Lesson 3 of 5 · Custards & French Desserts

Common crème brûlée mistakes

  • Free video
  • Beginner
  • Custards & Crème Brûlée
  • 7 min
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Video by Matt Hinkamp Cooks on YouTube: “I Made (And Fixed) All The Mistakes For Crème Brûlée” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 3 of 5

See the most common crème brûlée mistakes side by side with the fixes, from curdled custard to burnt tops.

  • Too hot an oven curdles the custard
  • Straining makes the texture smooth
  • Use a thin sugar layer and torch evenly

Ingredients for this lesson

Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Grade A, 5 BeansVanillaGoods$15.00
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Tahitian Vanilla Beans, Grade B, 5 BeansVanillaGoods$12.00
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Madagascar Vanilla Extract, 2 oz BottleVanillaGoods$13.00
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

Mistakes and fixes

  • Grainy or curdled custard: oven too hot or no water bath; bake low in a hot water bath
  • Lumps or cooked egg bits: cream added too fast; temper slowly and strain
  • Soupy center: underbaked or not chilled long enough
  • Burnt, bitter top: sugar layer too thick or torch held too close
  • Soft, melted top: torched long before serving

Getting the top right

Use about 2 teaspoons of sugar per ramekin, spread in a thin even layer. Keep the flame moving 2–3 inches above the surface and stop at deep amber.

Watch for

Serve within an hour of torching; the sugar crust slowly softens in the fridge.

← Lesson 2Next: Flavor variations →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

Find creme brulee recipes

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