Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (2024)

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Instant Pot Creme Brulee (or scroll for an oven version below)

I always thought that Creme Brulee is an exquisite kind of dessert and can only be made in a fancy restaurant by the best chefs and most likely the chef is even French. Even the words Crème brûlée sound so fancy and beautiful!

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (1)

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Once you break the Creme Brulee caramelized crust, there's a custard pudding underneath it, it instantly gives you an unbelievable flavor explosion in your mouth.

I never thought that it is possible to make Creme Brulee at home. Besides I was always terrified by making the crust with the torch and then got very nervous while breaking the crust too lol.

But thanks to YouTube, I watched few videos of people where they demonstrate how to make this delicate dessert in action. I could not believe my eyes how easy it is to make it. And even more mind-blowing, this dessert can be easily made in the Instant pot Pressure cooker. Please see my experiment of making creme brulee in Instant pot and oven-baked creme brulee; photos below.

(PS: Please save this Pinterest-friendly photo below. If you're not cooking this delicious dessert right now, you will easily find it in your saves later. This is the BEST recipe for Creme Brulee (Whether you're cooking in Instant Pot or oven-baking it).

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (2)

Only 5 basic ingredients are needed to make Creme Brulee and it can be made low carb and keto friendly version. The end result is a deliciously creamy treat that melts in your mouth. Inspiration and adaptation: Thank you Amy+Jacky and Sparkles to Sprinkles

Creme Brulee Ingredients (6 portions)

  • 6egg yolks
  • 4 Tablespoons sugar brown or white (can sub for a granulated sweetener of choice)
  • 2cupsheavy cream (500ml) I used a pint (473ml) and it worked fine.
  • 2teaspoonsvanilla
  • Pinchof salt

Optional

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (3)

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (4)

Creme Brulee Directions (for Instant Pot). See notes below for oven-baked Creme Brulee

  1. Inserttrivet into your pot and pour in 1 cup of water.

  2. Heat heavy cream in a medium saucepan just before it starts boiling (about 5 minutes) and set aside. Be sure to collect the foam from the top. Let cool
  3. While heavy cream is cooling, separate the eggs, whisk together eggs yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
  4. Add in cream and vanilla and whisk until well blended.

  5. Pour into ramekins. It is best to use ramekins, they are specifically designed for making Creme Brulee, although you can use the Mason glass jars with no problem - see recipe notes and photos below.

  6. Place ramekins on top of the trivet in your pot. Place a layer of aluminum foil over the top of your ramekins. You can place another few ramekins on top and then repeat placing a layer of aluminum foil over the top. My 6-Quart Instant pot can hold 9 ramekins at once.

  7. Lock the lid in place. High Pressure for 12 minutes.

  8. Natural release for 10 minutes. Finish with a quick release.

  9. Remove the ramekins from the Instant Pot. Let cool. Refrigerate the creme brulee for at least 2 hours, but best overnight.

  10. Take the ramekins with Creme Brulee out of the refrigerator.

  11. Sprinkle the tops with about a quarter teaspoon of white granulated sugar and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.

  12. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers creme brulee without caramelized crust, or else the top may become watery and soggy.

Creme Brulee experiment.

I tested our beloved Creme Brulee by cooking it in Instant Pot and Baking it in the oven. Each method resulted in a different texture.

Oven method - thick, creamy, custard-like

Pressure cooker method - light, silky smooth, melt in your mouth

Conclusion - Both methods were good, but I fell in love with pressure cooker method's heavenly smooth and divine tasting Creme Brulee

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (5)
Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (6)

Creme Brulee Recipe Notes:

I hope you enjoy the smooth and creamy deliciousness. The handy recipe printable is below plus few notes you want to make sure to read before you proceed.

