Eggnog Crème Brûlée Recipe (2024)

I think eggnog is generally just milk/cream, egg, sugar, and vanilla (and sometimes bourbon), so all of the ingredients are there.

If you follow the recipe and use only cream and milk, rather than eggnog, consider adding vanilla. Otherwise, this combination is lacking any flavor.

My second time making this. It takes a bit longer to get it to set, 8 minutes for me. I don’t use bourbon but a lot of vanilla. I don’t know what the magic trick is, whether it is the recipe, or my chickens’ amazing eggs, but this is the best crème brûlée i have ever made, as per the dinner guests. This recipe is a keeper for sure.

I did add half a teaspoon of vanilla as another person suggested. The first batch I left out the bourbon accidentally but was still good.

I just discovered this nugget here; sorry to be both late and contrary. Using a kitchen torch to carmelize crème brulée is like rolling pie crust with a pencil. Get a welder's torch (with the classic name "Bernz-o-matic") and a small propane tank from any hardware store. That costs half as much as those dainty numbers from the fancy stores, and it will carmelize the sugar in three seconds — literally three seconds — instead of the 45 or so from one of those gumball machine prizes.

I was leery about the water bath slopping into the custard so used ramekins, but that defeats the purpose of having lots of surface area for the crackling crust. Found this tip: wrap each brûlée dish with an aluminum foil collar to help keep any water out when moving the baking pan.

They say 2 - 3 teaspoons of sugar on the top. That is too much. The top is too thick. 1 to 1 1/2 was perfect.I used Bourbon only, no vanilla and it was exquisite. I am at a loss as to why some commentators say that vanilla is needed. Maybe if you don't flavor with bourbon? Anyway, ours was wonderful with bourbon and no vanilla.

I was leery about a water bath surrounding already shallow creme brûlée dishes. Found a good tip: wrap each dish with an aluminum foil collar, like a soufflé. Adds some insurance that water won’t slop into the custard when moving the baking pan.

Followed the advice in other comments and added vanilla. Delicious. It took an extra 10 min to set.

Is there some kind of industrial blowtorch I should know about? I have a standard kitchen torch from one of the usual kitchen goods stores, but it takes a long time and it just doesn't do the job of giving me a nice, even, crunchy layer of burnt sugar. Does anyone have any advice for me?

The blow torch is not a single-use gadget. It can also reverse-sear a steak without overcooking the interior.

Very reliable recipe but not as much eggnog flavor as I would have liked.

Do you have to put nutmeg in it?

Is the plastic wrap placed directly on the cream?

First time making creme brulee. The family loved it! Next time I will cut the sugar in the recipe as I found it too sweet. I prefer my creme brulee less sweet with the caramelized topping doing the work to provide just the right amount of texture and sweetness. Amazing how so little bourbon can pack such a delicious punch.

My experience was that 325 is too hot an oven for this - the water was boiling and the creme over cooked. I subsequently went back to my standard creme brûlée recipe, subbed 1 cup eggnog for 1 of the cups of creme, added an extra egg yolk and cooked it at 275 - perfect!

I made this for Christmas, with a few other desserts. Sadly, this never set completely. I cooked it for more than double the time, the top got weird and brown, and I never served them. I read somewhere that for crème brûlée the basic recipe is 1 c cream for every 3 egg yolks. Perhaps, it needs 3 c heavy cream and 9 yolks instead of 2 c heavy cream and 1 c milk, and 8 yolks. Has anyone adjusted this with success? I see people had failures with the base not setting. The flavor is nice though.

It isn’t too great if you forget to add sugar. It tastes like cheese. My kids are trying to salvage by stirring the baked concoction with sugar after the fact. Daughter reports it’s ok-son trying to retorch: Husband recommending just remixing the crunchy topping in. All in all glad we have a home to make really bad crème brûlée in here in Boulder County tonight

I have a bottle of Trader Joe’s prepared egg nog which contains all the ingredients. How would I adapt to make the crème brûlée?

It's worth grinding the sugar with a pestle and mortar, then it will melt more evenly - you'll get a smoother, less granular result. Also just before applying the heat you can also very, very lightly spray with water from a plant mister to slightly dissonlve the sugar powder(omitting to add liquid plant food!)Interesting traditional French alternative to the blow torch is an iron disk with a long handle that you heat on the stove top (it's also good for tasks like for charring polenta cakes)

I am confused? Where's the Eggnog???

Can I substitute actual eggnog for the milk/cream? How much?

Do you think this would still set if I used half & half instead of heavy cream? My family is lactose free but there's a lactose free half & half milk I can find.

I just discovered this nugget here; sorry to be both late and contrary. Using a kitchen torch to carmelize crème brulée is like rolling pie crust with a pencil. Get a welder's torch (with the classic name "Bernz-o-matic") and a small propane tank from any hardware store. That costs half as much as those dainty numbers from the fancy stores, and it will carmelize the sugar in three seconds — literally three seconds — instead of the 45 or so from one of those gumball machine prizes.