Keto Pumpkin Custard Recipe - Crustless Pumpkin Pie (2024)

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If you love pumpkin, you’ll love this healthy and delicious keto pumpkin custard recipe. It’s like a crustless pumpkin pie, but so much easier! Keto pumpkin pie custard is simple to make, but fancy enough for special occasions, like Thanksgiving!

Keto Pumpkin Pie Custard

With fall just around the corner, I’ve noticed that more and more people are looking for keto pumpkin recipes. And I’m happy to oblige! So today, I’m bringing you a brand new recipe for keto pumpkin pie custard cups. They taste creamy and smooth, with the sweet taste of pumpkin and a hint of spice. With this recipe, you can enjoy the best parts of pumpkin pie, without all the carbs. It’s gluten-free and sugar-free, like all of my keto pumpkin recipes.

If you want more keto pumpkin recipes, be sure to check out this quick and easy Keto Pumpkin Mug Cake, this super popularKeto Pumpkin Bread, or these creamy and delicious Keto Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.

Ingredients in Keto Pumpkin Pie Custard

One of the great things about this recipe is that it requires only 5 common keto ingredients, plus the pumpkin pie spice mix. Along with heavy cream and two eggs, you’ll also need the following ingredients:

Pumpkin Puree

What would a pumpkin custard cup be without real pumpkin puree? The recipe uses one standard can of pumpkin puree, which is 15oz.

You can use either canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe. Just make sure you’re not using pumpkin pie filling, which can be easy to grab by accident at the grocery store.

If you want to learn more about pumpkin on the keto diet, includinghow many carbs in pumpkin, check out this guide:Is Pumpkin Keto Diet Friendly?

The Spice Mixture

You can use a pre-made pumpkin pie spice mixture, but it’s just as easy to make your own spice blend at home. You’ll likely have all the spices you need in your cupboard already. To make homemade pumpkin pie spice, combine:

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is even better!)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

You can keep this mixture in a small airtight container, and store it in your pantry.It’s also great to make a big batch and keep it on hand for any of the other keto pumpkin recipes I have posted on this site.

Sweetener

In addition to pureed pumpkin and spices, you’ll need a low-carb sweetener like erythritol, monk fruit extract or stevia extract. My preference is to use Swerve granulated sweetener in this recipe. Although, I bet that the brown sugar version of Swerve would be nice as well!

How to Make Low-Carb Pumpkin Custard

The method for making these little keto pumpkin custards couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is whisk up all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, divide them among several individually sized ramekins, and bake them in a water bath. Simple as pie!

The Right Size Ramekins for Custard

I like to use small 8oz ceramic ramekins to bake my custards. You can use smaller or larger cups if you like, but the cooking time may be a bit different than described in this recipe. For reference, I used 5 ramekins for this recipe, and each ramekin held about a cup of custard at a depth of about 1 1/4 inches.

These are similar to the ramekins I have at home, and they come in all sorts of colors.

How to Tell When Custard is Done

Sometimes it’s hard to tell when the custard is done. Underdone custard can be runny, but overcooked custard can crack or curdle. To help you out, here are a few ways to test.

How to Use a Water Bath

In general, I recommend using a water bath to help these custards bake evenly. A water bath insulates custards from the direct heat of the oven, reducing the chances of overbaking or cracking.

To bake these custards using a water bath, you’ll need a baking pan that can fit all of your ramekins. For me, I could fit all of my ramekins in a regular 9×13 metal pan that has 2″ tall sides.

First, use a tea kettle to preheat your water. Then, place all the custards in a dry 9×13 pan, and put the whole thing in your preheated oven, but leave the oven door open. Then, use the kettle to pour the water carefully into the 9×13 pan around your ramekins, taking care not to splash.

Tip: the water just needs to come halfway—not all the way—up the sides of the ramekins.

When the pumpkin custard is done, you’ll want to remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool on a wire rack before chilling them in the refrigerator. Although you can eat these keto pumpkin custards warm, I prefer them served chilled with whipped cream.

Tip: The smaller dish you use for the custards, the faster your custard will cook.

How to Store Keto Pumpkin Custards

One of the great things about this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time. You can safely store these pumpkin custards for about 3 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to cover them tightly with plastic wrap.

I do not recommend freezing pumpkin custard.

Other Healthy Low-Carb Pumpkin Recipes

If you love pumpkin, then you should check out these other healthy pumpkin recipes on the blog:

Keto Pumpkin Mug Cake – Quick and Easy!

Creamy Keto Pumpkin Soup

Keto Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Keto Pumpkin Bread

Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie Fat Bombs

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

15 oz pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup granulated erythritol sweetener
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare ramekins in a larger pan for a water bath. Fill a kettle with water, and set to boil
Combine pumpkin puree, eggs, cream, sweetener, spices, salt, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until smooth.
Divide the mixture into individual ramekins. Place the whole pan of ramekins into the oven, and carefully fill the outside pan with hot water until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes or until set. Remove the ramekins from the water bath, and allow to cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons of pre-made pumpkin pie spice, you can use the following homemade spice mix.

3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 235Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 296mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Carb count will vary with different ingredients and brands. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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FAQs

How do I make sure my pumpkin pie doesn't crack? ›

Luckily, Carson says there's a simple way to avoid a cracked-pie catastrophe: Don't overbake it. “For a custard like that, you want it to bake on a lower temperature,” says Carson, who bakes her pumpkin pies at 325 degrees F. (Convection ovens may require an even lower temperature, she says.)

What is a substitute for 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice? ›

To get 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves or nutmeg, whatever you have! If you have two of the above spices, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of whichever two spices you do have.

Can you put an undercooked pumpkin pie back in the oven? ›

Note that if your test determines an undercooked pumpkin pie, return it to the oven and bake a few minutes longer before testing it again.

Learn More Now ›

Should pumpkin custard be refrigerated? ›

You should refrigerate homemade pies that contain fillings with eggs, such as pumpkin, custard or cream pies.

Should I Prebake my pie crust for pumpkin pie? ›

While not traditional or really necessary due to the time pumpkin custard takes to cook, you can avoid a 'soggy' bottomed pumpkin pie, by laying down some parchment paper in the shell, fill it with pie weights or old beans, wrapping the edges with foil then par baking the crust for 10-15 minutes at 425ºF.

What is blind bake method? ›

Many sweet and savory pie recipes require pre-baking or "blind baking" a crust. No one really knows where the term got its name, but "blind" baking a crust means baking it without a filling.

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What causes pumpkin pies to crack? ›

The reason pies crack is often due to the eggs in the pumpkin pie recipe - if they get over baked, the protein in them tightens up, and as it cools, it causes cracks in the pumpkin pie.

Find Out More ›

How do you stop pies from bursting? ›

If the steam is trapped under the pie crust, the pressure will build as the temperature rises and the hot air volume increases. This will make the pie “explode”. To prevent this from happening, take a sharp knife and cut some slits into the top crust before baking/microwaving.