Best Crème Brûlée Recipe

This Le Cirque Classic Crème Brûlée recipe was the first I ever made, and no other version has ever surpassed it! Martha Stewart featured this Easy Crème Brûlée Recipe on one of her shows nearly 20 years ago. I had never even tasted crème brûlée, but it turned out to be a treasured family dessert!

I used my broiler to caramelize the coarse sugar topping that transformed this vanilla custard into an extraordinary after-dinner treat. Cracking a spoon through the hardened sugar crust into the silky smooth custard, revealed the two essential elements that made this Crème Brûlée Recipe so famous.

Why You Must Make

Also known as Burnt Cream or Trinity Cream, crème brûlée is a rich, creamy custard topped with a thin, crisp layer of caramelized sugar.

• Since I started making this Classic Crème Brûlée at home, Bill will not order it from a restaurant menu. According to him, they always fall short.
• The recipe is from New York City’s legendary restaurant, Le Cirque.
• This is truly the quintessential crème brûlée recipe.

Ingredient Notes

• Kitchen Staples – Granulated Sugar (regular white sugar)
• Heavy Cream – 36-40% butterfat
• Vanilla Bean (affiliate link to 2 vanilla beans) – Slit in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both seeds and pod to the cream. You can also purchase a jar of Vanilla Bean Paste (affiliate link) if you plan to make this dessert again and again. Check the label to see how much is equivalent to 2 vanilla beans.
• Egg Yolks – Eggs separate best when cold. See below for recipes that use only egg whites.
• Salt – Salt enhances desserts just as it enhances savory recipes. It’s not enough to make the dessert salty, but your desserts can taste flat if you omit it. Use table salt instead of kosher salt so it dissolves and disperses more easily.
• Turbinado Sugar– Also known as sugar in the raw. It’s a coarse, blonde-colored sugar with a delicate molasses flavor. Use a handheld Kitchen Torch or your broiler to melt the sugar topping on each creme brulee. To use your broiler, keep the door slightly ajar while you’re caramelizing the sugar so you can keep an eye on the process. The goal is to melt the sugar until it turns golden brown, but not burn it.

How to Make Crème Brûlée

Expert Tips:

Once you learn how to make crème brûlée, it will be a frequent flyer for dessert. It’s perfect for dinner guests, holidays, or whenever you want to treat your family to a fabulous dessert. Here are some tips for making crème brûlée.

• PRO-Tip: When adding the yolks to the hot cream, pour very slowly and whisk constantly. This will minimize having bits of cooked egg in your batter.
• PRO-Tip: For the smoothest results, pour the batter through a sieve to remove any bits of egg that happen to cook/coagulate when mixed with the hot cream.
• PRO-Tip: If you don’t pour slowly and whisk constantly, you may get a lot of coagulated/cooked egg bits in your mixture. If that happens, your crème brûlée may not have enough egg in the custard to set properly. So don’t rush this step.
• Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
• Purchase sugar in the raw, also known as turbinado sugar, to make the sugar topping.
• Use a mini torch or broiler to melt and brown the sugar. If you use the broiler, place the ramekins directly under the elements and watch very carefully so they don’t burn. The goal is to melt the sugar so it turns golden brown.
• PRO-Tip: If adding salt to the mixture sounds odd, it accentuates the flavors and prevents desserts from tasting flat, but not enough is added to make the crème brûlée taste salty.

Crème Brûlée Equipment

• I finally purchased some (all affiliate links) Flat Oval Ramekins, but the round, deeper version works fine, too. You’ll just have to add more baking time to ensure the custard is set. There will be a slight jiggle in the middle, but set around the perimeter when they are fully baked.
• Crème Brûlée is baked in a bain marie, which is the French term for a water bath. Setting the unbaked custards into a Pan (affiliate link) of hot water to bake them helps stabilize the baking temperature, making for the creamiest results. The water should come halfway up the sides of your dishes. You do not want any water to slosh into the dishes. I use my roasting pan.
• You’ll also need a Culinary Torch (affiliate link) or broiler. See below for more details.

