Simple Vegan Crème Brûlée
Vegan cuisine is often said to be complicated and complex. In some respects, this is certainly true, but by no means all. This crème brûlée, for example, proves the opposite! Unlike a crème brûlée made with milk, eggs, and cream, you don't have to boil the vegan version or bake it in a double-boiler. We skip the latter as our mixture becomes firm with the help of cornstarch instead of eggs. This happens as soon as it comes to a boil in the saucepan. Just as we promised, this crème brûlée is super simple!
Instead of milk and eggs, our vanilla cream is made of a mixture of silken tofu and plant-based cream, which we sweeten with cane sugar and season with nutritional yeast, vanilla, and kala namak salt. Cornstarch helps with binding the mixture and white sugar, of course, provides the crunchy layer on top. We flambéed the sugar with a butane gas burner, which is the fun part of this recipe. If you don't have a flambé burner, you should also get the caramelized top layer with your oven's grill function (but it's best to stay close so nothing burns).
Simple Vegan Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
For the crème brûlée:
- 400 g (14 oz) silken tofu
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) plant-based heavy cream
- 100 g (0.5 cup) cane sugar
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 vanilla bean
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground turmeric
- 1 pinch kala namak salt
Also:
- 3-4 tbsp white sugar
- fresh mint (optional)
Instructions
Add silken tofu, plant-based heavy cream, cane sugar, nutritional yeast, and the pulp of a vanilla bean to a saucepan. Stir to combine, then heat the mixture while stirring constantly. Mix cornstarch with some water (just a few tablespoons) to get a starch slurry and stir it into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until it thickens.
Season the cream with salt, turmeric, and kala namak salt and let it simmer until the consistency resembles almost a pudding. Transfer the mixture to three or four ramekins and let it cool down at room temperature.
Once the cream is cooled down, transfer it to your fridge and let it chill for at least 2-3 hours, but best overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle each cream with an evenly layer of 1 tbsp sugar. Flambée until you get a crispy caramelized top. Serve your vegan crème brûlée right away with some fresh mint, if desired.
