The Difference Between Using Milk vs Cream in Crème Brûlée

Vanilla Crème Brûlée (yield: 6 4-oz ramekins)
1.5 cups (341g) heavy cream
1/2 cup (113g) whole milk
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt
6 egg yolks
extra sugar for brulee
1. Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds. Add both the seeds and the pod to a pot with the cream, milk, 1/4 cup (50g) of the sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and bring to just below a boil. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes.
2. Add the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar to a bowl and mix together until combined.
3. Slowly stream the hot cream/milk mixture into the egg yolks.
4. Strain to remove any large pieces of the vanilla pod and unincorporated pieces of egg.
5. Divide between 6 ramekins set in a 13in x 9in baking pan.
6. Place the baking pan in a pre-heated 325F (163C) oven and fill about a third of the way with hot water.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the custard wobbles slightly in the center when tapped.
8. Remove from the oven, let cool on the counter for 20 minutes, and then at least 4 hours in the fridge.
9. Top with a thin layer of sugar and brulee.

[@benjaminthebaker]

Full written recipe in the description

[@OtcheR_]

Yeeeey^^

[@philipp594]

Are you still adding recipes to your website?

[@user-es5wp1id1g]

Out of curiosity, what about evaporated milk? My only knowledge of it is they're milk, evaporated.

[@Scaarus]

Legend

[@mariamtee]

@@user-es5wp1id1gI got my trusty recipe off the can of an evaporated milk brand and it’s one of my favourites.

[@TheClaramayBelles]

Ngl It's amazing how different the creme brulee turns out with just swapping one ingredient

[@heyheyyouyouidontlike]

I mean there's only 5 ingredients used in making it. That's like changing the flour in a cake. Of course it will turn out different depending on what flour you use lol.

[@yuzuruotonashi659]

In math, and indeed in all facets of life, you have input and output. Put something different in, get something different out. This obviously applies to cooking, so I genuinely have no idea why this would surprise you, unless you didn't know that, which is also not great to think about

[@muhhamadavdol3781]

I swapped out the cream for dehydrated potato powder rehydrated with water and my crème brulée is garbage Shame on... Can't get fooled again!

[@BPFACTS88]

"Ngl"? Are you 8 years old?

[@BPFACTS88]

​@@muhhamadavdol3781yeah lol this comment was so incredibly low IQ

[@rufat3004]

Your channel is one of the most useful cooking channels. Keep it up bro.

[@benjaminthebaker]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad it helps!

[@user-wo4kt7ci9t]

I’m i

[@one-day-at-a-time4134]

Agreed.

[@arisolomon5575]

Spot on! I used to work at a steakhouse where we sold a LOT of creme brulee and we used a 3:1 ratio of 38% cream to whole milk! The best!

[@lalegende2746]

I love how many different versions are always shown. None of them are bad, they’re just different

[@Reve-to-the-V]

A video on how the amount of fruit you put in baked goods (e.g. banana bread/cake) affects the texture would be nice.

[@User_vanya_army]

this guy is like actully helping me so much to improve in baking and ive been trying soo hard to bake this and now i can finally get something inside my head😅 mad respect for this guy

[@Hellamoody]

You're welcome

[@erykahDwhite]

I read a comment on one of your other videos that said something like “I love how there’s no right/wrong attitude to these videos” and that’s so true. Just showing the differences and letting people choose their preferences 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@Mukduck619]

Made your creme brûlée recipe for Christmas and it was such a hit 😃

[@MarieAntoinetteandherlittlesis]

Where is the recipe?? I love creme brûlée I’m trying to find this man’s recipe

[@cheekers3328]

I love these science-y baking videos

[@tv-21]

I used 3/4 almond milk and 1/4 cream. It's baking right now

[@tv-21]

Turned out, alright. Edible

[@khassan2008]

so then dont use almond milk? what were u thinking

[@tv-21]

@@khassan2008 less calories. It was good. Just wasn't as good as whole cream

[@khassan2008]

@@tv-21 if you care about calories go to the gym and stop eating creme brulees. not make almond flavoured pudding

[@tv-21]

@@khassan2008 I can do whateveriwantbitch!!!

