Creme Brulee Recipe

Use just 5 basic pantry staples to make this creme brulee recipe. This recipe is a guaranteed crowd pleaser that looks impressive, fancy but yet simple to prepare.

This recipe is easier than you think. It gives you rich, silky, and creamy custard with crackly top every single time.

It is a perfect French dessert to serve at special occasions or just to satisfy your sweet tooth. You neither require fancy ingredients nor extraordinary tools. Just household stuff will be enough.

Try another French classic, madeleines.

Why will you love this creme brulee recipe?

1. Extremely easy to prepare (i.e. completely beginner friendly).
2. Uses basic ingredients like eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar. 
3. Enough for 2 and can easily doubled or tripled the recipe.
4. Creamy, silky, and mouthwatering.
5. Make-ahead dessert.
6. Can be prepared without a torch.

How do you make a creme brulee recipe? 

Here’s a little glimpse at what you’ll be doing—don’t worry, it’s much easier than it sounds!

Creme brulee ingredients

Heavy cream – This is our main ingredient, the base of our recipe. It gives the smooth, creamy, silky texture to our creme brulee. Use heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, or double cream, they are all the same, but do not replace it with half and half or milk.

Sugar – This adds sweetness to our custard. And also helps to create that crackly top.

Egg yolks – This will thicken the custard. Make sure to remove the egg yolk without any egg white. Use that egg white to prepare meringue or use it to make swiss meringue buttercream,

Vanilla extract – Vanilla is the star in our recipe. Use pure vanilla extract for that rich, deep vanilla flavor. If you have vanilla bean paste, great!

Salt – Just a small pinch to balance the sweetness.

Any substitutes?

Sugar – Replace sugar with the exact quantity of monk fruit sweetener or any other sweetener that can be replaced in a 1:1 quantity.

Tools needed

1. Measuring spoons / measuring cups – to measure ingredients.
2. Weighing scale – to precisely measure ingredients.
3. Saucepan – to heat the heavy cream.
4. Mixing bowl – To prepare the custard base.
5. Hand beater – to whisk the egg yolk and sugar mixture.
6. Whisk – to mix the custard base.
7. Strainer – to sieve the custard mixture.
8. Ramekin bowls – to bake the custard.
9. 9-inch round pan – for water bath.
10. Torch – to create the crackly, caramelized top.

Creme brulee (step-by-step) recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F or 160°C. And place the ramekin bowls in a 9-inch baking pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, add egg yolks and sugar. Beat until it is light, pale, and thickened a bit.

3. Add vanilla extract, salt, and beat again for a few minutes. Keep aside.

4. In a saucepan, add heavy whipping cream.

5. Heat over low to medium heat until you see tiny bubbles around the edges. Take off from the heat immediately.

6. Slowly pour half portion of this warm cream over the egg yolk and sugar mixture while mixing continuously. This will warm the eggs without scrambling it.

7. Add the rest of the cream and whisk again.

8. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer in a jar with a spout. This ensures the removal of any cooked egg bites and the creamy mixture.

9. Evenly distribute the custard in 2 ramekin bowls. Slowly add hot water from the sides so that it covers halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

10. Bake this in a preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. You should see that the custard is set from the edges and wobbly in the center. Don’t worry. It will firm up while chilling.

11. Take it out and let it cool at room temperature.

12. Once cooled down, cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

13. Take it out and remove the plastic wrap.

14. Add a very thin layer of caster sugar on the top.

15. Use the kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until it bubbles and turns golden brown. If you don’t have a torch, you can pop them under a broiler for a couple of minutes.

16. Wait for a minute or two so that the top part is cooled down and hardened. Garnish with berries and enjoy.

How to serve? 

I have tried to serve it 2 ways and here are they.

1. Plain – Serve it plain. I.e. just after caramelization.
2. Add toppings – Add a raspberry or blueberry on top and sprinkle some powdered sugar.

Watch me making it (video)

Storing and freezing instructions for the creme brulee recipe 

The best part about this dessert is that you can make it ahead and refrigerate or freeze it. But, store without the caramelized sugar. If you store it with a crackly top, it will soften up with the moisture from custard and will lose its charm.

