This pumpkin crème brûlée tart is made with an easy digestive biscuit crust, creamy pumpkin custard filling, and a crunchy caramelized sugar topping that is torched to perfection.
Let’s talk about this creamy custard filling. The warming pumpkin spices and pumpkin purée in this pumpkin crème brûlée make it such a lovely Fall variation on a classic dessert. The crème brûlée is made by tempering an egg mixture with hot cream. It is then baked and set in the fridge, making it incredibly creamy and thick.
The star of the show is the brûléed sugar topping that is hard and glossy. It cracks into perfectly imperfect shards when you slice into it. The texture of crunchy sugar contrasts nicely with the soft and creamy pumpkin filling.
All of this is inside a soft and crumbly biscuit tart shell that is super easy to make. I prefer to use this tart shell base for most of my tarts. I love the flavour of digestive biscuits compared to graham crackers. It’s especially perfect for Fall desserts because the biscuits have a hint of spice in them that pairs very well with warm flavours.
If you’re ready to make your own crème brûlée tart, keep reading for detailed step-by-step instructions and photos on how to make this recipe.
Ingredients you will need
- Digestive biscuits - You’ll crush these up for the easy crumb crust. You can substitute with graham crackers, Lotus biscuits, or speculoos but I love the taste and softness of digestive biscuits.
- Unsalted butter - This will hold the crumbly tart crust together.
- Whipping cream - The main component of the creamy custard filling. You can also use heavy cream for a richer taste.
- Eggs - When baked, the eggs set into a custard that holds its shape but is still soft and creamy.
- Pumpkin purée - This recipe very little so it’s a great way to use up leftovers of canned pumpkin purée. You can add a little more for taste and for a thicker filling.
- Granulated sugar - This sweetens the filling and is necessary to sprinkle on top of the tart to get the hard and crunchy brûléed topping.
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla is a must in every baked good. It makes everything smell amazing.
- Pumpkin spices - I’ve used a mix of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice. You can also use a pre-mixed pumpkin spice mix instead in the same total amount.
- Salt - Just a bit to balance the sweetness of this tart.
Special kitchen tools you will need
- 9” fluted tart pan - A tart pan with a removable bottom piece is essential if you want to be able to get the whole tart out of the pan. If you want to serve the tart directly in the pan like a pie, feel free to use a pie baking dish.
- Blow torch - You’ll need a kitchen torch or heavy duty blow torch to make the brûléed topping. If you don’t have a blow torch, you can use the broiler in your oven but I find that it’s not precise and I often end up burning it. I’d highly recommend investing in a blow torch. You can get one for about $30 and you’ll want to use it to toast all kinds of things once you’ve tried it!
How to make a pumpkin crème brûlée tart
Make the tart crust
Place digestive biscuits into a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush finely. Transfer the crushed biscuits into a small bowl.
Pour the melted butter into the crushed biscuits and stir together until the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Dump this into a 9” fluted tart pan.
Use a flexible spatula or your hands to firmly press the crumbs into the bottom and side edges of the tart pan. Let this chill in the fridge until firm while you prepare the filling.
Make the pumpkin crème brûlée
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a small pot, heat the whipping cream on medium heat until it just begins to comes to a simmer.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
With one hand, slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking continuously and vigorously with the other hand.
Take the tart crust out of the fridge and place on a baking sheet to catch any spills while baking. Pour the pumpkin cream mixture into the tart, leaving a small space so that the filling doesn't go over the edges of the crust. Be careful of spills when transferring the whole baking sheet to the oven. To make it easier, you can choose to pour the cream into the tart when it’s already in the oven.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle is still jiggly. Let the tart cool at room temperature until just warm to the touch. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 4 hours or overnight until completely set.
Caramelize the sugar topping
Right before serving, sprinkle the surface of the tart with granulated sugar. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar until it forms a hard, glassy topping. Serve immediately.
Frequently asked questions
After the sugar topping has been torched, crème brûlée tarts cannot be stored and should be enjoyed right away or within 1 hour. As the sugar absorbs moisture from the tart, it will start to soften and disintegrate into a syrup.
However, you can store a tart without the sugar topping in the fridge for up to 3 days.
There are 2 options:
1) Use the broiler in your oven. Move the rack in your oven so that your tart will be a few inches away from the broiler element. Broil for about 5 minutes, watching very carefully to prevent it from burning.
2) Heat up sugar with honey and water in a pan until it’s amber in colour. Then, pour the syrup over the tart and let it cool until it hardens. More info on this technique here.
More pumpkin recipes to try
For more pumpkin recipes, give these ones a try! If you want a baked pumpkin dessert, try my Pumpkin Swiss Roll. For pumpkin no-bake desserts, try my Pumpkin Panna Cotta or Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, both of which set easily in the fridge or freezer.
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Tart
Ingredients
Tart Crust
- 230 g digestive biscuits, about 23 biscuits
- 100 g unsalted butter, melted
Pumpkin Cream Filling
- 450 g whipping cream
- 2 large eggs
- 100 g pumpkin purée
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sugar Topping
- 20 g granulated sugar
Instructions
Tart Crust
- Place digestive biscuits into a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush finely. Transfer the crushed biscuits into a small bowl.
- Pour the melted butter into the crushed biscuits and stir together until the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Dump this into a 9” fluted tart pan.
- Use a flexible spatula or your hands to firmly press the crumbs into the bottom and side edges of the tart pan. Let this chill in the fridge until firm while you prepare the filling.
Pumpkin Cream Filling
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a small pot, heat the whipping cream on medium heat until it just begins to comes to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
- With one hand, slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking continuously and vigorously with the other hand.
- Take the tart crust out of the fridge and place on a baking sheet to catch any spills while baking. Pour the pumpkin cream mixture into the tart, leaving a small space so that the filling doesn't go over the edges of the crust. You can choose to pour this into the tart while it is already in the oven to prevent any spillage when transferring the whole baking sheet to the oven.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle is still jiggly. Let the tart cool at room temperature until just warm to the touch. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 4 hours or overnight until completely set.
- Right before serving, sprinkle the surface of the tart with granulated sugar. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar until it forms a hard, glassy topping. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Chilling time: The crème brûlée must chill in the fridge after baking to set properly. Make this tart a day ahead so that you can chill it overnight.
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