This post was updated on June 28, 2014 to include updated images and a recipe video.
Okay. It's finally here. The moment you have all been waiting for.
Easy Creme Brulee. Hooray!
I am finally posting my creme brulee recipe. Wow, that took a while, didn't it?
As I sit here writing this post, I'm having an internal debate with myself over which dessert I prefer more: creme brulee or cheesecake? At first, I would have totally thought cheesecake would beat out crème brûlée. (And, yes, this is totally a legitimate debate to have in one's head).
But...then I remember just how good creme brulee is.
Hard decision, right?
Hmmm...anyone else thinking creme brulee cheesecake? Yup -- that's how my mind works. Heehee.
Which dessert is your favorite? Is there a tie between the two? Does it even include either?
Well, this easy creme brulee recipe is not a hard decision at all. You won't even believe how easy it is.
No heating up the custard and slowly tempering the egg yolks, here. No crazy double boiler action needed. No need for a blow torch. No fuss.
Just sweet custardy goodness with a crunchy caramelized sugar topping. Mmm.
Just mix, pour, bake and broil (or torch, if you happen to prefer that method).
Watch my video to see how easy these little guys are to make:
See? So. Easy.
Easy Crème Brûlée
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus more to sprinkle for topping
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional: fresh berries or mint for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add cream and vanilla and gently stir to combine, taking care not to mix quickly so as not to introduce extra bubbles. Place un-filled ramekins in a baking or casserole dish and fill baking dish with hot water until about half-way up sides of ramekins. Pour egg mixture into ramekins.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking every 10 minutes after 35-40 minutes. When done, a knife inserted into the center of the egg mixture should come out mostly clean.
- Remove from baking dish (I use a spatula) and lay onto clean dish towel to dry, set and cool. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Set oven to low broiler setting.
- Sprinkle a thin, even layer of granulated sugar over the top of the cooked custard. Completely, but lightly, cover the custard with the sugar. Place the ramekins back into the baking dish and surround by ice and cold water until the water almost reaches halfway up the sides (don't fill too high with water, as the ice will melt and add to the volume of water).
- Place baking dish with ramekins under broiler (or use crème brûlée torch, if you'd prefer) for 3-5 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and creates a golden brown, caramelized crust.
- Garnish with berries and/or some fresh mint leaves.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links for the kitchen item(s) I use 🙂
Tamara Augustine
Could I make One large creme brulee instead of 4 little ones? I don't have small ramekins.
Silv
hey if my ramekins are to deep can i still get it to cook
Kim St.
Lacey,
Just found your recipe this morning. I'm eager to try it but have 2 questions: 1) Can I replace white sugar with coconut sugar? I realize the color would be darker but am wondering if it would still set? 2) can this recipe be easily doubled, tripled etc? I have 12 ladies coming for a dinner and would like to make this.
Kathy
I followed the recipe exactly & even cooked them about 65-70 mins. I used ramikins that were about 1" deep & they were still "runny". Does cooking them @ high altitude (5,200 ft.) make a difference in cooking time or temperature?
The flavor was very good though.
Hailey
First off, I'll just say I love this recipe! It's so easy and my boyfriend asks me to make these for him on a daily basis!
I tried to modify it a little and add some lemon juice, but every time I do it seems too runny. 🙁 I'm not exactly the best baker in the world. Any tips or ideas?
Nafia
Maybe try using lemon zest instead?
Jeanie
Best and easiest recipe I've used. I doubled the recipe as I had 10 yolks having made pavolva's. It doubled fine. I used a collection of shallow and deep ramekins and had no problems. This recipe is going to be a standby for years to come. Thanks:)
Lacey Baier
Woohoo - love hearing that, Jeanie. Thanks so much for sharing how it went 🙂
Nicki
Mine are not setting at all, but I just saw below that my ramekins are probably too deep. Wish I'd read that before I made it. :/
Lacey Baier
Ugh, sorry to hear that! I'll update the recipe to make that very clear.
Sandra
Hi Lacey!
