A decadent plant-based twist on the classic French custard with a burnt sugar coating. This eggnog-flavored treat can be made in advance, which makes it ideal for special dinners, holidays, and parties. Serve in individual ramekins for a traditional dessert that makes you and your guests feel special.
I love making and eating Crème brûlée. It’s such an exquisite dessert. And you can’t beat the wow factor! Each person is presented with a dessert made just for them. It kinda makes me feel special. I just adore the individual presentation.
It’s one of the best attributes of crème brûlée, which is traditionally served in individual ramekins. Each ramekin is filled with a creamy custard filling topped with a thin piece of sugar glass. After all, that’s what crème brûlée translates to –> burnt sugar atop a creamy custard filling.
Underneath that enticing burnt glass surface is a smooth crème filling, more like a soft pudding than a baked custard. But that’s precisely because we’re mixing things up a bit – we aren’t actually baking the custard. The end result is a perfectly soft crème with a subtle eggnog flavor.
Traditionally, the crème portion is baked with heavy whipping cream and whole eggs. For a variety of reason, I purposely avoid using both. Instead, the filling is made by combining cornstarch and unsweetened plant milk, such as an unsweetened almond milk, Coco + Nut Milk, or Oat + Almond Milk. The latter is ideal in sauces and puddings because it thickens slightly when heated.
You can use any non-dairy milk, just know that the results may vary slightly. For instance, a plain unsweetened almond milk may be lighter and softer, which you may prefer, as I do. On the other hand, canned full-fat coconut milk will likely result in a thicker and richer custard. It truly comes down to the fat content and personal preference. If you use canned full-fat coconut milk, you may want to decrease the cornstarch as it will thicken more as it cools.
Now let’s shift to the type of sugar you can use. There are so many different types of sugar and everyone has a favorite. This Eggnog Crème Brûlée tastes great with most sugars, including granulated sugar, organic raw sugar, coconut sugar, or date sugar. If you choose to use a darker sugar, your soft custard filling may be much darker. I know this sounds obvious; but you really should consider this since aesthetics are important.
The next key difference is that this non-traditional Eggnog Crème Brûlée is not baked, but cooked like a soft pudding on the stovetop. Then the pudding is poured into individual ramekins or serving dishes and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. The texture will thicken slightly as it chills in the refrigerator.
Interestingly enough, you don’t actually need to use smaller dishes or ramekins since we aren’t baking our Eggnog Crème Brûlée. In fact, this recipe allows you to use any serving dish you choose. But as I pointed out already, I adore the traditional crème brûlée look. I think it’s one of the things that makes crème brûlée special.
But that doesn’t mean you have to buy adorable little ramekins. You can use whatever you have, including small mason jars, custard cups, and small oven-safe bowls. The key is to use a oven-safe container that can withstand intense heat.
Now that we’ve covered the creamy filling, let’s talk about the brûlée! The brûlée portion is a lot less fancy than it sounds. It’s simply an even layer of sugar that is heated just before serving to create sugar glass. That’s it.
It may sound like tricky sorcery, but a kitchen torch works the magic real quick. A kitchen torch allows precise heat distribution which transforms the layer of sugar into a thin layer of candy or sugar glass. You have complete control over how much heat is applied and for how long. It’s also a lot of fun! You can pick up a kitchen torch locally in specialty shops or online.
If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can use your oven broiler. Simply, move your oven rack to the highest rack position in the oven. Heat the broiler on high until it’s very hot. Then place the ramekins on a baking sheet and carefully place the baking sheet under the broiler. Though, I’d like to make three important notes.
First, when using an oven broiler, be sure to set your chilled ramekins or jars out for a couple minutes prior to putting them in the oven so that they don’t crack from the sudden changes in temperature. They’re made for this purpose so it shouldn’t happen at all, but as we all know, things do happen. So, please keep this in mind.
Second, you have to watch your sugar topping like a hawk!! One minute, it’s not doing anything noticeable. The next minute it may be burnt. It may take very little time or as many as four to five minutes. It just depends on your broiler, the sugar you are using, and the distance between the two.
