Crème Brûlée for One

Organic Valley is passionate about food and protecting the food system. Our in-house chefs, product development team members and employee-foodies love finding twists to enhance traditional fare. We also enjoy trying new ways to use organic products to create delectable meals and snacks that you can feel good about sharing with your family.

Crème Brûlée being served in a white serving bowl, accompanied by Organic Valley milk and Organic Valley Free Range Eggs.

This single-serving crème brûlée is a simple, elegant treat for when cravings strike. Warm spice adds a subtle twist to the classic. With a crisp caramelized sugar top and silky, aromatic custard, it’s fuss-free, comforting and indulgent, perfect for savoring solo.

10 min Prep40 min Cook50 min Total

10 min Prep•40 min Cook•50 min Total

1 Servings

10 min Prep40 min Cook50 min Total

10 min Prep•40 min Cook•50 min Total

1 Servings

Cooking Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

Ingredients

2 cups water
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ tablespoon turbinado sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 F.
In a kettle, saucepan or in the microwave, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Transfer boiling water to a square baking dish.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk and vanilla extract or paste to a low simmer.
In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until incorporated. Whisk in cardamom.
Transfer the mixture to a ramekin. Skim off any froth; discard. Place ramekin in the baking dish with the hot water. Bake for 40 minutes or until the mixture is just starting to set. Remove ramekin from the water bath; set aside to cool 15-20 minutes.
Cover; transfer ramekin to the refrigerator to chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle a thin and even layer of turbinado sugar on top of the crème brûlée. Use a culinary torch to caramelize the sugar until lightly browned. Let slightly cool; crack and enjoy. If you don’t have a culinary torch, you can caramelize the sugar topping in the oven on a low broil until just lightly browned (keep careful watch).

Directions

Cooking Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

Preheat the oven to 300 F.
In a kettle, saucepan or in the microwave, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Transfer boiling water to a square baking dish.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk and vanilla extract or paste to a low simmer.
In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until incorporated. Whisk in cardamom.
Transfer the mixture to a ramekin. Skim off any froth; discard. Place ramekin in the baking dish with the hot water. Bake for 40 minutes or until the mixture is just starting to set. Remove ramekin from the water bath; set aside to cool 15-20 minutes.
Cover; transfer ramekin to the refrigerator to chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle a thin and even layer of turbinado sugar on top of the crème brûlée. Use a culinary torch to caramelize the sugar until lightly browned. Let slightly cool; crack and enjoy. If you don’t have a culinary torch, you can caramelize the sugar topping in the oven on a low broil until just lightly browned (keep careful watch).

Do You Know?

Organic Valley farms comprise more than 440,000 acres of land in the United States, and this organic acreage is home to more than 1,600 Organic Valley family farms and a whole lot of biodiversity.

Organic Valley’s mission is to provide a stable, sustainable pay price to farmers so they can continue farming with their families. It all started in 1988, when seven farmers got together to find a way to market their goods and make a sustainable living by producing organically derived food.

Our 100% grassfed cows are never fed grains, which gives Grassmilk^® milk the subtle seasonal flavors of our pastures. This is milk as it was meant to be.

Frequently Asked Questions

We used a 4-ounce ramekin.

Yes, you can use granulated sugar for the topping. Closer attention is needed, as it can burn more easily.

Yes. This recipe requires at least 2 hours of chilling once the crème brûlée is cooled at room temperature. You can make it the day before, then caramelize the turbinado sugar on top when you’re ready to serve it.

This recipe is served as a chilled custard with a caramelized topping.

No, this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Yes, you can make as many crème brûlées as you wish. Simply multiply the recipe by however many you’re making and make them in individual ramekins.

It’s best to use whole milk or heavy cream as the base versus lower fat milk.

Crème brûlée is delicious as is, but you can add fresh berries and whipped cream to the top, if you wish.