Keto Crème Brûlée

By
Ariane Resnick
headshot for ariane resnick
Ariane Resnick
Ariane Resnick is a special diet chef, certified nutritionist, and bestselling author who takes great joy in shattering the image of what, and how, nutritionists eat.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/4/21
creme brulee
Alison Conklin
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 28 mins
Total: 38 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 2 cups
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
500 Calories
49g Fat
6g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 500
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 49g 63%
Saturated Fat 29g 147%
Cholesterol 367mg 122%
Sodium 112mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 117mg 9%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 188mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Crème brûlée is a beloved dessert best known for its crackable sugar shell, which eaters bang on with a spoon to break prior to consuming. In each bite, creamy custard is married with hard cracked sugar, making for a multi-textured experience.

Comprised mostly of heavy cream and egg yolks, there aren't many modifications needed to take the carbs out of crème brûlée. To make this crème brûlée an appropriate dessert for keto dieters, we swapped out the sugar for a keto sweetener. Be sure to choose a noncaloric sweetener that can caramelize well, such as allulose, and not one that can't, like xylitol. Because the crackling top is a staple of a crème brûlée, that step shouldn't be avoided.

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg yolks

  • 6 tablespoons sweetener, appropriate for the keto diet

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 3 cups boiling water, for water bath

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather all of the ingredients. Preheat your oven to 325 F.

  2. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sweetener, and vanilla until no granules of sweetener are visible.

  3. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-high until simmering at the edges.

  4. Remove the heavy cream from the heat, then slowly whisk it into the egg yolk mixture in a steady stream to temper the eggs.

  5. Pour the custard mixture evenly into 4 ramekins. Place the ramekins in an 8 x 8-inch casserole dish, then pour boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (Alternatively, you can set the casserole dish on the oven rack, then pour the water in to avoid spilling when transferring to the oven.) Bake until barely set, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the water bath, then refrigerate until chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.

  6. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon sweetener over the top of each ramekin, then use a culinary blow torch to caramelize the sweetener. If you don't have a blow torch, place the ramekins under the broiler in the oven until the sugar caramelizes.

Tips

Bring your egg yolks to room temperature before beginning this recipe for the least possible chance of curdling.


To avoid curdling, you can begin tempering the eggs with just a few drops of cream at a time when pouring the simmering cream into the yolk mixture. Once you add about 1/4 of the cream, you can speed up the pour into a full stream.


Once you're pouring the cream in a full stream, slow your whisking down so that you don't create too many bubbles in the custard mixture.


Baking the crème brûlée on the top rack of the oven, rather than the bottom rack as this will help ensure that it cooks slowly and evenly.


It's important to let the crème brûlée cool a bit before caramelizing sweetener on top and serving, as it will continue to set while it cools. You can keep it in the water bath until you're ready to torch the sweetener and serve the dessert.


Leftovers will keep well in the fridge, provided you have baked them in individual dishes.