Crème brûlée
Vanilla custard baked gently in shallow dishes, chilled hard, then topped with a thin sheet of sugar burned to amber glass.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 4 hr
- Total
- 5 hr
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Crème brûlée is a rich custard of cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla, baked low in a water bath until it barely sets, chilled hard, then finished with a layer of sugar melted to a brittle amber crust just before serving. The contrast is the whole dish: cold, trembling custard under a hot crust that cracks. This is the plain vanilla classic. Use a real pod, scrape the seeds into the warm cream, and do not whisk air into the yolks or the surface will be pitted with bubbles. A kitchen blowtorch gives the best crust. A very hot grill works, but it warms the custard and the result is softer.
What you'll need
6 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Custard
- Topping
Ingredients
Custard
Topping
- Sugar, caster or fine demerara, for the crust40 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Heat the oven to 150°C. Put the cream, vanilla seeds and pod and the salt in a saucepan and heat until it steams and small bubbles appear at the edge. Take it off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
20 min
Step 2
Stir the yolks and 60 g of sugar together with a spoon or a slow whisk until just smooth. Pour the warm cream over slowly, stirring all the time. Strain into a jug and skim off any foam.
5 min
Tip: Stir, do not beat. Air in the custard rises and leaves holes on the surface.
Step 3
Set six shallow ramekins in a deep baking tray and fill them with the custard. Pour hot water into the tray to come halfway up the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre wobbles like jelly when nudged.
35 min150°C
Tip: If you have a probe thermometer, the centre is done at about 80°C.
Step 4
Lift the dishes out of the water and let them cool. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the custard is cold right through.
240 min
Step 5
Just before serving, blot any moisture from the surface with kitchen paper. Scatter an even, thin layer of sugar over each one and tip off the excess. Melt it with a blowtorch, keeping the flame moving, until it is liquid and deep amber, or put the dishes close under a very hot grill for 1 to 2 minutes.
8 min
Watch: Molten sugar burns badly. Let the crust set for 2 minutes before anyone touches it.
Step 6
Serve within half an hour. Any longer and the crust draws moisture from the custard and turns sticky.
2 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 377 kcal
- Protein
- 4.1 g
- Carbs
- 19.3 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Saturated fat
- 19.8 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 19.3 g
- Sodium
- 87 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Eggs
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Vanilla pod → 1½ tsp vanilla paste or extract
Add it to the cream after heating rather than infusing. Paste gives you the black seeds; extract does not.
Blowtorch → Grill on its highest setting
Chill the custards extra well first and put them as close to the element as they will go. The crust is less even and the custard softens slightly.
Tips
- Use the six leftover egg whites for macarons or meringues. They keep up to four days in a sealed jar in the fridge, or freeze them.
- A thin crust cracks; a thick one is hard toffee. One even layer of sugar is enough, done twice if you like it thicker.
- The custards keep two days in the fridge before burning. Do not burn them ahead.
History & culture
It is the default French restaurant dessert, from bistros to hotel dining rooms, cracked with the back of a spoon at the table. At home it is a dinner-party dessert because everything except the burning is done the day before. The wide, shallow dish matters: more crust, less depth of custard, and a quicker, more even set.
A burnt cream custard appears in François Massialot's cookbook of 1691. Trinity College, Cambridge claims a version of its own, and Catalonia has crema catalana, thickened on the stove rather than baked. Who was first is not settled. The dish faded for a long time, came back strongly in restaurants in the 1980s, and has not left menus since.
Traditional — Some French cooks replace a quarter of the cream with milk for a lighter custard. The crust was once made with a salamander, an iron disc heated in the fire and held over the sugar; a blowtorch does the same job.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Crème brûlée take?
5 hr all in — 20 min prep, 40 min cook, 4 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 ramekins. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Nut-free.
10 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Baking tray, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 pinch.
How much sugar?
60 g (caster) of Sugar.
How much sugar?
40 g (caster or fine demerara, for the crust) of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Vanilla pod → 1½ tsp vanilla paste or extract. Add it to the cream after heating rather than infusing. Paste gives you the black seeds; extract does not. Blowtorch → Grill on its highest setting. Chill the custards extra well first and put them as close to the element as they will go. The crust is less even and the custard softens slightly.
What should I watch for?
Molten sugar burns badly. Let the crust set for 2 minutes before anyone touches it.
Any tips from this recipe?
Use the six leftover egg whites for macarons or meringues. They keep up to four days in a sealed jar in the fridge, or freeze them. A thin crust cracks; a thick one is hard toffee. One even layer of sugar is enough, done twice if you like it thicker. The custards keep two days in the fridge before burning. Do not burn them ahead.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Use the six leftover egg whites for macarons or meringues. They keep up to four days in a sealed jar in the fridge, or freeze them. The custards keep two days in the fridge before burning. Do not burn them ahead. Lift the dishes out of the water and let them cool. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the custard is cold right through.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
Similar dishes
White chocolate creme brulee
White chocolate creme brulee from France.
Medium
Crema Catalana
Crema Catalana from Spain.
Medium
Panna cotta
Piedmont's 'cooked cream': cream and a little milk set softly with gelatine, scented with vanilla, served with caramel.
Easy
Flan
Flan from Uruguay.
Medium