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French

Crème brûlée

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A rich vanilla custard baked gently in a water bath, chilled and finished with a crackling layer of caramelised sugar.

Crème brûlée is a French dessert, ready in about 4 hours 50 minutes and made with heavy cream, egg yolk and sugar. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Tasty crème brûlée topped with berries and a chocolate cone, garnished with mint.
Photo: Terje Sollie / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Rest
4 h
Total
4 h 50 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
410

Ingredients

6 servings

For the topping

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 150 °C. Warm the cream with the vanilla (opens in a new tab) until just steaming.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the yolks and sugar (opens in a new tab) until pale, then slowly whisk in the hot cream. Skim off any froth.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Divide between six ramekins in a deep baking dish (opens in a new tab). Pour hot water into the dish to come halfway up the ramekins and bake until set at the edges but still wobbly in the centre.

    Food safety: Take care when moving the hot water bath.

  4. Step 4

    Cool, then chill for at least 4 hours.

    • 240 min

  5. Step 5

    Just before serving, sprinkle each with an even layer of sugar (opens in a new tab) and caramelise with a blowtorch (or under a very hot grill) until deep amber. Leave for a minute to harden.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
France · Origin disputedFrance, England (Cambridge 'burnt cream') and Spain (crema catalana) all have similar historic custards.Also popular in United Kingdom, United StatesMore food from France
Dish
Dessert · Desserts
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
creamy, sweet, rich
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Heavy cream · Egg yolk · Sugar · Vanilla extract
Techniques
Baking

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom heavy cream
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

410 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 119 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 4%
  • Carbohydrate 22%
  • Fat 73%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy410 kcal345 kcal
Protein4.6 g3.9 g
Carbohydrate23.1 g19.4 g
Net carbohydrate23.1 g19.4 g
Sugars22.7 g19.1 g
Added sugars20 g16.9 g
Fibre0 g0 g
Fat33.8 g28.5 g
Saturated fat20.5 g17.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol248 mg209 mg
Sodium30 mg25 mg
Salt equivalent0.1 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
97 mg
Calcium
74 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
7 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
396 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
2.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
24 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The custard is ready when it jiggles like jelly in the centre — it firms as it chills.

Common mistakes

  • Baking too hot, which makes the custard grainy or bubbly.

Storage

  • Un-caramelised custards keep 3 days covered in the fridge.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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