Smooth and luxurious, this French classic is a simple but elegant dessert that is sure to impress! This vanilla bean crème brûlée recipe takes only four common ingredients, and is far easier to make than you might imagine.
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Why You Will Love this Recipe
Classic crème brûlée is creamy and light, with just the right amount of sweetness. It is an elegant, impressive dessert that makes people and occasions feel special, and it is perfect for celebrating life's little moments.
It can also be as intimidating as heck! I avoided making crème brûlée for a very long time because I imagined its luxurious, velvety texture and bruléed top to be too complex a feat for a self-taught cook like me. Boy, was I wrong!
In practice, I found crème brûlée to be surprisingly easy to make; definitely less intimidating than flan with its flipping over step. (Plus, you get to use a kitchen torch! How cool it that‽) Add to that, crème brûlée takes only four common ingredients - cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla - and very little hands-on time.
One of the practical points we love about this crème brûlée recipe is that it can be made well ahead of time. In fact, it should be made at least 4 hours ahead of time so that the custard has time to fully set as it chills. You can even make it up to two days ahead of time, and then torch the tops right before you are ready to serve it!
What Goes into this Recipe
Crème Brûlée requires just four simple (but non-negotiable) ingredients: heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Heavy cream: We find that the results are better when using heavy whipping cream, versus regular whipping cream. (Heavy cream is higher in fat.)
★ Egg yolks: Use large egg yolks. If you are using different size eggs, you need about ½ cup of egg yolks total.
★ Sugar: Use granulated white sugar. Castor sugar will also work.
★ Vanilla: We usually use a vanilla bean as detailed in this recipe; however, you can substitute vanilla extract; or better yet, vanilla bean paste.
How to Make Crème Brûlée
Preheat oven to 300°F | 150°C.
Prepare the Vanilla Cream
In a small saucepan, whisk (almost) constantly and bring cream to barely a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat immediately when you begin to see bubbles forming around the sides of the pan.
Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds.
Whisk the vanilla bean seeds and vanilla shell to the warm cream. Let vanilla beans stand in cream for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Custard
Bring a teakettle or large saucepan of water to a boil.
Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale yellow and thick. Pour the vanilla and cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk thoroughly to combine.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the custard mixture. (I do this twice.)
Blend strained mixture with a whisk one more time. (There will still be tiny vanilla seeds in the mixture. They are supposed to be there.)
Bake the Custard
Place a paper towel on the bottom of a large baking pan. This keeps the ramekins from slipping. The pan needs to be large enough to hold four 6-ounce ramekins.
Set the ramekins on the paper towel. Fill each ramekin with equal amounts of the custard mixture.
Carefully place the pan on the oven rack, and then pour about one inch of very hot tap water into the pan around the ramekins. The water should come about halfway up sides of the ramekins, but no more. Avoid splashing or sloshing water into the custard mixture at all costs.
Bake 25-35 minutes, depending on the depth of your ramekins. Custards should appear set around the edges but slightly loose in the center.
Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door, and allow custard to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Transfer ramekins to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill completely.
Brulée Time!
When custards are completely chilled, sprinkle the top evenly with granulated sugar.
Using a kitchen torch, carefully brown the top to caramelize the sugar. Distributing the sugar one thin layer at a time will yield better results than putting it all on at once.
FAQs & Expert Tips
How to Torch Crème Brûlée
When custards are completely cool, sprinkle the top evenly with granulated sugar.
In my experience, distributing the sugar one thin layer at a time will yield better results than putting it all on at once.
Using a kitchen torch, carefully brown the top to caramelize the sugar. Keep the torch constantly moving to avoid scorching or burning sugar.
Tip: We purchased our kitchen torch on Amazon for less than $20.
Crème brûlée claims a noble European lineage: The earliest known reference to Crème Brûlée as it is known today appeared over 400 years ago in a 1691 cookbook by François Massialot. Massialot was a French chef who served such renowned notables as Philippe I, brother of Louis XIV and Duke of Orleans and later his son, Philippe II, (also) Duke of Orleans.
More Custardy Recipes
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Classic Vanilla Bean Creme Brulée
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 whole vanilla bean
- 6 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar plus more for caramelized topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F | 150°C.
Prepare the Vanilla Cream:
- In a small saucepan, whisk (almost) constantly and bring cream to barely a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat immediately when you begin to see bubbles forming around the sides of the pan.
Prepare the Custard
- Bring a teakettle or large saucepan of water to a boil.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the custard mixture. (I do this twice.)
- Blend strained mixture with a whisk one more time. (There will still be tiny vanilla seeds in the mixture. They are supposed to be there.)
Bake the Custard
- Place a paper towel on the bottom of a large baking pan. This keeps the ramekins from slipping. (The pan needs to be large enough to hold four ramekins.)
- Set the ramekins on the paper towel. Fill each ramekin with equal amounts of the custard mixture.
- Pour about one inch of water into the pan. It should come about halfway up the ramekins, but no more. You don’t want water to splash into your custard mixture.
- Bake about 25-35 minutes, depending on the depth of your ramekins. Custards should appear set around the edges but slightly loose in the center.
- Turn off the oven, open the oven door, and allow custard to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to cool completely.
Brulée Time!
- When custards are completely cool, sprinkle the top evenly with granulated sugar.
- Using a kitchen torch, carefully brown the top to caramelize the sugar. Distributing the sugar one thin layer at a time will yield better results than putting it all on at once.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Rian Draper says
You can also use a food safe blow torch 🙂
Renée says
I'm not sure what the "also" refers to: that is precisely what a kitchen torch is - a food safe blow-torch.
heather @french press says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE creme brulee, and I am with you on the flan - I hate having to flip a dessert
Lila Rose says
You are awesome, precious daughter. Every day, you amaze me more. This is such an easy recipe, I think I can do it.
Bianca says
That looks extremely easy and so delicious !! Thanks for sharing
Brenda says
I so want my own mini blow torch for creme brûlée! It's one of my absolute favorite desserts. Yours look great!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
Absolutely love cream brulee. I have a small kitchen torch but thought I needed more so I bought a small home one. I was wrong and now see why the kitchen one is a good idea. 🙂
Charlene Asay says
I have always wanted to make Creme Brulee. I need to get myself a torch!
Jaime says
Oh wow, that looks delicious!
Aubrie LeGault says
Oh my- Creme Brulee is one of my all time favorite desserts. Thanks for the easier recipe. (Where did you get your torch?)
Renée ♥ says
I got mine on Amazon for less than $20 during a flash sale. There's a note at the end of the post with a link.