Easy Crème Brûlée Recipe for 2 + Flavor Variations

Five simple ingredients – cream, vanilla, salt, eggs and sugar – make for an exquisitely rich and elegant dessert.  Most crème brûlée recipes are a bit more complicated, but this Easy Crème Brûlée Recipe for 2 + Flavor Variations you can make in about 10 minutes and it’s really good.

What does crème brûlée taste like?

Picture this: a symphony of flavors dancing on your taste buds. Crème Brûlée is like the James Bond of desserts – smooth, sophisticated, and irresistibly charming. The crackle of the caramelized sugar on top signals you are about to begin your taste adventure.

Dive into the velvety pool of custard beneath, where vanilla and a hint of orange liquor (like Grand Marnier) delight your senses.

One spoonful, and you're in for a culinary tango – elegant, indulgent, and utterly delightful. Bon appétit!

Pam's Best Tips

As Julia Child once said, “I think every woman should have a blow torch” – and I absolutely agree!

In the absence of a kitchen torch, a simpler solution is using your oven's broiler. Read the section below on how to make crème brûlée without a torch for step-by-step instructions.  

This is one of my favorite desserts. But I wanted to simplify and perfect making this for two. Along the way, I discovered some tips and tricks when making crème brûlée for 2.

The key to perfect crème brûlée is using lots of egg yolks, turbinado sugar, an instant thermometer and a final chill. 

It is super important to let the custard set for several hours in the refrigerator before brûléeing the top, otherwise you'll end up with soupy custard.

Crème brûlée is one of those ramekin dessert recipes that you can have fun switching up the flavors.  My two favorites are this vanilla with Grand Marnier found in the recipe card below and my recipe for lavender creme brûlée.  For more crème brûlée flavors, read the crème brûlée variations section for more crème brûlée flavors!

Looking for other ramekin dessert recipes? Try these key lime pie cups.

Let’s Get Started!

Crème Brûlée Ingredients

Let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy crème brûlée for 2.

• Extra-large egg yolks
• Granulated sugar
• Heavy cream or half-and-half
• Pure vanilla extract
• Orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier)
• Turbinado sugar or Demerara sugar for a caramelized crunchy sugar crust.  Regular granulated sugar will work, too, but use only 1 scant teaspoon on each ramekin or 1 teaspoon on each shallow fluted dish.

See recipe card for quantities.

Crème Brûlée Dish

The wide and shallow ramekin allows for optimal sugar-to-custard ratio, and a more impressive crust.  From my perspective, Crème brûlée ramekins were invented to make crème brûlée .

You can use 4-ounce, 5-ounce or 6-ounce ramekins based on your preference.  Larger ramekins will yield thicker custard and take slightly longer to bake – making them perfect to share.  “Two spoons please!”

How to make easy crème brûlée for two at home

When baking the custard, a water bath is worthwhile. It enables gentler cooking and more even results.  So, let’s bring a kettle of water to a boil. 

Combine eggs and sugar.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg yolks and granulated sugar together on low speed.  Mix until just combined. If mixing by hand use a wire whisk.

Simmer cream.  In a small saucepan simmer cream until it's very hot to the touch but not boiling.

Add cream and flavorings.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Did I mention slowly? We don't want scrambled eggs in our custard!    

If mixing in cream by hand:  Slowly whisk cream into the egg mixture until smooth.

Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Baking Crème Brûlée

When baking the custard, a water bath is worthwhile. It makes the enables gentler cooking and more even results.  And, though it is hard to convince first time custard cooks of this, the custard is done when still quite jiggly in the center.

I have no doubt that the first time you make the custard you will, like my first time and those of many others overcook them. But when the sides are set and the center is looking a bit underdone, they are ready.

To Bake crème brûlée.  Place ramekins in a baking pan, taking care not to splash water into ramekins.  Pour enough boiling water into pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard is set when gently shaken and digital instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 170 to 175 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes (25 to 30 minutes for shallow fluted dishes).

Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time.

Tip:  the custards are done when still quite jiggly in the center.

Cool to room temperature.  Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature.  Once at room temperature, wrap your ramekins tightly and refrigerated for at least 1 hour up to a couple of days.

Crème Brûlée Topping

It is super important to let the custard set for several hours in the refrigerator before brûléeing the top, otherwise you'll end up with soupy custard.

Uncover ramekins and if condensation has collected on custard blot moisture with paper towel. 

For the caramelized sugar crust, we recommend turbinado or demerara sugar. Regular granulated sugar will work, too. The amount of sugar needed for the topping will depend on the shape of the ramekin.

Sprinkle enough sugar over the top to cover, and then shake off the excess (about 1 to 1-½ teaspoons for turbinado and Demerara sugar or 1 teaspoon for regular granulated sugar).

To caramelize sugar, ignite torch and sweep flame from perimeter of custard toward middle, keeping flame about 2 inches above ramekin, until sugar is bubbling and deep golden brown.

Tip: To avoid burning keep the torch moving. When you see the sugar begin to melt and turns a golden brown stop torching. You can always sweep the flame back over areas that need a bit more torching to achieve the desired color of a deep golden brown.

Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens and refrigerate, uncovered, to rechill, 30 to 40 minutes.   Doing this will allow you to experience the warmth of caramelized sugar and the chilly custard in both first few bites.  Serve within two hours. 

How to make Crème Brûlée without torch

No Torch?  No worries, we will use the oven broiler method.  First, adjust the oven rack so that the ramekins are 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.  Now put in the oven and turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, this will take about 5 minutes.

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Crème Brûlée Flavors and Variations

• Lavender Crème Brûlée – love the flavor combination vanilla with a hint of lavender.
• Tea-Infused Crème Brûlée - Knot together the strings of 10 bags of Irish Breakfast tea. Follow recipe for Classic Crème Brûlée found in the recipe card below, adding the tea bags to cream.  After simmering the cream, squeeze bags with tongs or press into mesh strainer to extract all liquid.  Continue with step 3, adding the tea-infused cream to the eggs and the vanilla extract.  Omit adding the orange liqueur.
• Raspberry Crème Brûlée.   Follow the recipe for Classic Crème Brûlée found in the recipe card below.  At step 3 omit stirring in the orange liqeur, instead, stir in ¼ cup white chocolate chips along with vanilla extract into the warm cream and egg mixture.  Spoon a tablespoon of raspberry jam into the bottom of each ramekin then pour into 6- to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

More Desserts For Two

Looking for more dessert recipes for two? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Easy Creme Brulee for 2: