Last updated on May 12th, 2023

Crème Brûlée (Sugar-free)

Homemade creme brulee is so delectable that I can’t tell how often I’ve made this classic dessert lately. All you need is cream, egg yolks, sweetener and vanilla extract to make a smooth and velvety custard underneath a thin, crispy, caramelized hard shell that everyone loves cracking into. I’m so glad I can make this favourite dessert low in carbs.

Creme Brulee is a classic sweet french dessert that sounds better said in French than saying what it means in English – ‘burnt cream.’ Can you imagine reading or ordering ‘burnt cream’ on a dessert menu?  I guess that doesn’t matter when you know what it tastes like, and my hubby and I used to love the burnt cream we ordered when we ate out. 

I just learned to make a sugar-free version of Creme Brulee, and I’ve been doing low-carb for almost three years! It’s delicious, and I don’t know what took me so long to make it.

Now I make sure I have this yummy dessert ready in the fridge for those evenings when we return home from a night out. Watching my hubby eat creme brulee all by himself at the restaurant ( even though it’s high in sugar) has never been fun, so it was time I made my own.

Why you’ll love Homemade Crème Brûlée (Sugar-Free)

• It has a sugar-free caramelized hard top set over a creamy smooth low-carb custard bottom – a perfect low-carb, high-fat dessert if you are on keto.
• With just 4 ingredients, you can make this classic signature dessert at home. Isn’t that a bonus?
• It’s easy to prepare the custard base a day ahead and chill it in the fridge until ready to eat. 
• Like real sugar, the caramelized top is sweet, and cracking the crispy shell is fun.  
• It takes 30 minutes to bake a creamy and silky custard base that doesn’t leave an eggy taste.

What makes this Homemade Recipe Work?

our favourite dessert…

My first batch of Creme Brulee came out so good that I had to try again to check the recipe and recheck it a few more times- until the testing part became more of an excuse to keep making our favourite dessert a daily low-carb treat for my husband and me. 

enjoyed by everyone…

Thanks to my hubby Raj (he’s not doing low-carb btw), he says there is no difference in taste to the classic creme brulee (pat on the back). Raj tastes tests almost all my recipes, and the sweetener is sometimes overbearing for him. Low-carb sweeteners take a while to get used to, so with that in mind, I reduced the amount of sweetener right from the start so that this creme brulee can be enjoyed by everyone, low-carb or not.

Helpful tips to make the best sugar-free Crème Brûlée

• Whisking the egg, sweetener and vanilla extract until it becomes smooth and runny helps to prevent lumps from forming when you gradually pour the warm cream into it.
• Whisk the egg mixture continuously while drizzling the cream to make the custard silky and smooth.
• The water bath method, also known as Bairn-Marie, is a must for making delicious creme brulees. A keto version such as this recipe is no exception, the sweetener and cream work the same way in achieving a smooth custard texture to avoid the custard mixture from becoming scrambled.
• I nailed testing the recipe from the get-go (another pat on the back) because I immediately cut back on the sweetener for the custard, knowing that I typically add too much sweetener when testing a recipe for the first time. 
• The caremelized sweetened top doesn’t need too much sweetener to caramelize. Just a thin layer is enough to get that crispy top. Otherwise, the creme brulee can be too sweet for some people.
• Using a kitchen torch or putting the ramekins under a broiler helps to caramelize the sweetener for a hard-shelled top.

Ingredients for Homemade Creme Brulee (Sugar-Free)

Whipping Cream

Egg yolks

Monk Fruit/Erythritol

Vanilla Extract

Hot water

Steps to make Homemade Low-Carb Creme Brulee

Prepare the ramekins:

Preheat your oven to 325F, set 6 (4oz) ramekins in a baking dish, boil water in a kettle, and let it sit while you make the creme brulee.

Make the egg mixture:

Whisk the egg yolks, sweetener and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl.

Warm the cream:

Warm the whipping cream in a small saucepan uncovered on medium heat until bubbles form on the surface.

Alternatively, you can heat the cream in a 2-cup microwaveable measuring cup for 2-3 mins stirring every minute until it bubbles.

Make the Custard base: 

Remove the cream from the heat and let it sit on the counter to rest for 30 seconds for the hot bubbles in the cream to settle. Slowly drizzle the warm cream into the egg mixture, stirring continuously to prevent any lumps from forming. 

If lumps form, strain the mixture into a large measuring cup or spouted vessel for easy pouring. 

Bake the custard base:

Evenly pour the prepared custard into the ramekins. Fill the ramekins halfway first, then top them up evenly at an equal level.

Prepare the Water Bath/Bain-marie:

Pour the hot water from the kettle into the baking dish around the ramekins and stop when it reaches halfway up their sides. This ensures the egg and cream are cooked together evenly into a silky spoonable texture and prevent a sweet scrambled result. 

Bake and cool:

Carefully place the baking dish in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 30 minutes. The custard will be ready when the centres jiggle a little, and the sides are dry and firm.

Remove the baking dish from the oven, and let the ramekins cool in the water bath for 10 minutes.

Transfer the brulees to a wire rack to cool down further, then chill them in the fridge until it’s time to caramelize the tops.

Two ways to Caramelize the Creme Brulee

Kitchen Torch:

Sprinkle ½ tsp sweetener over the tops of the custard base and use a culinary torch to caramelize the sweetener. Move the torch around the tops continuously to char the sweeteners evenly. This is best done in a ventilated room.

Oven broiler:

Sprinkle ½ tsp sweetener over the tops of the custard base. Place the ramekins on a baking tray 5 inches under a broiler on low heat. Caramelize for about 40 seconds until the sweetener begins to caramelize. Keep an eye on them as the tops burn quickly. Switch off the broiler and let the ramekins sit under the heat until the sweetener has caramelized.

Cool the Creme Brulees on a wire rack, then transfer them to the fridge.

Is Homemade Creme Brulee served Hot or Cold?

These Homemade Creme brulees are best served cold like traditional creme brulees. But they are still delicious when left out at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Storage and Freezing and FAQs

Storage: Transfer the chilled creme brulee (with or without the caramelized surface) into a covered container and refrigerate for 4-5 days.

Freeze: Bake the custard base as directed in the ramekins, then when they are chilled, place them in an airtight freezable container, covered for up to one month.

Thaw: Remove the creme brulees from the freezer, refrigerate them overnight, and then caramelize them when you want to enjoy them.

Can you make crème brûlée with almond milk?

I haven’t made crème brûlée with almond milk yet, but I will update this post when I do. It can be made with unsweetened almond milk, and I’m guessing it would be much less creamy but still tasteful.

How to make crème brûlée in the instant pot

Again, I haven’t tried making these creme brulees in the Instant Pot. I know how to make it, and I will update this post when I do. But here is the gist of it:

Place a trivet inside the instant pot bowl and pour water at the bottom.

Then once the ramekins are filled with the custard mixture, tightly cover them with aluminum foil. Place them on the trivet (you may have to stack 2 on top of 4 ramekins), then close the lid, and pressure cook them on a low setting for about 12-14 minutes, followed by a 10-15 minute natural release.

I will update you with the exact times once I have tested this recipe in the Instant Pot.

Can you make crème brûlée in the air fryer?

You can, I have tried it, but I need to test it further for better results. The first time I tried, the tops burned faster, and the custard was still runny.

What do you do with the egg whites?

I make my meringues with egg whites, but you can also make cloud bread, egg-white omelette, French macarons, and egg-white cups. Three egg whites are equivalent to one whole egg, and you may like to try my Carrot Cake waffles recipe, which uses one egg.

Did you make this recipe?

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