This Almond Vanilla Crème Brûlée recipe is a luxurious sweet treat, where your spoon cracks through crisp caramelized sugar to reveal a delightfully creamy custard. With only 5 ingredients and my tips for success with this classic French dessert, you will be amazed at how easy crème brûlée is to make at home!
If you’ve ever ordered crème brûlée at a fancy restaurant, I’m betting you had the same response as I did after my first experience. All I could think was how heavenly it was, and how I needed more of it in my life. I also assumed that it was difficult to make. But after some research and development in our little kitchen, I was proven so very wrong. Just come along with me, and I’ll walk you through my Almond Vanilla Crème Brûlée recipe – it’s easy, I promise. Just like my homemade Chocolate Mousse, these desserts are easy to make in your own home kitchen!
Everyone Deserves to Know How Easy Crème Brûlée Is To Make!
Many years ago, after sharing an almond crème brûlée dessert with work friends, I set my sights on mastering the classic crème brûlée. I bought a small kitchen torch, a few of those iconic white porcelain dessert dishes; I was set. I married that tantalizing almond with vanilla beans, and the rest is history. This recipe has been my go-to crème brûlée ever since, perfect for celebrating Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthdays, and anniversaries!
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
- A showstopping dessert that’s totally approachable. Crème brûlée appears to be difficult, but that is really just an illusion. It’s actually easy to make, at home, in a regular ol’ kitchen. And actually delicious!
- Creamy + crunchy contrast. Crème = cream. Brûlée = burnt. Put them together and you’ve got burnt cream. What makes this dessert so special is that perfectly caramelized sugar top that cracks with the most satisfying tap of your spoon, shattering the burnt sugar into jagged pieces to reveal the smooth, velvety cream below.
- Beautiful almond-vanilla flavor. Almond extract and vanilla bean lend real, authentic French flavor to this dessert, as it’s a common duo in patisserie treats.
- A great make-ahead dessert. I like to make these earlier in the day, or even a day ahead of time, before treating my friends and family to this sweet treat. When it’s time for dessert, I just take them out of the fridge, grab my kitchen torch, and entertain our guests with a little flame show!
For another custard with French flair, try my Caramel Pots de Crème.
Enjoy!
“Creme Brulee is hubby’s favourite dessert. He says this was the best he has had. Thanks!”
Sarah
What You’ll Need
Heavy cream and egg yolks are the main ingredients in any crème brûlée. I love that this recipe calls for just 5 ingredients! Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions.
- Cream – Heavy whipping cream is key to the rich, silky texture thanks to its higher fat content. Don’t even think about using milk.
- Vanilla bean – You’ll scrape out the beans, but you’ll also add the pod to the cream to infuse it with extra flavor.
- Egg yolks – The fat in the yolks provides the silky, creamy texture. (But don’t waste the whites – save them to add to your next omelette or make Angel Food Cake!)
- Sugar – You’ll need granulated sugar for the custard itself, and some for sprinkling over the top to create that caramelized-burnt sugar top.
- Almond extract – My family adores the flavor and scent of almond, and it’s amazing in this dessert.
How to Make Vanilla Crème Brûlée
Let me show you how truly easy this classic dessert is!
- Heat the cream. Warm the cream with the scraped vanilla bean seeds and the pod until bubbles form. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and discard the pod.
- Finish the custard. Whisk the egg yolks until pale, then whisk in the sugar until it dissolves. Gently whisk in the cream, then stir in the almond extract.
- Fill the ramekins. Divide the custard into ramekins set in a pan and add hot water halfway up the sides.
- Bake and chill. Bake at 275°F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until slightly jiggly in the center. Cool briefly, then refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Caramelize the topping. Sprinkle more sugar evenly over each custard, then brûlée with a torch until golden and crisp.
- Serve right away. Once the sugar top has been burnt, garnish with a little freshly whipped cream and some berries. And enjoy!
Brenda’s Tips for Perfect Crème Brûlée
As you can see, the process for this vanilla bean crème brûlée is very straight-forward. I do have a few additional pointers for you, though.
- Use wide, shallow ramekins. These ramekins ensure even cooking and a good amount of surface area for the caramelized sugar top. Also – for each person to experience all the contrasting, crunchy-creamy delightfulness of this dessert, you really want individuals to have their own personal serving.
- Celebrate not needing to temper egg yolks: My crème brûlée recipe takes a detour from tempering egg yolks by letting the warm cream mixture come to room temperature first, before mixing with the yolks. Some may call this avoidance. I call it assurance! (Tempering is simply raising the temperature of the egg yolks by very slowly adding warm cream/milk to the yolks, so the yolks don’t “scramble” and turn into a chunky mess. For a great example, see my Butter Pecan Ice Cream recipe.)
- Do not skip the hot water bath. For the classic creamy-silky texture, it’s important to stick to the classic instruction. A water bath provides a moist, humid environment for the crème brûlée, just like it does when making Lemon Custard Cups. If you skip the water bath, you’ll likely end up with a rubbery, cracked texture.
- Sugar the tops evenly: To avoid curdling the custard when torching the surface, be sure to sprinkle the entire top evenly with sugar, so the flame burns the sugar and not the cream.
- Enjoy right away, after you torch them. There is so much pleasure in breaking through that crunchy top, to spoon up the cold and creamy custard below. Do not dilly-dally to enjoy this dessert right away, when all the textures and temperatures are contrasting most!
Serving Suggestions
While you can certainly enjoy this almond and vanilla bean crème brûlée all alone, with its perfectly crackly sugar top…I absolutely recommend adding a dollop of homemade whipped cream and fresh raspberries even more. Strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries are lovely too!
How to Store Crème Brûlée
Fridge: Keep baked custards (without the sugar topping) covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Once brûléed, be sure to enjoy immediately, as the sugar topping will soften in the fridge.
Freezer: If you want to freeze crème brûlée, do not add the sugar top. Wrap a tight layer of plastic wrap over the baked and fully cooled custards, then place the ramekins in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then sprinkle with sugar and torch just before serving.
More Really Amazing Desserts
Almond Vanilla Crème Brûlée Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 inches vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 6 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract (use a bit more if you like intense almond flavor)
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Pour cream into a medium saucepan and scrape seeds from vanilla bean into the cream. Then add the vanilla pod, too. Place over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan, then immediately remove from the heat. Let custard mixture cool to room temperature, then remove the vanilla pod.
- Preheat oven to 275°F.
- In a medium bowl, briskly whisk egg yolks until pale in color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the ⅓ cup of sugar until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Gently whisk in cream, taking care to not over-beat. You don’t want to see bubbles form. Stir in almond extract.
- Place 6 crème brûlée dishes or wide, shallow ramekins (mine are 5" in diameter, 1" tall) in a baking pan with sides. Divide custard mixture evenly between the 6 dishes, allowing at least ¼’’ of head space for the sugar topping. Pour warm water into pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the center of each custard jiggles just slightly. Remove from the oven and carefully lift dishes from the hot water. Let cool briefly, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- When ready to serve, place dishes on a baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over each custard. With a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until it is browned evenly. Serve simply, unadorned. Or with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and fresh raspberries (my preference!).
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2012, then updated in 2026.
I had made some Keto Sourdough bread yesterday morning that required 6 egg whites. I was so happy to find this recipe that used the 6 yolks! Creme Brulee is hubby’s favourite dessert. He says this was the best he has had.
I used what dishes I had (two baby loaf dishes and a small pyrex!
Thanks!
And now I’m hungry to enjoy this recipe again! So glad your husband liked it. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I made the recipe as is, very good. Next time I’ll use half the almond.