Vegan Creme Brulee | One of The Best Vegan Desserts

This vegan creme brulee has a rich and creamy custard base, and it's topped with sweet, hardened caramelized sugar. And the textural difference between the layers compliments each other so well, that this might be one of the best vegan dessert recipes you can make! Plus, it's incredibly easy to make too. Just 6 ingredients are all you need to make this vegan creme brulee!

The BEST Vegan Creme Brulee Recipe

Ok, so as you might know, creme brulee is a classic French dessert that is often found at high-end restaurants. And it's typically thought of as a dessert you can only get at a restaurant. 

And, let's be honest, since restaurants never seem to have a dairy free creme brulee option, it's always a tease to see it on the menu.  

But thanks to this easy creme brulee recipe, you can make this elegant dessert anytime at home!

Every bite is filled with a smooth custard along with the caramelized sugar that just melts in your mouth - just like the "real thing."

Seriously, it is out of this world good and is one of those vegan desserts you have to share.

Personally, I love making it for date night, or when I have guests over to impress them with a special vegan treat.

And it also is a fun dessert to share with fellow vegans, family, or friends who want to enjoy some creme brulee deliciousness.  

Oh, and it's as creamy as this vegan key lime pie, which you should definitely make after this vegan creme brulee.  

Ingredients For Creme Brulee

Creme brulee seems like it would have a long list of ingredients and be a challenging process to make, but neither of these is the case. 

For today's recipe, we will be using common vegan ingredients to make this dessert dairy-free.

The only unusual ingredient is agar-agar- powder, which we'll talk more about in a little bit. 

That said, here's everything we'll be using:

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• ½ cup plant-based milk
• 3 tablespoon tapioca starch
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon agar-agar- powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of sugar per ramekin for the caramelized top

As I said, some common vegan ingredients are all we'll need to make this stuff!

Choosing The Right Plant Based Milk

So, traditional creme brulee uses heavy cream to make the creamy custard base.

But, as you may have noticed above, we're using a can of full-fat coconut milk and half a cup of plant-based milk of your to make this creme brulee dairy free - and, of course, vegan. 

Having said that, you can use anything you want for the plant-based milk - the recipe will turn out great no matter which one you choose.

So, if you want your creme brulee to have more of a vanilla flavor, you can use vanilla almond milk, soy milk, or cashew milk. But, if you want to keep things more neutral, you can also use the unflavored version of any of these for this recipe as well.

Personally though, I like to use an unflavored & unsweetened plant-based milk when I make this vegan creme brulee.

I just think the creme brulee is already perfectly sweetened from the sugar, so adding more sugar from milk makes it a tad too sweet for my tastes.

But, feel free to tailor this recipe to your own preferences & taste buds!

What is Agar-Agar

If you've never heard of agar-agar, it's a plant-based gelatin extracted from seaweed, and it creates a jelly-like texture to whatever you're creating with it.

That said, it's usually used as a stabilizing and thickening agent in recipes.  And, it's commonly used in vegan and vegetarian recipes as a plant-based substitute for gelatin.

Of course, traditional gelatin is derived from animal collagen, so you'll want to avoid using it for vegan cooking and baking.

Now, this plant-based gelatin - agar-agar - comes in the form of a powder, bar, solid flake, and strand.

But, for this recipe, we will be using agar-agar powder to thicken our creme brulee base and give it a stable consistency. 

Agar-agar powder substitutes with gelatin on a 1:1 ratio and is the easiest to work with since it dissolves almost immediately when combined with other ingredients.

How To Make Vegan Creme Brulee

Making creme brulee is not as daunting as you might think.

If you follow the instructions, you will achieve restaurant-worthy results in just a few steps. 

So without further ado, let's get down to it and make some vegan creme brulee!

Step 1: Combining The Ingredients

First, you'll want to combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

However, if you don't have a blender, you can whisk all the ingredients together by hand too. Just make sure the starch has fully dissolved.

Step 2: Heating The Ingredients

Now, you can transfer the ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan and put over medium-low heat. 

Cook the mixture until it has thickened and the first small bubbles appear at the sides of the pot (about 10 minutes) - make sure to whisk frequently as it cooks.

That said, you'll only want to cook everything until bubbles form.

DO NOT wait until the entire mixture is bubbling as this will overcook it.

Step 3: Cooling The Ingredients

At this point, you can pour the mixture into each ramekin, and let them cool for about an hour at room temperature. 

Now, wrap each ramekin tightly in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator for a few hours to cool thoroughly until the base is firm. 

And, if you want to make this creme brulee in advance, you can put it in the fridge to cool overnight. 

Step 4: Serving

When you're ready to serve, sprinkle one teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top of each one (if storing for later, do not put the sugar on top until you are ready to caramelize). 

Now, use a blow torch, to caramelize the top. To do this, hold the torch a few inches away and continuously move it around the dish. You will know it is carmelized when the sugar starts to bubble and turns a golden brown color. 

Keep in mind that the longer you torch the surface, and the darker it gets, the more bitter the sugar crust will be. 

Having said that, once the top is caramelized, you can serve this one of a kind vegan dessert.

I recommend serving within 20 minutes. If you wait too long, the sugar will absorb the moisture, and the top will soften. 

How To Make Creme Brulee Without a Blow Torch

If you do not have a blow torch and don't plan on buying one, you can caramelize the top of your creme brulee by broiling it in the oven.

Just follow all of the steps above until you are ready to serve.

Then, you'll want to place the ramekins on a baking sheet, and put it on the oven rack directly under the broiler. 

Broil on high until the top of the creme brulee turns golden brown. 

And, make sure to keep a close eye on them, and check frequently.

It should only take a minute or so to caramelize.

How To Store Vegan Creme Brulee

I love this dessert because you can make it days in advance and freshly caramelize it before you serve it. 

And if you don't need all four servings simultaneously, you can easily store whatever you have left-over. 

That said, you can keep your creme brulee in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just make sure to cover the ramekins tightly with plastic wrap before you store them.

Freezing the Creme Brulee

If you want to save your creme brulee for longer, you can also freeze it for up to 6 months.

The key to keeping the texture and flavor of this dessert is the temperature it is frozen at. Make sure to keep it at around 0°F (-18°C). 

Before freezing, allow it to cool down to room temperature and then finish cooling it in the refrigerator. Then, once it's chilled, you'll want to tightly wrap the creme brulee in plastic wrap, and then place it in the freezer. And, I suggest using rubber bands so the plastic wrap does not move once it is in the freezer.

Now, to thaw the frozen creme brulee, you'll want to transfer it to the fridge and allow it to defrost for a couple of hours before torching and serving. 

That said, no matter which way you decide to keep your creme brulee, make sure you DO NOT caramelize the top before storing. Doing so will just lead to less tasty results.

Wrapping It All Up

And there you have it, a rich and decadent vegan creme brulee that is just too good to be true.  

Whoever eats this classic French dessert will be blown away by how well it is made. 

Anyway, I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

As always, if you end up making this vegan creme brulee recipe, let me know what you think about it in the comments below! 

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