• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Book Club
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • HOLIDAYS
  • BOOK CLUB
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT
    • RECIPES
    • HOLIDAYS
    • BOOK CLUB
    • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Fruit Desserts

    Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee for Beginners

    Published: Jan 17, 2023 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

    • Share
    • Email Friend!
    Jump to Recipe - Pin Recipe
    A photo collage shows the finished creme brulee alongside 2 step by step photos.

    This vanilla bean creme brulee (or crème brûlée if you're feeling fancy) has an amazing secret ingredient: Grand Marnier liqueur. Learn how to make the best creme brulee you've ever had right in a standard home kitchen.

    A serving of creme brulee with fresh strawberries. A spoon has cracked through the sugar topping.

    When I spot creme brulee on any restaurant dessert menu, I know exactly what I'm ordering.

    I love this simple French dessert with its sweet vanilla bean custard topped with a crispy caramelized sugar topping.

    But did you know you can make this elegant dessert right at home in a basic kitchen?? You don't even need any especially difficult tools.

    The only thing you really need to learn is a few very specific tricks to the method.

    The best part is that you can make the vanilla bean creme brulee custard in advance and then just let your friends and family torch their own sugar topping when you serve it.

    Editor's Note: This recipe was originally published September 1, 2010 and has been completely updated with new photos and instructions.

    Jump to:
    • Why This is the Best Recipe
    • Tools You Need
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make the Creme Brulee Custard
    • Prepare the Eggs
    • Prep the Vanilla Bean
    • Scald the Heavy Cream
    • Temper the Eggs
    • Troubleshooting Tips
    • Flavor the Custard
    • Prepare the Ramekins and Water Bath
    • Bake the Custard
    • Torch the Creme Brulee Topping
    • Make Ahead Tips
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More French Desserts
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why This is the Best Recipe

    Party guests are always wowed by my vanilla bean creme brulee dessert. It looks so crazy fancy and difficult, but it is shockingly easy to make.

    I once served it as a book club party treat and my friends were blown away.

    This is the best recipe because:

    1. Specific Instructions for Success: Follow my simple tricks and you're on your way to perfect baked custards.
    2. Specific Supply List: You don't need anything especially fancy, but I'm sharing exactly the tools I make so you can replicate this at your home, too.
    3. Delicate Vanilla Bean Custard: The base of the Crème Brûlée is so light and sweet. It's the perfect dessert when you don't want something too heavy.
    4. Crispy Caramelized Sugar Topping: This is the detail that really wows your dinner guests. It is such a fun party trick to let your friends toast their own desserts.
    5. Delicious "Secret Ingredient": The TOP reason this is the best recipe is the addition of orange flavored liqueur. It doesn't make the Crème Brûlée taste orange-y, but it gives it an amazing brightness that keeps it from being too rich.

    Tools You Need

    To get picture-perfect crème brûlée tops, you'll be baking the custards in a water bath in the oven.

    The ramekins and baking pans for the water bath are assembled on the counter.

    To set up the perfect environment for baking the custards, I simply use regular baking items I already have in my kitchen:

    1. 2 (9 x 13-inch) Baking Pans: These metal baking pans are the most-used baking pans in my kitchen. They are super versatile for baking sheet cakes, brownies, cinnamon rolls and so much more. They also happen to make the perfect base for a water bath.
    2. Custard Ramekins: These individual porcelain baking cups come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but for the perfect ratio of custard to crispy sugar topping, this specific set is my personal favorite. The custards bake up wide and thin so you get just the right amount of cream to crispy topping in every bite.
    3. A Kitchen Torch: This is the most-fun kitchen tool you'll ever buy. Use it to gently caramelize the sugar topping and your dessert gets an amazing toasted marshmallow flavor on top!

    If you already have these items at home, you'll just want to arrange your ramekins in your baking pans BEFORE YOU START to make sure they fit and lay perfectly flat on the bottom of the pan.

    Ingredients

    The ingredients to make Crème Brûlée are on the counter.

    This elegant dessert is always such a surprise because you actually need so few things to make it!!

    • Heavy Whipping Cream: Buy the best quality you can afford.
    • Eggs
    • Sugar
    • Vanilla Extract and a Vanilla Bean: If the vanilla bean isn't in your budget, just use additional extract to flavor the custard. I love using the bean because I love to see those vanilla bean flecks in the custard.
    • Grand Marnier: This orange-flavored liqueur is the secret ingredient that makes this recipe the best. You only need a tablespoon, so you don't need to buy a large bottle. It is worth the splurge to get one of the tiny single-serving bottles from the store.