Straining the Custard

• The custard needs to be Strained (affiliate link) before pouring it into the ramekins. Even if you very carefully and slowly add the hot cream to the eggs while constantly whisking, some small bits of egg can cook. You must strain those out so you have the silkiest, creamy custard.
• Note: If you have a lot of cooked egg bits, it means you added the eggs too quickly and/or did not whisk constantly while drizzling them into the hot cream. If this happens, there will not be enough egg in your custard to allow it to solidify. You will have to start over. Don’t ask how I know this!
• PRO-Tip: I like to strain my custard into a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup (affiliate link) with a spout. It makes it super easy to pour the mixture into your ramekins.

Caramelizing the Sugar Topping

• When it comes to caramelizing your sugar topping, you have options there as well. I use Turbinado Sugar (affiliate link), or sugar in the raw, but you can also use brown sugar or granulated sugar. Some folks add a thin layer of sugar, torch, and then repeat. Generally, I just go for it once.
• You can use your broiler to melt the sugar, which used to be my preferred method, just watch carefully and remove them when the sugar topping starts bubbling. I use a culinary mini-torch designed for the kitchen, but you can also use a larger welding torch instead if you’re comfortable using one.

Serving Your Crème Brûlée

• Make sure to chill your crème brûlée before torching so the custard doesn’t totally liquefy from the heat. Not that anyone has ever complained when that’s happened around here!
• Though this classic creme brulee is lovely served ungarnished, for company, I’ll add a couple of fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries along with a sprig of to jazz up the presentation.
• I’ve also updated this recipe after reading Jenni Field’s post on salting desserts. She’s an accomplished pastry chef and knows her stuff; just a pinch of salt will make a world of difference to the taste of this vanilla bean custard. If you have never made an easy crème brûlée recipe before, consider it for a Valentine’s Day dessert for the one (or ones) you love.
• You can make the custards ahead of time. I like torching the sugar topping right before serving.

Recipes to Use Up Extra Egg Whites:

After making this creme brulee recipe, you’ll be left with 7 egg whites. Don’t toss them, but instead save them for one of these recipes featuring leftover egg whites.

• 2 egg whites: Simple Meringue Cookies
• 3 egg whites: Chocolate Velvet Pie 
• 4 egg whites: Fresh Strawberry Souffles
• 6 egg whites: Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
• 7 egg whites: Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake

Frequently Asked Questions

You May Also Like:

• Creme Brulee Cookie Bars from Crazy for Crust
• No-churn Creme Brulee Ice Cream from Big Bear’s Wife
• Creme Brulee French Toast
• Creme Brulee Cheesecake
• White Chocolate Creme Brulee
• Creme Brulee with Raspberries
• Plus, check my recipe index for more of my Best Dessert Recipes.

Continue to Content

Print

The Recipe:

Classic Crème Brûlée Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Yield 9 servings

A creamy vanilla custard topped with a crisp "burnt" sugar topping

5.0 Stars (63 Reviews)

Ingredients

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, slit in half lengthwise and seeds scraped
• ¾ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 7 large egg yolks
• Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300º.
2. In a saucepan, heat cream, vanilla pod, vanilla seeds, sugar, and salt over medium heat, occasionally stirring, till bubbles form around the perimeter. Do not bring it to a boil. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk eggs in a large glass measuring cup (or bowl). Temper the yolks by adding a small amount of hot cream to the yolks while whisking. Repeat a few more times, making sure to add the cream mixture very slowly and to keep whisking so the yolks do not cook.
4. Pour tempered yolks back into the pan and whisk till smooth. Strain the mixture into a large measuring cup (you may reuse the cup utilized for tempering) to remove the vanilla pod, seeds, and any bits of cooked yolk.
5. Place nine 8-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan. Fill the ramekins to the top with custard. Carefully place the pan in the oven, and pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake until custard is set and jiggles slightly when shaken, about 50 minutes.
6. Remove from the water bath and let cool for a half hour or so. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and use a kitchen torch to caramelize. In a pinch, you can also place it under the broiler (about 4 inches from the element) and broil until the sugar is melted. Watch VERY carefully.
7. Place each on a small plate to serve.
8. I used shallow ramekins and baked them for about 40 minutes.

Notes

Separate your eggs when they're cold as the yolk is less likely to break.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Turbinado Sugar
• 
  Roasting Pan
• 
  Shallow Ramekins
• 
  Culinary Torch

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

9

Serving Size:

1 creme brulee
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 488Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 285mgSodium: 100mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 0gSugar: 20gProtein: 8g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest