The Best Crème Brûlée Recipe is easier than it looks with creamy custard, caramelized sugar, and a pastry chef’s touch.
author’s note
Recipe Straight From A Pastry Chef!
During my years working in a fine dining restaurant, I was lucky enough to learn from a pastry chef who was famous for his crème brûlée. I’ll never forget the first night he let me torch the sugar topping. It felt intimidating at first, but with a few pointers, I realized just how simple and fun it really is.
That same chef shared the secrets to his “foolproof” recipe, and I’ve carried them with me ever since. What surprised me most was how uncomplicated the process really is: just five ingredients, a gentle bake, and a quick torching at the end. Now, this recipe is my go-to whenever I want to impress without spending hours in the kitchen.
It’s also the ultimate make-ahead dessert. Prepare the custard in advance, then add the iconic crackly sugar top right before serving. Elegant, easy, and always a crowd-pleaser!
Best Creme Brûlée Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | Notes & Swaps |
|---|---|
| Heavy Cream | Creates the silky, rich custard. Avoid half-and-half, which won’t set as well. |
| Egg Yolks | Give the custard body and richness. Use leftover whites in my Meringue Cookies. |
| Sugar | Sweetens the custard and caramelizes on top. Superfine sugar makes the best crisp layer. |
| Vanilla | A real vanilla bean adds amazing flavor, but vanilla paste or extract works too. |
| Salt | Just a pinch balances the sweetness. |
How To Make The Best Creme Brûlée Recipe
- Prep Vanilla: Split and scrape a vanilla bean, or measure paste/extract.
- Infuse Cream: Heat the cream with vanilla and a pinch of salt until warm and fragrant.
- Mix Base: Whisk yolks with sugar, then slowly pour in the warm cream while whisking.
- Water Bath: Pour into ramekins, place in a 9×13 pan, and surround with hot water halfway up the ramekins. Bake until just set with a slight jiggle.
- Chill: Refrigerate for 6–8 hours, or overnight. Sprinkle with sugar and torch until crisp.
Quick Tip
Crème Brûlée Texture: Crème Brûlée should have a thick custard-like consistency similar to thick full-fat Greek yogurt. Its taste should be velvety, creamy, and melt-in-your-mouth rich.
Tips For Success
- Ramekin Size: Use 4-, 5-, or 6-ounce ramekins. Larger ones make thicker custards and take longer to bake.
- Egg Yolks: Organic yolks with deep color give the custard a richer look.
- Vanilla: A vanilla bean gives the best flavor and look, but extract or paste also work.
- Tempering Eggs: Slowly add hot cream to eggs to prevent curdling.
- Sugar Topping: Use superfine sugar for the crispiest caramel layer.
- Water Bath: Bake in a water bath for even cooking and no cracks. Keep water out of the custards.
- Chilling: Chill at least 6–8 hours (overnight is best) for perfect texture.
Créme Brûleé tools
Créme Brûleé does require a few specialty tools, and below are exactly what I use:
What To Serve With Créme Brûleé:
Best Crème Brûlée Recipe
Video
Equipment
- ramekins see note 1
- Kitchen torch or oven, see note 1
- 9 x 13-inch baking pan 9 x 13-inch
Ingredients
- 1 full vanilla bean or 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks must be at room temperature, see note 2
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided, or superfine sugar if you have it!
- 6 cups water
- Fresh berries optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- If using a vanilla bean, slice it open and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds in a large bowl. Place the empty pod in a pot and combine with salt and heavy cream.
- Heat the cream mixture on the stove until it simmers, without boiling (low heat for about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; discard the vanilla pod. Stir in vanilla extract or paste if you’re using those instead.
- Meanwhile, in your bowl with vanilla seeds, add egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk (by hand) until combined. Simultaneously, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
- Do not whisk too briskly or you’ll end up with a custard that rises and falls or has lots of bubbles on the surface. While whisking at a slow and steady pace, gradually pour in 1/4 of the warmed cream mixture into the egg and sugar blend. Mix until combined, then continue to add remaining cream mixture, while whisking consistently.
