As a French girl, I love to veganize my French recipes like I did with my Vegan Madeleines, Vegan Crepes, or Vegan Beignets. I have been making creme brulee – which translates into ‘burnt cream’ – for many years, but I had to try making a vegan version. Traditionally, creme brulee is a typical French dessert that is not vegan at all, made with eggs, cream, and milk. I always thought it was a challenging recipe because you need to temper the egg yolk before combining it with warm milk. But, when I started working on a vegan creme brulee recipe, I realized that swapping eggs for cornstarch as a thicker was turning the original recipe into a super easy dessert. My goal was to develop a recipe that had the same rich and creamy texture as the authentic French dessert recipe that I used to love so much. So, I played with the amount of cornstarch until I reached the perfect balance: thick but not too thick. I then added a touch of vegan butter at the end for a boost of richness! This secret addition is my touch to make the best vegan creme brulee that tastes and looks like the one French restaurants serve. Of course, I created this recipe from my previous recipe, the vegan custard recipe because in the end, a creme brulee is basically a vanilla custard, topped with caramelized sugar layer on top!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Non-Dairy Milk – With a light texture like almond milk oat milk or a carton of coconut milk. Full-Fat Coconut Milk – Make sure you shake your can before opening it so both layers come together. Sugar – like caster sugar or white sugar to keep your custard nicely golden white. However, healthier sugar alternatives like coconut sugar work as well. It only impacts the color of the custard. Lemon Juice – To lightly curdle the plant-based milk and add a light tangy flavor to the dessert. If you have a citrus allergy, you can skip this ingredient. Cornstarch – also called cornflour in the UK. It is used as a thickener for the custard. Arrowroot starch or tapioca flour should also work in the same quantity, but the texture is usually a bit more elastic, so I don’t recommend this choice first. Turmeric for a light golden color that mimics the egg yolk from regular creme brulee recipes. Vegan Butter to add creaminess to the custard. Vanilla Extract or use a fresh vanilla pod, slice in half lengthwise and release the vanilla bean seeds in the milk.
Making Vegan Creme Brulee
Burning The Sugar
Expert Tips For The Best Vegan Creme Brulee
Use a combo of low-fat and high-fat milk – This creates a rich custard but light at the same time, like the classic French recipe. Add vegan butter. Adding a touch of vegan butter adds an extra layer of richness, a silky smooth texture. Pick the right ramekin size – Depending on the width of your ramekin, your custard layer will be thinner or thicker; the thicker it is, the longer it takes to firm up in the fridge. Authentic French creme brulee is thick and served on 12-oz taller ramekins. Don’t use agar powder. Agar agar is an excellent thickener to replace gelatin in vegan recipes. However, it creates a jelly-like texture that is not what we expect from a creme brulee. Creme brulee is a silky smooth curd, not firm like jelly.
Step-by-Step Video
More Classic Vegan Desserts
