Perfect Crème Brûlée Recipe: Creamy Custard with Caramelized Sugar

Crème Brûlée is one of my favorite desserts. It may seem intimidating, but with clear steps you can make this luxurious, creamy dessert at home.

If you haven’t tried this luscious, silky custard topped with a crisp caramel layer, you’re missing out. Crème brûlée is pure bliss: rich, creamy, and surprisingly simple to prepare.

I love creamy desserts and this recipe is no exception. Although the name sounds fancy, the method is straightforward. You don’t even need a culinary torch to achieve the caramelized top if you prefer using your oven’s broiler.

What ingredients are used in crème brûlée

• Heavy cream
• Whole or 2% milk
• Granulated sugar
• Egg yolks
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean

Special tools you need

• Deep baking dish or pan (for a water bath)
• Five taller 4 oz. ramekins
• Torch (optional)
• Fine mesh sieve

How to make crème brûlée

This recipe uses five basic ingredients. I include a bit of 2% milk to slightly reduce the richness of heavy cream, which yields a perfectly balanced custard my family loves.

Begin by separating the egg yolks from the whites. You won’t use the whites here, but save them for omelets, meringues, or pavlova. Place the yolks in a medium bowl and the whites in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Prepare a deep baking dish

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Use a deep baking dish because the ramekins will bake in a water bath; the depth helps prevent spills. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and milk and heat over medium-low until the edges begin to steam and small bubbles form. Stir or whisk constantly to prevent scorching. When the cream is hot, remove from the heat.

Make the custard

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale. An electric hand mixer will speed this step, but a whisk works fine if you don’t mind a little extra elbow grease. Mix in the vanilla extract (or seeds from a split vanilla bean).

Slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking continuously so the eggs don’t scramble. Once combined, strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove any curdled bits or vanilla pod pieces for a silky texture.

Divide the custard among the ramekins, filling each about three-quarters full. Place the ramekins in the deep baking dish. Carefully pour boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins—avoid splashing water into the custards.

Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 30–35 minutes, until the custards are set but still slightly jiggly in the center. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool on a wire rack. Once cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Torch or broil: both work well

Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar evenly over each custard. You can caramelize the sugar with a handheld torch or by placing the ramekins under the oven broiler.

Using a torch

A torch gives the classic hard, crunchy caramel top in seconds while keeping the custard cold underneath. Hold the flame about 4 inches above the surface and move it in a circular motion until the sugar melts and browns evenly.

Using the broiler

If you don’t have a torch, place the sugared ramekins on the top rack and broil for 5–10 minutes, watching closely so the sugar caramelizes but does not burn. The custard may warm slightly, but the result is still delicious.

Serve within 20 minutes of caramelizing the sugar so the top remains crisp and you get that satisfying crack when you break it.

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