I came across your blog and this recipe while looking for a simple way to make creme brulee. It's my boyfriend's favorite dessert and I wanted to prepare it for him as a surprise, but I'm not much of a chef. I am writing while I have the two ramekins in the oven! Your recipe is so easy to make, I hope I haven't messed anything up and that it comes out okay 🙂 It smells delicious already. Anyway, THANK YOU for sharing! I'm now a fan and will keep reading your blog for more!
Lacey Baier
Woohoo! Welcome, Sandra!! 🙂 I hope they turned out perfectly!
Madison
Want to make this recipe for Valentine's Day- is it possible to make these beforehand and put them in the fridge? Thanks!
Lacey Baier
Hi Madison - yes, absolutely! They are best when chilled anyways. The hardened shell will not be as crispy as when it's first heated, but it will still be super tasty 🙂
Madison
Oooh okay. Is it possible to make them, chill them, then broil/brule them just before serving? 🙂
Lacey Baier
Yes, that is a perfect way to make them 🙂
Betty Carroll
Sounds heavenly glad I saw your Creme brulee recipe
Lacey Baier
Thanks, Betty! 🙂
William
I've tried this twice. And followed exactly however both times they did not set... I even made an ICR/ salt water bath yo get colder water and didn't set..veven baked up to an extra 30 min... 3 inch deep rammies
Lacey Baier
I'm so sorry you're having difficulty, William. I'm thinking the ramekins you're using are the culprit. Mine are just about an inch deep. Do you have any that are more shallow? Otherwise, I'd expect it to take quite a while longer to set given the extra volume. Best of luck!
Kristie
You are funny, authentic, adorable, and obviously a super skilled cook! I came here for the creme brulee recipe and ended up staying and watching your awesome videos for almost an hour. Thanks! 🙂
Lacey Baier
Kristie, that is so sweet of you to say. Thank you for all the compliments. I'm glad you enjoyed the YouTube videos. We've been trying really hard to make those videos entertaining and useful so it's great to get such positive feedback 🙂
Lianne
These were absolutely amazing! This is he only recipe online that is so easy and delicious. I made mine in a toaster oven and they still turned out great! I also substituted the heavy cream for 2% milk. I didn't find it made any difference. The consistency was thick and custard-like. Thank you for sharing! I'll definitely be back for more recipes. Loved the video by the way.
Lacey Baier
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the creme brûlée and the video :). Thanks for sharing how the 2% worked, too!
Greg Byles
Hi Lacey. The ramekins I used were 3 inch diameter and 1 and a half inches deep, but I only filled them half way.
My friends have all laughed and said that they didn't know how I could get them to rise so high when Crete brûlée is not meant to rise.
I was forced to make a chocolate cake with homemade mango and choc chip ice cream for dessert for the BBQ instead of the brûlée. Ahhh the sacrifices we make.
Hope you or some other contributors may have the answer to my problem as I would love to give your brûlée recipe another go.
Cheers
Lacey Baier
Yea, I'm just not sure what happened. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. If you try them again, please let me know how they turn out. If you're following the recipe exactly (other than the size ramekins I use), it *should* work...
Greg Byles
Hi. I made your recipe for a dessert for a BBQ, however, I had a major fail. I followed the recipe to the letter and placed the ramekins in the hot water bath into the oven. After 10 minutes, they started to look more like soufflés. After 20 minutes they were all brown on the top and had all risen well above the lip of the ramekins. After 30 minutes they were spilling over the top into the hot water bath.
I was really disappointed as I don't know where I went wrong.
I removed the tray with the hot water and the ramekins from the oven. There was more mixture in the hot water bath than in the ramekins, but what was in the ramekins was thick and lumpy.
Any ideas? I'd love to try again, but I hesitate at wasting good eggs.
Thanks
Greg
Lacey Baier
Hi Greg. Ugh, that's not what you want at all! I'm sorry it didn't turn out for you. I'm wondering what size ramekins you used?
Susan
Sounds like he may have used the whole egg, instead of just the egg yolk?
Lacey Baier
Hmmm, perhaps. Thanks for the suggestion, Susan!
Karen Atter
If the mixture rose, you had to have a rising agent in the mix... Did you use the whole eggs rather than just the yolks?
Lacey Baier
Good point, Karen. Definitely want to use the yolks only in this recipe.