[@mellowmissmuffett]

Thank you, so much. I’m addicted to your videos. They’re dense with information and still succinct enough to follow easily.

[@elmatador678]

Yes!!!! More!!! Love your content sir keep it up!!

[@NEMO-NEMO]

Wonderful. Can you lessonize us with the proper procedure for Gelato.

[@eastcorkcheeses6448]

I'm agreeing with the above comment, as ive promised a redo of a pistachio gelato , And i cant remember the recipes that i cobbled together

[@victoriamiranda-stotelmyre4382]

I’m using your cream to milk ratio from now on. Thank you for doing the delicious research.

[@SociallyAwkwardGinger]

Love these shorts and videos!! Making learning for my adhd brain so much easier. I swear there are times I'm cooking and I suddenly recall something from one of your shorts or videos that comes in so handy!

[@Dramallama-if7sd]

This has a British baking show vibe

[@OvernightCountFraud2024]

Good channel. Useful info in a concise format. Like a really quick Americas Test Kitchen.

[@michaelfritz8725]

The 3/4 cream to 1/4 milk makes sense. A restaurant I used to work at we used 1 qt of heavy cream and 1 qt of half and half when making creme brulee which would put you at like 3/4 cream to 1/4 milk

[@flipphone4755]

Crème brûlée is hands down the most satisfying dessert ever created🤤

[@mr3732]

thank you for all these videos. I love baking but I can't really go to a pastry school or anything. So these videos really help me understand the recipes well. I was almost able to make creme brulee perfectly on my first try! And i understood every step scientifically. Thank you!

[@Momzie808]

I love this young man’s explanation of the recipes he has developed, very informative!

[@dainty_darling7737]

Your videos are such a BLESSING!

[@belagomex]

I didin’t know Zeke had a channel on youtube! Lool love it❣️

[@mariamtee]

You’re amazing! Please do one on bread pudding too. Like whether to keep the bread sides or not? Whether to cut it into cubes like the American recipes, triangles like the Aussies or fingers like the Brits? How many eggs to milk? Whether to butter the bread slices before baking or to add melted butter to the custard mix? Runny/custardy consistency vs a more set pudding. Whether to use cream or half and half? How much cinnamon and/or nutmeg to add? I have half a dozen different bread pudding recipes that all turn out great but it would be so much better to have a single definitive one!

[@kimberlybennett7943]

I always leave the crusts on When my kids were little I’d save the crusts from their sandwiches specifically to make bread pudding lol

[@coldcole]

These experiments remind me of the time when i study food and nutrition. My experiment was different types of flour affecting the texture in scones. Man i had never hated eating scones until then😂

[@illegalsmilez]

I love this channel so much. It's so important to experiment with cooking and I love seeing yours. Thank you

[@tanhiluunganselem8815]

you're the best when it comes to baking anything

[@SRHisntSilent]

You really said it must be perfect

[@LunaShimmyDiva]

Always interesting to see comparisons.

[@nikkinanette8807]

Omg 🍮 yummy 😋

[@victoraguilar4914]

You are too good to us. Thank you ❤ I will be trying your recipe!

[@davisj7973]

using raw whole milk made for a very smooth and fullbodied cream for m...it was a creme patisserie recipe tho not sure how different that is cause it reminded me just of the insides of a good creme brulee

[@127deku]

i genuinely learn so much from you 😭🙏🏼 thank u for this man

[@professorquarter]

For any Canadians, note that Canadian whole milk has a different fat content than in the US despite being labeled the same. Adjust accordingly.

[@afrodytee211]

MAY I ASK.... What do you choose to do with the experiments that you execute? Obviously, you know that all will be edible, but not as preferred as others. I am a beginner in the culinary world, and when a recipe flops, I often find it inedible, even for my SO, whom were raised to "waste not want not"; but i digress. However, I am torn on what to do with the "flopped" recipes. I do not have a garden to compost, no animals to feed, i considered taking them down to the nursing home, a few blocks away, as a surprise treat for them. (Obviously not recipes that I wouldn't feed myself), but you know what I mean. Anyway, I'm collecting ideas on ways to be less wasteful, and maybe even to repurpose said recipes. Thanks!

