Bourbon pumpkin tart: Full of warmth from the spices and the pastry crust is buttery and flaky, way better than any regular soggy pumpkin pie crust.
Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Streusel Topping

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin and as my turn to choose for Project Pastry Queen approached this time around, I was stoked to see that my recipe would fall smack in the middle of October.

It’s never easy to choose from this book but this bourbon pumpkin tart jumped out at me as something homey and comforting but a little different at the same time.

Buuut, I’ve said before that I’m not a fan of pumpkin pie so I’m always on the hunt for alternative desserts to take the place of the traditional on the Thanksgiving table.

Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Streusel Topping

A Pumpkin Pie Like No Other

And just like those pumpkin mousse parfaits were a lovely change last year, this bourbon pumpkin tart is really something special.

The funny thing is, the texture of this tart is sort of like a pumpkin pie but the tart as a whole is full of warmth from the spices and the pastry crust is buttery and flaky.

It’s waaaay better than any soggy pumpkin pie crust I’ve ever eaten!

If you’re concerned about the bourbon, don’t be.  It’s a barely-there flavor that seems to flutter just under the spices, rounding out and making this tart a little more “mature.”

bourbon pumpkin tart with streusel topping

I did make the full batter recipe also but reserved the other half to make mini-tarts later in the week to bring to work.  I also [obviously] opted out of the streusel topping and went with a traditional whipped cream instead.

A pretty piping job with some regular ol’ whipped cream can transform a ho-hum dessert to an over-the-top one – wouldn’t this tart look great on the Thanksgiving dessert table? I certainly think so!

This bourbon pumpkin tart has been one of the most popular recipes every holiday season since I first shared it back in 2011. I know you’ll love it as much as we do!

Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Streusel Topping

  • Prep Time: 30min (active) + 1hr to chill
  • Cook Time: 40-50min
  • Yield: 10-12 servings

Notes

I used half of the dough but I made a full filling recipe so that I could use my lonely and underused rectangular tart pan and I baked the tart on a baking sheet for 35 minutes.

Ingredients

1 unbaked tart crust, lemon omitted

For the pumpkin filling:
1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup firmly packed, dark-brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup bourbon

For the streusel topping:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed, dark-brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter

Instructions

  • 01

    Line a 10-inch tart pan with the tart dough. Preheat oven to 350° F.

     

  • 02

    To make the filling: Spoon the pumpkin into a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Add both sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and flour; whisk vigorously about 30 seconds. Whisk in the cream and bourbon.

  • 03

    To make the topping: Combine the flour, both sugars, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Pulse 3 to 5 times, until the mixture is crumbly.

  • 04

    To assemble and bake: Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared tart crust. Spoon the streusel topping evenly over the pumpkin mixture. (Don’t worry, it won’t fall to the bottom of the tart.)

  • 05

    Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set. Let the tart cool at least 1 hour before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

You Might Also Like:

Leave a Comment

  • October 16, 2011 at 6:28 AM

    Beautiful Pumpkin Tart! The addition of bourbon makes it extra special. Thanks.

  • October 16, 2011 at 8:07 AM

    Oh wow this looks amazing!!

  • October 16, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    That is gorgeous and the recipe sounds divine. Question: how did you remove it from that tart tin without it breaking? Does it have a removable bottom? It looks just perfect! Thank you for sharing the recipe. This is going on my Thanksgiving menu for sure.

  • October 16, 2011 at 7:40 PM

    Mmmm this sounds lovely! Can’t wait to try!

  • October 16, 2011 at 10:13 PM

    Mmmmm I love the sound of this, and the touch of bourbon. A treat indeed!

  • October 16, 2011 at 11:35 PM

    I didn’t get a chance to make it this week – now I’m regetting it. Yours looks fantastic – I love the long tart tin pan!

  • October 17, 2011 at 12:52 AM

    I never thought to make a pumpkin pie in a tart pan, it’s beautiful, I’m going to have to try it!

  • October 17, 2011 at 6:25 AM

    This is gorgeous and it sounds amazing!

  • October 17, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    I love your tart pan! (And the tart too of course)

  • October 17, 2011 at 11:21 AM

    Tara, this is GORGEOUS! I was out of town when I made this and now I’m wishing I’d saved it for when I got back home so I might have made mine half as pretty as yours!

    • October 18, 2011 at 2:15 PM

      –my dad often calls me to make a comment on how he likes an write up I did for a recipe on my blog or that he is looking forward to trying a recipe…but yesterday he called to say how beautiful your tart was!

  • October 18, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    Heck YES!!!!! Oh my goodness this looks to-die-for!!!

  • October 18, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    Gorgeous, Tara! As usual 🙂

  • October 18, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    These photos of foods that are on my favorite flavors mind, are just superb! I can just about taste the cinnamon-y, creamy pumpkin! YUM!!

  • October 21, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    Bourbon & Pumpkin, my two FAVORITE things!

  • October 21, 2011 at 8:29 PM

    Tara, this is SO beautiful! I love it.

  • November 3, 2011 at 11:12 PM

    Beautiful pictures! I also don’t like pumpkin pie – but a tart I can go for 🙂

    What kind of tip did you use to pipe the whipped cream?

  • September 16, 2014 at 10:56 AM

    The texture of the tart compared to a pumpkin pie is similar but this recipe is more richly spiced that regular pumpkin pie. I can’t explain what the bourbon makes it taste like except that it adds a subtle flavor of bourbon. Feel free to omit the bourbon and add a couple tsp of vanilla extract and 3 extra tablespoons of heavy cream, although, I’m sure the tart will be moist enough without the extra heavy cream. Hope you enjoy it!

  • October 24, 2014 at 10:47 AM

    Chicago Metallic makes one. Sometimes it’s called a quiche pan – same thing though. You want one with a removable bottom. Have you checked Amazon? I just looked and a whole page of tart pans comes up.

  • November 4, 2014 at 11:36 AM

    A 10″ pie pan can be substituted. Otherwise, a 9″ or 11″ tart pan (or pie pan) can be substituted. Sometimes the 10″ is sold as 10 1/4 inches or 10 1/2 inches but they are all basically the same size. Hope this helps!

  • Sue
    November 19, 2017 at 10:09 AM

    For the crust — I don’t have a mixer with a paddle attachment- what do you recommend to do or use? Can’t seem to pull the trigger on a $250 mixer

    • Tara
      November 19, 2017 at 10:24 AM

      Hi Sue! If you have a hand mixer you could use that in place of the stand mixer. You could also easily make the crust by hand: combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or 2 knives. The latter will take a little longer but it should work fine. Hope you love this and Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Sue
    November 19, 2017 at 10:51 AM

    Thanks! 🙏🏻 Also how much butter for strussel topping?

    • Tara
      November 21, 2017 at 11:59 AM

      Ack! So sorry the butter was missing from the streusel recipe. It’s 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter. I just amended the ingredient list. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Sue!

  • Jeannie Malone
    October 11, 2020 at 11:17 PM

    Hi, your pumpkin tart looks amazing. I also like your all butter pie crust. In the instructions in number 4 you say to pour the pumpkin mix into the prepared tart crust. Do you prepare the crust before pouring the pumpkin mixture in? If so, please include info. I would like to make this for the upcoming holiday seasons. Thx for sharing. All the best.

  • Share Smithwick
    November 27, 2020 at 10:51 AM

    Holy hell, this is fricking good even with my mistake of putting the zested lemon in the crust for this pumpkin tart. thank you, thank you

    • Tara
      December 11, 2020 at 6:25 PM

      LOL! So great to hear!! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!