Vegan Creme Brûlée Recipe (2024)

This easy vegan crème brûlée recipe is everything you want in a creamy, decadent dessert. Make this crème brûléewithout eggs for a simple but elegant dessert! This plant-based dessert is easier than the traditional recipe and uses only 7 ingredients.

Drizzle some blueberry sauce over the top for an even more dramatic presentation and flavor.

Vegan Crème Brûlée

Growing up in a super small town, I would not have pictured myself oohing and ahhing over a vegan crème brûlée recipe. And yet… here I am. This deliciously creamy custard recipe comes with a crispy burnt sugar topping that makes this dessert sing!

The contrast between that crispy topping and the creamy custard in this vegan coconut creme brulee is nothing short of spectacular. It surges this simple vegan dessert into another hemisphere!

Making a crème brûlée vegan may seem like an affront to die-hard French dessert connoisseurs, but I’m here to tell you, it’s the only way to go! The thing is dairy-free crème brûlée is still just as creamy but it’s ready without even baking.

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

• Coconut milk— We’ll use full-fat canned coconut milk (it should have 12+ grams of fat)
• Arrowroot powder — This is a thickener, and you can substitute others, like cornstarch.
• Nutritional yeast flakes — There’s a bit of nutritional yeast flakes for color and flavor.
• Ground turmeric— There’s a pinch of ground turmeric for color.

How to Make Vegan Creme Brûlée

It may seem complicated to make this healthy crème brûlée recipe, but of course, you might think that about any creamy dessert with a fancy, French name. Trust me, this recipe is easy!

In fact, I think making vegan crème brûlée is easier than the standard recipe. Because you don’t have to crack eggs, or worry about bacteria in your kitchen from said eggs, or temper the egg yolks, or ensure the eggs are cooked adequately.

See? This vegan crème brûlée is easier.

So, let’s get started.

1. Make the cream base by simmering the coconut milk, arrowroot powder, sugar, and cashews in a saucepan while stirring for about 5 minutes.
2. Blend the cream base with nutritional yeast flakes, vanilla, and turmeric until creamy.
3. Pour the cream into brûlée dishes or ramekins.
4. Chill the brûlée in the fridge for 2 hours.
5. Sprinkle the top of each dish with granulated sugar.
6. Make the burnt sugar topping by suing a kitchen torch to carmelize the sugar and create a crispy top coating.
7. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour before serving.

Here are more detailed, step-by-step instructions for this vegan creme brûlée:

Step One: Bring Coconut Milk and Cashews to a Simmer

Add the coconut milk, arrowroot powder, and cashews in a small saucepan. Use a spatula and stir to combine. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook it for 1 minute, then remove it from heat. Don’t worry about lumps if they occur. We’ll take care of that in the next step.

Step Two: Blend & Chill

Add the cream mixture to a high-speed blender. You can use a food processor here, but to get the creamiest texture, a blender works best.

Add the yeast flakes, vanilla, and turmeric. Blend for a few seconds, then use a spatula to push ingredients down from the side of the blender jar. Blend again until smooth.

Blending Hot Liquid

1. Allow the liquid to cool slightly.
2. Never fill a blender more than half-way with hot liquid.
3. Remove the center cap from the blender lid.
4. Place a towel over the top of the blender lid.
5. Blend until smooth.

Pour the vegan brûlée into 4 brûlée dishes or ramekins. Place them in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours up to overnight (it gets creamier as it chills).

Step Three: Burnt Sugar Topping for Serving

Brûlée actually means burnt. This requires a kitchen power tool — bring on the kitchen torch!

So, before serving, cover the entire surface of the brûlée with a thin layer of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to carmelize the sugar and create a crispy top coating. Let the sugar sit for a few minutes (so the sugar isn’t too hot), then serve it immediately or refrigerate it for up to an hour before eating it.

Don’t have a kitchen torch? Use your oven broiler to burn the sugar. Move the oven rack to the highest position. Heat up the broiler so it’s very hot. You won’t achieve the same golden color as with a torch, but this works. I’ve also read that a grill lighter (the ones with a long wand) can burn the sugar topping, too.

That burnt-sugar, crackly topping on a cashew creamy custard creates such a simple, elegant dessert.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Fancy Vegan Desserts

If you love this vegan creme brûlée, you obviously like the finer desserts in life. Be sure to try these indulgent vegan desserts.

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This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.