Keto Crème Brûlée Recipe

In need of an easy dessert for a sweet tooth or special occasion? This Low Carb Creme Brulee is a popular dessert for a reason! With a rich custard base, and a crunchy caramelized top, it's one of the easiest dessert recipes, and one of the most elegant and satisfying too!

This keto recipe is just as good as the traditional creme brulee. We use simple, yet very high-quality ingredients to create some decadent and delicious. From the best eggs, to organic heavy cream, and real vanilla bean, this dessert is swirling with classic flavor, all while being only 5 net carbs per serving!

If you're looking for more show-stopping desserts, be sure to check out these keto millionaire bars, this white chocolate raspberry tart, or these brownie blondies.

Jump to:

• ❤️Why you'll love this
• 🥚Ingredients
• ✏️Ingredient Notes
• 📖Instructions
• ✨Tip & tricks
• 💭Variations
• 🔥Equipment
• 🥣Storage
• 🌟Leave a review!
• 📖 Recipe

❤️Why you'll love this

• Elegant dessert - This low-carb version of the classic is the perfect way to wow your guests at dinner parties. Since it's served in individual ramekins, it's portioned perfectly. It's a classic and dreamy dessert.
• Made with only 5 simple ingredients - This classic dessert is made with only 5 staple ingredients! These are kitchen staples, so it's easy to whip up on the fly or pick up the ingredients at any grocery store.
• Naturally gluten free & low carb - This dessert is designed to be modified for the keto diet! The main difference between classic & keto crème brûlée is that it's made with sugar-free sweeteners instead of regular white sugar. The good news is, it's a very simple swap, and it makes this dessert only 5 grams of net carbs per serving!
• Make ahead - We love that you can make the creamy custard base, and store them in the fridge until time to serve. Then, you simply top with sweetener, and use a kitchen torch (affiliate link) to make the caramelized topping when it's time to serve.

🥚Ingredients

Here are the suggested ingredients we used. Please see the recipe card for full quantities and nutritional information. We also have a section for substitutions if you're looking to modify this recipe.

✏️Ingredient Notes

• Egg yolks - This is one of the main components of this dish. Use high-quality egg yolks if you can find them. Allow to come to room temperature before beginning for best results. Simply store egg whites in the fridge and add to scrambled eggs later on!
• Heavy whipping cream - This is the staple to the creamy, luscious flavor.
• Vanilla - You can use a vanilla pod, vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract. You should use one of these 3 for the best flavor.
• Sugar substitute of choice - You're going to want to use something that will help you create that caramelized sugar top. We prefer granular Swerve. You can also use monk fruit.
• Kosher salt - This is an additional ingredient that really helps bring this dessert to the next level and round out some of the sweetness.
• Fresh berries - To top the dessert when you're done. We used a mixture of classic strawberries, plus some raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

📖Instructions

Make the egg yolk mixture

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Boil water in a saucepan to prepare for a water bath. Add egg yolks, and sweetener to a bowl and whisk until very smooth. 

Add in the salt and vanilla bean, and whisk until combined. 

Heat and temper the cream

Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat until just below boiling. Once the cream is hot, pour some of it into the egg yolk mixture very slowly, whisking continuously to temper the eggs.

Pro tip: Be sure to go very slow at this point! Whisk completely between additions of warm cream. The last thing you want to do is have scrambled eggs or curdled cream.

Add to ramekins & make a water bath

Place the ramekins inside a deep baking dish, then fill them with the custard mixture. Add in the boiling water to create a water bath. It should be about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake, then cool the custard

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the custard is set but still a bit jiggly. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove from the water bath and cool, covered in the fridge for up to overnight, but at least 1-2 hours. You want the custard to cool completely before moving on to the next step.

Brulee the top & serve!

Once the custard is completely set, add enough granular sweetener to cover the top in a thin layer. The amount you will need depends on the surface area of your ramekin. Gently brulee with a torch until crispy and golden, being careful not to burn.

Allow the creme brulees to sit for a few minutes for the sugar to solidify to create that perfect crunchy topping. Garnish with berries.

Crack in, and enjoy right away!

✨Tip & tricks

• Use a kitchen blow torch for best results. Maybe your oven broiler can get the job done, (ours couldn't) but overall, you're going to have much better results with a blow torch to caramelize the top of the creme brulee.
• Allow the eggs to come to room temperature. This will help prevent the eggs from curdling when tempered with hot cream.
• Let the custard filling cool completely. The hardest part of making this dessert in our opinion is waiting for the custard to cool and set! But be patient, you really want silky smooth, cool custard with a warm, crunchy topping.
• Use a granular sweetener that will become crunchy. We don't recommend allulose for this dessert. You need something that will create a crispy, crunchy edge for the top.

💭Variations

Here are a few ways to alter the dessert.

• Dairy free - Believe it or not, this dessert can be made dairy-free by using coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk in place of heavy whipping cream.
• Vanilla - as mentioned, if you can get vanilla bean pods, this is going to create a really delicious flavor, as well as a classic look. If you can't, try vanilla bean paste or just pure vanilla extract.

🔥Equipment

There are only a couple tools you need to make these decadent desserts.

• Kitchen torch - You will definitely need this to get the consistency of the crunchy top right. For us, our broiler just didn't cut it. With that being said, some people might have a really hot broiler that can brulee the top!
• Ramekins - We used these 8-ounce mini cocottes for this recipe to create four large servings. Keep this in mind when choosing your own ramekins.
• Baking pan or casserole dish - Just make sure it's large enough for all 4 ramekins to sit flat inside the pan.

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🥣Storage

Make sure to make the bruleed topping when it is time to serve. You can prepare the creamy vanilla custard a day or two ahead, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

We don't recommend making these desserts fully in advance, as the warm, crunchy topping is one of the best parts of this dessert, and it's not quite the same as enjoying it cold. That being said, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 4 days.

We don't recommend freezing this dessert.

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📖 Recipe