  1. If you don't have a ramekin, you can still make it in glass jars. I happened to have 4-ounce mason jars and Creme Brulee cooked perfectly fine in it.
  2. There are some recipes on the web saying that you don't need a torch to caramelize the sugar. Some recipes suggest broiling the sugar in the oven - it still didn't work for me. I took it out of the broiler after 5 minutes, because the custard was getting hot, while the top was not caramelizing. Other recipes suggest that you can use a heated spoon. I didn't try the hot spoon method. Instead, I suggest using a cooking torch. It's a really handy tool that will get the job done in seconds. (see the video in action) The cooking torch can also be used to caramelize sugar on dishes like duck or goose pate (Foie gras) and to add beautiful finishing touches to the meats. Now we're talking some fancy french words and I totally feel like a top French chef maestro! haha
  3. If you prefer, instead of caramelized sugar, you can use the whipped cream and berries on top.
  4. This creme brulee dessert can be made low carb and keto-friendly. You just substitute sugar with your preferred sweetener. Same delicious results and texture. The sweeteners that I use - Swerve granular sugar, Erythritol natural sweetener, or Monkfruit 1:1 sugar substitute
  5. While you separating eggs, be sure to save all your egg whites. I save them in a mason glass jar. The next morning you can have a delicious egg white omelette or you can make this 3 Ingredient Keto Friendly Paleo friendly Low Carb Flat bread.
  6. If baking Creme Brulee: Follow the same instructions as above. Pre-heat oven to 300F (150C).
  7. Place ramekins into a deeper pan. Pour the mixture evenly into the ramekins. Place on the middle rack and pour hot water into the pan until halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes.
  9. Finally, if making creme brulee for ahead of time - Let them sit in the refrigerator until you're ready to surprise your guests and put a beautiful presentation with the blow torch caramelization. In other words, do not caramelize sugar ahead of time, but only right before serving. Or else, if sugar has already been caramelized by a torch and you put the creme brulee into the refrigerator, the caramelized coating will become soggy - keep this in mind. You will lose the caramelized hard crust.

Disclosure: This recipe is NOT sponsored or paid in any way. Affiliate links are present. If you purchase through my links I receive a small commission to support my blog, but it will not affect your purchase price. I only recommend what I love and what I use in my own kitchen. All photos and suggestions are mine.

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (7)

I hope you enjoy it! Spread the Love by sharing this recipe so others can enjoy it too.

Yield: 6

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (8)

Melt-in-your-MouthInstant Pot Creme Bruleewith 5 ingredients. Heavenly smooth, deliciously creamy with caramelized trackable crust. So good!

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6egg yolks
  • 4 Tablespoons sugar brown or white (can sub for a granulated sweetener of choice)
  • 2cupsheavy cream (500ml) I used a pint (473ml) and it worked fine.
  • 2teaspoonsvanillaPinchof saltOptional
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar (white or brown granulated) for caramelizing the top crust
  • Kitchen torch.
  • Some berries for decoration
  • Equipment:
  • Porcelain ramekins, 4 oz. Ovenproof.

Instructions

Inserttrivet into your pot and pour in 1 cup of water.

Heat heavy cream in a medium saucepan just before it starts boiling (about 5 minutes) and set aside. Be sure to collect the foam from the top. Let cool

While heavy cream is cooling, separate the eggs, whisk together eggs yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt.

Add in cream and vanilla and whisk until well blended.

Pour into ramekins. It is best to use ramekins, they are specifically designed for making Creme Brulee, although you can use the Mason glass jars with no problem - see recipe notes and photos below.

Place ramekins on top of the trivet in your pot. Place a layer of aluminum foil over the top of your ramekins. You can place another few ramekins on top and then repeat placing a layer of aluminum foil over the top. My 6-Quart Instant pot can hold 9 ramekins at once.

Lock the lid in place. High Pressure for 12 minutes.

Natural release for 10 minutes. Finish with a quick release.

Remove the ramekins from the Instant Pot. Let cool. Refrigerate the creme brulee for at least 2 hours, but best overnight.

Take the ramekins with Creme Brulee out of the refrigerator.

Sprinkle the tops with about a quarter teaspoon of white granulated sugar and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.

Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers creme brulee without caramelized crust, or else the top may become soggy and watery.

