Crème brûlée is a sweet custard with a brittle coating of caramelized sugar on top. In other words, it's a heavenly, light dessert with only five simple ingredients...and deceptively easy to make.
Jump to:
Crème brûlée simply means burnt cream, although that description is a little misleading. The creamy custard is smooth and glorious, and not burned at all. It's the caramelized sugar topping that's "burnt"...and boy is it good!
A few weeks ago (okay, a couple months ago), our son-in-law, Fred, asked me to make rhubarb crème brûlée for the website, as he knows that we grow rhubarb in our garden. I told him that was a fantastic idea!
But then I got to thinking...why be limited by only rhubarb? I could make a simple crème brûlée, and then add lots of different fruits and other yummy ingredients! Rhubarb and strawberries and blueberries to get started. I'll keep adding more to this crème brûlée recipe over the next weeks and months, so come back and visit us again for more ideas!
🧾 Ingredients
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Egg yolks (save the whites for breakfast)
- Granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Extra sugar for topping
See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Note: This will make about six 4-ounce ramekins of crème brûlée...or about 8 if you're adding fruit to the bottom (as you'll use less custard with those).
📋 Special equipment
- Culinary torch
- 4 ounce ramekins
🍲 Cooking the custard
Heat the oven to 325°F and start a kettle of water on the stove.
In a pot, over low-medium heat, warm up the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, just until hot, stirring occasionally.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.
Once the cream mixture is hot, remove from heat. Ladle out ½ c and slowly pour it into the egg mixture, whisking continuously (this will temper the eggs so they don't scramble).
Next, slowly pour this egg-cream mixture into the pot of cream, also whisking continuously, until smooth. It will still be quite runny and not custard-like at this point...completely normal.
⏲️ Baking
Place the ramekins in a baking dish with deep sides and fill each cup to about ¾ full with the custard mixture.
At this point, your kettle of water should be boiling and the oven temperature should be ready. Pour the very hot water from the kettle into the baking dish, to about halfway up the sides of the ramekins, being careful not to spill any water into the ramekins themselves. This is called a bain-marie, or a water bath, and will help the custard cook evenly.
Tip: If you're a bit nervous about carrying a dish of boiling hot water across the kitchen to the stove, you can do this instead: Place the dish (with the ramekins already in it) on the oven rack and then fill it with the hot water.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the custard is still a little jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
❄ Chilling
Once the ramekins are cool enough to handle, carefully remove them from the baking pan (be careful, the water may still be quite hot!) and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
⭐ Brûlée topping
I know, the waiting was tough. But you've struggled through and waited hours for this amazing treat, and now the time is finally here!
Just before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar on top of each one and turn on the torch! Holding the torch a few inches away, repeatedly pass it over the surface of each custard. The sugar will bubble up a little bit and start to turn a beautiful caramel color (because: caramelization!). This will take a little practice, but just remember, you can always go back and brûlée it some more...but you can't remove burnt sugar.
Let cool for a few minutes, serve, and enjoy! When you break the brûléed caramelized top with a spoon, it should make a satisfying "crack".
✨ Rhubarb crème brûlée
Okay, Fred, you asked for it, so let's make some rhubarb crème brûlée!
Ingredients
All crème brûlée ingredients above, plus:
- ½ pound rhubarb stalks, chopped into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger (optional)
Mix rhubarb, sugars, water, and ginger (optional) in a pot over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. The rhubarb will soften and the mixture will thicken. If you'd like the rhubarb in even smaller pieces, like I did, after it has finished cooking, use a potato masher to get a slightly smoother consistency.
Prepare crème brûlée as above, except first put a layer of rhubarb compote in the bottom of each ramekin, chill for at least 30 minutes, then pour the custard mixture over top, and bake as usual. Note, however, that as there is slightly less custard in each ramekin, the baking time may be slightly less.
💫 Blueberry crème brûlée
Ingredients
All crème brûlée ingredients above, plus:
- 1-½ cups blueberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Mix blueberries, sugar, and water, in a pot over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. The blueberries will soften and start to burst, and the mixture will thicken.
Prepare crème brûlée as above, except first put a layer of blueberry compote in the bottom of each ramekin, chill for at least 30 minutes, then pour the custard mixture over top, and bake as usual. Note, however, that as there is slightly less custard in each ramekin, the baking time may be slightly less.
🌟 Strawberry crème brûlée
Ingredients
All crème brûlée ingredients above, plus:
- 8 large strawberries, cored and sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Mix strawberries, sugar, and water, in a pot over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. The strawberries will soften and the mixture will thicken.
Prepare crème brûlée as above, except first put a layer of blueberry compote in the bottom of each ramekin, chill for at least 30 minutes, then pour the custard mixture over top, and bake as usual. Note, however, that as there is slightly less custard in each ramekin, the baking time may be slightly less.
❓ FAQ
Yes...and no. While you can certainly make the cream mixture and even the custard the day before (stored in the fridge), the brûléeing must be done just before serving.
Yes...and no. While you can certainly make the cream mixture and even the custard the day before (stored in the fridge), the brûléeing must be done just before serving.
