Learn how to make creme brulee with 4 simple ingredients! Make this recipe for a classic dessert that’s equally delicious and impressive.
With the holidays around the corner, I thought I’d share my creme brulee recipe. It’s much easier to make than it seems, and the flavor is simply incredible!
If you like French desserts like this, try my Chocolate Creme Brulee or Cinnamon Creme Brulee.
Or make Butterscotch Budino, which is an Italian dessert that combines sweet pudding with brown sugar caramel. It captures similar flavors as a brulee, but is creamy from top to bottom.
What is crème brûlée?
Simply put, it’s a rich vanilla flavored custard topped with hardened caramel. Half of the fun of eating it is breaking through that top layer to get to the rich dessert beneath!
Created in France, the name literally translates to “burnt cream” to describe the caramel layer.
How to make creme brulee
My version is extremely easy to make and super rich in texture. Sometimes simpler really is better when it comes to dessert.
The ingredients are basic – just heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Plus, there’s no tempering of the cream and eggs with this creme brulee recipe!
This vanilla custard dessert is a classic French recipe. You can experiment by adding cinnamon or other flavorings in lieu of the vanilla extract to the liquid mixture. Honestly though, the vanilla flavor will always be the classic.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Make the custard.
Using a whisk or an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar to dissolve the granules and incorporate air into the mixture. Add the cream and vanilla, then mix on low until combined.
2. Pour into ramekins.
Next, divide the liquid evenly among your custard cups, leaving some space at the top. Using a strainer can help get rid of any foam or bubbles.
Bake until set: Place the ramekins in a roasting pan and carefully pour hot water into the pan to create a water bath. Bake until the edges are firm and the center jiggles just a bit.
Chill: Remove the pan from the oven and allow the custard to cool. Then, refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up.
Add caramel topping: Finally, sprinkle sugar over the top of each ramekin and use a torch until the sugar starts to bubble and turn a golden brown color.
Recipe notes
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using chilled cream and eggs will result in curdling, and the texture will be extra lumpy when baked. Yolks are more fragile at room temperature, though, so it may be best to separate them first before warming.
- Avoid splashes: If liquid from the water bath gets into the ramekins, it can create divots in the pudding. Pour slowly and carefully, or wrap a thin layer of foil around each ramekin to create a protective “fence.”
- No special tools required: If you don’t have a hand kitchen torch, you can place the entire tray of ramekins under the broiler and watch the sugar caramelize.
- Make ahead: The custard can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic. However, don’t add the sugar topping until just before serving, or the moisture from the custard will dissolve the caramel.
- Leftover egg whites: After separating out the yolks, store the whites in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Use them for omelets, meringue, pavlova, and even candied nuts!
This recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking October 2013 and has had content updated.
Want to see the recipe in action?
Watch the video, How to Make Creme Brulee, in the recipe card below!
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How To Make Creme Brulee
Ingredients
- 10 large egg yolks (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups whipping cream (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar for caramelizing tops after cooking
Instructions
- Preheat oven 300°F. Separate egg yolks from whites and save egg whites for another use.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks with the sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a pale yellow.
- Add the whipping cream and vanilla, and beat on low until well blended, about 30 seconds.
- I pour the mixture through a strainer into your 8 ramekins (See Note 1) or custard cups to get rid of any foam or bubbles (See Note 2), but this is optional. Pour up to a 1/4 inch from top of ramekin or cup.
- Place the filled ramekins into a large roasting pan with sides (13×9″) and carefully pour hot water around ramekins so that the water almost reaches the top of ramekins. Bake until set, about 50 minutes.
- Carefully remove pan from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled.
- Remove ramekins from water bath, wipe water off ramekins and place in refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Prior to serving, remove from refrigerator and sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard top. Using a small, hand-held torch melt the sugar until a burnt caramel is made. If you don't have a torch, place ramekins under broiler 2 to 3 inches from the heat source. Turn on broiler and cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. *Optionally – Re-chill the ramekins to harden the sugar for 5 minutes then serve. (See Note 3)
Notes
- The size I use here are 3 1/4″ in diameter, 1 1/4″ deep and hold roughly a 1/2 cup.
- I find pouring through a strainer eliminates any foam and leaves a smooth surface. This is purely optional.
- If not serving right away, do not do the sugar topping part. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Top with sugar and torch/broil before serving. It will not stay completely hard if done more than 3 hours prior.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Nutrition
I haven’t tried the recipe however it is my mother’s birthday and I’m hoping it turns out great 🙂
I hope it turns out great for you!
What can be used to make the hard top if you don’t have the flame thrower?
Instead of using a kitchen torch use the Broiler. You can broil your crème brûlée. Heat your broiler up super hot, and put the rack just underneath. Make sure the custard is very cold and fully set — overnight, ideally. Watch carefully as not to burn. Hope this helps.
We don’t have a boiler we only have a automatic stove what do I do?
I would look into getting a hand held torch at most kitchen stores or online Harlow.
Oh My Goodness! I am going to have to keep your site pulled up on my favorites every day before I begin to cook! I am barely able to catch my breath over this recipe! Amazing!
Is it possible to cut the recipe in 1/2?
YES! Stacie, all you do is hover your mouse over the number of serving and move Left or Right to adjust and the ingredient list changes for that amount. 🙂
Hey Kevin is it possible to make this recipe in a bigger pan??
