A divine French classic made vegan! It’s rich, creamy no-bake vegan crème brûlée and it’s the perfect vegan dessert to serve after any meal. This decadent plant-based treat calls for just six ingredients and is gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free! Just like the classic, this one has golden-brown caramelized sugar on top that you’ll love cracking into, to reveal the rich vanilla custard beneath.
6-8teaspoonsgranulated sugar (for caramelizing the tops)(adjust as needed, see note below)
Instructions
Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined and no lumps remain. You may need to break up any lumps with the back of a spoon.
Slowly whisk in the dairy-free heavy cream and dairy-free milk until combined with the dry mixture. Scrape around the corners of the pot with a spoon to be sure no dry ingredients remain.
Place pot on medium-high heat and continuously whisk until mixture has thickened. It will start to thicken around the 4½ - 5 minute mark but cook for a full 6 minutes. When finished, it will be thick enough to coat a spoon. (See images above)
Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in vanilla and if using, the vegan butter.
Evenly divide the custard into individual 4oz ceramic ramekins. Allow the ramekins to sit for 15 minutes to cool slightly.
Place plastic wrap and lightly press it directly on the surface of each custard and carefully place them in the refrigerator. Allow them to chill for at least 4 hours to set.
Remove from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. Evenly sprinkle 1 ½ - 2 teaspoons of sugar on top of each dessert ensuring that the entire surface has been covered all the way to the edges.
Turn your kitchen torch on and hold the flame roughly 3-4 inches away from the sugar. Using a circular motion, move the flame across the entire surface of the dessert. Don't stay too long in one area or the sugar will burn, move away as the sugar bubbles and turns a golden colour. Continue until all of the sugar has melted and the sugar has completely caramelized.
Let the desserts sit for a few minutes before handling, the rims of the ramekins will be very hot. Serve right away as-is or top with fresh berries.
Notes
Please read all of the information and FAQ info above, as well as the notes below before making this recipe.
This recipe makes 2 cups of custard in total. Divide into 4 ramekins for ½ cup servings or you can divide it between 5 or 6 small ramekins for smaller servings.
Use an unsweetened vegan heavy cream or vegan whipping cream that is meant to be a substitute for regular heavy cream or whipping cream. Silk, Country Crock, Becel, Califia Farms, and Violife are just a few brands that make vegan heavy cream. If you can't find any of these, you can use canned coconut milk (either light or full fat, shake it well!), but your dessert will have a coconut flavour, more if full fat is used, a little less if lite is used. You can also use an unsweetened barista blend milk but note that your crème brûlée will not be as thick and creamy.
Any type of unsweetened non-dairy milk can be used but make sure to use unsweetened, unflavoured milk so you have full control over the sweetness and flavour.
If you want to make your crème brûlée without cornstarch, arrowroot starch (also referred to as arrowroot flour or arrowroot powder) can be used instead.
You don't want the mixture to boil, but it will start to bubble towards the end of the cooking time. It will take roughly 6 minutes to thicken properly. No noticeable thickening will happen until the last 2 minutes or so, but keep whisking!
The vegan butter is optional however, adding it will result in a richer, and even creamier crème brûlée.
If you are using a wider ramekin than the ones in the picture, you will need more sugar to cover the entire surface of the dessert before torching it. If you are using something smaller, use less.
The custard can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Do not torch the sugar until you are ready to serve and do not refrigerate after you have caramelized the sugar.
The nutrition info listed below is for 1 of 4 servings (each serving is ½ cup) with the recipe made as written using silk heavy whipping cream, unsweetened unflavored almond milk, and no vegan butter. Nutritional data is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here for more info on how nutrition info on this website is determined.