Made with just 6 ingredients and cooked slowly in a bain-marie to ensure a silky texture, this sweet and decadent hojicha crème brûlée recipe features the nutty, roasted flavor of hojicha beneath a beautifully shattered sugar top.
In the warmer months, I'm reaching for Wimbledon-style strawberries and cream or a cobbler filled with bubbling, juice stone fruit, but in the fall and winter, anything goes. Safely in September, now is the time for candle-lit evenings lighting up dinner tables post-early sunsets, light and cozy knit sweaters, and decadent, heavier desserts like this hojicha brown sugar creme brulee.
Gluten-free and vegetarian, houjicha creme brulee is the perfect baked custard dessert recipe to make when you're not sure what to do with leftover egg yolks after making macarons, a pavlova, or an egg white omelette; and when you've bought too much heavy cream again and it's turning fast.
This creme brulee recipe makes use of hojicha, a nutty roasted Japanese green tea. It's flavor pairs especially well with the burnt caramel topping of this creme brulee.
Before you say, "Ick, I hate green tea. I hate matcha. It's so bitter, grassy, and astringent", hojicha is anything but. Because roasting the tea triggers the Maillard reaction, it transforms green tea's typically astringent, bitter flavors into a mellow, nutty flavor and aroma. It's one of my favorite flavors, so I foresee more hojicha dessert recipes to come in these next couple of months. 🌝
I wrote an entire piece full of lovingly researched hojicha information including hojicha health benefits, history, production process, and more if knowing about the things we eat is your jam as much as it is mine.
Easy to make in advance, store, and torch right before serving, this hojicha creme brulee is a low-effort yet impressive dessert to top-off fall or winter date nights, dinner party crowds, or self-care nights in. And not just because you can break out the torch for it. 😎
Ingredients
Hastily drawn by me because I don't always remember to take pictures of my ingredients. 😅
- Heavy cream: According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in the United States, the terms "heavy cream" and "heavy whipping cream" are used interchangeably and contains no less than 36% milkfat. This should not be confused with or substituted for light whipping cream which by regulation contains less between 30-36% milkfat. Fat content is very important for creme brulee texture.
- Egg yolks: Save the leftover egg whites for another occasion such as French macrons, a pavlova, or chewy Italian almond cookies. Leftover raw egg whites will keep in the fridge 2-4 days.
- Light brown sugar
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: The choice salt for many chefs and home cooks.
- Vanilla extract
- Hojicha powder: Learn more about this ingredient here! I ordered mine from Amazon.
- Sugar for the topping: I used Sugar in the Raw but white sugar works too.
Equipment
Kitchen torch
I wholeheartedly recommend investing in a cheap butane torch for special occasions. I bought this Sondiko S400 from Amazon because I couldn't resist (RIP my kitchen-tool-cluttered apartment). The small $14 investment makes me feel like a chef any time I use it-- especially when I'm charring tomatillos, Serrano peppers, garlic, and white onions for salsa verde.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd opt fora torch that screws onto a butane can, like this highly recommended Iwatani PRO2 (I've read some amount of high-praise for it) or even a heavier-duty option from a home improvement store.
That said, the teeny, refillable Sondiko one fits my occasional needs as much of a pain in the ass it is to refill.
Ramekins
If you don't own any ramekins, don't sweat it--they're not a requirement for a fabulous creme brulee. While recipe testing, before I bought these shallow, speckled 4-ounce ramekins from Amazon, I used whatever oven-safe dishes I had laying around, including little Mason and jam jars.
I prefer shallow ramekins because my favorite part of creme brulee is the crunchy caramel topping. If you love the custard more, consider using a deeper ramekin.
Just know that the bake time for this creme brulee recipe is specifically written for 4-ounce shallow ramekins like mine. If you use a different size or type of baking dish, be sure to keep an eye on your custards while they bake and adjust cook time (and possibly the temperature) accordingly.
Instructions
Step 1: Place ramekins in a baking dish lined with a tea towel and set aside.
Step 2: Whisk together the egg yolks, light brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and hojicha powder
Step 3: While constantly whisking, add the warmed cream to egg yolk mixture in a thin, steady stream.
Step 4: Strain.
Step 5: Pour into ramekins.
Step 6: Remove air bubbles with a torch.
Step 6: Pour boiling water into baking dish until half way up the ramekin.
Step 7: After baking and cooling in refrigerator, top each with sugar.
Step 8: Tilt and tap ramekin to distribute the sugar.
Step 9: Torch until sugar melts and browns.
Storage
Tightly wrap your crème brûlées in plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Since fats absorb odors more easily than other foods, if your fridge has strong smells and the crème brûlées aren’t tightly sealed, they may take on those flavors quickly. To maintain quality, I recommend using the crème brûlées as soon as possible.
