Crème Caramel

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Smooth and creamy baked custard made with eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla, topped with a layer of golden caramel. Perfect for a dinner party.

Two servings of caramel flan on white plates with gold trim, placed on a gray surface. Nearby are a white napkin, an orange napkin, and two gold teaspoons.

If you haven't experienced a Crème Caramel before you are missing out! To make this delicious dessert you first make a golden caramel. This goes in the bottom of a ramekin before being topped with a homemade, silky custard mixture, then it's baked in the oven. For best results, chill your dessert for at least 6 hours if not overnight.

For some more great French desserts, be sure to try my Raspberry Clafoutis or my Apple Tarte Tartin.

Ingredient notes:

Milk, fresh cream, vanilla bean paste, sugar, three whole eggs, and one egg yolk on a countertop.

Vanilla essence: This is the main flavour to accompany the caramel. It's really beautiful to have the vanilla seeds when you turn them out. I used 1 tsp of vanilla extract with seeds and 1 tsp of regular vanilla. If you'd like to use a vanilla pod you can substitute the 2 tsp essence for 1 vanilla pod cut in half when you infuse the milk. Make sure to scrape out all the lovely seeds and mix well into the milk before straining.
Cream/milk: This combo makes a lovely rich crème without being too heavy. You could also use straight full fat milk if you don't want to use cream, but it won't be as velvety and rich.
Eggs/yolk: This recipe calls for three eggs plus two extra egg yolks. The extra yolks help to stabilise the custard and give it its silky, creamy texture.

Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.

Step by step instructions:

Preheat the oven to 160°C bake. Lightly grease 6 ramekins (I used 9cm diameter) and place in a deep baking or oven dish. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk and vanilla until hot, but don't simmer or boil. Then remove from the heat.

Hand adding vanilla extract with a purple spoon to a saucepan of creamy liquid on a speckled countertop.

A saucepan on a stove contains a light beige liquid being stirred with a metal whisk.

In a small frying pan add the 125g sugar and ¼ cup water. Heat on high without stirring. When the sugar syrup starts to turn golden in the middle you can swirl the pan gently to mix it.

A black pan filled with white sugar is placed on a speckled countertop.

A frying pan filled with bubbling water on a stove.

Don't walk away as the caramel can easily burn. Lower the heat and cook till the colour is golden brown, or just beginning to smoke. Note: Take care, don't touch as it's extremely hot.

A non-stick frying pan on a stove with bubbling hot sugar syrup inside.

A frying pan on a stove contains bubbling brown liquid, possibly caramelizing sugar or sauce.

Remove from the heat and add a large spoonful of caramel to a ramekin and roll to evenly coat the bottom. Repeat for all ramekins. (Put the pan into water to soak.) In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, yolks, 75g sugar and salt together.

Six white bowls filled with a golden liquid, evenly spaced on a dark surface.

A hand holds a whisk over a metal bowl containing three cracked eggs on a white countertop.

Add a dash of the hot milk mix and stir quickly to temper the eggs, repeat again then whisk in the rest. Strain the egg and sugar mixture back into the pot with the milk and cream to remove any bits. Then pour just over ½ cup into each ramekin.

A hand whisking orange mixture in a metal bowl.

A hand whisking a mixture of egg yolks and sugar in a metal bowl on a kitchen counter. Another bowl is partially visible in the background.

Strain the egg and sugar mixture back into the pot with the milk and cream to remove any bits. Then pour just over ½ cup into each ramekin.

A hand whisking a yellow liquid mixture in a stainless steel bowl, with a white countertop in the background.

Egg mixture being poured through a metal strainer into a bowl on a white countertop.

Place the baking tray into the middle of the oven and carefully fill the tray at least half way up the ramekins with boiling water.

Creamy mixture being poured into ramekins with caramel sauce on a baking tray, preparing for baking.

Six ramekins filled with batter, three green and three yellow, sit on a tray inside an oven.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. The custard is cooked when it looks mainly set but still has a wee jiggle in the centre.

Six ramekins filled with smooth yellow custard are arranged on a speckled countertop.

A person inserts a knife into a small dish of yellow custard, set on a metal surface.

Remove from the oven and cool, then put in the fridge for at least 6 hours. For the best results make the day before and set overnight, as the caramel will dissolve and create the yummy sauce.

Hands lifting a white plate with a yellow cylindrical object underneath.

A flan dessert with caramel sauce on a white plate next to two empty ramekins and a green-handled knife on a metal surface.

You can serve in the ramekin or turned out as pictured. Cut around the edge of the custard with a sharp knife, then place your serving dish on top and quickly flip them upside down.

Two plates of flan with caramel sauce on a gray surface, accompanied by a folded napkin with gold ring and two gold spoons. An orange napkin is in the background.

The custard will drop out onto your dish topped with the sauce and it's ready to serve.

A round flan dessert with caramel sauce on top is placed on a white plate with a grey background.

Recipe FAQs:

Can I make one large crème caramel instead?