    How to Make the Creme Brulee Custard

    The first step to making the vanilla bean creme brulee is to bake the vanilla custards.

    Preheat your oven to 300°F.

    Prepare the Eggs

    Place one whole egg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

    Then separate 4 more eggs and just add the yolks to the bowl.

    NOTE: Save those egg whites!! With egg prices being what they are right now, you don't want to waste one bit of egg.

    You can freeze the egg whites for using later, maybe to make my lemon meringue tart.

    Or, turn them into my easy Swiss meringue buttercream frosting now. The recipe freezes well so you can prep it now and use it for a cake later.

    Egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl.

    Add the sugar to the mixer and beat the eggs on low speed until the sugar is just incorporated.

    Prep the Vanilla Bean

    If you're using a vanilla bean in this recipe, at this point you'll want to slice it in half lengthwise and scrape out the tiny black vanilla bean seeds with the back of your knife like this:

    A fresh vanilla bean pod has been sliced open and a knife is showing the vanilla seeds.

    Add the seeds AND the pod to the heavy cream before you scald it.

    Scald the Heavy Cream

    Don't panic at the sound of this, to "scald the cream," you're just going to heat the heavy cream until it has almost boiled but hasn't bubbled. Easy peasy.

    Pour the cream into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat over medium-high.

    Stir it with a spatula the entire time so it doesn't burn on the bottom.

    When the steam starts rolling off the cream and you can hear just the faintest start of a bubble boil at the bottom of the pan, pull the cream from the heat.

    If you used a vanilla bean, now is the time to remove the pod and discard it.

    Temper the Eggs

    If you just dump the hot scalded cream into the eggs at this point, they will scramble and cook.

    In order to balance the custard, follow this specific trick:

    1. Turn the Mixer on Low: Keep that paddle moving in the eggs before you even start to add the cream.
    2. Drizzle the Cream SLOWLY: Drizzle the hot cream down the INSIDE side of the mixing bowl at a very slow trickle. This lets the eggs slowly warm up to the temperature of the hot cream without actually cooking, a method called "tempering eggs."
    The milk is being poured down the inside side of the mixing bowl while the paddle attachment is turning to keep the eggs moving.

    Troubleshooting Tips

    If you've never tempered eggs before, don't be discouraged if you find bits of scrambled egg floating in your cream.

    My mixer has a few trouble areas where it refuses to mix and I had some in my cream, too.

    Thankfully, they usually cling to the bottom of the bowl and can be avoided when filling the ramekins.

    However, you can also strain the cream through a fine mesh strainer over a clean bowl to remove any solids that may have built up.

    Flavor the Custard

    Once the heavy cream has been completely stirred in, you can take a deep breath. The worst is over.

    Add the vanilla extract and Grand Marnier to the custard and stir it in.

    The vanilla is being measured and placed in the bowl.

    Prepare the Ramekins and Water Bath

    Pour the vanilla bean custard into the prepared ramekins in your baking pans.

    To keep things neat and tidy, I used a measuring cup to scoop the liquid and pour it into the cups rather than just trying to pour directly from the mixing bowl.

    I didn't actually "measure" the cream as I ladled it in, the smaller cup was just easier to use.

    Fill the ramekins evenly. This recipe will fill six of these ramekins perfectly.

    The custard is being poured into each ramekin with a measuring cup.

    To finish assembling the water bath, I used my favorite electric kettle to boil water and drizzle it carefully into the pans.

    The kettle spout helps prevent the water from splashing into the custards.

    You want to pour the water into the baking pan, NOT into the ramekins.

    The water should come up to half the height of the ramekins.

    The filled ramekins are in the baking pans, a hot kettle of water is about to pour in the water for the water bath.

    Bake the Custard

    As soon as the hot water has been added to the pans, it is time to bake the custards.

    Place the two baking pans side by side in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

    If you used different shaped ramekins that are deeper, you may need additional time.

    The custards are done when they just barely jiggle when you gently shake the baking pans.

    The pans are placed in the oven carefully, side by side.

    Remove the custards from the water bath and cool them to room temperature.

    At this point, you can store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. This makes such a great make-ahead dessert!

    The baked custards are cooling to room temperature.

    Torch the Creme Brulee Topping

    The final step in making this jaw-dropping dessert is to prepare the caramelized sugar topping.

    Your vanilla bean custards should be chilling in the fridge and nice and cold.

    Gather your kitchen torch, sugar, and a spoon to finish it off.

    A kitchen torch, a spoon of sugar, and one Crème Brûlée ramekin.

