Sous Vide Crème Brûlée – creamy and silky-smooth custard filling with a crispy caramelized sugar topping! No tempering of eggs, and no risk of a curdled texture! Too good to be true? Sous vide technique guarantees the perfect results EVERY TIME by cooking this dessert to the precise temperature you set.
You can make these crème brûlées ahead of time and torch the tops with sugar right before serving. Add fresh berries and mint for an elegant dessert!
Foolproof easy sous vide crème brûlée
Crème brûlée has a reputation of being very tricky to make, as the custard tends to curdle when the temperature is above 185°F / 85°C, making it intimidating using a traditional baking method. But with sous vide, you will be shocked at how easy this crème brûlée recipe is!
Skip the steps of heating up the heavy cream, “tempering eggs”, or adjusting baking time for different-size ramekins. Sous vide crème brûlée takes all the guess work out, and it’s the easiest and best way to make crème brûlée!
What is sous vide? Sous vide means “under vacuum” in French. It’s a cooking method by sealing food in a bag or canning jar, then cooking for a long time to a very precise temperature in a water bath. This technique is known for being a precise and consistent way to evenly cook your food.
How do you make sous vide crème brûlée
- Preparing canning jars: I used 4-oz mason jars, which is a perfect size for making crème brûlée. Make sure to dry them completely and set aside.
- Make the custard filling: First beat egg yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Then slowly add heavy cream. Note that you don’t need to heat up the heavy cream like the traditional method, as your eggs won’t curdle with sous vide method. Just mix everything until smooth.
- Sous vide cook the custard filling: Pour the custard filling into mason jars. Cook them in sous vide warm water bath at 185°F (85°C) for 1 hour.
- Let them chill: Once cooked, take the mason jars from the water bath. Dry the top of lids with paper towels and open them to cool down in the counter for 30 minutes. Dry the inside of the lid and put the lid back on. Chill crème brûlées for 4 hours in the fridge or overnight.
- Burnt sugar topping: Add some sugar to the tops of the custard and caramelize it with a kitchen torch. The regular sugar works fine. Make sure to cover the entire surface with a thin layer of granulated sugar.
Best temperature and time
I have tested this recipe several times, and the best combination of temperature and time is to cook the custard at 185°F (85°C) for 1 hour.
Can you make crème brûlée topping without a torch?
To get the beautiful crunchy and crispy caramelized topping, it’s best to use a kitchen torch. If you don’t have one, you can broil them in the oven. Heat your broiler up super hot and make sure to move the rack just underneath. Place the custards on a tray and top with sugar. Watch carefully as it only takes 1-3 minutes. Note that you will get less even coloring than with a torch.
Can you make sous vide crème brûlée without mason jars?
Yes, you can. If you don’t have mason jars, you can still make this recipe! Pour the custard filling into ziplock bags. Use several bags if needed. Vacuum seal the bag using “water displacement” technique. Cook the custard filling for 1 hour in the sous vide machine, and pour the custard into ramekins once cooked. The rest steps are the same as using mason jars.
Tips for making the best sous vide crème brûlée
- Ideal texture: The best custard should be creamy, rich and silky-smooth. It’s almost pudding like. To achieve this texture, the best ratio is to use 5 large egg yolks with 2 cups of heavy cream. More heavy cream results in a texture that’s too runny.
- Strain the custard filling: I recommend straining the egg yolk and heavy cream mixture to remove any residues from the egg.
- Close the lid “fingertip tight”: After pouring the custard filling into the canning jars, place the lid on the jar, and twist it gently until “fingertip tight”, which means the lid is barely closed and can be easily open with your fingertips. This tightness prevents water from getting into the jar while allows air bubbles to escape. If it’s too tight, the jars can crack easily when the trapped air press against the glass.
- Dry the lid: Dry the surface of the lid immediately after the canning jars come out of the warm water bath. Then open the lid as soon as the canning jars are cool enough to handle, and dry the inside of the lid. Put the lid back after the custard has cooled down.
- Cover the custard surface evenly with sugar: It’s important that the custard is completely covered with sugar. When applied to heat, any exposed custard will curdle.
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Sous Vide Crème Brûlée (With or Without Mason Jars)
Ingredients
For the Custard
- 5 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Topping
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar about 1 ½ teaspoons for each crème brûlée
- Optional: fresh berries to serve with
Instructions
- Preheat Sous Vide Machine: Fill a large container or pot with water, attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 185ºF/85ºC. Set side mason jars (make sure the mason jars and the lids are dry).
- Prepare the Custard Filling: In a large bowl add egg yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is light, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour the heavy cream into the egg mixture. Stir until combined.
- Strain the mixture, and slowly pour it into each mason jar, leaving about 1/2 inch from the top. If you don’t have canning mason jars, you can use zip-lock bags*.
- Let them sit for 15-20 minutes so that bubbles can dissipate.
- Place the lid on each mason jar, and twist it gently until “fingertip tight” (This means the lid is barely closed and can be easily open with your fingers.)
- Sous Vide Cook the Custard: Use a kitchen tong and slowly place the mason jars into the sous vide water bath. Cook for 1 hour.
- Chill the Custard: Remove the mason jars from the water bath and pat dry the surface of the lid with paper towels.
- Open the lid and let them cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. In the mean time, dry the inside of the lid.