In theory yes, but we haven't tested it sorry. I would suggest making it in a large round dish and lowering the temperature to 150°C bake. I would cook this a little longer - until there's a slight jiggle in the middle, around 30 minutes.

How do I know if the crème caramels are cooked?

Check for doneness - Gently jiggle the tray. The custard should be set around the edges with a slight wobble in the centre. It will continue to firm up as it cools.
Avoid undercooking - If the entire custard wobbles, it is undercooked and may fall apart when turned out.
Prevent overcooking - The custard should not rise or bubble. Overcooking can lead to a curdled texture, resembling sweet scrambled eggs.
Timing - Start by baking for 20 minutes, then check regularly until you see a slight jiggle in the centre.

What if they start to brown on top?

Cover with tin foil and make sure the fan is turned off, also avoid putting them at the top of the oven. Middle is best.

Storage:

Store your crème caramels covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. They are best served the day after cooking.

Top tips:

Caramel can be daunting to make but it's quite simple.

Do not stir! This can invert the sugar and you'll end up with a snowy white crystalised situation. If this happens don't stress, just start over. Instead of mixing with a spoon, carefully swirl the pan to mix the sugar once it starts to brown.
Watch the pan, this isn't a time to multi-task or walk away, caramel can turn burnt very quickly on a high heat. To avoid burning it, as it starts to turn brown, lower the heat and slowly simmer till it turns a light brown colour. Just past golden caramel colour. The lighter the colour the sweeter it will be and the darker it goes the more bitter it becomes. I find a great indicator it's ready is the caramel will stop giving off steam and start to smoke just slightly. Remove from the heat and be very careful, it's super hot and can burn easily.
As a backup I like to fill the bottom of the sink with cold water. If the sugar starts to smoke and turn dark quickly I cool the bottom of the pan for a few seconds to stop it cooking, then pour into the ramekins while still hot.
To clean up just soak in hot water, beware if it gets really burnt and turns black that can ruin your pot! So go slow and keep watch of your caramel.

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Yield: Make 6 ramekins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 45 minutes

Crème caramels consist of a smooth and creamy baked custard made with eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla, topped with a layer of golden caramel.

Ingredients

⅔ cup cream
1 ⅓ cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract with seeds
1 tsp vanilla essence
125g sugar
¼ cup water
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
75g sugar
2 pinches salt (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C bake. Lightly grease 6 ramekins (I used 9cm diameter) and place in a deep baking or oven dish. Set aside.
In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk and vanilla until hot, but don't simmer or boil. Then remove from the heat.
In a small frying pan add the 125g sugar and ¼ cup water. Heat on high without stirring. When the sugar syrup starts to turn golden in the middle you can swirl the pan gently to mix it.
Don’t walk away as the caramel can easily burn. Lower the heat and cook till the colour is golden brown, or just beginning to smoke. Note: Take care, don’t touch as it’s extremely hot.
Remove from the heat and add a large spoonful of caramel to a ramekin and roll to evenly coat the bottom. Repeat for all ramekins. (Put the pan into water to soak.)
In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, yolks, 75g sugar and salt together. Add a dash of the hot milk mix and stir quickly to temper the eggs, repeat again then whisk in the rest.
Strain the egg and sugar mixture back into the pot with the milk and cream to remove any bits. Then pour just over ½ cup into each ramekin
Place the baking tray into the middle of the oven and carefully fill the tray at least half way up the ramekins with boiling water.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. The custard is cooked when it looks mainly set but still has a wee jiggle in the centre.
Remove from the oven and cool, then put in the fridge for at least 6 hours. For the best results make the day before and set overnight, as the caramel will dissolve and create the yummy sauce.
You can serve in the ramekin or turned out as pictured. Cut around the edge of the custard with a sharp knife, then place your serving dish on top and quickly flip them upside down. The custard will drop out onto your dish topped with the sauce and it’s ready to serve.

Notes

Caramel - can be a bit daunting to make but it’s quite simple, just a few important points to get it right
Do not stir! This can invert the sugar and you’ll end up with a snowy white crystalised situation. If this happens it’s no drama just start over. Instead of mixing with a spoon, carefully swirl the pan to mix the sugar once it starts to brown.
Watch the pan, this isn’t a time to multi-task or walk away, caramel can turn burnt very quickly on a high heat. To avoid burning it, as it starts to turn brown, lower the heat and slowly simmer till it turns a light brown colour. Just past golden caramel colour. The lighter the colour the sweeter it will be and the darker it goes the more bitter it becomes. I find a great indicator it’s ready is the caramel will stop giving off steam and start to smoke just slightly. Remove from the heat and be very careful, it’s super hot and can burn easily.
As a backup I like to fill the bottom of the sink with cold water. If the sugar starts to smoke and turn dark quickly I cool the bottom of the pan for a few seconds to stop it cooking, then pour into the ramekins while still hot.

To clean up just soak in hot water, beware if it gets really burnt and turns black that can ruin your pot! So go slow and keep watch of your caramel

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 304Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 116mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 0gSugar: 37gProtein: 7g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.

Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya