Pumpkin Curd

But of course I’d come up with a recipe for pumpkin curd! When it comes to fruits, especially the ones I get in abundance when they are in season, the question I always have is, can I curd it? Turns out yes – you can! And it’s delicious: thick and creamy with those wonderful autumn flavors of pumpkin and pumpkin spice. 

Truthfully, I always find pumpkin pie a little ‘wet’ and I wondered if I could make a pumpkin curd and use that as a filling. Then of course, a million ideas came to me for what I could use to make with the pumpkin curd! 

Real talk: I don’t know if this truly constitutes a ‘curd’ because the definition of curd is one that is made with a fruit juice base (with added sugar, eggs, and butter) whereas a custard is made with a milk base (with added sugar, egg yolks, and only a bit of butter). 

This pumpkin curd though is made like a curd: you’ll mix all the ingredients (except the butter) together in a pot and then cook until thickened, then pour it through a sieve over the butter. It also uses quantities that are more similar to a curd: much more butter, and a lot of pumpkin compared to the milk. 

Recipe origins 

This one started out last november and a lot like my lemon curd; with whole eggs. I found though that the curd/custard would set too thick and stiff, so I wanted to get some more water in there without altering the flavor. Milk was my solution, and I skipped some of the egg whites in favor of just the yolks to bring it to more of a custard. 

P.S. Originally I used brown sugar for the recipe. If you prefer, you can use that instead. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Pumpkin puree: pure pumpkin, no added sugars or spices. I like Libby’s. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. 

Eggs: one whole large egg and three egg yolks from large eggs. Reserve the whites for another use. 

Salt: fine sea salt. 

Starch: tapioca or cornstarch. To help thicken the curd. 

Pumpkin pie spice: you can buy it in a spice jar or make your own. It’s comprised of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and usually cloves. 

Milk: whole milk. If you are making this dairy free, soy milk is a good sub. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract or paste. 

Butter: unsalted. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to just a pinch. 

How to Make Pumpkin Curd 

Set all the ingredients, except the vanilla and butter, in a pot and whisk very well. Don’t let the egg or yolks sit in the sugar for too long before whisking as this can ‘cook’ the eggs. 

Set the pot over medium low heat. Keep whisking and stirring on and off, as the curd cooks and thickens. 

When the temperature reaches 16–165 F and the curd coats the back of a spoon, take it off the heat. 

Slice the butter into pats and place it in a bowl. Set a sieve over the bowl. 

Pour the cooked pumpkin curd through the sieve into the bowl. Get out as much custard as you can, pressing it through and scraping the bottom of the sieve. 

Once all the cooked curd is in, add the vanilla. Then stir until smooth and the butter has melted. 

Set aside to cool then transfer to an airtight container. Seal and refrigerate. 

What can I do with Pumpkin Curd? 

Use it as a filling: stuffed into cookies, cupcakes, between cake layers, or in donuts/cream puffs. It’ll also be a great filling for hand pies or pop tarts. 

Use it as a topping: over pancakes, french toast, any breakfast items. Also, in pavlovas (mini or large), or even ice cream. 

Can this Pumpkin Curd be used to make Pumpkin Pie? 

It can! I used about 1.5 of the recipe below and baked it into a pie. The pie crust needs to be par baked first (so blind bake it with foil and then bake it without the foil for a bit). Then you can pour in the filling; it should take about 20 minutes to set. You’re looking for the sides to be set and the middle to have a slight jiggle. 

Pumpkin Curd Recipe

Pumpkin Curd

Creamy and smooth curd made with pumpkin puree, egg, sugar, butter and milk. Flavored with vanilla and pumpkin spice and makes a wonderful filling or topping for a number of autumn inspired treats.

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

• 240g or 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 150g or ¾ cups fine granualted sugar
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 egg yolks from 3 large eggs reserve whites for another use
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 60g or ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
• 113g or ½ cup butter unsalted and sliced into pats

Method

• In a medium sized pot, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, egg, egg yolks, salt, starch, pumpkin pie spice and milk. Whisk very well. Set the pot over medium low heat and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and registers 165 F on an instant read (or laser) thermometer. This will take 6-9 minutes.
• While it’s cooking, set the butter in a medium sized bowl and over it a sieve. Pour the cooked curd through the sieve into the bowl, over the butter. Take your time extracting as much of the liquid as possible, pressing on the sieve and scraping up the bottom of the sieve into the bowl. What’s left will be some of the larger spices and bits of egg white, we don’t need this.
• Pour the vanilla into the bowl and stir until the butter melts and you have a smooth, creamy mixture. Transfer to an airtight jar, seal and refrigerate.

Did you make this recipe?

Share & tag me on instagram @buttermilkbysam

no comments