- Position ramekins in a 9×13-inch pan. Pour the custard mixture into the ramekins, filling almost to the top. Carefully (using a glass liquid measuring cup) scoop boiling water into the pan until it’s halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Carefully transfer to oven and bake 30–35 minutes until the custards are set (with a slight jiggle in the center when you gently shake). Remove from water bath and allow to cool at room temperature, then chill in fridge for 6–8 hours (or up to 4–5 days).
- When ready to serve, sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar evenly over the custards. Swirl the sugar for even coverage, tipping excess into the next ramekin. Caramelize the sugar using a kitchen torch until it’s golden or slightly charred. Garnish with fresh berries and serve immediately.
- Alternative Caramelization (no torch): Ensure brûlées are chilled for at least 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to topmost and set to high broil. Broil sugar-topped custards for 1–3 minutes, watching very closely. Then refrigerate for 10–20 minutes to re-firm custard.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Best Crème Brûlée Recipe FAQs
Crème Brûlée is served cool or at room temperature. The custard is chilled, and the sugar topping is caramelized just before serving, creating a warm, crispy layer. It’s not served hot.
Crème Brûlée is done when the edges are set but the center slightly jiggles; it will firm up when cooled and refrigerated.
To caramelize Crème Brûlée in the oven, position the rack at the top and broil on high. Place custards sprinkled with superfine sugar on a tray on the top shelf, and broil for 1-3 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.
This truly *is* the best creme brulee everyone in my family has ever eaten. 1) We’ve eaten a lot of them before and 2) my teenage son made this for Mother’s Day! Quite easy.
Ahhh I’m soo happy to hear this! Also what an awesome son! You must be proud. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
This looks so delicious! I forgot about creme brûlée until I had it in Spain about a year & a half ago & thought whoa this is SO good. I might need to make this for dessert the next time we have another couple over for dinner!
I hope you love it! 🙂
When you are letting it cool completely to room temperature is it suppose to cool in the water bath ? Or outside the water bath ?
Outside of the water bath! Thanks for clarifying! 🙂
This must be the recipe I’ve been looking for. Your brulees look amazing, and the recipe looks easy. I’m gonna make them this morning and hopefully they’ll be ready by this afternoon when my friend is coming by. I’ll report back later as to how successful I was. Thanks so much, Chelsea. Including a video is a fantastic idea!
Yay!! I’m so excited the hear what you think! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
The creme brulee was awesome, I made 4 ramekins and used 2 separate pans to cook them. 2 of them turned out perfect and 2 were runny. What happened??? This was my first time making this. Could it have happened when I torched the sugar in the end? All four seemed fine before I did that.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Strange about the different pans. Were they on different racks in your oven? Also were they both chilled long enough? It seems like it might be different/varied heating in your oven, but could also be a too short of chill time.
My mom has long talked about her grandmother’s custard and loving creme brulee .They took a trip to Bonaire two years ago and still tell the tale of trekking all the way across an island to eat at the French restaurant – the highlight of that meal? Creme brulee. I decided to make this for a family meal recently, and my mom and sister both asked for the recipe. It was a definite hit!
This made my day!! I’m so happy to hear you guys loved this! Thanks Christine! 🙂
Delicious and so easy to make! loved these!
So glad to hear that! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I made this and the creme brulee was too sweet. Had to throw it away. I’ll try again with very little sugar.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that! Did you make sure to separate the sugar? Only 1/2 cup goes in the brûlées and the rest is used as topping (which you can always use less of depending on how crunchy you like the top!)
Second time making these
Had a friend who is very picky about his creme brûlée
He couldn’t get enough
Very tasty and a perfect end to a good meal
Yay! Love hearing that! So glad it was a hit 🙂
hey girl- this looks amazing! yummy!
Thank you Shawnna! 🙂
This looks fabulous. I have vanilla beans but I don’t have superfine sugar. Can I just put regular white sugar in the food processor?
Also, not to be weird, but I have been a subscriber for a long time but had never seen a video, and you (and your kitchen!) are gorgeous. 🙂
Yes that will work great 🙂 That means so much to me, thank you so much Samantha! 🙂
Go to Whole Foods.. down baking aisle.. it’s called ‘Caster Sugar’. A very fine grind, and Worth it for this recipe.
I baked these and you said they were supposed to slightly jiggle, but mine seems a little runny in the center but a little firmer on the outer edges. Is this supposed to happen?
Yep, sounds like it needs just a bit longer! 🙂