How To Make Crème Brûlée Without Ramekins

Let’s face it, creme brulees are amazing. But most of the time you’ll find yourself ordering them in a restaurant rather than making them at home if you don't have a ramekin. So it got me wondering how to make creme brulee without ramekin.

You can make creme brulee without ramekins by using low height ceramic or glassware. For example, tart pans, teacups, or low height mugs. This kind of heat resistant surface would do the job. But you need to adjust the heat and the amount of batter in accordance to the container you’ll use.

Buying a ramekin just for using it once in a while does seem like a waste of money. Especially if you’re a student or someone who is low on budget. Or even if you can’t find one around your pantry when you need it, it shouldn’t hold you down from meeting your cravings for having some creme brulee.

Which is why we came up with multiple alternatives through which you can make creme brulee without the need of any remains.

4 Ways to make creme brulee without ramekins

Way 1: Tart pans

Ceramic tart pans will work the same way as ramekins for making creme brulee.

Due to its low height it will give a similar output. However you’ll probably end up making more product than you would have with a ramekin. But if you love caramel like I do you might end up loving it more than ramekins. Since it has a wider surface it calls for more caramel than ramekins.

Way 2: Teacups

Most teacups resemble a similar shape to ramekins. So you can also use them for making creme brulee.

Teacups are meant to serve hot drinks in small portions which is why they are also perfect for making creme brulee. Although not the exact amount but you’ll get a similar serving as ramekins with teacups. But make sure to use ceramic, glass or earther teacups.

Way 3: Mugs

If you don't have a suitable tart pan or teacup in your kitchen you can use a low height mug or bowl. But you need to keep some things in mind.

You can use a glass or ceramic mug to make creme brulee but you need to make sure that you don't fill it to the brim. Mugs are usually more wider and taller so if you fill it up with batter till the brim it will not cook well. Some parts of it would be over cooked and some would be undercooked. Plus the custard and caramel ratio would be off. So make sure to only put a small amount of batter while using it.

Way 4: Low height or small serving bowl

If you have a small serving, low height bowl you can also use it instead of ramekins to make creme brulee.

A small serving glass or ceramic bowl with a low height closely resembles a ramekin so you can use that to make creme brulee. But you may need to adjust the amount of batter in accordance to the bowl you use. Don’t go for a big bowl as it wont give you the right consistency of the creme brulee.

Things to keep in mind while making creme brulee

Making a creme brulee is easy but you may mess it up easily if you don't keep a few things in mind. To get the perfect results here are a few things that you can follow while making your creme brulee.

1. While using a different container instead of a ramekin adjust the batter for the creme and caramel accordingly.

 Different containers have different dimensions of surface levels so to get the perfect creme brulee you need to adjust the ingredients. Most recipes are made on the basis of using ramekins so you need to adjust them according to the container you will use.

2. While cooking creme brulee you need to use heat resistant materials such as ceramic or glass. Do not use metallic containers as it could over cook the custard.

3. If your pudding comes in contact with water it will ruin its texture and consistency.

So make sure that the water level isn't too high for water droplets to fall on your pudding when it's boiling. If you want to make sure that it doesn't happen then you can wrap the ramekins or the container that you’ll use with aluminum foil. That way there will be an extra layer of protection around it. 

4. Many recipes use whole eggs to make creme brulee. While it is completely fine you can get better results if you use egg yolks instead of the entire yolk. That way your creme brulee will be more rich and dense.

5. Always use white sugar while making creme brulee. Using coconut sugar, brown sugar or any other sugar won't give you the hard caramelized surface that you need in a creme brulee.

6. Many recipes use pre caramelized sugar done on the stove for making creme brulee but using that technique won't give you that slightly hard caramel surface that you see in traditional creme brulee.

7. Always cook your creme brulee in the right temperature. Some dishes don't change much if you overcook them but if you overcook creme brulee it will taste eggy. Something that isn't really that tasty so always make sure that it is cooked in the right amount of heat.

Conclusion

Now you can meet your cravings for creme brulee anytime, anyday without the need of ramekins. We tried our best to come up with feasible options to make creme brulee without using ramekins. We hope the four alternatives that we mentioned have helped you make your desired dish.

Thank you for being patient and staying with us till the end.