Creme brûlée is one of my go to desserts because it’s so easy to make and it’s a huge crowd pleaser. In the past, I’ve made a black sesame creme brulee and my favorite, a matcha creme brulee. My dad has been asking me to make another batch and to teach him how to make it, so I can be officially off creme brûlée duty. I decided to make a Thai tea creme brûlée this time around because it’s been a minute since I made a Thai tea dessert. The last one I made was my Thai tea muffins which was last fall, so I thought it was time!
What is Thai tea?
I have always assumed Thai tea was an American invention like fortune cookies were. However the truth is, the Thai tea we know and love is actually a mixture of a Thai street food favorite and American tastes. Tea came to Thailand via the Chinese in the 1980s. The tea that was brought over was eventually combined with condensed milk and ice to create Thai tea or Cha Yen in Thai.
It eventually made its way over to the US. As Thai food gained popularity here, Thai chefs added orange food coloring and more sugar to adapt this drink to American tastes. The food coloring used is actually very similar to the food coloring used in Kraft Mac & Cheese. And nowadays, it is a hugely popular drink in not only Thai restaurants, but all Asian restaurants across the US.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream adds richness to the custard.
- Thai tea mix – This provides the Thai tea flavor to the creme brulee.
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks form the base of the custard, and they give the dessert a rich flavor.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the dish.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla adds flavor to the custard. Substitute with 1 vanilla bean or an equal amount of vanilla paste.
Making my Thai tea creme brûlée
Make your custard
First prepare your custard! Microwave the heavy cream for 1 minute. Add the Thai tea mix and steep for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Strain the Thai tea flavored heavy cream through a fine mesh sieve. Heat up the heavy cream so that it’s hot but not boiling. You can eyeball it by seeing if smoke is wafting off your cream. After heating up your cream, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a small bowl. Make sure you have a smooth consistency.
The next step is called tempering. Basically, you want to raise the temperature of your egg yolks, so they don’t cook when you combine the cream and eggs. To do this, add 1/4 cup of cream to the egg mixture. Whisk well until everything is well incorporated. Then pour the egg mixture into the hot cream. Stir together until all the ingredients are mixed well.
Bake your Thai tea creme brûlée
Now it’s time to bake your creme brûlée! Add 4 ramekins to a baking dish. I used 4 8oz ramekins in a 9×9 baking dish. Ladle the custard over a fine mesh sieve into the ramekins. Pour 2 cups of hot water into the baking dish to create a water bath for the custard. This helps control the temperature of the custard, so it doesn’t overcook. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Take out the creme brûlée at 35 minutes to check if it’s cooked through. To check if they’re done, shake them a bit, and if they move the same way jello moves, they’re done. If they seem a bit loose in the center, bake them for a few more minutes. Cool for 2 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the fridge. Add a thin layer of sugar on top and shake off any excess. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar and serve.
Tips on how to make the perfect Thai tea creme brulee
- Temper your eggs – This is my #1 tip for making great creme brûlée. The most common mistake I see is cooking the eggs. It is not a pleasant experience getting small bits of egg in your dessert. Tempering your eggs means raising the temperature of your eggs, so they don’t cook. To do this, add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to your egg yolks and stir until well incorporated. Now, it’s safe to add your eggs to the hot cream.
- Use a spoon to scoop out any bubbles – Whisking your custard causes bubbles to form at the top of your mixture. It’s not a huge deal, but I like to spoon them off so I can see the solid color of the creme brûlée. This is an optional step.
- Make sure the water comes halfway up your ramekins – I used a 9×9 square baking dish for the water bath, but you can use any size baking dish you wish. If you use a larger baking dish, make sure the water comes halfway up your ramekins. This ensures your creme brûlée cooks at a consistent temperature and doesn’t overcook.
- Bake the creme brûlée in the center of the oven. – Placing the creme brûlée in the center of the oven allows heat to hit it from all sides, so that it cooks evenly. Placing it too high or too low in the oven causes the top or bottom to burn without the center cooking fully.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.
Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.
Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link on this site, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I would personally use. Thank you so much for the support!
Thai Tea Creme Brulee
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tbsp Thai tea mix
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups hot water
Instructions
Making the custard
- Microwave the heavy cream for 1 minute. Add the Thai tea mix and steep for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Strain the Thai tea flavored heavy cream through a fine mesh sieve. Heat up the heavy cream so that it’s hot but not boiling. You can eyeball it by seeing if smoke is wafting off your cream.
- After heating up your cream, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a small bowl. Make sure you have a smooth consistency.
- The next step is called tempering. Basically, you want to raise the temperature of your egg yolks, so they don't cook when you combine the cream and eggs. To do this, add 1/4 cup of cream to the egg mixture. Whisk well until everything is well incorporated. Then pour the egg mixture into the hot cream. Stir together until all the ingredients are mixed well.
- Add the vanilla extract and stir. Remove from the heat.
Baking the creme brulee
- Add 4 ramekins to a baking dish. I used 4 8oz ramekins in a 9×9 baking dish. Ladle the custard over a fine mesh sieve into the ramekins.
- Pour 2 cups of hot water into the baking dish to create a water bath for the custard. This helps control the temperature of the custard, so it doesn't overcook.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Take out the creme brûlée at 35 minutes to check if it's cooked through. To check if they’re done, shake them a bit, and if they move the same way jello moves, they’re done. If they seem a bit loose in the centre, bake them for a few more minutes.
- Cool for 2 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the fridge.
- Add a thin layer of sugar on top and shake off any excess. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar and serve.
Hi! Just made this for Thanksgiving. I noticed the recipe card needed vanilla extract, but the instructions didn’t include what to do with it. I had it on my counter but realized I didn’t use it so I added it to the mixture last. Here’s to hoping it’s a hit with my family!
Hi Kim! Apologies for the mistake! It should be added to the cream before you ladle it into the ramekins. I fixed the instructions in the recipe. The vanilla adds extra flavor to the cream. Let me know how it’s received by your family! Crossing my fingers it’s a hit!
Hi Becca, your recipe is very tasty. However, mine is still watery after 50 minutes of baking! Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Hmmm it might be because your oven temperature is too low. I would recommend getting an oven thermometer (around $7) to test the different between the temperature in the oven and what it says on your oven dial. For example, when my oven dial says 375 degrees F, it actually is 350 degrees F in the oven. Let me know if that makes a difference.
Thai tea has been around longer than the 1980s. it has its origins from India. Black Assam tea leaves give it a reddish color. The version of Thai tea with condensed milk existed from the 1940s when a government official added condensed milk to his tea. Made popular by the hand brand in Thailand which they add food coloring to make it even brighter. As a kid growing up in thailand, i tried different blends and some even grind up roasted tamarind seeds in the recipes.
Hi Vanessa. Thanks for the info! I didn’t know that!