    Spoon sugar over the top of each custard.

    Smooth it evenly over the top by gently scraping with the back of your spoon:

    The sugar is being leveled out with the back of a spoon.

    Turn on your kitchen torch and gently blow the flame back and forth over the sugar until it comes to a heated bubble/boil and starts to brown.

    Be careful!! The sugar will burn quickly, remove the heat from the area as soon as it starts to darken, it will continue to burn for a moment more even after you remove the flame.

    I like to work in patches over the top until the entire surface has been caramelized.

    The caramelized top is forming while the kitchen torch blows the flame.

    This is what the finished topping should look like.

    Notice how the surface has delicious crispy bubbles? The golden brown color isn't perfectly even and that's ok. Some of it depends on how thick the sugar was in some areas.

    The burned sugar topping on a ramekin shows how dark to torch the sugar.

    Make Ahead Tips

    You can easily prepare the vanilla bean custards up to 24 hours in advance and simply keep them in the fridge until just before serving.

    DO NOT finish the torched sugar topping before refrigerating, the topping will not stay crispy and will be a watery mess by the next day.

    ALWAYS torch the sugar just before serving.

    Serving Suggestions

    The finished custard dessert sits on a pink china plate with fresh strawberries and a spoon.

    This delicious dessert is perfect all by itself, but if you want to really take it up a notch, serve it alongside some fresh in-season berries.

    Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, any of them would be amazing.

    More French Desserts

    If you love this vanilla bean creme brulee, you would also love these additional elegant French desserts.

    My mom always chooses lemon meringue tart for her birthday dessert.

    Except for the years when she begs for my creme anglaise drizzled over a rich chocolate flourless torte! ha!

    • The finished lemon meringue tart is on a cake plate with a ceramic lemon decoration next to it.
      Lemon Meringue Tart
    • A piece of lemon pie with lemon curd filling.
      Make-Ahead Lemon Curd
    • Creme anglaise, a rich custard sauce has been drizzled over a slice of chocolate flourless torte. A fork is scooping a bite.
      Creme Anglaise Vanilla Sauce
    • A rich chocolately round torte is on a cake plate with a pink ceramic flower accent. Powdered sugar is dusted over the top.
      Rich Chocolate Flourless Torte

    📖 Recipe

    A serving of creme brulee with fresh strawberries. A spoon has cracked through the sugar topping.

    Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

    5 from 1 vote
    This elegant restaurant quality dessert is shockingly easy to make right in an average home kitchen with a few simple tricks. Serve as a special treat for a dinner party or Valentine's Day and let your loved ones torch their own caramelized sugar crust.
    TOTAL TIME 50 minutes minutes
    PREP TIME 20 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME 30 minutes minutes
    YIELD 6 servings
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 large egg
    • 4 egg yolks Save the whites, see Notes
    • ½ cup sugar for the custard + 1 tablespoon for each finished ramekin
    • 3 cups heavy whipping cream
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
    • Optional: 1 vanilla bean

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 300°F.
    • Place 6 ramekins in 2 9x13-inch baking pans and set aside. Place a hot water kettle on to boil.
    • Add the egg and egg yolks to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix together on low speed until just combined. Be sure to scrape the very bottom of the bowl to make sure no sugar collected at the base.
    • Scald the cream: Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Stir it constantly and cook until it is steaming heavily and just about to boil but be sure to remove it from the heat before the bubbles begins.
    • Temper the eggs: With the mixer running on low speed, carefully and slowly drizzle the scalded cream into the egg mixture by running it down the inside of the bowl. See photos for reference in post above.
    • Flavor the custard: Once all the cream has been incorporated, add the vanilla and Grand Marnier and stir to combine.
    • Prepare the ramekins: Use a measuring cup or ladle to neatly fill the ramekins with custard. By now, the kettle should be boiling. Carefully drizzle the hot water into the pans and fill them so the water comes up half way on the outside of each ramekin. Pour slowly so water doesn't splash into your prepared custards.
    • Bake the custards: Bake the custards for 35 - 40 minutes or until the custard just barely jiggles when you gently move the pans. A deeper, narrower ramekin will need more time to bake than a wider, shallower ramekin, so add time as needed.
    • Chill and Serve: Remove the ramekins from the water baths and let them cool to room temperature. Chill until firm and ready to serve. They can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over each custard and smooth it over the top with the back of a small spoon. Use a cooking torch to caramelize the sugar on top until golden brown by waving the flame back and forth over the top. Serve with berries.
    • OPTIONAL: Vanilla Bean
      If you want to make your creme brulee extra special, use a vanilla bean in place of 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
    • Slice the bean in half lengthwise and scrape the vanilla bean seeds out with the back of your knife. Add the seeds to the heavy cream in the sauce pan and then drop in the vanilla bean pod, too.
    • Scald the cream as directed but remove the pod halves before pour the cream into the mixer bowl.
    • This will give your custard a wonderful fresh vanilla flavor and added visual appeal with the tiny vanilla bean flecks in the custard.

