How To Make Creme Brûlée

If you’ve ever wondered how to make creme brulee at home, today is your lucky day! This luscious and rich custard topped with a layer of hard caramel is made from just four common ingredients; heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.

Easy Creme Brûlée Recipe

Also known as burnt cream, crema catalina, or Trinity cream, Creme Brûlée is a dessert guaranteed to impress your guests. I’m excited to teach you how to make Creme Brûlée with this tutorial today. 

It is surprisingly simple to make! Once you’ve tried making it yours, you won’t have to rely on a fancy restaurant to provide you this comforting sweet treat.

While my sister was visiting us last weekend, she brought along her kitchen torch and introduced me to the creamy awesomeness that is homemade creme brûlée. If you do not have a kitchen torch or do not care to purchase one, the sugar can also be caramelized in the oven. (Directions are included below.)

While Creme Brûlée is an undoubtedly elegant dessert, it’s also a fairly simple concept with just a few ingredients. It’s also a dessert that just about everyone loves.

I can’t imagine anyone not being over the moon to see a beautiful dish of perfectly caramelized Creme Brûlée placed in front of them at the end of the meal.

While my sister was visiting us last weekend, she brought along her kitchen torch and introduced me to the creamy awesomeness that is homemade creme brûlée.

I can’t believe it took me so long to finally make creme brûlée at home. This turned out to be one of the easiest desserts I’ve ever made!

Is Creme Brûlée Gluten Free?

Creme brûlée is nothing more than a simple custard base topped with a crunchy layer of caramelized sugar. If you’ve never made custard before, it’s a blend of egg yolks, heavy cream and sugar lightly flavored with vanilla.

So happy days: creme brûlée is naturally gluten-free! If you’re looking for more gluten free desserts for your repertoire, be sure to check out the extensive archive of gluten-free dessert recipes and Gluten Free Baking here on BFK.

To make this beautiful custard, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• heavy cream
• vanilla bean
• sugar
• eggs

Kitchen Tip: I use this torch and this fuel to make this recipe. (This combination is so much easier and less expensive overall than the typical kitchen torches!)

Easy Creme Brûlée

Because Creme Brûlée is served in individual portions it’s also a great option for a buffet style gathering. Guests can grab their own dessert without the need for extra serving spoons or dishes.

Creme brûlée is traditionally served in round ramekins. If you don’t have those, small shallow serving dishes of any kind will do but be sure they are oven safe!

This easy creme brulee recipe is also a great make-ahead dessert. You can prepare the custard as far as three days in advance and store it in the fridge until ready to use!

How To Make Creme Brulee Without Torch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine heavy cream and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium high heat.

Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Let cool 15 minutes and remove vanilla bean.

Whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. (Reserve the remaining sugar.) Gradually pour the sugary egg mixture into the warm cream.

Whisk to combine and then pour into oven proof individual serving dishes. *Place the filled dishes into an oven safe pan and fill with water to about halfway up the sides of each dish.

Place on the middle oven rack and bake for 40 minutes. Carefully remove the very hot pan of water from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before transferring the custard dishes to the refrigerator to chill.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours and as long as 3 days. When ready to caramelize, set the dishes on a heat resistant surface and let them warm for about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle each dish with about 1 tablespoon of sugar and then use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. A good technique is to go over the top of the dish until most of the sugar has melted, then let that cool while you repeat with the other dishes.

Finish each dish with a second torching. Don’t be afraid of slightly burning the tops, make sure you get the sugar good and bubbling.

If you do not have a kitchen torch and don’t plan to purchase one, follow the tips below for caramelizing the top with the broiler in the oven. Chill the finished creme brûlée once again until ready to serve.

Move the top rack in your oven up as high as it will go. Place the ramekins in the oven on the top rack, and turn on the broiler. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes, rotating them frequently so that they broil evenly. Take them out when they are golden brown and bubbling.

Looking for more easy and impressive desserts? For a fun spin on classic brulee, give Summer Berry Brulee a try. Easy Crock Pot Dulce De Leche is another dish with an incredible caramel flavor that’s surprisingly simple to whip up.

{originally published 2/18/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/11/25}