Pumpkin is in the air! Lattes, pies, scones, bread, soups… Oh my! With Thanksgiving fast approaching I am joining the movement and making a vegan pumpkin crème brulée. That’s French for pumpkin custard with caramelized top! You can serve it in small ramequins but you can also get a little creative and carve out tiny pumpkins and use them as containers. It will look stunning! This can be a fun project and involve the whole family.
Making this crème brulée is so easy because it doesn’t require any baking. That’s important because if you are serving it in tiny pumpkins, you can’t bake them! It needs to be hard to hold the custard. Usually, creme brulee is baked au bain marie, by placing the ramequins in a large baking dish that has some water at the bottom. This preserves the delicate consistency of custards.
Whether you bake it or just heat it on the stove, the custards will need to be refrigerated 4-5 hours or better overnight to firm up nicely. If you have a small cooking torch, you can sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on top of the ramekin and torch it to create a delicate thin caramelized crust.
If you are not using mini pumpkins as a container, you can add the sugar and broil for a few minutes to achieve the same result.
Note: This custard is a little denser than the usual flan or crème brulée because of the pumpkin puree but it makes up in creaminess! So if you want a lighter dessert for Thanksgiving that pumpkin pie, give this a try.
Let’s make this!
Vegan Pumpkin Crème Brulée
Equipment
- small ceramic ramequins (4)
- whisk
- small cooking torch
Materials
Custard
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup refrigerated coconut milk (full fat)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1/8 tsp clove powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp brown or cane sugar (for the caramel)
- 4 small pumpkins or ramekins
Instructions
Prepare the pumpkin bowls
- If your pumpkins don't sit flat, cut a little at the bottom.
- Cut the top portion with the stem and use as a lid.
- Using a spoon or a stainless steel melon baller, scoop out the flesh and seeds.
Make the crème brulée
- Place a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for a few hours before making the custard to separate the fat from the liquid.
- Scoop out the cream and add some of the liquid milk to make 1 cup.
- Pour into a small pan, add 3 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk well.
- Add 1 cup of pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (or pumpkin spice mix), vanilla extract and maple syrup or cane sugar.
- Simmer for 1-2 minutes whisking all the time as it starts to thicken.
- Remove from heat and pour into small ramequins or small pumpkins that have been hollowed out.
- Let it cool down before covering with plastic film.
- Refrigerate overnight.
Caramelize the top
- Before serving, sprinkle a tablespoon of cane sugar on top of each custard.
- Using a small cooking torch, heat up the sugar until your get a nice thin caramel layer. Serve immediately!
