Easy Crème Caramel Recipe: Indulge in a Creamy Caramel Dream!
This Crème Caramel recipe is a classic French dessert, known for its rich, smooth, and velvety texture. In the United States, it is more commonly referred to by its Spanish name Flan, which is a Spanish dessert, crème caramel uses a more delicate caramel sauce to give it that extra touch of elegance. While both desserts share a similar custard base, Crème Caramel stands out with its lighter texture and a caramel layer that’s just the right balance of sweetness and complexity.
But don’t be intimidated, folks! This Crème Caramel recipe is easier to make than you might think. With a few simple ingredients and a dash of love, you’ll be impressing your friends and family with this delicious dessert in no time. So, get ready to indulge in a scrumptious journey as we whip up this heavenly dessert that’s perfect for any occasion.
Ready to take on this Crème Caramel recipe? Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s get cooking!
Crème Caramel - My Favorite Dessert!
Recipe Video
Recipe Ingredients
The Caramel:
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Water
The Custard:
- 4 Whole Eggs
- ½ cup Sugar or ¼ Sugar and 2 ounces White Chocolate
- 12 ounces Whole Milk
- 12 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 tablespoon Pure Tahitian Vanilla
Recipe Instructions
Preheat Oven to 275°F / 135°C
Spray 4 ramekins (6 to 8 ounces) with a very light coating of non-stick spray
Make the Caramel:
- Mix the sugar and water in a glass bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add to a saucepan, heat the sugar and water on medium to low heat. The sugar will start to turn a light golden brown (approximately 10 to 12 minutes, be careful, because it will burn very quickly). As soon as it turns a dark golden brown Mahogany color), turn off the heat immediately and CAREFULLY add about 2 tablespoons water to stop the cooking process.
- Pour into 4 individual custard cups. Tilt the cups to coat bottom thinly and evenly. Cool in the refrigerator 30 minutes or 15 minutes in freezer until caramel is hard.
Make the Custard:
- In a sauce pan, heat the cream and milk to a boiling point (BUT NOT ROLLING BOIL) Add the sugar and mix to melt.
- In a large glass bowl, mix the eggs salt and vanilla with a fork, do not use a Wisk it will create air bubbles. Add the hot milk and cream in a thin, steady stream and pour into each caramelized mold.
- Set custard cups in a hot water bath, up to 3/4" from the top rim of the cups. Bake for 1hour. Take them out of the oven and when cold enough to handle remove them from the hot water and let them get to room temp for at least 3 to 4 hours. When room temperature, refrigerate at least 6 hours (much better 24 hours).
- To un-mold, using a small knife or your finger to gently slide the edge of each custard cup to loosen. Place an inverted plate over each cup, turn the cup and plate upright and carefully lift the cup to see if the custard mold has loosened.
You can find the items below used in making this dish at our online store!
Private Notes
Jean-Pierre continued his apprenticeship on the French Riviera where he worked at famous restaurants, such as L’Oasis at La Napoule, Le Vendome in Aix-en-Provence, and the the Carlton in Cannes. In 1976, he opened The Left Bank Restaurant, consistently recognized as one of the best in America for 22 years by magazines like "Bon Appetit," "Conde Nast," "Gourmet Magazine" and "Travel & Leisure."
Jean-Pierre was also a popular TV personality, having hosted National Public Television series like "Incredible Cuisine” and "Sunshine Cuisine." He was also nominated for "Best Culinary Video" by the James Beard Foundation and operated the nationally renowned “Chef Jean-Pierre's Cooking School” and was a sought-after guest on shows like "The Today Show" and "Larry King Live."
With over 1.1 Million Subscribers to his Chef Jean-Pierre YouTube Channel, he is a widely respected figure in the culinary world, known for his skill and dedication to his craft, but even more so known for making gourmet cooking fun and easy to learn.
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This is wonderful and also my favorite dessert.
Great recipe. Easy to make. It was enjoyed by everyone. Will certainly make it again. Thank you for sharing.
I have tried so many of your recipes every single one is absolutely incredible! Thank you
Thank you so much for this. I am going to add this to my restaurant and serve to my loyal customers.
How long does this last in the refrigerator before we serve? When do we need to throw it away?
about one week as long as your fridge are at 36/38F
I’ve shared 4 of them today with my neighbors at work. They all loved it.
One question: Is the bottom layer (after finished and flipped) supposed to be harder texture than the middle area? My wife commented that bottom layer was more firm like a Tofu texture while the middle was more soft.
Yes, It happens top me often! 😊
One of my favorite desserts as well — thank you chef!
Kevin, I’ve found that covering the ramekins with aluminum foil during cooking (and subsequent cooldown and refrigeration) will almost completely prevent that cooked layer at the bottom from forming (there can be some residual graininess, but it is a *huge* improvement over the cooked texture).
