Can I make vegan crème brûlée without a blow torch?

Yes. You can make this vegan crème brûlée by using an oven instead and broiling the top. Keep in mind that this method is much less accurate and with varied results. Using an oven method, your vegan crème brûlée will be more prone to browning and uneven caramelization, which could possibly burn the sugar.

Is this recipe gluten-free?

Yes! In addition to being completely vegan, egg-free, nut-free, and dairy-free, this recipe is also gluten-free!

What can I use instead of cream for crème brûlée?

Instead of cream, for vegan crème brûlée, I use silken tofu, cashew butter for creaminess, and a source of healthy fats, plant milk to blend, vanilla extract, and cornstarch or agar agar to thicken into a pudding consistency.

Vegan Crème Brûlée (no coconut!)

Description

This vegan creme brulee recipe is an easy and delicious egg-free, dairy-free, and coconut-free dessert. It has a rich and creamy vanilla custard base with a crunchy caramelized sugar topping. A 6-ingredient, no-bake dessert that is ready in just minutes!

Ingredients

Units Scale

12 oz extra firm silken tofu
2/3 cup unsweetened plant milk of choice
1 tbsp unsweetened creamy cashew butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornstarch, arrowroot powder or 1–2 tsp agar
1/4 cup granuated organic cane sugar (plus more to brûlée)
pinch of salt

Instructions

Add all of your crème ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend or process until completely smooth.
Transfer the mixture into a saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly. Cook for a few minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken slightly and the cornstarch or agar are activated.
Next, pour the mixture into ramekins or heat safe dishes and let chill in the fridge until set or ready to serve.
When ready to serve, sprinkle the top of your ramekins or dishes with additional granulated sugar (roughly 1 tsp, more as needed) then use a butane torch to caramelize the sugar. Alternatively, you can pop the ramekins or dishes into the oven and broil until the sugar starts to brown.

Notes

Making the Crème Brûlée Topping

The most common way to prepare crème brûlée is with a butane torch. It’s the best and most accurate way to caramelize the sugar and create the crunchy topping.

Usually, the crème is prepared in advance and set in ramekins until ready to serve and the burning of the sugar happens just before serving. I highly recommend investing in a butane torch–they are easy to work with and you can find them at quite affordable prices at culinary/kitchen stores and online.

The Best Sugar to Make Crème Brûlée With

For best results, granulated cane sugar is always the best to use. While you can experiment with coconut sugar or a refined sugar free alternative, I would personally recommend against it.

Coconut sugar, for example, tends to be prone to more burning and due to its darker colour, it’s more difficult to determine when it is burning vs. caramelizing. If you must, I would recommend using a refined sugar free alternative in the crème base, but I strongly advise not to substitute the sugar you’re using to brûlée.

A quick note on granulated cane sugar–to ensure it is vegan, you can use organic cane sugar. I really like the Wholesome Sweet brand which is also certified vegan.

Recipe Variations

Experiment by incorporating different flavours into your crème base like chocolate, coffee, matcha, Thai tea or fruit-like berries.
I highly encourage you to get creative once you nail the original recipe to level up your dairy-free dessert!

Serving Tips

Torch to sugar on top to make the hardened caramelized coating right before you’re ready to serve. If you’ve seen this served in restaurants before, you’ll notice they often torch the sugar right at the table as you watch!

Storage Tips

If you’re making this dessert for later, I recommend storing the custard base in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once ready to serve, scoop into individual ramekins, and make the blow-torched caramelized candy topping.