Three taps of a spoon cracks the caramelized sugar, exposing a silky custard cream centre of our Coconut Crème Brûlée, made using minimal ingredients and simple steps.
Crème brûlée is the ultimate dessert. What's not to love? Decadent and luxurious, Crème brûlée is typically topped with fruits and herbs, a glass crust glazed of caramelized sugar and a rich, velvety custard centre that'll have you melting with every bite.
Traditionally made with cream, we've opted for a dairy-free crème brûlée, swapping out heavy dairy for silky coconut milk, adding to the richness of the dish yet keeping it simple. And while it seems like a dessert that is easier to order off a menu than make yourself, our Coconut Crème Brûlée uses minimal ingredients and simple steps, that'll still have you melting with every bite.
"Crème Brûlée is the ultimate 'guy' dessert. Make it and he'll follow you anywhere." - Ina Garten
While I adore Ina for her classic techniques, she takes the cake with this advice. Crème brûlée is one of the first desserts Philip made for me on our first Christmas we celebrated together, and the first three course meal he ever made for me – arugula salad, duck with a cherry glaze and a dairy-free crème brûlée.
Three taps of a spoon cracks the caramelized sugar, exposing a silky custard cream centre. And with one swoop of the two balancing textures our Coconut Crème Brûlée is the most tantalizing and decadent dessert and the perfect finish to any meal.
How to Make Coconut Crème Brûlée
Preparation
Set your oven to 325° F and bring a kettle of water to boil.
How to Make the Custard
Pour a can of coconut milk in a saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in the seeds from one vanilla bean and heat until just before it starts to simmer.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. until they are fluffy and bright yellow. Gradually add the hot coconut milk into the eggs while continuously stirring. Pour through a sieve and into a measuring cup to remove any lumps.
Baking Crème Brûlée
Place 4 ramekins in a deep baking dish and pour an equal amount of brûlée mixture into each. Transfer the baking dish to your oven and carefully pour enough hot water around ramekins to come about half and inch from the lips . Ensure not to get any water into any of the brûlées.
Bake for 40 minutes, until the centre of the brûlées are set. The custard should jiggle a little bit when shaken. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack then cover and transfer to your fridge for at least two hours.
How to Brûlée the Coconut Crème Brûlée
Just before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on each brûlée and using a blowtorch (affiliate link) caramelize the sugar on top until brown. If you're in a pinch and don't have a torch you can caramelize the sugar using your oven. Serve this decadent dairy-free crème brûlée with fresh berries and mint.
Bon appetit,
Chef Sous Chef
Helpful Tools and Ingredients to Make Crème Brûlée
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Coconut Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk 400ml
- 5 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar + 3 tbsp
- 1 whole vanilla bean
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325° F and brink a kettle of water to boil.
- Pour coconut milk into saucepan on medium heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and place cut side up on the cutting board. Using the back of a small knife, scrape the seeds from the pods and whisk them into the coconut milk. Heat until just before it comes to a simmer then remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar, until fluffy and vibrant yellow colour. While whisking the eggs, gradually pour in the hot coconut milk. Once well incorporated, pour the mixture through a sieve and into a measuring cup.
- Place ramekins in a deep baking dish. Pour an equal amount of brûlée mixture into each ramekin. Set the baking dish in the oven then carefully pour the hot water into the baking dish around the ramekins, at least ¼ inch from the top of the ramekins.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and check doneness by giving them a little shake. The mixture should jiggle but not be liquidy - similar to jello.
- Once the ramekins are cool enough to handle, place them on a wire rack to cool to room temperature then transfer them to your fridge for at least two hours to set.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on each brûlée and using a blowtorch caramelize the sugar on top until brown.
- Serve with fresh berries and mint.
Notes
- For best results, use a full-fat or premium coconut milk
Nutrition
Stephanie says
I was surprised by how good the texture was. The coconut milk was so delicious!
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks Stephanie!
Kelly says
Can this be made with sous vide
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Kelly,
We’ve never thought of cooking the brûlée sous vide and couldn’t tell you whether it would work with this recipe. Here is an article with instructions which may be helpful https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/creme-brulee
Jahnavi says
I don't have vanilla beans. How many teaspoons of vanilla extract is 1 vanilla bean equivalent to? I'd appreciate your feedback.
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Jahnavi
Thanks for the question. You can use 1 tsp of vanilla extract for one vanilla bean.
Robert Dufort says
I am replacing vanilla bean with 3 tsp of matcha (green tea powder) I will let you know if it was good. Thank you for this simple recipe.
Chef Sous Chef says
That sounds delicious! I'm curious how the colour will turn out. Please let us know the results! Good luck Robert.
Josephine’ says
Are the +3 tablespoons of sugar for mixing with the egg yolks or for the brûlée?
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Josephine. The 3 tbsp of sugar is to sprinkle on top of the set custards for the brûlée. Thanks for stopping by, please come back and let us know how the recipe turned out for you!
Ann Wright says
How long will these last in the refrigerator? I am trying to figure out how much in advance I could make these.
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Ann, I have made them up to 12 hours before serving. You should be able to make them the day before serving I imagine.
Chris Gorman says
I absolutely loved this recipe for its simplicity and the results are restaurant-quality to boot. I have a go to Creme' Brulee' recipe that is almost exact except sub heavy cream for the coconut milk. On a side note, I used a brand of milk called Polar (full cream). It was definatley thicker than standard coconut milk. Thanks for sharing this!
Kim says
I made this recipe twice. The first time I used light coconut milk so it took almost two hours in the oven. The next time I bought the full fat version but it’s been over an hour in the oven and is still liquid.
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Kim,
The creme brulee may still seem liquidy when in the oven, or even when you pull it out but firm up in the fridge once cold. Hopefully, they were okay after chilling. Feel free to reach out further for any troubleshooting. All the best!
Laura says
Followed the recipe exactly, although the recipe separated when it cooked and I was left with a coconut water liquid at the bottom of the ramekin.
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Laura,
Thanks for stopping by and trying out the recipe. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Keep in mind, that this is a dairy-free recipe and coconut milk does not have the same properties as heavy cream. Different brands of coconut milk will yield different results based on their ingredients, such as emulsifiers. Coconut milk naturally separates when heating up so there is likely to be a little bit of liquid at the bottom. This can be remedied somewhat by dabbing the top of the Brulee with a paper towel before dusting with sugar.
Jamie says
I made this last night for my wife and it was absolutely divine. Creamy, smooth and could barely tell that it is dairy-free. Thank you for the recipe, love it!
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Jamie,
So glad your wife enjoyed the recipe. We make it for special occasions and it's definitely one of our favourites.
Delena says
How much fat should there be in the coconut milk??
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Delena,
Thanks for stopping by and for the question. I am not sure of the percentage of fat, however, the can will say premium and/or full-fat coconut milk. Our cans we have in our pantry show between 9 to 11g of fat per 1/4 cup or 60ml. Good luck with the recipe!
Matt says
Ow come in the picture above looks thicker?
Kristy says
This was outstanding! Only change I made was to swap 1/2t vanilla bean paste for the whole vanilla bean. Absolutely delicious, thank you for the recipe.
Russ says
Terrific dairy free recipe. You can slightly tweak it very easily with rum extract, bourbon, lime, etc.
Philip + Mystique says
Thanks Russ! It's a special recipe. Tweaks are always welcome.