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Creamy and smooth, the best Creme Brûlée is a classic vanilla custard baked low and slow in a gentle water bath, then finished with a thin, golden layer of caramelized sugar. My Vanilla Crème Brûlée recipe is easy to make with cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. The burnt sugar topping is so fun to make.
This is hands down, the best creme Brulee recipe that I have found, and I’ve made about 7. My 6 year old daughter always asks for this and when I say I’m gonna try a new recipe she says, “no mommy, yours is the best.” I tell her it’s not my recipe but I am very thankful that a really nice lady shared it with us on the internet. Great job! We LOVE IT!
– Renee
Why This Is the Best Crème Brûlée
- Simple Tips: exact time range, water-bath depth, and an optional 170-176°F internal temperature target for consistent results.
- Reliable texture: bake until the center gently jiggles – smooth, never eggy.
- Crisp caramel top: superfine sugar melts into a thin, even crust.
There’s something so satisfying about taking the first crack at the top of Crème Brûlée. It’s a little therapeutic digging into this classic French dessert, like any bit of pent up aggression can be spent with one little whack of the spoon.
The Best Vanilla Crème Brûlée recipe is just that, the very best. And I say that because it’s creamy and light, sweet but not overly so, simple to prepare and, dare I say, fun to make. It’s also the most impressive dessert to serve for every occasion because it just seems so fancy, when it’s really not at all. Just a basic baked custard with a burnt sugar top. So simple, but so elegant.
Ingredients For Creme Brûlée
What I love about this easy Creme Brûlée recipe is made with simple ingredients and you probably already have them in your kitchen.
- Heavy Cream – As tempting as it may be to try and lighten things up a bit with something like milk or half and half, resist the urge. In order to have the creamiest, smoothest custard base possible heavy cream is the way to go. Heavy cream helps your custard become velvety and rich.
- Vanilla – Whole Vanilla beans are a bit spendy these days but it’s my preferred way to infuse flavor into your creme Brûlée. If you can’t find vanilla beans or are trying to keep costs down you can use a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract. But since this is a special occasion dessert, you may want to try to seek out the beans.
- Sugar – For the custard base you can use regular granulated white sugar but for the topping, try to find Caster Sugar or superfine sugar as it melts a little smoother and much more quickly than granulated sugar. If you can’t find superfine sugar, you can use granulated sugar but your crust may be a little more granular.
- Eggs – Room temperature eggs will work best to ensure a creamy custard. To be sure your measurements are accurate use large eggs for this recipe. You will only be using the yolks for this recipe so save the egg whites for your favorite egg muffins or to make a fluffy meringue. If it’s around the holidays, make this Royal Icing! It’s amazing.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
Equipment You Will Need
- Instant-read thermometer (optional but helpful)
- Six 4 – 6 oz ramekins
- Deep roasting pan (for the water bath)
- Kettle or saucepan (for hot water)
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Kitchen torch (preferred) or oven broiler
How To Make Creme Brulee
Classic Creme Brûlée can seem intimidating to make but it’s really simple and quick.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Start the Custard – In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat then remove from the heat and cool. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla beans and stir into the cream.
- Temper the Eggs – In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and frothy. While whisking, ladle 1/4 cup of the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture until combined. Slowly add another 1/4 cup of the cream to the egg mixture to combine. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the cream until combined.
- Fill the Ramekins – Arrange 6 shallow 6-ounce individual ramekins on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Divide the cream mixture evenly among the ramekins and place on the baking sheet.
- Make a Bain-Marie – A bain-marie is a water bath that ensures the custard bakes evenly. To do this, fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Cook the custard – Bake for 50 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate.
- Make the topping – Sprinkle the top of the custard with the sugar covering the surface of the custard completely and melt with a kitchen blow torch until it hardens into caramelized sugar. Alternatively, you can melt the sugar under your oven broiler.
- Serve – Top with fresh berries and serve.
I made a Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée a couple years ago which I love just as much….it’s so great for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
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We love this Kitchen Torch for making creme brûlée but it’s also handy for so many other things like roasting peppers, toasting marshmallows, melting cheese and more.
Torch Safety:
- Let the sugar top cool 1-2 minutes before serving.
- Always brûlée on a heat-safe surface; don’t hold the ramekin while torching.
- Keep the flame moving in quick passes to avoid scorching.
Make-Ahead & Storage:
- Leftovers: Cover leftover Creme Brûlée and refrigerate 2–3 days. The topping softens as it sits.
- Make-ahead: Bake the custard and chill (without the sugar top) up to 2 days in advance.
- Before serving: Add sugar and torch within 1-2 hours for the crispiest top.
What is Creme Brûlée
Creme Brûlée is a dessert made up of a rich custard base topped with a crunchy shell of burnt sugar. Also known as Burnt Creme, burnt cream or Trinity Cream, classic creme Brûlée is normally served chilled and is warmed slightly by the creme Brûlée torch that is used to caramelize the sugar topping.
