Name: Classic Crème Brûlée: The Iconic French Cream and Caramel Dessert
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 500 ml heavy cream (minimum 35% fat); 6 large fresh egg yolks; 120 g refined white sugar; 1 natural vanilla bean split lengthwise; A generous pinch of coarse sea salt flakes

Crème Brûlée Clásica: El Postre Francés de Crema y Caramelo

Crème brûlée is the crown jewel of French pastry, celebrated for its perfect contrast between a silky smooth cream and a crunchy caramel top. Making it at home allows you to control ingredient quality and achieve that texture everyone loves.

Ingredients

How many are you cooking for?

Original recipe for 4 servings

500 ml heavy cream (minimum 35% fat)
6 large fresh egg yolks
120 g refined white sugar
1 natural vanilla bean split lengthwise
A generous pinch of coarse sea salt flakes

Step by step

Follow the timeline: technique icon, time and temperature when relevant.

Step 1 Pot / simmer 30 min

Heat the cream in a saucepan along with the split vanilla bean seeds until it begins to steam without boiling; remove from heat, cover, and reserve to infuse for a full thirty minutes.
Step 2 Mix 5 min

Whisk the egg yolks with white sugar until pale and silky smooth, then incorporate the strained vanilla cream in a very thin stream while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs without scrambling them.
Step 3 Prep 2 min

Pass the final mixture through a fine-mesh sieve directly into individual ramequins to eliminate any shell fragments or chalaza, guaranteeing an absolutely uniform texture with zero lumps.
Step 4 Oven 45 min 160 °C

Place the molds inside a large baking tray and pour hot water into the tray up to halfway up the sides of the ramequins; bake at 160 °C for 45 minutes until the center jiggles slightly when touched.
Step 5 Cool 240 min

Remove puddings from the oven and let them cool completely before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least four hours, an essential step for flavors to mature and the cream to set properly.
Step 6 Pan 2 min

Sprinkle a uniform thin layer of white sugar over each cold pudding just before serving; caramelize it immediately with a kitchen torch or under the oven grill until achieving an intense golden and crunchy crust.
Step 7 Serve

Let the caramel rest for a few seconds to harden and gently tap the surface with the back of a spoon to break it and enjoy the cold creamy base underneath that sweet and crunchy shell.

Storage

Store puddings covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; always caramelize sugar just before serving to keep the crust crunchy.

Chef tips

Always use a professional culinary torch to perfectly control the temperature and avoid burning the cream underneath the golden caramel.
If you do not have an oven, you can cook the ramequins in a water bath in a covered pot over very low heat for about one hour.
Brown sugar caramelizes much faster than white sugar; watch it closely with the torch to achieve a perfect amber tone without bitterness.

Allergens

Dairy
Egg

Diet

🥬 Vegetarian

This recipe is entirely vegetarian as it contains no ingredients from animals that have been slaughtered.

Variations

Substitutions for a vegan version

Instead of: 500 ml heavy cream (minimum 35% fat)

Use: same amount of unsweetened oat milk (or soy for béchamel)

Why: Milk adds liquid, fat and dairy sweetness; plant milk keeps texture without casein.

Tip: Choose oat for creams and soy for binding sauces. Heat gently—do not boil hard or it may split.
Instead of: 6 large fresh egg yolks

Use: per egg: 50 g mashed firm tofu + 1 tbsp aquafaba (or 1 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 3 tbsp water)

Why: Egg binds, leavens or sets depending on the step; you need plant protein and liquid to mimic that role.

Tip: In doughs, blend tofu until creamy. For coating, use foamed aquafaba. In omelettes, add turmeric for colour.

Other variations

Infuse the cream with orange or lemon zest instead of vanilla to obtain a zesty and refreshing profile that cuts through the sweetness of the caramel.
Add a tablespoon of Cognac, Amaretto, or coffee liqueur to the yolk mixture before baking to give it an adult character and intense flavor.

Quick summary

At-a-glance while you cook. Full details are in the step-by-step.

1 Heat cream with scraped vanilla and steep for half an hour to extract all natural aroma into the warm liquid mixture.
2 Whisk yolks with sugar until pale; incorporate strained cream in a thin stream whisking constantly to temper without curdling.
3 Strain mixture into molds to purify; bake in water bath at 160°C for 45 min until center trembles slightly when shaken gently.
4 Chill covered for at least 4 hours; this resting time is vital for texture to set and achieve its proper final consistency.
5 Sprinkle thin layer of white sugar over cold puddings just before serving, preparing the ground for the last caramelization step.
6 Caramelize sugar with torch or grill until creating a golden crust, that hard layer which cracks perfectly when using a spoon.
7 Gently break the caramelized surface with a spoon to enjoy the smooth cold cream underneath a crunchy sweet and crispy layer.