[@NerffedLivin]

Boss man 💯

[@DripSkylark30]

i bake a lot for work and i have gotten so much better thanks to you lol thank you for the tips and keep it up

[@catskale6412]

Bro you’re helping me become a better baker, or maybe just dessert dude! I love it, keep it up.🙏🙏👍🏻

[@luikato]

I swear I saw it yesterday and I was so excited but I couldn’t watch it but now I can 😁

[@sukru8773]

Such an amazing channel this is!

[@thomascampbell350]

I’d love to see how it would work with various dairy alternatives like almond milk and lactose free cream

[@RKNancy]

I would probably prefer 1 part cream and 3 parts milk cause I like the vanilla taste so much.

[@insederec]

I think creme brulee has to be one of my favorite desserts. It's truly foolproof. Even a disaster of a creme brulee is delicious. Especially with some kind of reduction or berry compote on top.

[@twoprayingbuddhas892]

This channel is soooo precious, i have learned more things here than in school lmao🤣🤣🤣

[@sdash5434]

I love these videos! Thank you!

[@OtcheR_]

Just saw random video of yours and it's so fresh, nice

[@kelliehorn1082]

The music choice is not lost on me 😉

[@EminencePhront]

Now I want to try both your preferred ratio and all cream.

[@sxsamarxb]

Nice work!!!

[@ragnkja]

Since dairy products can vary a lot between countries: the preferred mix has about 30% fat.

[@Erzaphelia18]

I love this so much because now I can send it to mom and finally maybe she could believe that just changing the dairy product makes a huge difference in the crème brûlée personally I use a half and half mix but mom won’t listen to me and still uses milk alone so now maybe this could convince her

[@anakelly76512]

Whole milk plus cream=half and half. Have you tried just using actual half and half though?

[@OTDinosaurScrubs]

Interesting! I usually do equal parts milk and cream, but I’ll have to try that 3:1 ratio

[@JoTheBlackWolf]

Creme brullee is traditionally made with cream, whilst Crema Catalana is made with milk and they look the same.

[@burb.erryplugg3660]

Milk & Creme fraiche ist also a gamechanger frfr

[@mbion001]

I really love your videos and I learn so much, but I have egg and dairy allergies have you ever thought of doing any videos that exclude certain ingredients.

[@ple8379]

The heavy cream looks the best imo

[@davidperry4013]

When it comes to making desserts, I love using heavy cream. I also like using heavy cream in my homemade macchiatos.

[@juleklemmer5647]

Cool. Now how do I get rid of the rather straight forward egg flavour in my custard?

[@synctax1017]

God, I love Food science!

[@joan_iseh]

Great! What about the difference between butter and oil

[@iirusty4814]

I do a similar ratio of milk and heavy cream for my Soufflé.

[@franziskaneufeld]

The music is from British bake off

[@milily]

I love this channel and I don’t even bake lmao

[@MirA12334]

Theres so many recipes where i disnt have enough of one item. Like whole milk. nut i did have heavy cream. And i feel like these were some of my best foods because they had s bit off both of the good parts

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

I use coconut cream. I wonder how that compares with his ratios 🤔

[@patrickmiddelkoop]

Thanks for this comparison! I've got another question about Crème Brûlée. Every time that I make it, all Vanilla seeds sink to the bottom of the ramekin. What is the cause to this, and how can I fix that?

[@Technoxity]

Have you seen Yakitake! (Japan)? Its full of great cooking ideas

[@sidlives2672]

This reminds me of when I experimented with making green tea ice cream. The normal ratio of milk to cream is 1 parts milk to 2 parts cream. But that makes the ice cream too smooth for my tastes. So I ended up with a 2 parts milk to 1 part cream and the texture is spot on with some of the best gt ice creams I have had. And no custard, just milk, cream, sugar, and matcha. Works to get that slight gritty texture to the ice cream.

