If you thought crème brûlée was just for fancy restaurants, think again! Enjoy this creamy custard with a caramelized sugar topping anytime at home with this easy-to-follow recipe. You’ll love the satisfying crunch of the caramelized sugar and the perfectly smooth texture of the vanilla bean custard. All you need is a few ramekins and a kitchen torch to bring the restaurant to your dining room!
I love how simple ingredients combine to make this elevated and comforting custard. Heavy cream is simmered with a whole vanilla bean to infuse the vanilla flavor into the cream. Eggs, cream, and sugar are whisked together before the cream mixture is added to complete the custard. Sprinkle the baked custard with sugar and caramelize using a kitchen torch for a truly stunning and special dessert! For more classic French desserts, try my palmiers recipe, French macarons, or mille feuille.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Heavy Cream – I recommend using heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for a rich and creamy custard that rivals any restaurant crème brulee. Using milk or lighter cream will compromise the flavor and texture.
Vanilla Bean – using a whole vanilla bean for this recipe will offer the most flavor. To maximize the vanilla flavor and for the distinct vanilla bean specks, use the tip of a sharp knife to split the bean in half and then scrape every tasty bit of the seeds from the inside. If you can’t find a vanilla bean, substitute 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
Egg Yolks – the yolks are the key ingredient for a custard that sets up and is silky smooth. If you prefer not to discard the egg whites, you can use them to make angel food cake or angel food cake cupcakes, or you can freeze them for later use.
How to Make Crème Brûlée
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Add the cream to a small saucepan.
2. Add the vanilla bean and seeds to the cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a large bowl.
4. Whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt.
5. Strain the cream through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard any solids and the vanilla bean pod.
6. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve and discard any solids caught by the sieve.
7. Place 6 (6-ounce) shallow ramekins in a large baking dish or roasting pan and divide the custard among them. Very carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard edges are set, but the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the hot water bath, then chill for several hours.
8. When ready to serve, sprinkle sugar evenly over the top of each chilled custard, about 1 to 1½ teaspoons each. Using a blow torch, caramelize the sugar until dark amber and bubbling. Serve immediately.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use a mesh sieve for the smoothest custard. Strain the vanilla bean and cream mixture before adding the cream to the eggs. Strain the custard mixture before transferring it to the ramekins and discard the vanilla pod. These two straining steps will result in the smoothest velvet-like custard.
- Add the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture slowly. For a creamy and smooth custard, temper the egg yolks slowly by adding the hot heavy cream mixture a little at a time while whisking continuously. If you pour the cream in too quickly you will risk scrambling the egg yolks.
- Transfer the custard to a measuring cup with a spout. Use a large measuring cup or a medium bowl with a spout to easily pour the custard into the ramekins for baking. This will prevent spilling and assist with evenly distributing the custard.
- Use 6-ounce ramekins. This recipe works best with 6-ounce ramekins. If you use larger or smaller ramekins, adjust the cooking time and cook until the edges are set but the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. If you use a shallow ramekin, you’ll have more surface area for the sugar topping, but be sure to reduce the baking time.
- Add the boiling water slowly. Slowly and carefully pour the boiling water into the baking dish until it comes halfway up the side of the ramekins. Be careful not to splash any water into the custard. This water bath is essential to a creamy, smooth creme brulee, so don’t skip it.
- Alternate water bath option. Typically, you pour the hot water into the baking dish after the filled ramekins are already placed in it. If you find this difficult, or your baking dish is a tight fit with the ramekins, you can fill the dish first with enough water to cover the bottom by ½ inch, then add the empty ramekins, and fill with custard.
- Keep the kitchen torch moving to evenly caramelize the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar in an even layer atop the custard and make sure it completely covers the custard and touches the sides of the ramekins. Keep the torch moving to evenly caramelize the sugar and prevent the sugar from burning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Set custard can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Allow the custard to cool at room temperature for several minutes, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Top with sugar and torch to a carmelized finish just before serving. If there is moisture on the top of the custard after storing, use a paper towel to blot the top dry before adding the sugar.
Crème Brûlée is a satisfying finish to a holiday meal of roasted duck or honey baked ham. Delicately place a few fresh berries or sugared cranberries on top of the caramelized sugar for an edible garnish with a pop of color. Make funfetti cookies or monster cookies for the kids to enjoy while adults savor creme brûlée while sipping Irish coffee.
You can use your oven broiler to caramelize the sugar if you don’t have a kitchen torch. Top the custard with sugar and then broil for 1-2 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the crème brûlée as it broils to avoid burning.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this crème brûlée recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Creme Brûlée
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream (720mL)
- 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus more for topping (100g)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream and vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard any solids and the vanilla bean pod.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve and discard any solids caught by the sieve.
- Place 6 (6-ounce) ramekins in a large baking dish and divide the custard among them. Very carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (Go slow and take care not to splash water into the custard. See notes for an alternative method.)
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard edges are set, but the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the water bath. Remove the ramekins from the water and chill for several hours. The custards can also be loosely covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days before topping and serving.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle sugar evenly over the top of each chilled custard (about 1 to 1½ teaspoons each). Using a blow torch, caramelize the sugar until dark amber and bubbling. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a mesh sieve for the smoothest custard. Strain the vanilla bean and cream mixture before adding the cream to the eggs. Strain the custard mixture before transferring it to the ramekins and discard the vanilla pod. These two straining steps will result in the smoothest velvet-like custard.
- Add the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture slowly. For a creamy and smooth custard, temper the egg yolks slowly by adding the hot heavy cream mixture a little at a time while whisking continuously. If you pour the cream in too quickly you will risk scrambling the egg yolks.
- Transfer the custard to a measuring cup with a spout. Use a large measuring cup or a medium bowl with a spout to easily pour the custard into the ramekins for baking. This will prevent spilling and assist with evenly distributing the custard.
- Use 6-ounce ramekins. This recipe works best with 6-ounce ramekins. If you use larger or smaller ramekins, adjust the cooking time and cook until the edges are set but the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. If you use a shallow ramekin, you’ll have more surface area for the sugar topping, but be sure to reduce the baking time.
- Add the boiling water slowly. Slowly and carefully pour the boiling water into the baking dish until it comes halfway up the side of the ramekins. Be careful not to splash any water into the custard. This water bath is essential to a creamy, smooth creme brulee, so don’t skip it.
- Alternate water bath option. Typically, you pour the hot water into the baking dish after the filled ramekins are already placed in it. If you find this difficult, or your baking dish is a tight fit with the ramekins, you can fill the dish first with enough water to cover the bottom by ½ inch, then add the empty ramekins, and fill with custard.
- Keep the kitchen torch moving to evenly caramelize the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar in an even layer atop the custard and make sure it completely covers the custard and touches the sides of the ramekins. Keep the torch moving to evenly caramelize the sugar and prevent the sugar from burning.
