor.
- Beautiful presentation—served in individual ramekins with that irresistible crackly sugar top.
- A nostalgic favorite—one of my earliest blog recipes, lovingly updated!
Craving more cozy fall desserts? Check out our collection of Pumpkin Recipes!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card.
I had to make a few UK-friendly swaps, as some of the ingredients baffled me back then! The original called for turbinado sugar, which found out was what we call demerara sugar, and instead of butter crackers (which I discovered were just Ritz crackers), I used digestive biscuits. Heavy cream is simply double cream here in the UK, and while I used canned pumpkin from a trip to the States, fresh pumpkin purée works just as well. Nowadays, finding canned pumpkin is a lot easier than it was in 2011! These days, nearly 14 years later, and having written hundreds of American recipes, I a lot more well versed in the swaps than I was back then!
- Dairy & Chilled: Unsalted Butter, Egg Yolks, Whole Milk (Full-Fat Milk), Heavy Cream (Double Cream)
- Butter Crackers—These are crackers such as Ritz. I used Digestives in this recipe. You could also use Graham Crackers.
- Pecans—Add a delightful crunch to the base.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Whole Nutmeg—Freshly grated nutmeg tastes so much better in the recipe!
- Ground Ginger
- Vanilla Bean—If you don’t have a vanilla bean, you can use Pure Vanilla Extract.
- White Granulated Sugar
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Canned Pumpkin Purée—NOT pumpkin pie filling as it has spices added to it.
- Turbinado Sugar—known as Demerara Sugar in the UK is minimally processed, large-crystal, golden-brown cane sugars with a light caramel flavor.
The complete list of ingredients, along with their measurements, is provided on the recipe card. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide measurements in US customary, imperial, and metric units. Still, it’s essential to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial units (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric units (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
About This Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée Recipe
This recipe has such a special place in my heart—it was one of the very first desserts I ever shared on The Purple Pumpkin Blog back in November 2011! I first saw Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée on an episode of Guy’s Big Bite and loved the idea of combining a classic fall favorite with an elegant French twist. It felt adventurous at the time—I’d never made crème brûlée before!
I remember my sister suggesting I call it “Crème Boo-lée”—a brilliant name I wish I’d thought of sooner! Once baked and chilled, each silky custard gets its signature crackly caramelized topping. The contrast between the crisp sugar shell, creamy pumpkin filling, and the buttery pecan base is pure autumn magic.
For more cozy inspiration, check out The Ultimate List of Autumn Recipes for the Fall Season—it’s packed with ideas for your next fall feast!
How Do I Make Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée?
Check out the recipe card below—you can print or save it for later—and please don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Then, continue scrolling for food pairings and more recipes.
Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 32 butter crackers (20 Digestive biscuits)
- ½ cup pecans
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3½ cups heavy cream (double cream), divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 cups canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- boiling water for bain-marie
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar (demerara sugar)
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Crush the crackers/biscuits and pecans in a food processor. Add the melted butter, stir to combine.
- Divide this mixture between 8 (6oz) custard cups/ramekins, and press to form a base.
- Pour 2 cups of cream into a sauce pan and add cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Split the vanilla pod lengthways, and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the cream pan.
- Bring the cream slowly to a boil on the stove top, then remove pan and leave to cool slightly. Remove vanilla pod.
- Meanwhile, add the white, and dark brown sugars and egg yolks to a bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until the sugar is dissolved.
- To the cooled cream and spices, add the other 1½ cups of cream and the milk. Then carefully and slowly whisk in the sugar and egg mixture—you do not want to create scrambled eggs!
- Whisk the pumpkin purée into the spiced cream mixture until incorporated.
- Place the prepared ramekins into a deep roasting tray, and divide the custard between them. Fill to just below the top.
- Pour boiling water into the roasting pan, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. This is called a bain-marie (water bath)
- Place the pan into an oven set at 150C/300F/Gas 2 for 35-45 minutes until set. They should be firm to the touch, and have a slight jiggle—but not too much!
- Remove the ramekins from the bain-marie and leave to cool for 30 minutes, before placing in the refrigerator to cool and set completely. At least 6 hours to overnight for best results.
- When ready to serve, brûlée the tops of the dessert by sprinkling with turbinado sugar, and using a culinary blow torch to melt the sugar until dark and almost burnt. (Crème brûlée, means burnt cream!)
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Tips
- Crème brûlée means “burnt cream” in French—referring to the caramelized sugar top.
- A bain-marie (water bath) cooks the custard gently and evenly—pour boiling water into the roasting pan to halfway up the ramekins.
- Use a culinary torch for the topping; or place briefly under a hot grill (broiler), watching closely to prevent burning.
- Whisk the custard until smooth but not frothy—excess air can cause bubbles. Bake until just set with a slight jiggle in the center.
- Chill for at least 6 hours—overnight gives the best set and flavor.
Substitutions
- Digestive biscuits or Graham Crackers may be used instead of butter crackers for the base (or vice versa).
- If you don’t have a vanilla bean, use 1 to 1½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract instead. Add it to the custard mixture after removing it from the heat, so the flavor isn’t lost during boiling.
- Fresh pumpkin purée can replace canned—steam pumpkin flesh and blend until smooth.
- Demerara sugar can replace turbinado for the brûlée topping.
Leftovers & Storage
- Make up to 2 days in advance; keep covered in the refrigerator and caramelize the sugar just before serving.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sugar topping softens over time—torch individual portions as needed.
Freezing
- Not suitable for freezing—the custard can split upon thawing.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
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Pair This Dessert With…
This Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée was part of my original Halloween Dinner Party menu from 2011—a spooky but fun night full of themed dishes that are still delicious today! If you’re planning your own Halloween feast, here’s how to complete the meal:
- Baked Hot Dog Mummies—A playful appetizer that’s as fun to make as it is to eat! Kids and grown-ups alike love these pastry-wrapped mummies.
- Bloody Mary Soup—A rich tomato soup with a spicy kick—perfect for starting off your spooky dinner.
- Ghoul-ash, Spooky Spuds & Poisoned Peas—A hearty beef stew served with mashed potatoes and peas—a frightfully good main course!
- Cheesy Cornbread—A Halloween staple in my house! Soft, golden, and perfect alongside any autumn meal.
- Easy Pumpkin Cake with Frosting & Sprinkles—The perfect sweet treat to serve with coffee after dinner—because there’s no such thing as too much pumpkin at Halloween!
Ready to Make Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée for Fall?
If you love pumpkin pie but want to serve something a little extra special this season, this Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée is the perfect choice. It’s a showstopping dessert that brings together the best of autumn spices, creamy custard, and that irresistible crackly caramelized top.
Whether you’re making it for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or just because pumpkin season makes you happy (it does for me!), this recipe is sure to impress. Don’t forget to save and share this post so you can make it again next fall—and explore even more delicious Pumpkin Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog!
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This recipe was first shared as part of my Halloween Dinner Party Ideas 2011 series—one of my earliest blogging adventures and where The Purple Pumpkin Blog truly began.
Originally published on November 14, 2011. Updated October 2025 to celebrate one of the very first recipes ever shared on The Purple Pumpkin Blog!
This post is part of my long-running Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Since 2012, I’ve shared Halloween recipes, printables, and crafts every October. While I don’t officially run the series anymore, all my new Halloween posts are still part of this decades-long celebration of spooky fun! Browse past Crafty October years for even more inspiration: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.