3-Ingredient Crème Brûlée (Printable version)

Silky custard topped with crisp caramelized sugar, made using just three simple ingredients.

# What You'll Need:

→ Custard

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 4 large egg yolks
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Topping

04 - 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
02 - Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming, avoiding boiling.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
04 - Gradually add the warm cream to the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously to prevent curdling.
05 - Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl to ensure a smooth custard.
06 - Distribute the custard evenly into four 6-ounce ramekins.
07 - Place ramekins in a deep baking dish and pour hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
08 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until custards are just set but slightly wobbly in the center.
09 - Remove ramekins from water bath, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
10 - Before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over each custard and caramelize with a kitchen torch until golden and crisp. Allow 1 to 2 minutes for the topping to harden.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • You only need three ingredients to create something that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
  • The contrast between the creamy center and that shattered sugar crust is genuinely addictive.
  • It's the kind of dessert that impresses people without actually being difficult to make.
02 -
  • The custard will look barely set when it comes out of the oven, and that's correct—it will firm up more during chilling, so trust the process and don't overbake.
  • If you don't have a kitchen torch, broil the sugar under high heat on the top shelf, but watch it like a hawk because broilers are unpredictable and sugar can go from caramelized to burnt in seconds.
03 -
  • Make these up to 2 days ahead and torch them fresh just before serving so the sugar stays crispy and the custard stays perfectly chilled.
  • If your custard accidentally gets a thin skin on top after chilling, gently run a warm knife underneath to smooth it before torching.
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