This Nutella Creme Brulee is rich and creamy with lots of chocolatey hazelnut flavor.
While creme brulee might seem challenging to make at home, it's actually quite simple.
Is your anniversary or Valentine's Day coming up? Creme brulee is the perfect romantic dessert.
Check out some of these delicious recipes for Blueberry Creme Brulee, Sweet Corn Creme Brulee, Horchata Creme Brulee, Rhubarb Creme Brulee, Mango Creme Brulee, Vanilla Creme Brulee with Berries, and Peach Creme Brulee.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Brulee tastes like the smoothest most decadent chocolate-hazelnut pudding you have ever had.
- Creme brulee is all about contrast. Crunch sugar crust vs smooth creamy custard. Bitter burnt sugar vs rich sweet cream.
- You only need four ingredients and one special technique.
- Creme brulee might seem fancy but it is surprisingly easy to make.
For even more delicious Nutella desserts try these Nutella Brownie Cookies, these Nutella Raspberry Brownies, these Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies, and these Nutella Hazelnut Brownies.
Recipe Ingredients
All you need are four simple ingredients to make this Nutella Creme Brulee.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Some recipes use a combination of both heavy whipping cream and milk to make the custard lighter. In my opinion, creme brulee is meant to be rich so this recipe uses only heavy whipping cream.
Tip: If you want to substitute milk for some of the heavy whipping cream I would stick with a 1:1 ratio. Use one cup of heavy whipping cream and one cup of milk.
Nutella: In this recipe, we are using Nutella and just Nutella no additional chocolate is necessary.
Egg Yolks: For creme brulee, you want to use just the egg yolks. Egg whites would set too firmly giving the creme brulee a rubbery texture.
If you have never separated eggs before, check out this post from Sugar Hero where she shares Four Methods for Separating Eggs.
Save the egg whites for another recipe. Like this Lemon Swiss Meringue.
Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the cream and Nutella over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve the Nutella until it begins to simmer. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Step 2: In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg yolks and salt until smooth.
Tip: Whisk the eggs and salt together in a large measuring cup to make pouring the custard into the ramekins easier.
Step 3: Slowly pour the hot cream into the egg yolks while continuously whisking.
Step 4: Lay a towel across the bottom of the pan and arrange your ramekins on top. The towel will keep the ramekins from sliding around.
Tip: Slowly mixing a hot liquid into the egg yolks is called tempering. It is important to slowly mix the hot cream into the egg yolks so that you do not cook and curdle the eggs.
If the mixture starts to look like scrambled eggs, the hot cream has started to cook the eggs. Unfortunately, you will need to start over.
Step 5: Pour the custard into the ramekins.
Place the pan in the oven and then pour hot water into the pan being careful to not splash water into the ramekins. The water should come about halfway up the ramekins.
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still slightly jiggly. The baking time will vary depending upon the size of your ramekins.
Step 6: Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the custards to cool for approximately 15 minutes until you can safely pick up the ramekins and remove them from the water. Allow the custards to cool on the counter for an additional 15 minutes.
Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for at least four hours and up to four days.
Tip: If you want perfectly smooth creme brulee, use a spoon to skim off any bubbles from the top, or don't worry about it any imperfections will be covered by the burnt sugar crust.
Step 7: Remove the custards from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle each custard with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar.
Ignite your torch and hold the flame about 4 inches from the surface of the custard. Using a circular motion heat the sugar until it browns and forms a crust.
Tip: A few months ago my brulee torch died. So I used my boyfriend's propane torch that has a detachable torch head instead. Those were the fastest brûlées I have ever made.
Tip: The longer you brulee the sugar, the darker, more caramelized, and bitter it will become. The bitterness contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the custard.
If you want a really thick crust sprinkle a second teaspoon of sugar evenly across each custard and brulee a second time.
Step 8: Garnish your Nutella creme brulee with fresh strawberries or raspberries and chopped hazelnuts.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make-Ahead: Uncooked custard can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can either be stored all together in a storage container like this lidded measuring cup or you can divide it into individual ramekins and cover them with plastic wrap.
Storage: Cover the cooked and cooled creme brulees with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to four days. Wait to sprinkle with sugar and brulee until just before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Like this Lemon Thyme Cheesecake or this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, creme brulee is baked in a bain-marie or water bath. Surrounding the creme brulee with water allows them to cook gently and will help keep them from cracking.
For creme brûlée, the best sugar to use is regular granulated white sugar. Its small granules easily melt into the custard perfectly balancing the bitterness of the burnt sugar crust.
Granulated sugar works best because the granules are small and caramelize quickly, which is important. We don't want the custard to melt while we are brûléeing the sugar.
Use the side of your spoon to crack through the crisp sugar crust and scoop out the creamy vanilla custard beneath. You should get a little crunch topping with each bite of custard.
Expert Tips
- Be careful to not overheat the cream. Bring it just to a simmer, not necessarily a full boil.
- Slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Adding the cream too quickly will cause the eggs to curdle turning them into scrambled eggs.
- No need to purchase a special pan just use whatever you already own. The size of pan you use will depend upon the size of ramekins you have. I have used cake pans, roasting pans, and jelly roll pans.
- Use a water bath when baking the creme brulees. The water helps to insulate the custard to prevent the outside from cooking too quickly before the centers have had time to set.
- Chill for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator before serving. Creme brulee is meant to be served chilled with a warm topping.
- To avoid burning the sugar, don't hold the flame too long over any one place.
- Serve immediately after caramelizing the sugar. If allowed to sit the sugar topping will become soggy instead of crunchy.
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📖 Recipe
Nutella Creme Brulee
Equipment
- shallow pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup hazelnut spread
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- granulated white sugar for topping
Instructions
- Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the 2 cups heavy whipping cream and ½ cup hazelnut spread over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer whisking to help dissolve the hazelnut spread. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the 3 egg yolks and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt until smooth and the egg yolks start to lighten in color.
- Continuously whisk the yolks while you slowly pour in the warm cream.
- Lay a towel across the bottom of a pan and arrange your ramekins on top. Pour the custard into the ramekins. Place the pan in the oven and then pour hot water into the pan being careful to not splash water into the ramekins. The water should come about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still slightly jiggly. The baking time will vary depending upon the size of your ramekins.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven and allow the custards to cool for approximately 15 minutes until you can safely pick up the ramekins and remove them from the water. Allow the custards to cool on the counter for an additional 15 minutes. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for at least four hours and up to four days.
- Remove the custards from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle each custard with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Ignite your torch and hold the flame about 4 inches from the surface of the custard. Using a circular motion heat the sugar until it browns and forms a crust. For a thicker crust sprinkle a second teaspoon of sugar evenly across each custard and brûlée a second time.
Gayle Trunfio says
OMG!!! You had me at Nutella. Definitely making this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing. 😋
Erica says
Do it! You will not regret it.