And third, whatever you do, do not sprinkle the sugar on ahead of time. It will melt into your soft custard. You’ll notice the same thing occurs when you sprinkle powdered sugar on a warm cake or donut. It completely melts. Same goes for heating up the sugar.
PLEASE wait until you are just about to serve. Otherwise, the candied sugar will melt into your custard, resembling flan instead of sugar glass. And while I really enjoy flan, it is not the look we’re going for. You don’t want your custard swimming in syrup.
Again, you can use just about any type of sugar for the . Ordinary table sugar or granulated sugar works well, though super-fine casting sugar is most often used in a brûlée because it performs very well under the intense heat of a kitchen torch or broiler.
The next step is probably the most difficult. Once you’ve melted your sugar, you have to let your exquisite Eggnog Crème Brûlée cool there on the counter enticing you for one or two minutes before enjoying or serving. This will prevent the sugar glass from burning you or your guests. Hey, safety first.
You’ll know your brûlée is executed properly because it makes a satisfying break when you press your spoon on the surface – just like a thin pane of glass.
I hope you enjoy this Eggnog Crème Brûlée as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp cornstarch*
- ½ cup raw sugar or coconut sugar
- 4 cups non-dairy milk**
- pinch of turmeric (optional – for coloring)
- 1 tsp rum extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup casting sugar (extra fine) or organic raw sugar
Instructions
- Combine the cornstarch and sugar in a sauce pan.
- Whisk in half a cup of milk and stir until smooth and the cornstarch is fully combined.
- Whisk in the remaining milk and turmeric, if using.
- Turn heat to medium to medium-high until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, while stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.
- Turn heat to low and continue stirring until it coats the back of the spoon, about 1-2 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and stir in the nutmeg, and rum and vanilla extracts. Taste and adjust the flavors, as desired.
- Pour the mixture evenly among six 6 to 8-ounce ramekins and transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight or until you’re ready to serve, up to 3 days in advance.
- Just before serving, remove the chilled custard from the refrigerator, and sprinkle 1½ tsp sugar evenly atop each custard. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until dark and bubbly. Alternatively, place the ramekins on a baking sheet on the highest rack in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes, until sugar is brown and bubbly. Watch it closely so that the sugar doesn’t burn too much. The topping should be dark and bubbly. When cool, it looks like a sheet of sugar glass.
- Wait 1-2 minutes, then serve immediately.
Notes
* I recommend using cornstarch in this recipe. Arrowroot starch does work, but the texture is more gelatinous.
** You can use any non-diary milk for this pudding. Oat + Nut Milk is a great option for this since the oats and nuts used in the milk contain healthy fats and adds a silky smooth texture without the use of butter and eggs.
Eggnog Crème Brûlée (vegan)
Equipment
- stove
- kitchen torch (or broiler)
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp cornstarch*
- ½ cup raw sugar or coconut sugar
- 4 cups non-dairy milk**
- pinch of turmeric optional – for coloring
- 1 tsp rum extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup casting sugar extra fine or organic raw sugar
Instructions
- Combine the cornstarch and sugar in a sauce pan.
- Whisk in half a cup of milk and stir until smooth and the cornstarch is fully combined.
- Whisk in the remaining milk and turmeric, if using.
- Turn heat to medium to medium-high until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, while stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.
- Turn heat to low and continue stirring until it coats the back of the spoon, about 1-2 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and stir in the nutmeg and rum and vanilla extracts. Taste and adjust, if desired.
- Pour the mixture evenly among six 6 to 8 ounce ramekins and transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight or until you’re ready to serve, up to 3 days in advance.
- Just before serving, remove the chilled custard from the refrigerator, and sprinkle 1½ tsp sugar evenly atop each custard. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until dark and bubbly. Alternatively, place the ramekins on a baking sheet on the highest rack in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes, until sugar is brown and bubbly. Watch it closely so that the sugar doesn’t burn too much. The topping should be dark and bubbly. When cool, it looks like a sheet of sugar glass.
- Wait 1-2 minutes, then serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
** You can use any non-diary milk for this pudding. Oat + Nut Milk is a great option for this since the oats and nuts used in the milk contain healthy fats and adds a silky smooth texture without the use of butter and eggs.