I have not, but it is possible. Let me know how this turns out and what you used Daniel.
Hi Kevin.
It’s rare that one of your recipes does nit work out for me, but this one did not. :-(. It puffed up and browned like a soufflé. Tasted great, but definitely not what I was expecting.
Maybe I beat the eggs to high or too long? What speed do you beat the at and for how many minutes?
Thanks in advance for helping me troubleshoot!
Eva, I am so bummed it didn’t work for you. This is definitely one of my Top 5 recipes on the site because it’s so easy and so good! I actually, and I’m not kidding, made this again 3 days ago for a birthday celebration and it was creamy and amazing. Not sure what could have happened. You baked in a water bath correct? As for the eggs and beating, I would follow the instructions exactly as written and watch the video (18,000,000 views and counting), too. Please let me know!
Thanks Kevin. I ended up making this without using a mixer and it worked great. Just used a whisk to mix the yolks sugar and cream and it turned out great! Next time I’ll try the chocolate version!
P.s. any uses for the egg whites? I hate to waste so many!
Wonderful, thanks for letting me know! My uses typically go to egg white omelets and making merengues or a pavlova.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now & it turned out perfect every time!! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I am so glad you have made it a few times and it turns out for you! I appreciate you taking the time to share that!
Hi Kevin – thanks for sharing this recipe. It was delicious! I had a hard time getting my creme brûlée to set. It turned out more of a soft pudding consistency than the thick custard in your video. Have you ever had this problem? I was worried about them overcooking so took the custards out after baking for over an hour (I think total baking time was about 75 mins). I also cut the recipe exactly in half & used glass bowls instead of ceramic ramekins (because I don’t own any). Could either of these have contributed to the issue?… Read more »
The cooking time is probably the problem and did you have enough water surrounding the ramekins? Glass bowls or ceramic ramekins, I’m sure either will work. Let me know!
Thanks Kevin. When you say the cooking time is the problem, do you mean I should’ve cooked it for more or less time? I left them in for 50% more time than the recipe called for because I thought the longer bake time might help them set. Should I have left them in for longer than 75 mins?
Apologies Lily, I misread and thought you said you cut the cooking time in half which would have been 25 minutes! Did you do the water bath?
No need to apologize. I made the recipe again, this time with more water in the bath like you suggested. I just left them in the oven until set – about 2 hours total. I think I may have overcooked them. Although this recipe is so good it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s over or undercooked – it always comes out delicious! 🥰 Do you measure the internal temp? If so, what should it be? Also, my custard doesn’t look as fluffy as your photos. Could the problem be how I’m mixing everything? I get worried about over beating… Read more »
Honestly I can’t imagine cooking these in a water bath for 2 hours. I would think they’d be scrambled, hard eggs think by then. This should not take more than 50 minutes. What size ramekins are you using? As for mixing, beat until just mixed so they do not whip and get all foamy (literally just like in the video). Let me know!
They weren’t anything like scrambled or hard eggs. They were so good this time I’ve recommended your recipe to a bunch of people since. Maybe I just have a really old oven? My ramekins are 3.5 inches diameter & 2.25 inches deep – so slightly wider than yours but I halve the recipe & split it between 4 ramekins so I thought the extra height wouldn’t make too much of a difference. Anyways, I really appreciate you working with me on this. I’m planning to make it for Mother’s Day so she can have a special treat during quarantine. Thank… Read more »
Kevin, I tend to do larger batches of this, for 13 ramekins, I use 18 egg yolks. I also eliminate the sugar, and I melt chocolate using that to make a chocolate Creme Brulee. I’ve also done Lavender, Pumpkin, and ButterScotch, which is my favorite. And here’s the kicker, I cook mine for 2 hrs and there’s no hardness in the eggs. I strain everthing, and take time to assure a smooth product. If hosting a party, I’ll do do several bataches, yes I have that many ramekins. I ran across your site while looking to see if there were… Read more »
That’s great Roger. BTW, I finally got my ordered Piret’s Cookbook! So I’ll have to poke around and see what is next to share. Cheers Roger!
This was fabulous. However, I tasted the butane from the handheld torch. Do you also have this problem? If so, and ideas to mitigate beside putting it under the broiler? Thanks again with sharing your recipe. Simply perfect!
Thanks so much Tara! Nope, I’ve never had that issue with butane and my other way would be to go under the broiler.
This was amazing! Easy, less dishes than a lot of other recipes, and came out better than restaurant (often frozen) versions. I have a party and will make 40 in a few weeks, I will let you know how they come out!
So glad you enjoyed this one Kelly. Have a great party, too! 🙂
I absolutely love creme brulee but have never attempted to make it. I can’t wait to try your recipe because it looks like it’s not too difficult from your instructions! I want to make it for my family. It looks wonderful.
Watch the video and the instructions are so easy. This is always a hit! Thanks Millican!
I made this Creme Brulee last weekend and it turned out great! It was the easiest recipe I have ever seen. I served cut up fruit on the side and everyone raved about it. Though I poured it through a strainer, the top looked a little bubbly, but you couldn’t see it with the carmelized sugar. It was creamy perfection! Thanks Kevin.
This is one of my all time favs, so happy you enjoyed this as much as I do Connie. Glad it was a success! 🙂