- Once the jars are cool to the touch. Put back the lid and fasten it. Let the custard chill completely in the fridge for about 4 hours.
- Burn the Sugar: When ready to serve, take the mason jars out of the fridge and remove the lid. Add about 1 ½ teaspoons sugar on top of each custard. Make sure to add enough sugar and cover the surface evenly.
- Use a kitchen torch to torch the tops until the sugar melts and caramelized.
- Decorate with fresh berries and mint and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make Ahead: The custard can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Once torched, you should serve them immediately.
- Making sous vide crème brûlée without mason jars: Pour the custard filling into ziplock bags. Use several bags if needed. Vacuum seal the bag using “water displacement” technique. Cook the custard filling for 1 hour in the sous vide machine, and pour the custard into a ramekin once cooked. The rest steps are the same as using mason jars.
- If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can broil the sugar topping in the oven. Heat your broiler up super hot and make sure to move the rack just underneath. Place the custards on a tray and top with sugar. Watch carefully to avoid burning as it only takes 1-3 minutes. Note that you will get less even coloring than with a torch.
Recipe Tools
This is the best creme brulee recipe I’ve ever come across! It turns out perfectly every time!
I never knew you could sous vide desserts like this! Definitely a game changer!
The temperature drops when you add the custards to the water. Do you have to wait until the temperature returns to 185 to start the timer for one hour?
Hi Jennifer, you don’t have to wait until the temp returns to 185 and it will rise quickly to the temperature you set.
Hope it helps.
Question… if I wanted to make more of a flan style dessert with this, and idea on how to alter the time/temperature?
Can’t wait to try this recipe! If I want to add fruit to the bottom of my jars, like raspberries or blueberries, would this negatively impact cooking in any way? If I’m sure they’re 100% dry when they go in?
Hi Cate, if you want to add fresh fruit to this recipe, it’s better to cook the custard filling first in zip-loc bags. Add the fresh raspberries or blueberries (make sure they’re completely dry) to the ramekins, and then pour the cooked (and room temperature) custard. Note that the fruit will rise to the surface once settled. (Don’t use the mason jar method if you add fresh fruit as the fruit will release juice and ruin the texture of your creme brûlée!) Hope this helps.
Izzy
Izzy, I am doing the ziplock bag method. Does it matter if the bags float? All air has been removed.
Hi Kim, the mixture in the bags need to be completely submerged. If you find the bags are floating, you can add heavy kitchen items such as heavy cooking tongs or bowls to weigh them down. — Izzy
Hi Izzy, thanks for the great recipe! Unfortunately in this lockdown i have neither Sous Vide bags, nor mason jars 🙁
Can i do this by submersing a glass dish in my sous vide bath such that the water is just below the rim of the dish (but above the level of the custard in the dish? Do you think this will work ?
I do have some ‘regular’ ziplocks but im worried about cooking in them because they are plastic and i dont know if they are food grade or sous vide grade..
Thanks in advance, and i look forward to cooking great stuff using your website!
Hoshner
Hi Hoshner, I wouldn’t use a glass dish due to the risk of “thermal shock” and the glass could break. Many ziplock bags are safe to use in sous vide as long as they are not made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC).Here are a good article if you’d like to learn more: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/why-ziploc-bags-are-perfectly-safe-to-use-for-sous-vide-cooking/
Hope it helps. I’m glad you like my recipes. Thanks!
Izzy
Thanks for your reply Izzy! Wouldn’t there be the same risk of Thermal shock with a mason jar ?
Cheers
Hoshner
Hi Hoshner, if you following the instruction on the post by closing the lid “fingertip tight”, there won’t be a thermal shock. “fingertip tight” means the lid is barely closed and can be easily open with your fingertips. This tightness will prevent water from getting into the jar while allows air bubbles to escape. Therefore the air won’t be trapped in the jar. Hope it helps.
Got it, Thanks! 🙂
I have been making Creme Brulee for years. This is by far the easiest recipe I have ever made. I did it in a zip lock bag. When finished I just cut the corner and poured into ramekins with fresh raspberries. Can’t wait to get more eggs to make again. I am using the egg whites for Angel food cake.
Hi Kim, so great to hear that. Thanks for letting me know!
I made this per your instructions, but the tops came out bubbly. Any way to fix that? If I want to avoid using plastic, could I just cook this in one big mason jar and then transfer it to individual servings after it’s been cooked, or will that mess with the texture?
Hi Leanne, did you open the lid and let them cool down completely before putting the lid back? You’ll need to dry the lid thoroughly as well. The texture should be liquidy and smooth when it’s warm. I haven’t tried using one big mason jar yet, but in theory it should work.
So I am trying to make this and when I put my jars into the water bath they started cracking…. Anyone else have this problem?
Hi Lisa, it’s because the lid was too tight and the air bubbles cannot escape in the water bath.
I love this and it came out perfect. I read that you could make it 2 days ahead but is it already sous vide? I want to make a bigger batch and refrigerate until I need to sous vide it, any recommendations?
Hi Lorelie, glad to hear that it came out perfect. If you’d like to make it ahead, you’ll have to sous vide it first, and store in the refrigerator. You can add sugar before serving. As it contains raw eggs, the custard mixture won’t keep well before sous vide cooking.