Store them without the sugar topping, whether it’s been caramelized or not, as the topping will soften. Save the sugaring and brulee steps for just before serving.
Because creme brulee is usually served cold, there is no need to reheat them.
Can you freeze creme brulee? No. This hojicha creme brulee should not be frozen as freezing can negatively affect the texture, potentially resulting in weeping.
Tips and tricks
Bake until just barely set
Overcooked creme brulee or creme brulee cooked at too high a temperature can curdle, while underbaked creme brulee is not set. For a silky texture, bake your creme brulees until just barely set and still has a very slight jiggle in the center.
Line your baking dish with a tea towel
To prevent the hojicha brown sugar creme brulee ramekins from sliding around when placing them in and removing them from the oven, line your baking dish with a cloth napkin or tea towel. Ensure that the towel is completely submerged in water.
FAQs
Why didn't my creme brulee set? Why is my creme brulee runny?
You've under-baked it. Not baking for long enough doesn't give the egg yolks the opportunity to coagulate and set. Try try again and bake the creme brulees until just barely set, but still slightly jiggly in the center.
Why did my creme brulee curdle?
You've over-baked it or baked it at too high a temperature. Baking for too long or at too high of a temperature pushes the egg yolks past coagulation and squeezes water out of them, hence the curdling. Try try again and bake the creme brulees until just barely set, but still slightly jiggly in the center.
Can I substitute milk or half and half for the heavy cream?
BIG NO. Do not use milk or half and half in place of the heavy cream or in any ratio. Doing so may prevent the creme brulee from setting properly since the fat content is important for this recipe. Creme brulee is not a low-fat dessert.
Can I use fewer egg yolks?
Again: BIG NO. For the same reason you should use heavy cream and not substitute lower-fat dairy products, do not lower the egg yolk count. Creme brulee is not a low-fat dessert.
Can I warm the heavy cream in the microwave?
Yes, you can! Just be cautious of overflow and make sure to use a large enough container. Microwave the heavy cream until steaming and close to boiling.
How to make creme brulees without a torch?
You have two options:
1. Use a metal spoon. Wearing an oven mitt, heat the back of a metal spoon over an open flame until hot. Press the back of the spoon against the surface of the creme brulee to caramelize the sugar.
2. Broil in the oven. Place the creme brulees on a baking sheet or dish, then under a broiler, checking them every 2 minutes until the sugar melts and browns. However, this method can make the top layer of the custard too hot and thin so your creme brulees will have less of a hot-cold contrast. For this reason, I do not recommend this method.
BONUS: Buy a cheap little refillable butane torch like this Sondiko one from Amazon or higher-quality, more expensive screw-on model like this Iwatani PRO2. You probably won't regret it, and using a torch is a fun little way to finish your creme brulees!
What's the difference between flan, panna cotta, egg custard, and creme brulee?
Flan vs. creme brulee. Like creme brulee, flan is baked in a bain-marie (water bath). However, flans are baked with caramel in the bottom of the dish, and served inverted so the caramel is a runny sauce and not a crispy caramel.
Panna cotta vs. creme brulee. Panna cotta is made with gelatin so it is slightly firmer than other custards. It is chilled until set. It does not have a caramel topping.
Egg custard vs. creme brulee. Egg custards are not topped with burned sugar. Instead, they're typically topped with a dusting of nutmeg and/or cinnamon.
📖 Recipe
Hojicha creme brulee
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream (also called "heavy whipping cream" in the United States)
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- pinch Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoon hojicha powder
- sugar ( for the bruleed topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275F. Optional: Line the bottom of a baking dish, large enough to hold your crème brûlée ramekins, with a thin kitchen towel or cloth napkin. Ensure the fabric doesn’t hang over the edges. (See Tips and Tricks above for more info.)Place the ramekins in the baking dish and set aside. Boil enough water to fill the baking dish halfway.
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over low heat just until hot.
- Beat the egg yolks, light brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and hojicha powder until slightly lighter in color.
- While whisking continuously, gradually add the hot cream in a thin, steady stream to the egg yolk mixture.
- Strain the mixture to remove any egg clumps.
- Pour the mixture into the ramekins. If you see any air bubbles, you can use a kitchen torch to quickly pass the flame over the top to pop them.
- Pour the hot water you boiled earlier into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. If you’re using a tea towel or cloth napkin, ensure it is fully submerged in the water.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the centers are just set and still slightly jiggly.
- Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to a couple of days (see Storage notes for more info).
- When you're ready to serve, sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over each hojicha creme brulee.
- Slowly and evenly pass the flame of a kitchen torch over the top of each custard until the sugar caramelizes and browns. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until the caramels crisps up and solidifies. (See FAQs for more info on how to caramelize the topping if you don't have a butane kitchen torch.)
John says
Thank you for sharing this recipe