How to Make Crème Brûlée (2024)

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By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Created January 10, 2017

Learn how to prepare decadent crème brûlée for four; it’s one extra-special dessert that’s easier to make than you might think.

How to Make Crème Brûlée (5)

Add a touch of homemade elegance to any occasion by making restaurant-quality crème brûlée in the comfort your own home. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, we’ll also show you how to caramelize the dessert using your broiler.

What you’ll need:

  • Ingredients for Crème Brûlée
  • Large bowl
  • Wire whisk
  • 13x9-inch pan
  • 4 ceramic ramekins
  • Cooling rack
  • Kitchen torch
  • Paper towels

How to:

1.Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir whipping cream, 1/3 cup sugar and the vanilla until well mixed. Add egg yolks; beat with whisk until evenly colored and well blended. Pour this mixture evenly into ramekins.

How to Make Crème Brûlée (6)

2.Transfer ramekins to 13x9-inch pan; place pan in oven. Pour boiling water into pan until it covers two-thirds the height of ramekins. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until tops are light golden brown. Transfer ramekins to cooling rack; cool 2 hours. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 2 days. Uncover ramekins; gently blot away condensation on custards with paper towel.

How to Make Crème Brûlée (7)

3.Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar over each custard. Next, holding kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from custard, caramelize sugar on each custard, moving flame continuously over sugar in a circular motion. The sugar is partially melted at this point.

How to Make Crème Brûlée (8)

4.Keep moving flame continuously over sugar in a circular motion 1 to 2 minutes until sugar is melted and light golden brown. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving.

How to Make Crème Brûlée (9)

To Caramelize Under Broiler:

If you don’t have a kitchen torch, no worries! You can caramelize crème brûlée using your broiler instead—simply follow these alternate instructions starting at Step 3:

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons brown sugar over each chilled custard. (Brown sugar melts more evenly under broiler.) Place ramekins in pan or on cookie sheet with sides. Broil with tops 4 to 6 inches from heat 5 to 6 minutes or until sugar is melted and forms a glaze.

Expert tips:

  • Do not use glass custard cups or pie plates as they cannot withstand the heat from the kitchen torch or broiler and may break.
  • Be careful not to splash water into the ramekins when pouring into pan in Step 2.
  • You’ll know when your crème brûlée is ready to come out of the oven when the sides are set but its centers will remain slightly jiggly.

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How to Make Crème Brûlée (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to crème brûlée? ›

Bake in a water bath

This is a key step to making perfect crème brûlée – baking your custards in a water bath. A water bath is a pan of water that the ramekins are placed in to bake. A water bath provides some insulation from direct heat which allows the custards to cook gently, evenly, and prevents cracking.

What is crème brûlée mostly made of? ›

Five simple ingredients – cream, vanilla, salt, eggs and sugar – make for an exquisitely rich and elegant dessert. Most crème brûlée recipes require the use of a small propane torch to achieve the crackly sugar top, but this version offers a simpler (and safer) solution: your oven's broiler.

How to make crambolay? ›

How to Make Creme Brulee
  1. Warm the Cream – First, heat 2 cups of heavy cream in a saucepan. ...
  2. Combine – In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with sugar and salt. ...
  3. Strain – Next, strain the custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve. ...
  4. Fill – Divide the custard evenly between six ovenproof ramekins or custard cups.
Feb 10, 2023

What not to do when making crème brûlée? ›

Avoid These Common Mistakes and Make a Flawless Crème Brûlée
  1. Using the Wrong Size Ramekin. Crème brûlée is traditionally baked in a wide, shallow ramekin. ...
  2. Using Whole Eggs. The pudding portion of crème brûlée should be trembling and tender, but still rich and creamy. ...
  3. Getting Water in the Pudding. ...
  4. Torching the Wrong Sugar.
Jan 20, 2016

What sugar is best for crème brûlée? ›

For the caramelized sugar crust, we recommend turbinado or Demerara sugar. Regular granulated sugar will work, too, but use only 1 scant teaspoon on each ramekin or 1 teaspoon on each shallow fluted dish.

Does crème brûlée have to be made in ramekins? ›

If you don't have ramekins, use a large wide ceramic or glass dish. Do not use metal. The bake time will increase with a larger size pan. Oven Broiler Directions: If you don't have a kitchen torch, use the oven broiler to caramelize the sugar in step 7.

What does "creme brulee" mean in English? ›

French, literally, scorched cream.

Why is crème brûlée difficult? ›

Now, this is probably the hardest part about making creme brulee ... knowing when it's done. Typically, the custard is baked for about 45 to 50 minutes, but the time it takes is truly dependent on how deep the ramekins are. Deeper ramekins will take longer than flatter, shallower ramekins.

Why is my creme brulee not crispy? ›

It could be your sugar. I find sugar in the raw to be the easiest and most even burning sugar for creme brûlée. You could also combine equal parts brown sugar and white sugar. When burning the sugar make sure to keep moving the torch evenly across the sugar.

How jiggly should creme brulee be? ›

The custard will be quite wobbly; it should jiggle from side to side when nudged. However, it should not be liquid in the center. It will be barely set, but not liquid. The custard will firm up considerably in the refrigerator, so take it out of the oven when it has set into that very-jiggly-not-liquid consistency.

How to get creme brulee to harden? ›

Torch the creme brulee.

Sprinkle the Demerara sugar evenly on top of the creme brulee. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the sugar melts completely and most of it caramelizes, rotating the pan occasionally to even the browning. Cool on a wire rack for 1 minute to allow the sugar to harden, then serve immediately.

What's the difference between creme brulee and flan? ›

When it comes to crème brûlée and flan, it's mostly the toppings that distinguishes the two, as well as the presentation. The former has that signature crackly sugar crust on top, and the latter has the gooey, soft caramel top.

How to improve crème brûlée? ›

14 Tips For Making Crème Brûlée Like A Pro
  1. Use deeper one cup ramekins. Marcelo Trad/Getty Images. ...
  2. Use heavy whipping cream. Carlos Yudica/Shutterstock. ...
  3. Don't boil the cream. ...
  4. Temper your egg yolks. ...
  5. Strain your mixture. ...
  6. Bake in a hot water bath. ...
  7. Turn off the convection setting on your oven. ...
  8. Don't over bake.
Apr 23, 2023

Why won't my crème brûlée set? ›

This is most likely due to underbaking. Creme Brulee is perfectly baked when it is set and firm around the edges but still has a wobble / jiggle in the middle when shaken. Additionally, it is important to chill thoroughly, ideally overnight, before diving in.

How do you make the perfect crack on crème brûlée? ›

The best 'crack' is if you add the sugar in layers and torch each one. If the sugar layer is too thick the torch will only melt the surface. Is there a way to make creme brûlée without using a broiler? Few pastry chefs brûlée underneath broilers these days.

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