Pumpkin Pie Custard Cups are the perfect delicious & EASY treat when you crave pumpkin pie but don’t want the hassle of making one!
I’m not sure that I’ve ever made an easier dessert! I love pumpkin pie, but I don’t love making pumpkin pie. These Pumpkin Pie Custard Cups are the PERFECT shortcut!
You can whip them up in no time at all, and then let the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker do the rest for you. Don’t you love set-it-and-forget-it kind of desserts? I sure do and I have to say, this recipe has become my favorite!
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If you haven’t had custard before, be sure to try this recipe and I bet you’ll be a fan just like I am!
Want more Fall themed recipes like this one? Grab your copy of my new cookbook; Flavors of Fall ~ Ninja Foodi Cookbook by The Salted Pepper
What is Custard?
Custard is one of those things that, although made with mostly the same ingredients, can really vary in texture and thickness. Sometimes custard is thickened with flour or cornstarch, but in order to be considered a true custard, it also must be thickened with eggs.
Some desserts that use custard are, Boston Creme Pie, Eclairs, Creme Brûlée, Flan and, of course, Pumpkin Pie Custard.
Custard is very easy to make and this Pumpkin Pie Custard is probably the easiest of all, but there are some tips for getting the perfect custard every time.
Tips for Making Pumpkin Pie Custard
Keep your ingredients cold
You want to get your ingredients out of the fridge just before making this custard. The reason is because, if your ingredients are warm, it can lead to the custard overcooking during the 7 minute pressure cooking time and that can cause the custard to curdle.
Making custard is a delicate balance of cooking the eggs just right and not with too high of a heat for too long or it changes their structure and you end up with a grainy texture instead of a smooth texture.
Use plain tap water as the thin liquid
When testing this recipe, I used plain old tap water right from the faucet. Not hot and not super cold. This makes a difference, believe it or not. Now, you can use bottled water if you prefer, just make sure it is right around room temp.
Don’t preheat your water for this recipe
I know many people start off with hot water to speed up the time to pressure. In most recipes, this does not make enough of a difference to matter. In this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Custard, it could. The time to pressure is cook time and is figured into the total pressure cook time.
So, if I use plain tap water and it takes about 7-8 minutes for my pot to come to pressure and you use hot water and it takes 4-5 minutes to come to pressure, your custard may not be cooked enough because you shaved off a few minutes of total cook time.
Don’t let the custard sit in the Ninja Foodi on keep warm longer than 7 minutes
This isn’t the kind of recipe that you let natural release longer than the 7 minutes or just leave in the Ninja Foodi on keep warm for hours. Now, if you go over the 7 minutes by a few seconds, it’s not a big deal at all. If you let the custard sit in the inner pot on keep warm for 25 minutes, you might overcook the custard.
Can I make my own Pumpkin Pie Spice blend?
Yes! If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice in your grocery store or don’t have all of the following ingredients, go ahead and make your own pumpkin pie spice blend. Here is how I made mine:
Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Do I have to use canning jars to make this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Custard?
No, you don’t have to use the canning jars, but they are so easy to use and so cute! The canning jars I’m using are 4 ounce Ball brand canning jars that you can find in many places, like Walmart, Target, and even some grocery stores carry them. You can also find them on Amazon, but I think they are a little more expensive there. Here is the Amazon link, just in case you can’t find them locally: Ball 4 ounce Quilted Jelly Jars
If you want to use another type of glass container, just make sure it has been rated for pressure cooking or there is a change it can shatter. If you want to use a silicone type of cup, you may need to adjust your time a little because silicone does not conduct heat as well as glass and it might take longer for the custard to cook.
What I recommend when using anything other than the canning jars, is test your timing with 1 or 2 of the Pumpkin Custard Cups and that way, you won’t ruin all 8 of them if your timing needs to be adjusted.
Metal or aluminum will conduct heat much faster than glass and I don’t think it will be a great choice for this recipe. If you want to try it out, consider switching the pressure to low pressure instead of high.
Since I have only tested this recipe using these 4 ounce canning jars, I cannot be more specific on times for other cooking vessels.
The time will also be very different if you choose to make this in one large dish. You will need to increase your time and possibly decrease to low pressure as well.
The idea is to balance the time and temp to get the custard cooked gently so the eggs don’t become scrambled eggs and the cream doesn’t curdle, so I really recommend using the glass jars for this reason.
How to make Pumpkin Pie Custard in the Ninja Foodi
This is so easy, my friends. So easy. If you prefer to watch me make this pumpkin pie custard, I have a step-by-step video on YouTube: Pumpkin Pie Custard Cups in the Ninja Foodi
Gather your ingredients and measure them out. I like to use a mixing bowl that has a pour spout, this makes it even easier to fill those cute little jars! The one I use is the Classic Batter Bowl from pampered chef, but you can use any mixing bowl and ladle the custard into the cups or skip the hand mixing and just use a blender.
Whisk 3 eggs with the sugar. Add pumpkin and spices. Whisk. Add vanilla extract, heavy cream, & half and half, whisk.