[@423adriana]

i've never heard of using more cream than milk, the highest ratio i've seen is 1:1. where have you seen recipes that use more cream than milk?

[@sidlives2672]

@@423adrianaPlease note that my comment refers to ice cream recipes specifically and not custards in general. I started making ice cream based on David Lebovitz’s book and most of his recipes generally called for 2 parts heavy cream to 1 part whole milk. There are some recipes that may call for different ratios so ymmv.

[@angmiming]

Is crème brûlée like a flan? like leche flan? Because in my country, we use evaporated milk. Any typical dish here that calls for milk, we use evaporated milk. Tasted great as usual. I'll give milk and cream a try and see if it's better than just evaporated milk.

[@PoKeKidMPK1]

are you sure thats what emphasizing the vanilla? and that the cream is more dairy than the milk? wouldnt it also defeat the purpose to use whole milk with cream, opposed to a no fat milk? ive seen that its how the vanilla is extracted more so than what its being cooked in. cooking it just gives the flavor, but it doesnt release its impact. what if you "steeped" it in a cup of alcohol that was left in the fridge, then tried it in the full cream mixture.

[@Chymai]

And the question of how much burnt sugar need to be on top: all of it, it’s never too much.

[@spiderplant]

Me, who barely knows what créme brulee even is: "Ah yes, that all makes sense!"

[@robonmern6757]

How do you think a Crème Brûlée would turn out if someone used a different kind of milk like Oat Milk, Coconut Milk, etc.?

[@WobblesandBean]

Nah. Nothing will ever be as good as using straight cream.

[@crimson90]

Lol, before watching I was thinking just use half n half. I still hold by that.

[@monil4379]

I wonder what difference using evaporated milk would have since the water has been removed

[@lina9535]

They joy of living in a country where milk and cream only have % differences. Making me utterly confused when I hear things such as whole milk, and my favorite heavy cream 😂

[@moxee33]

What about non-dairy milks for lactose intolerant folks?

[@roringusanda2837]

I hear coconut milk and coconut cream works

[@littlebumgorf]

what about cream + water so that you don't have to buy both cream and milk?

[@evanmitchell2188]

Just go buy creme brûlée at that point

[@user-cz7bw5ul9s]

yes

[@O-sa-car]

So use half & half - got it

[@oshwaflz]

I just got through valentines day where i made creme brulees as a couples special, man this woulda helped then lmfao

[@ImperfectResurrection]

Even better than the frist addition you posted! Thanks for those extra details :)

[@Hellnogizmo]

Omg YES! Ive been meaning to try this for years and Ive just yet to look up and search for a "good" recipe. You continue to be my fat girl hero! Thank you! 🥰🩵

[@cileft011]

~~evaporated milk~~

[@danilincks5809]

Benjamin, for that ratio of milk to cream, how many eggs/egg yolks do you add? I remember you made a video explaining that there’s a difference

[@marthals89]

Would you ever want to explain vegan versions? Why some work vs. Others

[@salmamorell3326]

@benjaminthebaker trying this with raw milk 😅since it usually enhances any dessert I make

[@plisetskyprincess1260]

would you get the same results with using cream substitutes? (butter + milk)

[@nina92ize]

Not me making my custard with skimmed milk🙈🤣

[@queenofnyc5584]

Do peanut brittle

[@marksman.85]

Use half and half

[@nullvoid6095]

“I haven’t felt something this good in my body since my uncle.” 🤨📸🚨🚓

[@user-my5ve2fx1k]

😮💀💀💀💀👹!?

[@amritbakshi8434]

Use UHT Milk

[@nguyenkhanh7759]

Youtub baking god 😂

[@bebe_xcx]

What about using like other choice of milk such as oat or coconut

[@Austin_Soares]

What about Sweetend Condensed Milk?

[@TheRMUPs]

Do you have a cook book?