Vanilla Crème Brûlée is the best make-ahead dessert – creamy, velvety and delicious beneath a hard shell of burnt sugar topping. Follow my easy Creme Brûlée recipe to make this heavenly French dessert in your air fryer or the oven.
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There’s nothing so satisfying, and full of sweet anticipation, like tapping your spoon against the hard shell of caramelised sugar to break through to the creamy vanilla custard below.
I associate Crème Brûlée with special outings because, let’s face it, most of us only order this dessert at fancy dinners out. But it turns out that it is TRULY EASY to make Crème Brûlée at home, especially if you follow my foolproof recipe.
What is Crème Brûlée?
Despite its fancy name, this dessert is simply baked vanilla custard with a burnt sugar topping. “Crème Brûlée” literally means “burnt cream” in French!
The custard is first baked then chilled – the crunchy topping is created just before serving by torching the thin layer of sugar that’s sprinkled on top of the custard.
Vanilla Crème Brûlée Ingredients
The classic French recipe uses eggs, egg yolks, cream, sugar and vanilla. I have tweaked this recipe to make it SUPER EASY to make all in one bowl, no mixer or cooking required. The one special piece of equipment you will need is a kitchen blowtorch – but there are ways around it!
- Eggs: large whole eggs and egg yolks at room temperature
- Sweetened condensed milk (I used Carnation)
- Cream: heavy cream (double cream)
- Vanilla bean paste or a vanilla pod
- Pinch salt
- Sugar for the topping
How To Make Crème Brûlée in an Air Fryer
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Place the cream, sweetened condensed milk, whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla bean paste and salt into a mixing bowl. Use a balloon whisk to stir the ingredients together until smooth. Strain the custard mixture through a fine sieve.
Divide the custard between six small ramekins (110ml /4oz ramekins). If you are a fan of Gu desserts then their glass containers are perfect for this recipe!
Place the the ramekins into the air fryer basket, spaced slightly apart. Bake at 130°C (265°F) for 16-20 minutes, or until the custard is set at the edges but still a bit of a jiggle in the middle.
Transfer the ramekins onto a wire rack to cool then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle half to one teaspoon of sugar over the top of each ramekin, shaking to distribute into an even layer. Melt the sugar using a blowtorch until it is caramelised. Allow the sugar crust to cool and harden for a few minutes before serving.
HOW TO BAKE Crème Brûlée IN THE OVEN
The oven method is a little more fussy than cooking in the air fryer as you will need to use the bain marie cooking method. Preheat the oven to 140°C (285°F).
Place the filled ramekins onto a deep baking dish, spaced apart. Pour boiling water into the dish (careful not to splash the custard) until it reached halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard is mostly set with a little wobble in the middle. Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking sheet and allow to cool before chilling in the fridge.
Tips for Making the Very Best Crème Brûlée
PREP AHEAD Make the custard a day in advance so that it has a chance to chill properly and set. That way you can tick one thing off your list if you are making dessert for a special occasion (it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day or a dinner party).
THE COOKING TIME will depend on the size of your ramekins (I used 110ml /4oz ramekins). If you are baking in the oven start checking after 20 minutes and add more time as needed. Same goes for the air fryer – gently open the basket to check after 15 minutes and adjust if needed.
THE SUGAR CRUST You can make the crust thicker by adding more sugar. Don’t overdo it though or it will be difficult to break through it!
WHAT IS A BAIN MARIE? A bain marie is a water bath which helps the custard to bake evenly without curdling or cracking. This method is used when baking cheesecake in the oven as well.
NO BLOW TORCH? NO PROBLEM! If you don’t own a kitchen torch you can easily caramelise the sugar under the oven broiler (grill) for a few minutes, being very watchful as it can go from golden to burned in seconds!
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Have you made my easy Crème Brûlée recipe? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day! If you have any questions send me a message on Instagram and I will do my best to reply quickly.
Easy Vanilla Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
For the custard
- 400 g (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 250 ml (1 cup) cream heavy / double
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 large whole eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- pinch salt
Topping
- 3 tsp sugar (or as needed)
Instructions
PREPARE THE CUSTARD
- Place the cream, sweetened condensed milk, whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla bean paste and salt into a mixing bowl. Use a balloon whisk to stir the ingredients together until smooth.400 g (14oz) sweetened condensed milk, 250 ml (1 cup) cream, 3 large egg yolks, 2 large whole eggs, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste, pinch salt
- Strain the custard mixture through a fine sieve. Divide the custard between six small ramekins.
COOK IN THE AIR FRYER
- Place the the ramekins into the air fryer basket, spaced slightly apart. Bake at 130°C (265°F) for 16-20 minutes, or until the custard is set at the edges but still has a bit of a jiggle in the middle.
- Transfer the ramekins onto a wire rack to cool then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
COOK IN THE OVEN
- Preheat the oven to 140°C (285°F).
- Place the filled ramekins onto a deep baking dish, spaced apart. Pour boiling water into the dish (be careful not to splash the custard) until it reached halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the custard is mostly set with a little wobble in the middle. Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking sheet and allow to cool before chilling in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
FINISHING TOUCHES
- Sprinkle half to one teaspoon of sugar over the top of each ramekin, shaking to distribute into an even layer. Melt the sugar using a blowtorch until it is caramelised. Allow the sugar crust to cool and harden for a few minutes before serving.3 tsp sugar
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