Notes

  1. If you don't have a ramekin, you can still make it in glass jars. I happened to have 4-ounce mason jars and Creme Brulee cooked perfectly fine in it.
  2. There are some recipes on the web saying that you don't need a torch to caramelize the sugar. Some recipes suggest broiling the sugar in the oven - it still didn't work for me. I took it out of the broiler after 5 minutes, because the custard was getting hot, while the top was not caramelizing. Other recipes suggest that you can use a heated spoon. I didn't try the hot spoon method. Instead, I suggest using a cooking torch. It's a really handy tool that will get the job done in seconds. (see the video in action) The cooking torch can also be used to caramelize sugar on dishes like duck or goose pate (Foie gras) and to add beautiful finishing touches to the meats. Now we're talking some fancy french words and I totally feel like a top French chef maestro! haha
  3. If you prefer, instead of caramelized sugar, you can use the whipped cream and berries on top.
  4. This creme brulee dessert can be made low carb and keto-friendly. You just substitute sugar with your preferred sweetener. Same delicious results and texture. The sweeteners that I use - Swerve granular sugar, Erythritol natural sweetener, or Monkfruit 1:1 sugar substitute
  5. While you separating eggs, be sure to save all your egg whites. I save them in a mason glass jar. The next morning you can have a delicious egg white omelette or you can make this 3 Ingredient Keto Friendly Paleo friendly Low Carb Flat bread.
  6. If baking Creme Brulee: Follow the same instructions as above. Pre-heat oven to 300F (150C).
  7. Place ramekins into a deeper pan. Pour the mixture evenly into the ramekins. Place on the middle rack and pour hot water into the pan until halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes.
  9. Finally, if making creme brulee for ahead of time - Let them sit in the refrigerator until you're ready to surprise your guests and put a beautiful presentation with the blow torch caramelization. In other words, do not caramelize sugar ahead of time, but only right before serving. Or else, if sugar has already been caramelized by a torch and you put the creme brulee into the refrigerator, the caramelized coating will become soggy - keep this in mind. You will lose the caramelized hard crust.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marie

    You're my hero today! I love Creme Brulee

    Reply

    • Irina

      TYVM! I'm very happy that you made me your hero! Love it! and love Creme Brulee too

      Reply

  2. Debra Curtiss

    Just tried this recipe and had all six ramekins' contents jump out of their bowls. Contents were like scrambled eggs. Did I over mix? Should I just lay a sheet of foil on top of each layer as I actually crimped a lid on each. Do I need to reduce the cook time? Did I over mix? I am going to try it again soon.

    Reply

    • Irina

      HI Debra, did you follow recipe precisely? Did you boil cream? Mix lightly just to combine all ingredients well. Also try to cover the ramekins with foil. Every time I make creme brulee, it comes out silky and smooth

      Reply

  3. Maia

    What size ramekins are you using?

    Reply

    • Irina

      These are 4 oz ramekins, set of 6

      Reply

  4. J

    These look amazing! And I just bought a kitchen torch on Facebook Marketplace for $5.00! And then a woman on Marketplace was giving away cans of the fuelI need for the torch! So I have no excuse not to make this recipe! I hate when people try to change a recipe....but would whole milk or whole milked mixed with powdered milk....or coconut milk work rather than the heavy cream

    Reply

    • Irina

      What a great deal! Congratulations! I hope you make them and enjoy them. Heavy cream is needed for consistency. Let me know if you tried making it with milk.
      Here's the info I took from pretty simple sweet: If you still want to replace some of the cream with milk, substitute up to 2/3 cup of the cream with milk at a 1:1 ratio. Heat them together in the saucepan during the first step.

      Reply

  5. David

    The printable version has a typo, calling for medium pressure, while the blog text above says high pressure.

    Reply

  6. Cindy

    Hello love your recipe for cream brulee in the 6qt instant pot. I would love to find 6/6oz ramekins. But I did find 8/4oz ramekins.
    I need help to make the recipe work for the 8/4oz.
    Or can you tell me where to find the 6oz ramekins?
    Thank you for your time and any info you send me, Cindy Wheatley

    Reply

    • Irina

      Hi Cindy, 4 oz ramekins is what I used. Please look inside the post I provide the link where you could find them on Amazon. There you can also find the 6 oz ones.

      Reply

  7. MJ

    What is the difference between the regular recipe and Keto recipe….ingredients and methods seem to be the same?

    Reply

    • Irina

      It's quite easy to change. To make it keto friendly, substitute sugar for a preferred sweetener of choice

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Instant Pot Creme Brulee: The BEST Recipe for Crème Brûlée - Daily Yum (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of crème brûlée? ›

This is a key step to making perfect crème brûlée – baking your custards in a water bath. A water bath is a pan of water that the ramekins are placed in to bake. A water bath provides some insulation from direct heat which allows the custards to cook gently, evenly, and prevents cracking.

