How awesome is it that as a non-meat eater you can have this Vegan Crème Brulee?! As another blogger pointed out recently, you don’t give up anything as a vegan – give back what wasn’t yours to take and just make swaps, and in general most things are possible. Including crème brulee.
This quick and simple recipe is so easy to put together, you’ll never believe you didn’t make it before! This version is also actually pretty healthy and low in fat (unintentionally) – though you can use coconut milk if you prefer the extra indulgence. Just 5 ingredients, a few minutes cooking and a blowtorch. Though I ran out of gas on my blowtorch and used an alternative way to create the crisp sugar topping (see notes below).
So smooth, creamy and delicious you’ll definitely make them again! Perfect for Valentines Day.
Why is this Good for Me?
- Maple syrup is a natural, unprocessed sweetener that magically comes from trees! It is rich in some trace elements such as magnesium and potassium.
- Soy milk, like other plant milks, is usually fortified with nutrients such as calcium. In addition, it is also higher in protein than other plant milks. It is also very low in fat.
Questions about Vegan Crème Brulee
How to make Vegan Crème Brulee
To make Vegan Crème Brulee Make a paste with the cornstarch and a little milk in a saucepan. Add in the remaining milk, vanilla extract and sugar and place on a medium heat.
Cook for 5-10 minutes until thick and creamy and mixture coats back of the wooden spoon. Pour into ramekins and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Remove from fridge and add 1 tsp brown sugar to the surface of each, spreading gently with the back of the spoon to coat the surface. Carefully, using a blow torch, heat the sugar, moving the torch around in small circular motions, so that it becomes a golden liquid. It will solidify within seconds once the heat source is removed. Please see notes for burning sugar without a blowtorch.
How to caramelise crème brulee without torch
To caramelise crème brulee without a torch, you can either place the chilled crème brulees under a hot grill (broiler) for around 3-4 minutes, checking regularly to see they don’t become black. The other option is adding the sugar to a saucepan with a few drops of water and when brown and liquid, carefully pouring on to the chilled crème brulee, swirling around to get an even coverage. Work quickly here as the sugar will solidify almost immediately upon coming into contact with the cold custard. Also be careful not to cook the custard with the hot sugar otherwise you’ll have trouble caramelising the sugar and creating that crisp, sugar topping.
What sugar goes on top of crème brulee?
Most sugar that consists of sugar crystals or granules can work on a crème brulee when burnt. Brown sugar, caster sugar, coconut sugar. Syrups won’t work and neither does icing or powdered sugar
Vegan Crème Brulee Substitutions
- Soya milk can be replaced with any other plant milk. If you prefer an extra thick and creamy texture, you can use full-fat coconut milk in the custard recipe, but use 1 less tablespoon of cornstarch
- Sugar can be used instead of maple syrup
- For mixing up the flavours a little, replace the vanilla extract with almond extract, or add a little cocoa powder and some orange or mint extract to go down the chocolate path
- The burnt sugar topping can be omitted and this dessert can be enjoyed as a crème caramel or panacotta style pudding – still absolutely delicious
This Vegan Crème Brulee is…
- Creamy
- Smooth
- Rich
- Vanilla Flavoured
- Made with 4 ingredients
- Simple, quick and easy
- Refined sugar-free
- Eggless
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Plant-based
Shopping List
Food
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 500 ml unsweetened soy milk
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 tsp brown sugar
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Ramekins
- Blow torch
More Recipes to Try…
Save for Later
If you don’t have time to make this recipe now, click on any image on this page to add it to your Pinterest list. Fancy more inspo? Come see me on Pinterest for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert ideas.
Vegan Crème Brulee
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 500 ml plant milk
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 tsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Make a paste with the cornstarch and a little milk in a saucepan.
- Add in the remaining milk, vanilla extract and sugar and place on a medium heat.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes until thick and creamy and mixture coats back of the wooden spoon.
- Pour into ramekins and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Remove from fridge and add 1 tsp brown sugar to the surface of each, spreading gently with the back of the spoon to coat the surface.
- Carefully, using a blow torch, heat the sugar, moving the torch around in small circular motions, so that it becomes a golden liquid. It will solidify within seconds once the heat source is removed. Please see notes for burning sugar without a blowtorch.
Notes
- Soya milk can be replaced with any other plant milk. If you prefer an extra thick and creamy texture, you can use full-fat coconut milk in the custard recipe, but use 1 less tablespoon of cornstarch
- Sugar can be used instead of maple syrup
- For mixing up the flavours a little, replace the vanilla extract with almond extract, or add a little cocoa powder and some orange or mint extract to go down the chocolate path
- The burnt sugar topping can be omitted and this dessert can be enjoyed as a crème caramel or panacotta style pudding – still absolutely delicious
Nutrition
Made this Recipe?
If you had a go at this recipe, be sure to give me a shout on Instagram at @food_flaneur so I don’t miss out on your creations and give your post some love!