This vanilla bean creme brulee recipe is creamy rich with a crunchy caramelized sugar on top. A creamy vanilla custard treat that you usually get at fancy restaurants.
Try my fancy alcohol free Tiramisu, it is fabulous.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
This creme brulee recipe is easy and hard to mess with and yields the most beautiful homemade 5 star restaurant quality dessert. Creme brulee is silky cool and smooth dessert topped with a thin layer of hot brittle sugar. A sweet rich vanilla infused custard with a faint bitter and crunchy top. Lots of textures and temperatures here guys... lovely.
📝 Ingredients
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📋 Ingredient Notes / Variations
- Heavy creme, this is the best dairy to give you rich and silky smooth texture, regular milk is not the best option and will not thicken properly.
- Egg yolks plus one whole egg
- Whole vanilla bean is the best in this recipe. You can use a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract.
- Granulated sugar
🥄 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cut the vanilla bean in half scrapping the seeds inside with a sharp knife. In a medium sauce pan add heavy cream vanilla bean and seeds and simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Remover from heat, cover and let it cool down for 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar to make the egg mixture.
- Remove the vanilla bean from the cream mixture, ladle some of the warm cream mixture over the eggs and whisk then mix in all the remaining cream mixture. This is called tampering the eggs which means increasing the eggs mixture temperature slowly without cooking the eggs.
- Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
- Pour into ramekins then place ramekins in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Pour hot water in the baking sheet until it reaches half the sides of the ramekins. Bake in the oven 30-35 minutes until the edges set while it is jiggling in the center.
- Keep in the sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool down completely and come to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge preferably overnight.
- Before serving by 30 minutes, take the ramekins out of the fridge and sprinkle white sugar on top of top of each custard dish and shake the ramekin to get an even layer of sugar. Caramelize using a Blow torch until sugar melts and browns nicely.
👍 Amira's Tips
- Pay extra attention that the cream does not boil.
- Adding an extra whole egg makes the creme brulee silkier with a lighter consistency.
- Remove any skin forming on the cream mixture before tampering the eggs.
- Straining the egg mixture is optional but highly recommended as it ensures no lumps of cooked eggs are in the mix.
- Cooking vanilla bean creme brulee in a water bath is essential so do not skip it.
🧺 Storage
Refrigerate - Keep creme brulee covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Sprinkle sugar on top just before serving.
Freeze - Creme brulee can be frozen (without the sugar layer) for up to a month. Take it out of freezer and let it thaw in fridge overnight then proceed with carmelizing the sugar.
🥣 Equipment
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- Creme brulee ramekins
- Mixing bowls
- Kitchen torch
- Large measuring cup
💬 FAQs
The beauty in making creme brulee is its simplicity. By taking simple everyday ingredients and turning them into this creamy dessert. That magical combination of egg yolks and whipping cream that is so decadently rich. A gourmet style dessert that is staple in every restaurant.
I thought so too. You'll never imagine that I bought my torch nearly 3 years ago, and kept pushing myself ever since. I got the impression that it is hard and it requires certain chef's skills to make which I do not have of course.
Voila, you got yourself an A+ vanilla bean creme brulee that your guests will rave about. Do it right and I promise you'll not end up with a sweet scrambled eggs version.
📣 Related Recipes
- Baklava Cheesecake is a delicious fusion dessert that combines the flavors of classic baklava with creamy cheesecake.
- Instant Pot Rice Pudding is a simple and delicious quicker version of the classic dessert done in a fraction of the time. Creamy sweetened to your liking and ready for anytime of the day.
- Mahalabia, a silken delicious dessert from the Middle East, promises extreme satisfaction with its deceptively simple ingredients.
Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream.
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- ½ cup sugar.
- 6 large egg yolks.
- 1 whole egg.
- More sugar for caramelizing the top.
Instructions
- Pour the whipping cream in a saucepan or a pot.
- Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape the seeds with the back of a pairing knife. Add the seeds and the bean itself to the pot.
- Stir well to combine and heat on medium until the edges start to bubble.
- Remove pan from heat, cover and let it set for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- In a bowl, add the yolks, the whole egg and the sugar. Whisk to blend.
- Pull out the vanilla bean out before adding.
- Gradually add the cream to the egg mixture and whisk. Strain to remove any lumps.
- Ladle or pour this mixture into the 8 (4oz) ramekins.
- Place in a rimmed roasting pan and pour boiling water in the pan carefully halfway through the ramekins.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until they are set around the edges, but still have a little jiggle to them when gently moved. They will continue cooking while they cool down.
- Let them cool down for 10 more minutes in the water then carefully remove the ramekins and place them on a rack to cool completely to room temperature.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or over night.
- 30 minutes before serving, get the ramekins out of the fridge.
- Sprinkle the top of each ramekin with about a teaspoon of sugar, shake it around to evenly spread the sugar.
- Torch the sugar until nicely and evenly caramelized and golden brown.
Video
Nutrition
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Karen (Back Road Journal)
I'm never too full to enjoy a crème brûlée after dinner, it is a favorite.
John / Kitchen Riffs
I love having an excuse to use my kitchen torch (actually a torch that I bought from a box box hardware store, but it works just as well). I haaven't had this dessert in ages, and it's been even longer since I've made it -- at least a decade. Gotta have this again, and soon. Thanks!
Evelyne
One of my fave restaurants desserts in a French place. And I can attest that itis easy to make. I don't have a burner so one can also put the oven grill as high as possible and broil the sugar on top.
Amira
Thanks Eve, this is a great tip for those who do not have torch... I heard also heating up a spoon ans work it through the surface caramelizes sugar very well.