Storing instructions

Once the creme brûlées are baked and cooled down to room temperature, cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Freezing instructions

Once it is completely cooled down, cover the ramekin with a plastic layer followed by aluminum foil. Do not forget to mention the date so you know by when you need to finish it. They stay ok for up to 1 month.

Thawing instructions

Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator. I do not recommend thawing it on the kitchen counter directly as it will impact its creamy texture.

In short,

Variations

The beauty of this recipe is, it is highly customizable. Here are some of the variations I recommend in the basic recipe.

1. Coconut creme brulee – Swap the heavy cream with a mixture of heavy cream and coconut milk (50-50) and rest all remains the same.
2. Chocolate creme brulee – Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of chopped chocolate while heating the cream. Make sure it is completely melted with mixed with the cream. The rest of the steps stay the same.
3. Coffee creme brulee – Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder while heating the cream. Make sure it is completely mixed with the cream. The rest of the steps stay the same.

Secret tips to make the creme brulee recipe

1. Do not boil the cream – Heat the cream on low to medium heat until you start to see tiny bubbles from the sides of the pan. Take it out immediately and do not heat it further. Please follow my video tutorial to understand what I meant.
2. Be patient with egg tempering – Add the warm cream to the egg yolks gently, whisking constantly. This prevents the eggs from scrambling and maintains your custard silky and smooth.
3. Strain the mixture – Even though after slowly tempering the eggs, there is a slight possibility of tiny pieces of cooked eggs. Use a strainer to remove such pieces and create a smooth, silky custard.
4. Torch just before serving – I would highly recommend torching the creme brulee just before serving. If you do it too early, the sugar can melt into the custard and lose that signature crackly top.

FAQs

If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop a comment below, and I will be happy to answer them. 

Want to try some other pudding recipes? 

1. Creamy flan recipe.
2. Homemade chocolate pudding.
3. Air fryer bread pudding.

Did you like it?

I would love to hear what you think about this French dessert, creme brulee. Did you make the classic version or swapped some ingredients to create a different variation?

Drop a comment below when you try it and let me know how it turned out for you.

Do not forget to tag me @dessertkatta or use the hashtag #dessertkatta or #dessertkattarecipes if you post this recipe on Instagram.

Recipe card

Print Recipe

Creme Brulee Recipe

Author: Sayali Bhave Courses: Pudding Recipe Keys: Cold Dairy Nut Free

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 40 mins Rest Time 2 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 50 mins

Cooking Temp: 325  F Servings: 2

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Description

Make this creme brulee without any pastry chef skills. Just follow the recipe step by step and create this masterpiece in no time.

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 cup (240 ml) Heavy Cream
• ¹⁄₁₆ tsp salt
• ¹⁄₂ tsp (2.5 ml) Vanilla Extract
• ¹⁄₄ cup (50 gms + 10 gms) Granulated White Sugar, plus extra for topping*
• 2 Large Egg Yolks

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F or 160°C. And place the ramekin bowls in a 9-inch baking pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, add egg yolks and sugar. Beat until it is light, pale, and thickened a bit.
3. Add vanilla extract, and beat again for a few minutes. Keep aside.
4. In a saucepan, add heavy whipping cream and salt.
5. Heat over low to medium heat until you see tiny bubbles around the edges. Take off from the heat immediately.
6. Slowly pour half portion of this warm cream over the egg yolk and sugar mixture while mixing continuously. This will warm the eggs without scrambling it.
7. Add the rest of the cream and whisk again.
8. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer in a jar with a spout. This ensures the removal of any cooked egg bites and the creamy mixture.
9. Evenly distribute the custard in 2 ramekin bowls. Slowly add hot water from the sides so that it covers halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
10. Bake this in a preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. You should see that the custard is set from the edges and wobbly in the center. Don't worry. It will firm up while chilling.
11. Take it out and let it cool at room temperature.
12. Once cooled down, cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
13. Take it out and remove the plastic wrap.
14. Add a very thin layer of caster sugar on the top.
15. Use the kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until it bubbles and turns golden brown. If you don’t have a torch, you can pop them under a broiler for a couple of minutes.
16. Wait for a minute or two so that the top part is cooled down and hardened. Serve and enjoy.

Keywords: creme brulee, creme brulee recipe, dessert katta, dessertkatta recipes