Another question:
If I want to make about 16 at a time, do we need to increase the baking temperature higher (325F ?) or bake for longer than 1 hour?
What is your recommendation for baking about 16 ramekins?
Increase the cooking time by about 15 minutes! 😊
you are my go to chef (along with Jacque Pepin)
i always measure carefully LOL
refrigerate at least 6 hours (much better 24 hours). covered uncovered?
Covered is always best! AS long as they are at room temp! 😊
My wife couldn’t wait. Said this is by far the best dessert she has had. She loves flan and crème brûlée without the sugar topping but they pale compared to this crème caramel.
At least she waited 3 hours after removing from the oven. The other 3 made it to the fridge overnight.
Question: Should these be served cold or can they be slightly warmed before serving?
Serve super cold! 😊
I grew up eating créme caramel… but from a box 😆. The premade powder mix with a small pouch of caramel included in there. I never dared to make it or try until I saw your video. It was truly amazing. I’m an amateur cook/recipe follower. My girlfriend is a dessert enthusiast. She said to me with a twinkle in her eye, “this is the best thing you’ve ever made.” That, my friend, was a compliment! And I was rewarded for my effort LOL. Thank you for your teaching and your informative, fun and funny show. The chocolate mousse is in the fridge. I’ll wait and see what she says about that. And I did lick the spatula haha.
Awesome! Comments like yours make it all worthwhile! GodSpeed! 😊
Hi Chef, Just made a 1/2 batch using 2 8oz coffee cups. So far so good. Sure looks a bit too jiggly after an hour @ 135c for an hour, but figured as it cools to remove from water it will also set up. I had a small splash of custard left over, which was “amazing” in the coffee. Because it was a small batch, I used a small Demeyere fry pan on induction setting 3.5 and the caramel was perfect. Very excited given it’s my first try. Pre-mix the water and sugar is brilliant! Thank you for sharing all your recipes and tips. It really made it simple.
Day after making. I could not resist trying 1 for dinner the day I made it. The results is so melt in your mouth. My experience with the coffee cup is a small issue. One the base was small and became a place the caramel didn’t want to come out of. So lesson learned. Second. As amazing as the result was, 8oz is a lot this delicious desert. Had the second one today. Fantastic and the “jiggliness” was perfect. Thank you again!
Made this the other night for a dinner party of 6. It came out exactly as yours! I got rave reviews and gave you all of the credit. My wife says I have to prepare all desserts from now on. Your videos are fun to watch and I’ve learned so much from you. Thank you Chef!
❤️❤️❤️😊
I’ve been watching your channel for a while now and I’ve learned so much. I made this crème caramel on Saturday and served it at our weekly family dinner on Sunday and it was a big hit. It was absolutely delicious…and I can’t believe how soft and creamy it was. What I really mean is I can’t believe I made something so soft and creamy. Thank you so much for all you do. I recently got your book along with your DVD’s and when work on the farm slows down I plan on watching it and learning so much more.
Chef Jean, how large can you go up on the ramekins? Do they have to be small? Thank you!
Max 8 ounces! 😊
My absolute favorite dessert. I will try to make it this weekend and if it comes out half as nice as Chef’s, I will call it a success!
I know I can increase/decrease the amounts by using the recipe tool but please, please tell us how to calculate it on our own. It is one of those things Chef mentioned in the video but didn’t get around to doing.
I thank you all for these wonderful recipes and for all the hard work you put into producing them.
Ok Ted, it’s really simple. You need one egg per serving which is 6 to 8 ounces. The rest is really easy to calculate. Sugar and vanilla are really up to you but use the recipe above as a guideline! 😊👍
Love to watch your cooking show every Thursday. Learn a lot from your cooking technic.
Thank you very much. More power to you
Hi Jean Pierre, is it possible to freeze this recipe?
Unfortunately, you cannot freeze a custard! 😊
Super great thank u v much for sharing us…wish u a lot of health energy and always to have fun
I am nt cooking but mostly enjoying it s realaxing for me…maybe longtime ago when I was 18,now I m 58, and needed some one to teach how to cook,after eating just choclate for a week, no one was there
Thank u v v much..
But this Cream Caramel definitly ll try…
Super great thank u v much for sharing us…wish u a lot of health energy and always to have fun
I am nt cooking but mostly enjoying it s realaxing for me…maybe longtime ago when I was 18,now I m 58, and needed some one to teach how to cook,after eating just choclate for a week, no one was there
Thank u v v much..
But this Cream Caramel definitly ll try…
Super great thank u v much for sharing us…wish u a lot of health energy and always to have fun
I am nt cooking but mostly enjoying it s realaxing for me…maybe longtime ago when I was 18,now I m 58, and needed some one to teach how to cook,after eating just choclate for a week, no one was there
Thank u v v much..
But this Cream Caramel definitly ll try…
Thank you! Godspeed! 😊