• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Good Hearted Woman logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Cooking Basics
    • Condiments
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Sourdough
    • Snacks
    • Sweets
    • 30-Minute Meals
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts & Crafts
    • For Music Lovers
    • Food Holidays
  • US Travel
    • One Day in...
    • Pacific
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Southwest
    • The South
    • Hikes Near & Far
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cozy Living
  • Road Trips
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cozy Living
    • Road Trips
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Sweets

    Classic Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée

    April 30, 2015 • Updated: September 15, 2022 • by Renée B. • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Three ramekins of creme brulee resing on a rustic Russian painted serving tray. Pin text reads: Classic Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee | Easy step-by-step

    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.

    Three ramekins of creme brulee; one with the top cracked and a spoonful resting on top.
    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love this Recipe
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make Crème Brûlée
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • More Custardy Recipes
    • Classic Vanilla Bean Creme Brulée

    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.

    Split vanilla bean with a small knife. Vanilla bean seeds are scraped onto the end of the knife.

    Whisk the vanilla bean seeds and vanilla shell to the warm cream. Let vanilla beans stand in cream for 30 minutes.

    Warm cream in a saucepan, with a split vanilla bean floating on top.

    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.

    3-panel collage illustrating eggs and sugar being whisked.

    Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the custard mixture. (I do this twice.)

    Two bowls: one empty with remnants of custard in bottom, the other with a small strainer resting above a bowl of strained custard.

    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.

    Four ramekins filled with custard mixture, read to bake.

    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.

    Single ramekin of creme brulee, with the top cracked and a small spoon of custard resting on top.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    How to Torch Crème Brûlée

    When custards are completely cool, sprinkle the top evenly with granulated sugar.

    Close up of a kit chen torch, with a ramekin of creme brulee in the background.

    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.

    Collage: Ramekin with cooked custard, covered with a thin layer of white sugar. 2nd panel shows light coat of bruléed sugar.
    Add 1st layer of sugar and caramelize.
    Collage: 1st panel shows bruleed custard with another thin layer of white sugar on top. 2nd panel shows sugar after torching.
    Repeat with additional layers of sugar until you achieve the results you want.

    Tip: We purchased our kitchen torch on Amazon for less than $20.

    What is the history of crème brûlée?

    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.

    Three ramekins in a row.

    More Custardy Recipes

    • Easy Caramel Flan
    • Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Dairy-free)
    • Fresh Peach Custard Tart
    • Bread Pudding Muffins

    For more recipes and cozy living tips, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all of the latest updates.

    Three ramekins of creme brulee; one with the top cracked and a spoonful resting on top.
    5 from 1 vote

    Classic Vanilla Bean Creme Brulée

    Classic crème brûlée is surprisingly easy to make - and less intimidating than flan with its scary flipping over step. Plus, you get to play with fire!
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Dessert, Sweets
    Cuisine: French
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Prep Time:25 minutes
    Cook Time:35 minutes
    Cooling Time:3 hours
    Total Time:4 hours
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 382kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 Kitchen Torch
    • 4 6 ounce ramekins

    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.
    • Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the warm cream, then add the vanilla bean pieces. 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 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

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.6g | Protein: 5.3g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16.3g | Cholesterol: 397mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 73mg | Sugar: 25.2g | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
    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.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    More Desserts & Sweets

    • Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
    • Cinnamon Roll Wreath (Danish Pastry Ring)
    • Orange Tea Ring (Danish Wreath)
    • Triple Ginger Pumpkin Pie
    882 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Flipboard

    About Renée B.

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Rian Draper says

      July 26, 2020 at 6:36 pm

      You can also use a food safe blow torch 🙂

      Reply
      • Renée says

        July 26, 2020 at 8:29 pm

        I'm not sure what the "also" refers to: that is precisely what a kitchen torch is - a food safe blow-torch.

        Reply
    2. heather @french press says

      January 26, 2016 at 7:08 am

      I LOVE LOVE LOVE creme brulee, and I am with you on the flan - I hate having to flip a dessert

      Reply
    3. Lila Rose says

      April 30, 2015 at 10:31 pm

      5 stars
      You are awesome, precious daughter. Every day, you amaze me more. This is such an easy recipe, I think I can do it.

      Reply
    4. Bianca says

      April 30, 2015 at 10:31 pm

      That looks extremely easy and so delicious !! Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    5. Brenda says

      April 30, 2015 at 12:45 pm

      I so want my own mini blow torch for creme brûlée! It's one of my absolute favorite desserts. Yours look great!

      Reply
    6. Barbara | Creative Culinary says

      April 30, 2015 at 12:07 pm

      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. 🙂

      Reply
    7. Charlene Asay says

      April 30, 2015 at 11:56 am

      I have always wanted to make Creme Brulee. I need to get myself a torch!

      Reply
    8. Jaime says

      April 30, 2015 at 11:28 am

      Oh wow, that looks delicious!

      Reply
    9. Aubrie LeGault says

      April 30, 2015 at 10:10 am

      Oh my- Creme Brulee is one of my all time favorite desserts. Thanks for the easier recipe. (Where did you get your torch?)

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        April 30, 2015 at 10:16 am

        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.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Adorable middle-aged couple in forest setting. (i.e., Me & Mr B)

    Join me & Mr B for the best in home cooking and cozy living - from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and beyond.

    More about us →

    Follow Us

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    fresh recipes

    • Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
    • Classic Hot Buttered Rum
    • Cinnamon Roll Wreath (Danish Pastry Ring)
    • Orange Tea Ring (Danish Wreath)
    • Team Colors 7 Layer Dip
    • Orange Spiced Cranberry Sauce

    game day eats

    • Team Colors 7 Layer Dip
    • Crispy Sauerkraut Fritters (Easy Air Fryer Recipe)
    • 20 Best Game Day Food Ideas
    • Sweet & Spicy Grilled Buffalo Wings
    • Cool Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip
    • Roasted Garlic Spinach Artichoke Dip

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Meet Me & Mr B

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 The Good Hearted Woman. All rights reserved.

    882 shares
    882 shares
    We Value Your Privacy
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}