Pumpkin custards make a fantastic easy pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving, or any other festive fall dinner. They’re the perfect way to end a meal, whether you’re hosting a dinner party with a few good friends, or celebrating the holiday with family members and a Blue Apron box. Make them in place of a traditional dessert, or just serve them alongside your favorite pumpkin pie.
A traditional pumpkin pie has two parts: the crust and the filling. The crust can be a pain to roll out and bake, especially if you’re also cooking up the rest of Thanksgiving dinner. The filling, on the other hand, is a relatively simple baked custard. That custard is the inspiration for what we’ve reproduced here. Without the crust, this seasonal dessert only takes minutes to prepare. Bonus: you’ll get to savor the most amazing Thanksgiving-y scent while they’re in the oven.
When it’s time for dessert, serve these custard cups right in the ramekin, topped with whipped cream.
These delightful custard cups only call for five ingredients: pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, and cream.
Is Canned Pumpkin the Same as Pumpkin Puree?
The sort of answer here is: sometimes. Canned pumpkin puree is readily available in most grocery stores, especially in the fall. For this recipe, make sure to read the label closely. You’re looking for canned pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling (which is already seasoned and sweetened). Of course, you can also make pumpkin puree at home from a whole sugar pumpkin.
Read on for the full recipe.
5 Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Custard Recipe
These can be eaten warm, room temperature, or cold. That gives you a lot of make-ahead options! You can bake these up to 3 hours in advance and leave them at room temperature or 2 days in advance, in which case you should store in the fridge.
If you have any leftover Chinese Five-Spice from any Blue Apron dishes, you can substitute that in for the pumpkin pie spice for a slightly spicy twist.
INGREDIENTS
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Extra 1/2 cream for whipping (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.
Combine all ingredients (except the extra cream) and whisk until smooth.
Oil eight 5-ounce baking dishes or ramekins. Evenly divide the pumpkin batter between the 8 ramekins. Place the dishes onto a sheet pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the middle is just set but still has a little “jiggle” to it. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer.
If you like, whip up the remaining cream and serve the custards with whipped cream. Garnish with a little shake of pumpkin pie spice.
SERVES: 8
