Description
The perfect Vanilla Creme Brulee made with 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of work: mix, bake and brulee. Silky, creamy and not-too-sweet with a thin and crispy caramel coating.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (360g)
- 1/2 vanilla bean pod (cut in half and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract works in a pinch)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g) + more for the brulee coating
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 300F (conventional / no fan), and put a few cups of water to boil. This will be used for the water bath
- Add the heavy cream, vanilla, egg yolks, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl. Use a hand whisk to gently whisk the ingredients together until the egg yolks and sugar have incorporated into the cream. Don't whisk too much or too aggressively, as you don't want to incorporate air bubbles into the custard
- Place 3 8oz Creme Brulee ramekins or 6 4oz ramekins in a 9x13" pan, leaving even spacing between them. Pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps, and divide it equally between the ramekins
- Carefully pour boiling water into the 9x13 pan (not cold!), avoiding the ramekins, until it reaches ~1/2" in depth. Adding too little or too much water can significantly impact baking time, so I recommend being precise. This is the water bath
- Carefully lift the pan with the water and ramekins in it and place it inside the oven. Bake for ~30-35 minutes, until the creme brulees are set around the edges but still have a jello-like wobble in the middle when you gently shake them
- Remove from the oven and carefully lift the ramekins from the tray using a spatula, and immediately transfer them to the fridge. Cool for at least for 2 hours, or overnight
- Once chilled, sprinkle a thin layer of granulated sugar on each ramekin such that the custard is completely coated (especially around the edges!), and use a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar. Hold the blowtorch at a 45 degree angle ~2" away, and gently swirl it in little circles. Work one area at a time until the sugar melts and caramelizes into a deep brown color before moving to the next area
- Serve & enjoy! Creme Brulee is best eaten within 1-2 hours after torching; the caramel coating becomes sticky over time
Video tutorial:
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="bl0paUqy" upload-date="2026-08-18T23:25:20+00:00" name="Easy Vanilla Creme Brulee" description="How to make easy vanilla creme brulee at home with 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of work" player-type="default" override-embed="default" orientation="vertical"]Notes
- Heavy cream: You can use heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, whipping cream, double cream or fresh cream - as long as it has 35%+ fat content. I do not recommend replacing it with milk, even partially
- Make ahead and storage: Creme Brulee is an excellent make-ahead dessert. You can bake the custard and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days, well covered. Then add the sugar and blowtorch it right before serving to maintain its crisp texture. After torching the sugar, you should consume the Creme Brulee within a few hours (keep refrigerated).
- Scaling the recipe: This recipe makes around 24oz of custard (enough for 3 8oz ramekins). You can easily double or triple all quantities to make more creme brulee - I recommend keeping each individual serving around 3/4" thick
- Leftover egg whites: Since this recipe uses only egg yolks, you will have egg whites left over. You can use them for recipes like omelettes, macarons, or my favorite cheesecake pavlovas
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Chilling Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French