Ready to embrace fall with all things pumpkin? I've got to admit that I roll my eyes whenever the pumpkin craze gets going, but the minute I get a taste of some squashy goodness like these Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Custards every crumb of my skepticism disappears.

Each individual serving is a lightly sweetened treat with autumn flavor written all over it. Pumpkin and chai spices blend perfectly for a creamy, dreamy custard. Plus, they're paleo, gluten free, and vegetarian!

Paleo Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Custards | DoYouEvenPaleo.net

I'm wholeheartedly a squash addict. When I was growing up, my mom and I were the only two in a household of five that liked squash at all. Once or twice each fall, my mom would bring home squash—acorn, kabocha, or buttercup—and we'd slice it in half, bake it, and dig in. Just the two of us!

Gluten Free Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Custards | DoYouEvenPaleo.net

Fast forward to when I was older and realized that pumpkins are a type of squash.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out why people who adore pumpkin won't try any other squashes. But that's an argument for another day, I think!

Turns out, there is a reason pumpkin is so popular. These little custards are a great example. Single serving, creamy smooth custards carefully spiced with a homemade chai blend. One taste of pumpkin custard, and you won't waste your time with pie on Thanksgiving.

The term "custard" may scare you, but please don't turn away! Custards are remarkably simpler than you might expect. I'd even wager that custard is easier than pie...because at least with these custards, you don't have to worry about pie dough at all!

To really pump up these dairy free custards, I topped them with a simple spiced streusel. You can get it ready to go while the custards are baking. Then just slide it into the oven for a quick toast while the custards cool. Easy does it!

Of course, you can use a myriad of other toppings. Coconut whipped cream, a simple dusting of cinnamon, a sprinkle of maple sugar. Customize it to fit your tastes!

Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Custards

📖 Recipe

Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Custards

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Author: Chelsea at Do You Even Paleo
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: baked

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Ingredients

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For the Custard

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ + ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup pure maple syrup
3 large eggs

For the Streusel Topping

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, finely chopped
¼ cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
½ teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon ghee or butter, melted
1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare 6 medium 4oz ramekins or 8 smaller ramekins by placing them in a cake pan or casserole dish. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, coconut milk, maple syrup, and egg, mixing well.
Spoon (or pour using a spouted measuring cup) custard mixture into each ramekin, filling about ¾ full. Pour hot water into the baking pan (not into the ramekins!) until it ¾ the height of the ramekin. The hot water bath helps the custard to bake evenly, so you don’t end up with uneven custard.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until filling is set. To know if the custard is set, gently shake the pan. If the outsides of each custard does not move but the middles jiggle slightly, it is ready to come out!
Combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl, mixing well to combine. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until dry.
Sprinkle the tops of each custard liberally with streusel. Can serve warm or cold. The prepared custards will keep up to a week in the fridge.