Love desserts? Check out a few more of our delicious recipes now!
- Fresh Fruit Tart
- Hummingbird Carrot Cake
- Berry Chantilly Cake
- St Joseph Pastries (Zeppole di San Giuseppe)
- Best Banana Nut Bread
- Easy Fudge Recipe
- Chocolate Cake in a Mug
- Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Banana Ice Cream
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Did you make this Crème Brûlée? Let us know in the comments below!
📝 Recipe
Crème Brûlée
Equipment
- Culinary torch
- 4 ounce ramekins
Ingredients
Basic Crème Brûlée
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks
- 10 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Extra sugar for topping
Rhubarb Crème Brûlée
- All crème brûlée ingredients above, plus:
- ½ pound rhubarb stalks, chopped into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger (optional)
Blueberry Crème Brûlée
- All crème brûlée ingredients above, plus:
- 1 ½ cups blueberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Strawberry Crème Brûlée
- 8 large strawberries, cored and sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F and start a kettle of water on the stove.
- In a pot, over low-medium heat, warm up the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, just until hot, stirring occasionally.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.
- Once the cream mixture is hot, remove from heat. Ladle out ½ c and slowly pour it into the egg mixture, whisking continuously (this will temper the eggs so they don’t scramble).
- Next, slowly pour this egg-cream mixture into the pot of cream, also whisking continuously, until smooth. It will still be quite runny and not custard-like at this point...completely normal.
- Place the ramekins in a baking dish with deep sides and fill each cup to about ¾ full with the custard mixture.
- At this point, your kettle of water should be boiling and the oven temperature should be ready. Pour the very hot water from the kettle into the baking dish, to about halfway up the sides of the ramekins, being careful not to spill any water into the ramekins themselves.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the custard is still a little jiggly in the center.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Once the ramekins are cool enough to handle, carefully remove them from the baking pan (be careful, the water may still be quite hot!) and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Just before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar on top of each one and turn on the torch. Holding the torch a few inches away, repeatedly pass it over the surface of each custard.
- Let cool for a few minutes, serve, and enjoy! When you break the brûléed caramelized top with a spoon, it should make a satisfying “crack”.
Rhubarb Crème Brûlée
- Mix rhubarb, sugars, water, and ginger (optional) in a pot over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. The rhubarb will soften and the mixture will thicken. If you'd like the rhubarb in even smaller pieces, like I did, after it has finished cooking, use a potato masher to get a slightly smoother consistency.
- Prepare crème brûlée as above, except first put a layer of rhubarb compote in the bottom of each ramekin, chill for at least 30 minutes, then pour the custard mixture over top, and bake as usual. Note, however, that as there is slightly less custard in each ramekin, the baking time may be slightly less.
Blueberry Crème Brûlée
- Mix blueberries, sugar, and water, in a pot over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. The blueberries will soften and start to burst, and the mixture will thicken.
- Prepare crème brûlée as above, except first put a layer of blueberry compote in the bottom of each ramekin, chill for at least 30 minutes, then pour the custard mixture over top, and bake as usual. Note, however, that as there is slightly less custard in each ramekin, the baking time may be slightly less.
Strawberry Crème Brûlée
- Mix strawberries, sugar, and water, in a pot over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. The strawberries will soften and the mixture will thicken.
- Prepare crème brûlée as above, except first put a layer of blueberry compote in the bottom of each ramekin, chill for at least 30 minutes, then pour the custard mixture over top, and bake as usual. Note, however, that as there is slightly less custard in each ramekin, the baking time may be slightly less.
Notes
- How many desserts will this make? This will make about six 4-ounce ramekins of crème brûlée...or about 8 if you're adding fruit to the bottom (as you'll use less custard with those).
- Tip: When preparing the bain-marie, f you're a bit nervous about carrying a dish of boiling hot water across the kitchen to the stove, you can do this instead: Place the dish (with the ramekins already in it) on the oven rack and then fill it with the hot water.
- Can I make crème brûlée ahead of time? Yes...and no. While you can certainly make the cream mixture and even the custard the day before (stored in the fridge), the brûléeing must be done just before serving.
- Suggestion: If you enjoyed this dessert, you're gonna love our fresh fruit tart!
Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Natasha
That is so stunning I can almost hear the cracking of the torched caramel layer. Music to my ears 🙂
maplewoodroad
Thank you so much! Enjoy! 🙂
Fiona
Amazing! I just finished having a dinner and I wish I could’ve had this for dessert 😋
maplewoodroad
Thanks so much! You can always make it tomorrow! 🙂
Kim B.
Can you like do it, eat the crust, then use the blow torch to redo the crust and eat the crust again and again until you finish it?
maplewoodroad
Ha! I suppose you could. But you can't make the crust, then refrigerate it to eat later...the caramelization will get soft. You should brulee it just a few minutes before serving.
Matt
I adore creme brulee! Great job!
maplewoodroad
Thank you! 🙂
Carol R.
I love creme brulee!
maplewoodroad
Thanks & enjoy! 🙂