Indulge in a little self-love with this single serve crème brûlée for Valentine's Day or simply whenever the craving strikes! Who needs romance when you can have an individual serving of this creamy vanilla bean custard with a top layer of crunchy caramelized sugar all to yourself?!
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Why you'll love this crème brûlée
- Signature Caramelized Sugar Top: How can you say no to a thick layer of caramelized sugar that makes that beautiful crack sound when you break it open to reveal a creamy custard underneath?!
- Smooth & Creamy Texture: The custard bakes up into a super smooth & creamy consistency that's so good, you'll want to go for seconds!
- Individual Serving: This recipe makes exactly one perfectly portioned serving of crème brûlée, but if you'd like multiple servings, it's easily scaleable!
For more single serve recipes, try my Single Serve Cinnamon Roll and Chocolate Soufflé for One.
Ingredient Notes
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is the primary ingredient, so be sure to use a high-quality brand!
- Sugar: You'll need a small amount of sugar to ever so slightly sweeten the custard, as well as some for creating that signature brûlée top.
- Egg Yolk: One egg yolk is all it takes to make this a custard-like dessert!
- Vanilla: Add a touch of vanilla bean paste for some depth of flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this single serve vanilla bean crème brûlée recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the custard. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over low-medium heat and bring to a boil or about 200 degrees F, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and egg yolk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture flows off of the whisk. Temper the egg mixture by very slowly pouring in the heavy cream while whisking vigorously. Once all of the heavy cream has been mixed in, add in the vanilla bean paste.
STEP 2: Bake. Pour the custard through a sieve into a mini cocotte or ramekin. Pour the boiling water into a 9" or 6" pan, then carefully place the cocotte in the center. The water should reach half way up the cocotte. Bake the crème brûlée for about 26-30 minutes or until set but slightly jiggly in the center. Do not let the top turn brown.
STEP 3: Cool gradually. Take the baking dish out of the oven, and remove the cocotte from the water. Allow to cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours. Once cool, place in fridge uncovered to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
STEP 4: Brûlée and serve. Once the crème brûlée is ready to be served, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar on top. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Have a pot of boiling water ready. Before you start making this recipe, be sure to bring a pot of water to a boil so it's ready when it's time to bake the crème brûlée.
- Temper the egg mixture. To ensure the egg yolk is not cooked by the hot heavy cream, pour the heavy cream very slowly into the egg mixture while whisking simultaneously.
- Gradually cool the crème brûlée. With any custard it is essential to avoid any dramatic changes in temperature in order to prevent cracks. Once the crème brûlée is done baking, allow it to cool completely at room temperature before chilling the fridge for at least two hours or overnight.
- Wait to brûlée until just before serving. The caramelized sugar will turn liquid in the fridge, so be sure to wait to brûlée the sugar until just before serving.
Recipe FAQs
You will know it's done when it appears set and has a slight jiggle in the center when you shake the pan. Do not let the top turn brown, or you'll risk over baking it.
To prevent cracks, bake the crème brûlée in boiling water and avoid dramatic changes in temperature. Baking it in a dish filled with boiling water encourages it to bake evenly, rather than baking faster from the outside in. When the crème brûlée is done baking, allow it to cool completely at room temperature. This could take up to 2 hours. Then, chill it overnight in the fridge.
Crème brûlée without caramelized sugar can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Crème brûlée with caramelized sugar should be served immediately.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other Valentine's Day desserts to try
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating & review below and post a picture (or video!) on Instagram and tag me so I can see your bakes! Not ready to make this recipe yet? Click the heart button on the right of your screen to save it for later 🙂
📖 Recipe
Single Serve Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 113 g (½ cup) heavy cream
- 18 g (1 ½ tablespoon) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over low-medium heat and bring to a boil or about 200 degrees F, stirring frequently.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and egg yolk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture flows off of the whisk.
- Temper the egg mixture by very slowly pouring in the heavy cream while whisking vigorously.
- Once all of the heavy cream has been mixed in, add in the vanilla bean paste.
- Pour the custard through a sieve into a mini cocotte or ramekin.
- Pour the boiling water into a 9" or 6" pan, then carefully place the cocotte in the center. The water should reach half way up the cocotte.
- Bake the crème brûlée for about 26-30 minutes or until set but slightly jiggly in the center. Do not let the top turn brown.
- Take the baking dish out of the oven, and remove the cocotte from the water. Allow to cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours.
- Once cool, place in fridge uncovered to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Once the crème brûlée is ready to be served, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar on top. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, and enjoy!
Notes
- Have a pot of boiling water ready. Before you start making this recipe, be sure to bring a pot of water to a boil so it's ready when it's time to bake the crème brûlée.
- Temper the egg mixture. To ensure the egg yolk is not cooked by the hot heavy cream, pour the heavy cream very slowly into the egg mixture while whisking simultaneously.
- Gradually cool the crème brûlée. With any custard it is essential to avoid any dramatic changes in temperature in order to prevent cracks. Once the crème brûlée is done baking, allow it to cool completely at room temperature before chilling the fridge for at least two hours or overnight.
- Wait to brûlée until just before serving. The caramelized sugar will turn liquid in the fridge, so be sure to wait to brûlée the sugar until just before serving.
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