Natural Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée Recipe

Creme’ Brulee is a dessert comprised of a rich, silky vanilla bean custard and topped with a strikingly crunchy layer of caramelized sugar. I learned how to make this decadent dessert from a pastry chef but was always too intimidated to try it myself. I finally mustered the courage to give it a try on our bake day and the results were outstanding! This luscious dessert is a perfect finale for holiday parties. Creme’ Brulee pairs well with coffee or Sauternes wine, which is a delicious partner to the crunchy custard texture.
You might find the ingredients list fairly simple, but the techniques (including using a torch!) and recipe instructions are a bit more complex. If you are new to our baking community, you might want to try our Madagascar Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

Natural Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
This is the long form version of this recipe. If you are in a hurry or would like the printable version, you can check out the recipe card towards the bottom of this page.
Ingredients
- 1 quart of heavy whipping cream
- 2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
- 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 quarts hot water

Instructions
- Pour heavy cream into an airtight container, add caviar from scraped vanilla beans, and split beans to the cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup vanilla sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 or 8 ramekins (fill 2/3 full). Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.


Natural Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
Equipment
- 1 Oven
- 1 Fridge
- 1 Handheld Kitchen Torch
- 1 Airtight Container – To refrigerate cream overnight
- 1 Cake or Baking Pan
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 8 Ramekins
Ingredients
- 1 quart Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Vanilla Beans – Suggest our Blue Bird Vanilla in "Notes"
- 1 cup Vanilla Sugar – Divided
- 6 large Egg Yolks
- 2 quarts Hot Water
Instructions
- Pour heavy cream into an airtight container, add caviar from scraped vanilla beans, and split beans to the cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup vanilla sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 or 8 ramekins (fill 2/3 full). Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.