Pour into 8 (4 ounce) canning jars. Each jar will have about ½ cup of the liquid custard.
Place the lids on the jars and just hand tighten them.
Pour 1 cup water into the inner pot. Place the jars in the basket. You can fit 5 jars in one layer and then put the 3 jars on top of the 5 jars.
Place the pressure lid on and turn the black valve to seal. Set the Ninja Foodi to high pressure for 7 minutes.
When the 7 minutes pressure cooking is complete, allow the Ninja Foodi to naturally release the pressure for 7 minutes.
After the 7 minutes of natural release, manually release the remaining pressure.
Remove the lid and carefully remove the jars.
Allow to cool on the counter for about 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 4 hours.
Top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
Serve & Enjoy!
For more great Fall recipes, be sure to grab your copy of my new cookbook: Flavors of Fall~Ninja Foodi Cookbook by The Salted Pepper
Pumpkin Pie Custard Cups in the Ninja Foodi
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice see notes on how to make your own
- ¾ cup half and half
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Combine eggs and sugar into a medium size mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Add canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk until combined
- Add vanilla extract, half & half and heavy whipping cream. Whisk until combined. Pour mixture into 8 (4 ounce) canning jars.
- Put lids on canning jars and tighten just until hand tight. Place 1 cup of water in the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi.
- Place the jars into the basket in two layers. Put the pressure lid on and turn the black valve to seal. Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Allow to natural release for 7 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure.
- Remove jars from basket and let sit for about 15 minutes. Then, place them in the fridge to cool for 4 hours.
- Top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- Use cold ingredients
- Don't preheat the water in the inner pot
- Remove from the basket after the 7 minutes natural release
Nutrition
Eva Cross
Just made these for Thanksgiving. Can’t wait to try it! Happy Thanksgiving and thank you.😃
Louise
I hope you love them! Happy Thanksgiving!
Christy
This turned out excellent I replaced the sugar with lakanto to make this sugar free on keto friendly. I also did 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Very good indeed!!
I just tossed everything in my vitamix and mixed on low z few minutes and BAM!!
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for the tip on making this keto friendly!
Mickey
Can the custard be eaten warm, or does it need the chill time?
Louise
It can be eaten warm, but I would not eat it right away. Let it set up a little bit. I tried it warm and it was pretty good.
Patricia Deming
If I wanted to make these ahead, how many days can I keep them in the refrigerator?
Louise
If your dairy is fresh, they will last about a week or so.
Danielle
This looks amazing! However, being on weight watchers, I’m trying to find ways to decrease points/calories. Can I use 1/4 cup butter and 3/4 cup whole milk for the heavy whipping cream maybe?
Also, do you plan on creating any other desserts using the canning jars? I absolutely love the concept for the foodi! I’ve added the jars to my “cart” via Amazon already. 🙂
Thanks so much in advance! I LOVE your website and your FB groups!
Louise
I’m not sure how that would work out, I’m pretty sure butter would not produce good results though. You can try to use less whipping cream and more milk or half and half, but since I haven’t tested the recipe that way, I really can’t say what will happen. It will be a different texture for sure. Maybe even try adding a little more pumpkin puree for the volume, but I would also increase the spices a tad if you do that. If you try an alternate that is less calories, please let me know how it works out! I do have another dessert coming out in those jars on Wednesday. Not sure it is weight watchers friendly though! It’s a chocolate pot de creme which is a rich, dark chocolate pudding like dessert. It’s absolutely delicious! I love these little jars, so I’m sure you will be seeing more recipes using them.
Danielle
Well now I’ll be impatient for Wednesday to get the chocolate pot de creme!!! Ironically, the jars are supposed to arrive Wednesday. Ha!
What I decided is to make the pumpkin pie custard exactly as written. That way, I know what it’s supposed to taste like. Then I’ll see about making it a little more weight watcher friendly later. If I come up with a suitable way, I’ll for sure let you know.
Thank you so much for responding so quickly and for all you do! I can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Bobette Larsen
Really look good Louise.
Louise
Thank you!
Debra
Hi Louise, I would like to make this pumpkin custard in an 8 qt. Ninja Foodi and I was wondering if 1 cup of water was enough to cook under pressure or should I use 2 cups water? Is the lid reusable, being you are not canning the custard? And my last question isn’t about this recipe but I was wondering if you have ever made egg custard in the Ninja Foodi? I was going to try it, but was wondering about cooking times and release? Thank you
Louise
Good Questions! I think I would use 1 1/2 cups of water and hopefully that will create the same time to pressure. The lids are reusable, the outer rings can be reused even with canning. Since we aren’t canning anything and don’t care about the sealing function, you can reuse them, but I wouldn’t use them for this recipe and then use them for a canning recipe. I’m not an expert on custards, but this one is pretty similar to an egg custard. The timing would really depend on the size container you want to cook it in. If you were going to use these little canning jars, I would try just cooking 2 of them with the same timing as in this recipe and then decide if you need to make adjustments.