Breaking all the rules, this vegan crème brûlée is completely free of dairy and eggs. Yet the recipe, as created by Pure Ella for So Delicious Dairy Free, results in a creamy custard-like dessert with a crusty, sugary topping. Ella uses a mix of coconut milk beverage, full fat coconut milk, and cashew butter for the creamy texture, but adds starch and agar flakes to help the custard set. For sweetening a combination of organic brown sugar and maple syrup adds to the caramelized flavor.
Since some of these ingredients may be new to you, I thought I would break them down and note where to purchase or how to make:
Coconut Milk Beverage: This variety of milk alternative is creamier than options such as rice, yet relatively low in fat to keep the vegan crème brulee from being overly rich. It is also a good option to keep the recipe soy-free. Look for the cartons in the dairy case of most grocery stores.
Arrowroot Starch / Powder: This is a pricier starch than most, but many cooks like its specific properties. If you don’t have any on hand, tapioca starch or non-GMO cornstarch will work in a pinch.
Coconut Milk: This is canned coconut milk. It is sold in the Asian section of most supermarkets, and can be purchased online. I recommend picking the “regular” full-fat variety and passing on the light version for this recipe.
Cashew Butter: This is a rich and creamy nut butter with a beautiful flavor for dessert recipes. It can be hard to find as is (look in natural food stores), but is so easy to make! Simply grind your own cashews until they start to turn into “butter.”
Agar Flakes: This gelatinous seaweed replaces eggs and gelatin in recipes to keep them vegan. In this case, it helps the crème brulee to set-up for a thick custard consistency. If you opt to skip this ingredient, the results will be more like a rich pudding. Agar is found mostly in natural food stores, or online.
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Creme Brulee
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.
For nut-free vegan creme brulee, you can substitute sunflower seed butter for the cashew butter, but note that it will change the flavor profile a touch.
- 2 cups cold So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage, divided
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch (can sub another starch, if needed)
- 1 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons cashew butter
- ¼ cup organic raw cane light brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons agar flakes (see notes in post above)
- In a small dish whisk the starch into ½ cup milk beverage.
- In a medium pot, whisk the remaining 1-1/2 cups milk beverage, coconut milk, cashew butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and agar. If desired, you can blend the ingredients with an immersion blender to remove all clumps, or whiz them in a blender.
- Turn the heat on to medium and continue whisking while bringing the mixture to nearly boiling.
- Slowly, whisk in the milk-starch mixture.
- Continue cooking while whisking for about 3 minutes being careful that the mixture doesn’t boil but stays very hot. It will thicken quickly.
- Pour the mixture into four crème brûlée dishes or ramekins, they will be quite full, and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, remove the crème brulees from the refrigerator and let them stand for 5 to 10 minutes to warm up the dishes slightly.
- Sprinkle each with 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar over tops and using a torch, melt the sugar to form a crispy layer on top. If you don't have a torch, position a rack on the top level in your oven. Turn the oven on to broil, and place the ramekins under the broiler for 2 minutes (this method may soften the crème brûlée a touch).
24 Comments
Why do you need to use Raw organic light brown sugar instead of C & H pure light brown sugar?
I think that was the author’s choice to makes sure the sugar is vegan. You can definitely use C&H for a dairy-free and egg-free creme brulee, but I don’t believe it is strictly vegan due to processing.
Hello,
Could I use almond butter for this recipe instead?
Yes, but it will have a more pronounced flavor. Almond butter isn’t quite as creamy and is less neutral / sweet than cashew butter.
Leave in the refrigerator? Not the freezer?
Yes, refrigerate it. Enjoy!
This is divine. I sooo missed Crème Brulee after going vegan. I accidentally used a can of all coconut cream instead of canned coconut milk (which is probably only half cream), so for the 1/2 cup of coconut milk and starch I substituted 1/2 c water (instead of coconut milk) and starch. This seemed to thin down the full-cream tin and worked well. All I can say is this is so delicious I am in heaven. This will now be a go-to recipe for gatherings with friends and family. I am soooo happy!
Will agar agar work as the agar flakes? Are they the same thing ? Thank you!
I believe they are the same thing. Agar agar comes in powder or flakes.
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This is a simply amazing recipe. I finally went out tonight to buy a kitchen torch after making these a couple of nights ago and never getting around to finishing them. I ate a whole serving which is GIGANTIC, but SOOOOO good! Thank you for something that might have to go onto my hips regularly.
So glad you love the recipe Elke! Some desserts are definitely worth the hips 🙂 Those torches are useful, too!
Hi, we don’t have the coconut beverage in Holland, as far as I know. Can I substitute coconut flavored soy milk?
Thanks!
Love, Bo
You can actually just use soy milk – no coconut flavor required. Just make sure to use the full-fat coconut milk – no direct substitute for that unless you have a very thick heavy cream alternative (I know there are some options in Europe that we don’t have in the US).
Fantastic – I substituted Almond Milk for the So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage, and I made home made cashew butter from pre soaked and organic unpasteurized non-irradiated almonds and it was fantastic. Blessings…
Nice! Thanks for sharing your feedback and swaps Deb!
oops, just saw you can substitute for sunflower seed butter, what about coconut butter?
Hi Julie, Coconut butter is typically higher in fat (more oil content), so it may not work as well. Even the sunflower seed butter would be a little higher in fat than cashew butter. Also, I’m sure a gelatin egg would work quite well, I’m just not sure on the exact conversion.
Hi! Can I substitute gelatin egg for agar flakes? Also is there a none nut substitute for cashew butter? Thanks!
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I want to make this – but there’s no recipe anymore! 🙁
There was a problem with some of the recipe formats Esther, the recipe is back up now! Come on back 🙂
Can this be done subbing eggs back in for agar flakes? (Ovovegetarian here)
Hi Nick, yes, but it would really be a whole other recipe, as you likely wouldn’t need the starch either, and the liquid amounts may need adjusting. For a recipe of this size, usually 4 to 6 egg yolks would be used.