    Recipe Notes

    Leftover Egg Whites

    With egg prices these days, don't let a single bit of your egg go to waste! If you add just one more egg white, you will have enough to make my Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. It freezes extremely well so you can make it now and use it for a special dessert another time.
    You could also freeze the egg whites in an airtight container and plan to make my Lemon Meringue Tart with store-bought lemon curd to keep it easy.
    COURSEDessert
    CUISINEFrench
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

    Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box

    Find this delicious recipe next time you visit by saving it to your very own recipe box on my site. All your favorites stored in one easy place!

    SAVE THIS RECIPESaved!
    A photo collage shows the finished creme brulee alongside 2 step by step photos.

    More Seasonal Fruit Desserts

    • A white dish has the blueberry cobbler with golden brown topping ready to eat. A spoon is about to dig in.
      Old Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
    • A square of almond cake with white almond icing is on a blue plate and topped with fresh strawberries. A fork is taking a bite.
      Classic Almond Cake
    • The baked cherry clafouti is in the skillet.
      Cherry Pancake with Almonds
    • A classic strawberry shortcake has been split in half with fresh berries and whipped cream.
      Classic Strawberry Shortcake

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Zina

      February 15, 2013 at 7:17 am

      I am going to try and make this for Shad today. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Renee

      September 01, 2010 at 6:12 am

      I can't wait to try this! It was SOOOOO yummy. I'm going to need new ramekins and a kitchen torch, though. I should probably ask Santa for these things, since I have such a hard time coming up with a list each year 🙂

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Feasting book club style » Peanut Blossom says:
      February 15, 2013 at 7:33 am

      [...] This creme brulee is such a wonderful easy dessert and so fun to serve at parties. It actually deserves a post all of it’s own with recipe and technique tips. Look for that here! [...]

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

    What's Trending Now

    • A wicker picnic basket with white flowers and a bottle of water with fresh fruit sits on a picnic blanket outside.
      What to Pack for a Picnic: 45 Easy Recipes
    • The photo collage shows several one pot dinner ideas using a skillet or dutch oven.
      55 One Pot Dinner Ideas for Busy Nights
    • A bottle of Mike's Hot Honey is in a photo collage next to 3 recipes it could be used in.
      20 Hot Honey Recipes You Have to Try
    • A white bowl is filled with classic macaroni salad that has onions, red pepper, and celery peeking out of the dressing.
      Southern Macaroni Salad

    Popular

    • A freezer-friendly metal pan holds an 8x8-inch apple crisp with crumble topping.
      Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp
    • A stack of the best books for book club in 2023
      Best Book Club Picks 2023
    • A taco salad made with mini frozen tacos.
      10-minute Trader Joe's Meals
    • A photo collage shows a table set with ground beef taco fillings and tortilla shells on a pan next to alternative taco tuesday recipes ideas.
      30 Taco Tuesday Recipes for a Family Fiesta
    • A collage of easy dinners for busy nights.
      30 Quick Dinners for Busy Nights
    • A photo collages shows several easy dinner ideas kids could make.
      Easy Dinner Ideas for Yo-Yo Nights {You're On Your Own!}
    • A meal train dinner kit featuring supplies for tacos sits in an aluminum tray for delivery.
      30 Clever Meal Train Ideas with Recipes
    • Harry Potter themed snacks are in a platter with a witch hat sitting next to an open copy of a Harry Potter book.
      21 Harry Potter Snacks for Movie Night

    Footer

    As Seen On

    The Taste of Home Logo
    The Pioneer Woman Logo
    The Country Living Logo
    The Buzzfeed logo
    The Good Housekeeping Logo

    About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Contact
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer
    Terms of Service

    Favorites

    Bread Recipes
    Soup Recipes
    Quick Dinner Recipes
    Harry Potter Fan Club
    Reading with Kids

    Holidays

    Easter Recipes
    Catholic Celebrations
    Thanksgiving Recipes
    Christmas Recipes

    Recipes

    Appetizers
    Dinners
    Main Dishes
    Salads
    Side Dishes
    Desserts
    Brunch
    Homemade Pantry

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2023