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Maple crème brûlée in white ramekin with dark mahogany maple sugar brûléed top, with Crown Maple Madagascar Vanilla syrup and organic maple sugar in background
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Maple Crème Brûlée

Silky, maple-forward crème brûlée made with 100% maple — no white sugar. Reduced Crown Maple Madagascar Vanilla Organic Maple Syrup in the custard and pure maple sugar torched to a dark toffee glass on top.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Chill time4 hours
Total Time5 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, French - Inspired
Keyword: crème brûlée without white sugar, Crown Maple, maple crème brûlée, maple custard, maple sugar brulee
Servings: 4 ramekins
Author: Scott - Recipe Remodeler

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • mixing bowl
  • Fine-mesh strainer
  • 4 6-oz ramekins
  • Deep baking dish / roasting pan for water bath
  • Kitchen torch

Ingredients

For the custard:

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream - 360ml
  • 1/2 cup Crown Maple Madagascar Vanilla Organic Maple Syrup will be reduced to 6 Tbsp / 90ml - see notes - this reduction step is essential
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste, vanilla extract or caviar from 1/2 vanilla bean optional but adds extra floral note

For the brûlée topping:

  • 5-6 Tbsp Crown Maple maple sugar about 1 1/2 tbs per ramekin

Instructions

  • Reduce the maple syrup. Pour ½ cup maple syrup into a small saucepan. Simmer gently over medium-low and reduce by about 25% to 6 Tbsp, until slightly thickened. Cool 5 minutes.
    Maple syrup bubbling and reducing in small stainless steel saucepan on stovetop — removing excess water to concentrate flavor
  • Warm the maple cream. Add 1 ½ cups heavy cream to reduced syrup. Heat until steaming but not boiling, stirring to combine.
    Heavy cream being poured from glass measuring cup into saucepan of reduced Crown Maple Madagascar Vanilla maple syrup
  • Whisk the yolks. In a bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks until just combined and slightly pale. Don't whip in air.
  • Temper. Slowly drizzle warm maple-cream into yolks while whisking gently. Add salt and vanilla if using.
    slowly drizzling warm maple-cream into egg yolks while whisking constantly to prevent scrambling.
  • Strain. Pour custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher.
  • Prepare ramekins. Place four 6-oz ramekins in a baking dish. Divide custard evenly.
    Four white ramekins filled with unbaked maple crème brûlée custard on blue speckled tray
  • Bake low and slow. Preheat to 300°F. Pour hot water halfway up ramekins. Bake 35-40 min until edges are set and centers jiggle like set Jell-O (170-175°F).
  • Chill completely. Remove from water bath, cool to room temp, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
  • Brûlée. Sprinkle 1 tsp maple sugar evenly over each. Torch in two light passes at 4-5" distance: first to melt, pause 30 seconds, second to deep amber. Pause 30 seconds again, sprinkle additional 1 tsp maple sugar and repeat to achieve even glass sugar brûlée top.
    chilled maple crème brûlée custard in a white ramekin, Crown Maple organic maple sugar being sprinkeld over top preparing to torch
  • Serve. Let tops harden 1 minute, serve with a small amount of whipped cream and berries if desired.
    Single maple crème brûlée in white ramekin with dark caramelized maple sugar top on black plate with kitchen torch and Crown Maple syrup and sugar in background

Video

Notes

  • Reducing the maple syrup by 25% is essential — it removes ∼2 Tbsp water and concentrates flavor. Don't skip it.
  • Maple sugar caramelizes 50-75°F lower than white sugar and looks darker at glass stage. Torch at 4-5" and keep moving.
  • Pull custards at 170-175°F center temp. Edges set, center jiggles like set Jell-O.
  • Make ahead: Custards can be made 1-2 days ahead and kept covered in fridge. Brûlée just before serving.
  • Substitution: I use Crown Maple Organic Madagascar Vanilla Maple Syrup and Crown Maple Organic Maple sugar for this recipe.  If you can't find maple sugar, turbinado works and still complements maple.
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