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These make-ahead Maple Pumpkin Pots de Crème have an amazingly silky smooth texture. Each delicious bite is bursting with warm-spiced flavor - a beautiful, gourmet alternative to pie!
I love serving these Maple Pumpkin Pots de Crème for dinner parties, as all the work can be done a day or two ahead. All I do the day of the party is dollop them with a scoop of whip cream and perhaps a few toasted or candied pecans. If I'm feeling really fancy, I might run out and cut a sprig or two of mint. Then I pull out a pretty plate and, voila! a magically delicious, gourmet (and gluten-free) dessert!
What is Pot de Crème?
Pot de Crème, pronounced POH-də-KREM is a is a delicious French, custard-like dessert that dates back to the 17th century. The name actually means "pot of custard" or "pot of cream". The name also refers to the small porcelain cups in which the dessert was/is traditionally served.
The plural of Pot de Crème is Pots de Crème and is pronounced exactly like the singular (without the "s"). Just between you and me, I thought that if we're serving a fancy dessert like this, we should sound nice and fancy and a maybe even a little French. (See, I've got you covered, all the way around!)
How to serve this dessert
Although these Maple Pumpkin Pots de Crème need to be refrigerated for an hour or two after baking, I like to take them out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. Giving them a chance to warm up a bit, brings out even more of the fabulous flavor. They're delicious with a pretty dollop of whipped cream. You can also add a few toasted or candied pecans or serve them with a simple shortbread cookie on the side.
The ingredient list for these pots de crème is short; sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, egg yolks, and spices. The sugar is caramelized which adds a fabulous depth of flavor. How does this work? Sugar is just simmered with water, maple syrup and a tiny splash of corn syrup (magical in preventing crystallization).
The cream, pumpkin and spices are added next and finally egg yolks are SLOWLY drizzled in. This is called tempering and, put simply, it means that you're keeping the eggs from scrambling when they hit the hot liquid. As long as you add the liquid slowly, you'll be good to go!
Café Tips for making these Maple Pumpkin Pots de Crème
- It's not absolutely necessary, but I like to pour the pumpkin mixture through a fine-mesh sieve before baking. This really gives the dessert a super silky smooth texture. Once you have a fine-mesh sieve you'll find it's a wonderful item to have on hand for lots of recipes. They're not expensive and are easy to store. I love this three piece sieve set which would make a wonderful gift for someone who's getting started in the kitchen.
- This recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice which is a wonderful combination of autumn-spices and is available at most grocery stores along with the other spices.
You can also easily make your own pumpkin pie spice.
- You'll also need some small oven-safe bowls, ramekins or jars to bake these Maple Pumpkin Pots de Crème in. There are pots that are specifically made for Pots de Crème or you can use whatever you have. I love these Weck Tulip Jars. They're simple yet elegant.
- After a big meal, you may want to use smaller individual bowls or ramekins for smaller servings. I really like these 4-ounce oven-safe bowls for serving Pot de Crème.
- This recipe yields 6-8 servings, depending on the size of your bowls/jars/ramekins.
- Once the ingredients are combined and poured into the baking cups (or Pots de Crème pots) you'll be using a bain-marie to bake them. You don't need any special tools for a bain-marie, just a pan and some hot water. Bain-marie is a fancy French word for water bath which just means you're baking the little jars or pots in a pan of water. This keeps the silky custard from scorching and or curdling.
- I like to put a clean wash cloth in my pan before adding the jars and the hot water. It keeps the jars from sliding around as I'm transferring them to and from the oven.
- I find it easier to put the pan with the filled jars into the oven and then add the hot water.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- freshly whipped, cream (lightly sweetened(
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
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Preheat oven to 325˚F with a rack in the middle position. Place six 4-6-ounce ramekins in a 2-inch sided baking pan (I use a 9x13-inch cake pan).
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Whisk together cream, pumpkin, dark brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a medium size bowl (preferably, with a pouring spout). Set aside.
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Bring water, corn syrup, maple syrup and the 6 tablespoons granulated sugar to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a fork in the center of the pan until sugar is dissolved. Boil without stirring, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture has gone from light to dark amber, about 6-8 minutes. Watch the mixture carefully towards the end as once it begins to turn color it will change fairly quickly.
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Remove from heat. Carefully add cream/pumpkin mixture (mixture may bubble up and steam). Whisk until combined. If caramel mixture does not completely dissolve, return pot to heat and stir for a minute or two until dissolved.
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Combine the egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add the egg yolks to the hot cream mixture in a SLOW, STEADY stream, whisking continuously. (Adding the eggs slowly will keep them from scrambling in the hot cream mixture.)
