Vanilla Crème Brûlée Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Arrange six 6-ounce ramekins in a large roasting pan or baking dish with sides high enough to allow hot water to come halfway up the ramekins.

Infuse cream

Pour the heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Add the split vanilla bean with scraped seeds (if using extract, add later). Warm the cream over medium heat just until it begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edge — do not boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let the vanilla steep for 15 minutes. If using vanilla extract, skip steeping and add extract later when cream is warm.

Whisk yolks and sugar

While the cream steeps, whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and the fine sea salt in a medium bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened (about 1–2 minutes).

Temper eggs

If you used a vanilla bean, remove and discard the pod. Rewarm the cream until it's hot but not boiling. Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot cream into the yolk mixture in a steady stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Continue whisking and add another 1/3, then the remaining cream, until fully combined. If using vanilla extract, stir 1 teaspoon into the tempered custard now.

Strain custard

Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl to remove any cooked egg bits and any vanilla pod fragments. This yields an extra-smooth custard.

Fill ramekins

Divide the strained custard evenly among the six ramekins, filling them nearly to the top but leaving a little headspace (about 1/8–1/4 inch).

Prepare water bath

Place the roasting pan with filled ramekins in the cold oven. Carefully pour hot (not boiling) water from a kettle into the roasting pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The water should be hot enough to create even baking but not slosh into the custards.

Bake

Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the custard is mostly set but still slightly wobbly in the center when gently shaken. Oven times vary; begin checking at 30 minutes. The edges should be set and pale; the center will have a subtle jiggle.

Cool

Using oven mitts, carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven. Lift the ramekins out of the water bath and place them on a cooling rack. Let cool to room temperature (about 1 hour).

Chill

Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is essential for a smooth, firm texture.

Prepare surface

When ready to serve, remove cold custards from the refrigerator and uncover. Sprinkle an even, thin layer of granulated or superfine sugar (about 2 tablespoons per ramekin) over each custard so the surface is completely but lightly coated. Tap off any excess sugar so it is level.

Caramelize sugar

Using a kitchen torch held about 2–3 inches from the surface, move the flame in small circular motions until the sugar melts, bubbles, and forms an evenly browned, glassy crust. This takes roughly 1–2 minutes per ramekin depending on torch intensity. If you don't have a torch, place the ramekins under a very hot broiler set 4–6 inches from the heat source for 2–4 minutes — watch constantly to avoid burning and rotate for even color.

Set and serve

Allow the caramelized sugar to cool and harden for 1–2 minutes before serving. The top should be crisp and shatter when tapped with a spoon, revealing the creamy custard beneath. Serve immediately for best texture.

Tips: Use heavy cream for a rich texture. Superfine sugar dissolves more evenly for the torching step. If using vanilla extract, use 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract added after tempering. Leftover crème brûlée will keep refrigerated (without torched top) for up to 3 days; torch just before serving.