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Crème Brûlée Recipe
4.7 from 69 votes

Crème Brûlée Recipe

Crème Brûlée is a classic rich custard dessert made from heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, topped with a caramelized sugar crust. This recipe uses a vanilla bean to infuse flavor and the custard is baked gently in a water bath to achieve a smooth, creamy texture. A final sprinkle of turbinado sugar is caramelized with a kitchen torch or broiler to create a crisp sugary topping that contrasts with the soft custard beneath.

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Additional Time
6 hrs 55 mins
Total Time
8 hrs 55 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 579 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • 4 cups heavy cream chilled
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 vanilla bean halved lengthwise
  • 12 egg yolk
  • 8-12 teaspoons turbinado sugar or Demerara sugar
Special Equipment
  • Kitchen torch
  • ramekins
  • instant-read thermometer

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Combine 2 cups of the cream, the sugar, and salt in medium saucepan; with a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pan, submerge pod in cream, and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Take pan off heat and let steep 15 minutes to infuse flavors.
  3. Meanwhile, place kitchen towel in bottom of large baking dish or roasting pan and arrange eight 4- to 5-ounce ramekins (or shallow fluted dishes) on towel. Bring kettle or large saucepan of water to boil over high heat.
  4. After cream has steeped, stir in remaining 2 cups cream to cool down mixture. Whisk yolks in large bowl until broken up and combined. Whisk about 1 cup cream mixture into yolks until loosened and combined; repeat with another 1 cup cream. Add remaining cream and whisk until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into 2-quart measuring cup or pitcher (or clean medium bowl); discard solids in strainer. Pour or ladle mixture into ramekins, dividing it evenly among them.
  5. Carefully place baking dish with ramekins on oven rack; pour boiling water into dish, taking care not to splash water into ramekins, until water reaches two-thirds height of ramekins. Bake until centers of custards are just barely set and are no longer sloshy and digital instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 170 to 175 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes (25 to 30 minutes for shallow fluted dishes). Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time.
  6. Transfer ramekins to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Set ramekins on rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.
  7. Uncover ramekins; if condensation has collected on custards, place paper towel on surface to soak up moisture. Sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (1½ teaspoons for shallow fluted dishes); tilt and tap ramekin for even coverage. Ignite kitchen torch and caramelize sugar. Refrigerate ramekins, uncovered, to re-chill, 30 to 45 minutes (but no longer); serve.

Notes

  • Vanilla bean can be substituted with 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, added when whisking egg yolks.
  • Whisk yolks after the cream has steeped to avoid forming a dry film on their surface.
  • Use turbinado or Demerara sugar for topping; granulated sugar can be used sparingly (1 scant teaspoon per ramekin).
  • If a kitchen torch is unavailable, the oven broiler can caramelize the sugar when custards are fully chilled.
  • Ramekins are ideal, but a wide ceramic pan can be used with adjusted baking time and proper water bath setup.
  • The dessert can be made up to 4 days ahead by preparing and chilling the custard; caramelize sugar just before serving.
  • Prepared custards can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before torching.
  • Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 2 days; best eaten immediately after caramelizing.

Nutrition Information

Calories 579kcal (29%) Carbohydrates 25g (8%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 51g (78%) Saturated Fat 29g (145%) Cholesterol 455mg (152%) Sodium 62mg (3%) Potassium 118mg (3%) Sugar 20g (40%) Vitamin A 2140IU (43%) Vitamin C 0.7mg (1%) Calcium 112mg (11%) Iron 0.8mg (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 579

% Daily Value*

Calories 579kcal 29%
Carbohydrates 25g 8%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 51g 78%
Saturated Fat 29g 145%
Cholesterol 455mg 152%
Sodium 62mg 3%
Potassium 118mg 3%
Sugar 20g 40%
Vitamin A 2140IU 43%
Vitamin C 0.7mg 1%
Calcium 112mg 11%
Iron 0.8mg 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.