Air Fryer Creme Brulee

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Make this Air Fryer Creme Brûlée recipe when you’re craving a treat that’s as simple to prepare as it is delicious! This classic French dessert has never been quicker or easier to make in your own kitchen.

Why you’ll love this air fryer creme brulee

If you’ve ever had this elegant “burnt cream” dish, you’ll know how decadent and sweet it is. A creamy custard base, covered with crunchy caramelized sugar: what’s not to love?

Though it might seem intimidating, perfect creme brulee is actually a fairly easy dessert to make and requires simple ingredients. Not only that, but you can prepare it in your air fryer for a super efficient treat with a short cooking time.

And if you find you can’t get enough of air fryer desserts, let me direct you to my air fryer cookie cake and these super easy 3 ingredient donuts!

What ingredients are needed for this creme brulee recipe?

Egg Yolks: Using just the egg yolks results in a rich custard with a beautiful golden yellow color. Save the egg whites for omelets, to make meringue, or whatever you like!

Sugar: White sugar (also sometimes called granulated sugar) sweetens the custard, and forms the crackly sugar top crust.

Vanilla Extract: Most creme brulee is flavored with a little bit of vanilla for an added layer of sweetness. You could also use vanilla bean paste or a vanilla pod, but I find extract to be easiest.

Heavy Whipping Cream: Ensures that your custard is decadent and achieves a silky texture.

How to make creme brulee in the air fryer

1. Whisk the eggs. In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar.
2. Add additional custard ingredients to egg mixture. Once the eggs and sugar are combined, mix in the vanilla essence and heated heavy cream (do this carefully).
3. Cook custard. Pour your cream mixture into ramekins or custard cups and cover with aluminum foil, then air fry for 25 minutes.
4. Cool custard. Once cooked, allow the ramekins to cool slightly, then cover and transfer to the fridge for 2 hours.
5. Caramelize sugar. Sprinkle about half a tablespoon of sugar on top of each ramekin, then use a kitchen torch to create a caramelized crust with a golden brown color.

Tips for heating cream

• The cream should be hot, not warm.
• Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan over low to medium-low heat. It’s important not to heat the cream too quickly to avoid boiling.
• Stir the heavy cream constantly. This helps distribute the heat evenly and prevents the cream from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Continue heating and stirring until the heavy cream is warm but not boiling. You want it to be just below the boiling point. Small bubbles may start forming around the edges of the cream, but avoid letting it come to a full boil.
• Once the heavy cream is hot enough, remove the saucepan from the heat immediately.

How do you caramelize crème brûlée without a blowtorch?

If you don’t have a blow torch or culinary torch, another way to caramelize your creme brulee is under your oven broiler.

Arrange the ramekins on a baking sheet and broil them on the top rack of your oven. You’ll want to keep a close eye on them, as it’s possible to burn the top sugar layer this way!

It may also help to rotate the ramekins every minute or so to promote even caramelization.

Why is my crème brûlée not crispy?

Be sure you give the cremes plenty of time to chill for best results. The reaction between the heat and the sugar works best on top of custard that’s fully set. If it doesn’t reach that point, you may not achieve the thin and crispy crust that you’re going for.

What is the best sugar for crème brûlée?

Regular white sugar works just fine to make your crust, as long as you don’t use too much of it. The small sugar crystals are ideal for melting and quickly caramelizing under the heat of a blow torch.

Other good options include brown sugar, turbinado sugar, or Demerara sugar. A potential danger of using these is that they have a natural brown hue, which can make it hard to tell when they’ve caramelized. You may end up burning the top of the custard

Can classic creme brulee be made ahead of time?

For sure! The custard has to sit in the fridge to set anyway, so you can easily make it ahead of time.

Your creme brulee can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, so it’s a perfect make-ahead dessert! All you need to do when it’s time to serve is sprinkle with sugar and caramelize.

Did you make this recipe? Post a photo on Instagram and tag me @JZEATS or #JZEATS so I can see! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think, too!