The most common is Vanilla Creme Brulee recipe which we’re making here today. It’s one of the easiest desserts to make and a fantastic make ahead dessert for holidays or special occasion….even if the special day is you survived a Monday.
Kellie’s Tips for Perfect Creme Brûlée
- Plan ahead – the Very Best Creme Brûlée recipe is best if made in advance. At least a day is optimal. This gives the custard time to chill and set up in the fridge. Just be sure to cover with plastic wrap before transferring to the refrigerator.
- Ramekins – Be mindful of the size of your custard cups. I used 6 6-ounce shallow ramekins with a baking time of approximately 50 minutes until they seemed set up. If you go bigger they will take longer to cook. So, if your custard is about 1 inch deep….baking time will be approximately 30 minutes…..2 inches deep and you’re looking at about approximately 50-60 minutes of baking time. Low and slow is the only way to go. The shallower your dishes, the better.
- Sugar – Don’t go too heavy handed when sprinkling the top with sugar for the brûlée step. And be sure to coat evenly for best results. You don’t want to leave the kitchen torch in one spot too long because it will begin to cook the custard beneath the sugar crust, and that’s no good.
- Bain Marie – aka the water bath for your creme brulee. It’s just a deep baking sheet, baking dish or roasting pan that is filled with a bit of water (only halfway up the sides of your ramekin). Don’t skip this step because it helps ensure your custard cooks gently without any hot spots that could scramble the eggs. AND be careful not to get any water in the custard mixture because it will cause your custard not to set up at all.
- Temper the Eggs – When adding the milk mixture to the eggs, be sure to do it slowly and whisking constantly so you don’t scramble the eggs. Pouring the hot milk into the eggs too quickly will result in very lumpy (and very egg-y tasting) creme Brûlée.
Variations and Flavor Ideas
- Vanilla-Bean Luxe: Use a scraped vanilla bean plus ½ teaspoon extract for layered aroma.
- Espresso: Stir in 1-2 teaspoon instant espresso powder to the warm cream.
- Citrus: Add 1-2 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon zest; strain before baking.
- Chocolate: Whisk 2 ounces finely chopped dark chocolate into the warm cream until smooth.
- Bourbon: Add 1 teaspoon bourbon to the custard after tempering.
If you’re feeling really adventurous and maybe have some leftover Vanilla Creme Brûlée sitting around after your celebration, you should totally make these easy Creme Brûlée Chocolate Eggs.
And if you’re looking for a truly decadent vanilla dessert that’s more ready when you are, you should totally stock your freezer with this homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. It’s crazy insanely addicting. Rich, creamy and perfect, just like the Very Best Creme Brûlée recipe.
Want to see what else we’re testing out in our kitchen? Follow us over on Instagram.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- The BEST New York Cheesecake Recipe
- Rich Chocolate Pot de Creme
- Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Super Rich Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
- The Very Best Vanilla Pudding Recipe
Creme Brûlée Recipe
Equipment
- 1 kitchen torch
- 6 Ramekins
- roasting pan
- Instant Read Thermometer
- whisk
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 10 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar, granulated sugar can be used here but may increase cooking time
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the cream, vanilla and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat (cream will begin to steam) then remove from the heat and cool to for 10-15 minutes.
- Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla beans and stir into the cream. Rinse the empty beans and reserve for another use.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining granulated sugar until pale and frothy. While whisking, ladle 1/4 cup of the cream mixture into the eggs until combined. Slowly add another 1/4 cup of the cream to the egg mixture to combine. (This step tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when you mix them into the cream.)
- Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the cream mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Arrange 6 6-ounce ramekins on a deep baking sheet or roasting pan. Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve before filling ramekins. Divide the cream mixture evenly among the ramekins and set ramekins in a roasting pan.
- Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the ramekins (BE SURE NOT to splash any water into the ramekins….POUR SLOWLY.)
- Bake the custard at 300°F for 25-35 minutes until edges set and the center gently jiggles (internal temperature will be 175°F on an instant read thermometer).
- Cool the custards to room temperature then chill 4–6 hours (or overnight). Brûlée with about 1 teaspoon sugar per ramekin just before serving.
- Before serving, sprinkle the custard with the superfine sugar and melt the sugar with a kitchen torch until caramelized. Alternatively, you can melt the sugar by placing the custard under the broiler until caramelized.
- Top with fruit, if desired. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The cream likely got too hot or the custard overbaked. Warm the cream just to steaming, temper slowly, and bake only to a gentle jiggle. Straining helps, too.
It needed a bit more time. Return to the oven in 2–3 minute bursts. Look for set edges and a soft wobble in the center (about 175°F internal if checking).
Superfine (caster) sugar melts the most evenly. If using regular granulated sugar, torch in quick passes and give brief rests so it doesn’t scorch.
Yes, use a shallow, oven-safe dish and extend the bake. Start checking around 35 minutes and use the same jiggle cue.
Absolutely, see my Variations below for espresso, citrus, chocolate, and bourbon ideas.
Wonderful recipe, easy to follow and turned out perfect! Thankyou so much.
Thank you! I’m so happy you liked it!