Crème caramel
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Silky vanilla egg custards baked gently in a water bath over a layer of dark caramel, then chilled and turned out so the caramel runs down as a sauce.
Crème caramel is a French dessert from France, ready in about 5 hours 5 minutes and made with sugar, milk and egg. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- 4 h
- Total
- 5 h 5 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 254
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 150 °C (fan 130 °C) and boil a kettle (opens in a new tab). Put six 150 ml ramekins in a deep baking dish (opens in a new tab).
Step 2
Make the caramel: heat 150 g sugar (opens in a new tab) and the water in a heavy pan over medium heat, swirling (not stirring) once it dissolves, until it turns a deep amber, about 8–10 minutes. Immediately pour into the ramekins and tilt to coat the bases.
- 10 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Caramel is around 170 °C and sticks to skin — pour carefully and keep children away.
Step 3
Warm the milk (opens in a new tab) until steaming. Whisk (opens in a new tab) the eggs (opens in a new tab), yolks, 75 g sugar (opens in a new tab) and vanilla (opens in a new tab) without making foam, then pour on the hot milk, stirring. Strain into a jug and pour into the ramekins.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 4
Pour hot water into the dish to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake 35–45 minutes until the custards are set at the edges with a slight wobble in the centre (about 80 °C inside).
- 45 min
- 150°C · fan 130 °C, in a water bath
Too hot an oven makes bubbles and a grainy texture.
Step 5
Cool, then chill for at least 4 hours. Run a thin knife around each one, invert onto a plate and give a firm shake to release.
About this dish
- Origin
- France · Commonly attributedBaked caramel custards are made across Europe and Latin America (flan, pudim); crème caramel is the French name.Also popular in Spain, Portugal, United KingdomMore food from France
- Dish
- Dessert · Desserts
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked
- Taste
- sweet, creamy, bitter
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium - Good for
- Make-ahead
- Cook more with
- Sugar · Milk · Egg · Egg yolk · Vanilla extract
- Techniques
- Baking
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg, 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
254 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 162 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 10%
- Carbohydrate 66%
- Fat 24%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 254 kcal | 156 kcal |
| Protein | 6.7 g | 4.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 42.1 g | 26 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 42.1 g | 26 g |
| Sugars | 42 g | 25.9 g |
| Added sugars | 37.5 g | 23.1 g |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 6.7 g | 4.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.9 g | 1.8 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 163 mg | 101 mg |
| Sodium | 76 mg | 47 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 156 mg
- Calcium
- 119 mg
- Iron
- 0.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 101 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.9 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.7 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
Food safety
- Keep eggs refrigerated (below 5 °C / 40 °F) and refrigerate cooked egg dishes within 2 hours.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days covered in the fridge; the caramel liquefies further over time.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
You might also like
Leche flan
Filipino · 5 h 5 min · 335 kcal · Contains egg
Pudim de leite condensado
Brazilian · 5 h 15 min · 289 kcal · Contains egg
Crème brûlée
French · 4 h 50 min · 410 kcal · Contains egg
Purin
Japanese · 3 h 50 min · 199 kcal · Contains egg