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Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve back into the egg yolk bowl. Divide custard among ramekins or pots in the pan. Pour hot water into pan the ramekins are in to reach about half way up the sides. Bake, uncovered, until custards are set around edges, but still tremble slightly in centers, about 35-45 minutes.
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Remove from the water bath with a tongs or pot holder. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
See Café Tips above in post for further instructions and more detailed tips.
This recipe will serve 6-8, depending on the size of your bowls or ramekins.
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Karen says
Hi Chris, can these be made the day before?
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Yes! Enjoy, Karen!
Amber says
This was very very tasty! Like the best pumpkin pie you could ever imagine, with a depth of flavor not normally found in such a dessert. It had a warm, caramel type tone from the maple/corn syrup/sugar concoction. I wish I could take this concept and transfer it to an actual pumpkin pie recipe.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks for your review, Amber!
Gena says
I'm curious if you have made this recipe trying sous vide? If so, do you have any suggestions? Thank you 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
I have not tried that, Gena. If you do, let us know how it goes!
Em says
In a quest to find recipes to use canned pumpkin that weren't a pumpkin pie I found this. I love Pots de Crème in general and decided this was a good place to start. What a delight! Pumpkin and Maple work really well together and I found the recipe to be delicious. As an individual who doesn't care for pumpkin pie I was very pleasantly surprised with this recipe. I even went back for seconds.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much, Em!
Barbara says
Love love your recipes. Yours are the best. Please keep posting. I love the scriptures, it makes it all special when you're a Christian but didn't see one this time. I'll check again. Bless you
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Barbara! I appreciate your kind words. I started with the Scriptures at the beginning of COVID so some of the older recipes (like this one) don't have them yet.
Ellen says
Chris--love your site! Are the pictured jars also Weck jars? I have some tulips but these are too cute! Ridiculously easy strawberry scones in process right now 🙂 Ellen
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Ellen! They are Weck jars although that particular style is hard to find in the U.S. I picked some up while I was in England a number of years ago and occasionally I'll find them here. Amazon does carry them in a larger size. Here is the link:https://amzn.to/2VT0PPe
Patricia Ann Holden says
Chris: Love this recipe, but I have to share with you this whipped cream recipe I just found and tried with pumpkin pie. The main benefit is stabilization--so it lasts a few days, travels well, etc. I made this for Thanksgiving to take to relatives two hours away. It was delicious and stayed stable for several days without weeping. No need to store over a strainer as is usually recommended for whipped cream. The key ingredient is the sour cream, which acts as the stabilizer. The maple syrup (Grade A) adds a delicious flavor, but the maple flavor subtle and not easily detectable or overpowering.
1 C heavy cream
2 T sour cream
2-1/2 T confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C maple syrup.
Beat all ingredients except maple syrup until thick, then add maple syrup and beat on high until firm peaks form.
This is the best!! Hope you enjoy.
Patti
Denise says
This sounds wonderful, but I'm not fond of using corn syrup. Would honey work, or could we merely leave it out?
Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Denise, I don't use corn syrup too much either but in recipes that call for caramelizing sugar (like this one) corn syrup is somewhat magical as it creates a chemical reaction that prevents the sugar from crystallizing. When sugar crystallizes in a recipe like this, it solidifies into a hardened mess and the recipe is ruined. You could take a chance and omit it or add a splash of lemon juice (just a teaspoon or two) which causes the same chemical reaction.
Enjoy!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Beautiful! I love puddings like this. I think they're the perfect ending to a meal. The maple-pumpkin combination is definitely a winner, too 🙂 Will be making these!
Tricia B says
We love maple and of course pumpkin, so this would be perfect for my family. Such a great idea for a make-ahead easy to serve holiday dessert. Pinning!
Renee says
Hello Chris,
Can this recipe be made with sweet potato puree rather than pumpkin? We aren't fond of pumpkin.
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that would work well!
Linda says
Hi Chris,
Just wondered if any reader had made it with almond milk instead of heavy cream. I can't see why it wouldn't work but just wouldn't be as creamy. Let me know what you think. Thanks Linda from Canada
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Linda, I think you probably could. I've seen recipes for Pot de Crème with almond milk but I haven't personally tried it. Let us know if you do!
Deborah Rudy says
I don't love maple...could I make these without or substitute another ingredient?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, you could substitute honey and change the name 🙂 OR you could just use 2 cups of heavy cream and ¼ cup more brown sugar.
CR says
Looks yummy- BUT- wheres the spice in the recipe?
Chris Scheuer says
Oops, you caught me! Thanks for noticing that, I've added it to the recipe.