What is the best sugar to use for crème brûlée? ›

"You really need to use white granulated sugar," says senior food editor Chris Morocco. The small granules caramelize quickly, meaning the sugar won't get overly burnt and the pudding won't melt. Also, he points out: The white crystals provide a visual cue as you're torching it.

Why is my crème brûlée not crispy? ›

It could be your sugar. I find sugar in the raw to be the easiest and most even burning sugar for creme brûlée. You could also combine equal parts brown sugar and white sugar. When burning the sugar make sure to keep moving the torch evenly across the sugar.

What makes a good crème brûlée? ›

Tips for Making Crème Brûlée

Do not leave out the salt. You will need approximately 1/4 teaspoon salt per 2 cups of cream. If you leave it out the creme brulee will taste very flat and won't have a lot of character. The salt will bring out the sweetness, the vanilla, and the eggy goodness.

What is the black stuff at the bottom of crème brûlée? ›

The deep dark secret to this crème brûlée is the layer of homemade chocolate sauce at the bottom, waiting to be swirled into the top layer of rich vanilla custard. Chocolate sauce is one of those things that once you make it yourself, you think, that's it?

How to tell when crème brûlée is done? ›

I will say the trickiest part of making a creme brûlée is deciding when to pull it from the oven. It is ready when the middle jiggles, but the edges are set, like in my video. If the whole thing is still super jiggly, it needs more time, check every 10 minutes after. If the none if it jiggles, it is overcooked.

Can you overmix crème brûlée? ›

Overbeating crème brûlée compromises texture

Unlike flan, the crème beneath the caramel shouldn't jiggle; Unlike clafoutis, there's no place for airiness or texture, except for that crunchy top surface.

What size ramekin is best for creme brulee? ›

Ramekin Size: You can use 4-ounce, 5-ounce, or 6-ounce ramekins based on your preference. Larger ramekins will yield thicker custards and take slightly longer to bake. Egg Yolks: Organic eggs with deep-colored yolks work best to give your Crème Brûlée custard a rich and vibrant color.

Why won't my creme brulee set? ›

This is most likely due to underbaking. Creme Brulee is perfectly baked when it is set and firm around the edges but still has a wobble / jiggle in the middle when shaken. Additionally, it is important to chill thoroughly, ideally overnight, before diving in.

Can you use milk instead of heavy cream in creme brulee? ›

The sugar topping should be torched just before serving. Heavy cream is the usual ingredient for creme brûlée, but full fat half-and-half is a touch lighter (half milk, half cream) and will also yield a silky creme brulee.

How to improve crème brûlée? ›

14 Tips For Making Crème Brûlée Like A Pro
  1. Use deeper one cup ramekins. Marcelo Trad/Getty Images. ...
  2. Use heavy whipping cream. Carlos Yudica/Shutterstock. ...
  3. Don't boil the cream. ...
  4. Temper your egg yolks. ...
  5. Strain your mixture. ...
  6. Bake in a hot water bath. ...
  7. Turn off the convection setting on your oven. ...
  8. Don't over bake.
Apr 23, 2023

How to prevent grainy crème brûlée? ›

One of the most critical aspects of making the perfect crème brûlée is getting the temperatures right. The custard should be cooked at a low temperature to ensure that it sets correctly. If the temperature is too high, the custard will curdle and become grainy.

What is the Speciality of crème brûlée? ›

Speciality of Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée is a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. It is normally served at room temperature. The custard base is traditionally flavored with vanilla but can have a variety of other flavorings.

What is the brown stuff on crème brûlée? ›

Why? This crème brûlée recipe instructs you to make a creamy, silky custard flavored with vanilla and orange liqueur on the stovetop and oven. You then sprinkle the chilled custard with coarse Demerara sugar to make its signature glassy, crackling molten sugar top.

What makes crème brûlée not set? ›

This is most likely due to underbaking. Creme Brulee is perfectly baked when it is set and firm around the edges but still has a wobble / jiggle in the middle when shaken. Additionally, it is important to chill thoroughly, ideally overnight, before diving in.

What creates the hard top on a crème brûlée? ›

Crème brûlée is an easy dessert served in individual ramekins with a rich custard base made out of eggs, sugar, heavy cream and vanilla. The topping is made out of a thin layer of granulated sugar which is caramelized with a torch to create textually contrasting hard candy-like shell.

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