No-Bake Crème Brûlée
No-bake crème brûlée with no oven and no water bath — silky, torch-ready custard from just a whisk and a chill.
No-Bake Crème Brûlée
No-bake crème brûlée with no oven and no water bath — silky, torch-ready custard from just a whisk and a chill.
This no-bake crème brûlée skips the water bath and the oven — vanilla pudding mix whisked into warm cream sets into a silky, torch-ready custard as it chills, then gets the classic caramelized sugar crack.
SERVINGS
4ACTIVE TIME
10 minFULL TIME
4+ hrs (including chill)INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- 6 Tbsp Fancy Monkey Vanilla Pudding Mix
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Pinch Fine sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk in the pudding mix
Pour heavy cream into a small saucepan. Whisk in pudding mix, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. - Cook
Whisk over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer, and mixture starts to thicken, cook 1-2 minutes longer. - Pour & chill
Divide evenly among four ramekins. Then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until fully set. - Brûlée
When ready to serve, sprinkle sugar evenly over each ramekin. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize until golden and crackly. Serve immediately — the crack is everything.
TIPS
Make them up to 2 days ahead.Brûlée right before serving so the sugar shell is perfectly fresh. Sprinkle the sugar in a thin, even layer for the best crack. No torch? Slide the ramekins under a hot broiler for 2–3 minutes until the sugar bubbles and chars — watch closely, it goes fast. Or skip the brûlée entirely and serve as a vanilla pot de crème topped with fresh raspberries.
FAQ
Yes — warm the cream, whisk in vanilla pudding mix, chill until set, then caramelize the sugar on top. No oven and no water bath.
This no-bake creme brulee is naturally gluten-free; just confirm your pudding mix is labeled gluten-free.
A kitchen torch is ideal for the crackly top, but a hot broiler for 2 to 3 minutes also works.
Yes — the custard is served chilled; you torch the sugar just before serving so the top is warm and crisp over cold custard.
