Very Berry Creme Brulee Recipe for Summer

This berry creme brulee recipe is creamy and delicious, with rich custard on the bottom and hard caramel on top. The berries on top make it perfect for summer!

I’ll never forget the first time I had creme brulee. It was at a fancy restaurant on Eastlake Ave in Seattle, and I hesitated to even order it.

Creme brulee never seemed like something I would like, because I don’t tend to gravitate toward cream desserts. I’m all about the chocolate!

I figured it was time to go outside the box and try creme brulee . . . after all I was in my 20s and I was adventurous (haha).

It was brought to the table, set on fire, and I’ve not looked back since. If you want to recreate that experience for yourself at home, this creme brulee is for you!

It includes fresh berries to make it a perfect fruit dessert for summer. It would also be a great spring or Easter dessert as well. You don’t have to set it on fire if you don’t want to . . . but isn’t that part of the fun? Enjoy the recipe below.

Creme Brulee Tips

Before beginning, here are some things you should always remember.

Use High Quality Ingredients

Heavy whipping cream needs to be used because anything lower fat won’t set the way you want it to, and be less creamy. Don’t skimp on any ingredients, as this recipe doesn’t have very many in the first place. Quality does matter here.

Whip the Egg Yolks and Sugar Long Enough

You need to whip air into the yolks and also help the sugar dissolve. The reason for this is so that the final product has a thick, silky texture. It might take a few minutes to whip the yolks, so make sure you do it until they are pale, fluffy, and they thicken.

Slowly Pour the Cream Into the Eggs

If you pour the scalded cream into the eggs too fast? You’re going to make scrambled eggs. So what you’ll do is take a small ladle or spoon and add the cream very slowly with one hand with whipping with the other. Once you do that a few times, you can drizzle directly from the sauce pan.

Use Ramekins

You can use almost any kind of ramekin to make creme brulee, but I’ve found that ramekins shorter than 1.5” cook more evenly.

This dessert can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Just keep the ramekins covered in the fridge and then continue with the final step when you’re ready to serve.

Use a Water Bath

When you bake the ramekins, you’ll put them in a water bath. This provides insulation from direct heat, which can crack the ramekins, and keeps the baking more even.

Gently Torch the Sugar

The key to an even brulee is to hold the torch a few inches away from the top of the brulee and move it in a circular motion around the ramekin. You’re not trying to burn the brulee, but just to melt and toast the sugar.

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Here’s what you’re going to need for this berry creme brulee:

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/3 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon for each ramekin
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups hot water
• Fresh berries

Tools

• Ladle
• 3-ounce ramekins – 8
• Kitchen torch

This is going to be amazing for summer – trust me. I dare you to make it and tell me you don’t love it!

Get the printable recipe card for this dessert below.

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If you like this summer dessert recipe, you’ll love these other options:

• Sweet raspberry oatmeal bars
• Easy cherry cream cheese pie
• Individual lemon blueberry crisp recipe
• Mixed berry star puff pastry recipe