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Salted burnt caramel custard is the luscious and silky grown-up version of butterscotch pudding. I bake these luxurious, silky Pots de Crème in clear glass jars so I can admire their rich, dusky color. You’ll love each spoonful of this creamy caramel custard that pairs perfectly with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt!
If you love caramel flavors, don’t miss my recipes for salted caramel apple pie bars and this benne seed brittle!
Table of Contents
Introduction
Burned or burnt? Technically, both are correct—but here, the “burn” is entirely intentional. The magic of this custard lies in pushing sugar right to the edge, darkening it until it’s deeply caramelized without tipping into disaster (though trust me, it only takes about three seconds to go from perfect to smoke alarm). The result is a rich, complex caramel that’s smoothed out with cream, baked low and slow in a bain-marie, and finished with a touch of flaky Maldon salt for the perfect sweet-salty bite.
I’ll be the first to admit caramel once intimidated me, but after years of experimenting (and after ruining more than a few pots), I finally cracked the code. This recipe turns out silky pots de crème every time, elegant yet approachable, and just decadent enough to impress without fuss. Whether you serve them as a dinner party finale or a weeknight indulgence, these little custards are bound to become a regular favorite in your kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sophisticated Flavors You’ll Love: This “burnt” caramel flavor is dark, nutty, and complex, and it pairs perfectly with a sprinkle of flaky Maldon sea salt.
- Simple Method: With the tips and tricks in this recipe, you’ll have no trouble whipping up this beautiful dessert!
- An Elegant Treat that Will Be a Favorite: These little pots de crème are the perfect balance: rich and comforting, yet light!
Ingredients
Curious what ingredients you need to make these mouthwatering salted burnt caramel custards? Grab these key ingredients and a few others, and you’ll be ready to start!
- Heavy Cream: This will give the caramel a wonderfully silky texture!
- Eggs: Use egg yolks that have been brought to room temperature. This helps thicken the custard and give it its smooth mouthfeel.
- Sugar: Use regular granulated white sugar to make the caramel. Any other sweetener won’t work in this recipe!
- Flakey Malden Sea Salt: This little garnish gives these tiny Pots de Crème a little edge – do not skip the flakey sea salt, trust me.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Salted Burnt Caramel Custard
Scroll down for the full printable recipe or stick around for the step-by-step breakdown with photos to walk you through every delicious detail.
1
Warm
Place 8 ramekins, custard pots, or jars in a 2.5-quart roasting pan; set a kettle of hot water by the oven.
Place cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
2
Whisk
Whisk egg yolks, salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl, then set aside.
3
Dissolve
In a heavy 3-quart pot, stir sugar with ½ cup water until mostly dissolved and the mixture turns slightly opaque, about 5 minutes.
4
Clarify
Set pot on stove; wash down any sugar crystals on the sides with a damp pastry brush.
5
Caramelize
Cook over medium heat, stirring only until dissolved and bubbling, then stop; let syrup cook undisturbed, swirling gently if needed.
6
Develop
As water evaporates, the syrup passes through sugar and color stages transitioning into caramel; keep heat steady, don’t stir, swirl with a wire whisk only for even color. Watch closely; remove from heat once caramel reaches desired color. Aim for dark without burning and use ‘smell’ to guide you.
7
Incorporate
Gradually stir in warm cream; mixture will the mixture will bubble and steam as it smooths into a glossy caramel sauce.
8
Temper
To prevent the eggs from scrambling, slowly whisk ¼ cup of the warm caramel into the eggs. Then, gradually pour the egg mixture back into the remaining caramel, whisking constantly until fully combined.
9
Assemble
Ladle the custard evenly into jars or ramekins set in the roasting pan; pour hot water around them halfway up the sides, then carefully transfer to the oven.
10
Bake and Chill
Bake in a 300°F oven until custards are just set and slightly jiggly, 55–65 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes, then chill uncovered at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt to serve.
11
Devour
Scoop, taste, repeat — because life’s too short to wait.
Recipe FAQs
Not exactly. Both are creamy baked custards, but caramel custard is baked with a layer of caramel at the bottom of the dish that turns into a sauce when inverted. (Which is different even from my recipe here, where the caramel is incorporated into the custard itself!)
Crème brûlée, on the other hand, is topped with sugar that’s torched into a crackly, glass-like crust just before serving. Think of caramel custard as soft and saucy, while crème brûlée is all about that caramelized crunch on top.
Flan is also baked with a layer of custard on the bottom of the baking dish, then it is refrigerated until the caramel softens. To serve, it’s flipped upside down so the caramel sauce runs down the sides. These salted burnt caramel custards have the caramel incorporated into the custard, so they look and taste very different from flan. In addition, salted burnt caramel custard is a little looser in texture than say pudding or flan since it includes 4 cups of cream.
Pour the remaining sugar into a heavy-based pot and add 1/2 cup of water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved; about 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and let the mixture bubble without stirring until the mixture turns a deep golden brown. Watch closely and remove the pan from the heat immediately when it turns the right color, but be careful not to let it burn.
Serving Salted Burnt Caramel Custard
This velvety salted burnt caramel custard is best served chilled and sprinkled with flaky sea salt. Serve it with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine after dinner! Or enjoy it alongside something lighter that still feels special. Try pairing it with crisp homemade biscotti like cranberry pistachio Christmas biscotti or a slice of delicate Pear Tart with Shortbread Crust!
Want to serve this dessert as a finale for a great meal? Serve it with a main course of Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Zinfandel Reduction, a side dish of Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup, and a refreshing salad like Summer Strawberry & Blueberry Salad.
Expert Tips
- Temper the eggs carefully. Remove the cream from the heat before adding it to the eggs. Whisk ¼–⅓ cup of warm cream into the egg yolks slowly, then gradually whisk in the remaining cream. If any lumps form, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve for a perfectly smooth custard.
- Watch the caramel closely. Cook sugar over medium heat until it reaches a deep amber but not burnt. The darker the caramel, the richer the flavor—but trust your nose: if it smells burnt, remove it immediately. Patience is key; the sugar needs time to develop its flavor.
- Choose the right jars. This recipe yields 8 six-ounce portions. Small clear glass canning jars work beautifully, but traditional pot de crème jars or ramekins are fine too. Clear jars are great for seeing the luscious custard inside.
- Use hot water for the bain-marie. Boil the water in a kettle rather than using hot tap water. Pour it carefully around the jars or ramekins—avoid splashing water into the custard itself to prevent altering the texture.
- Manage the surface. A light layer of bubbles or a quasi-crunchy film on the custard toward the end of baking is normal. Lightly salting won’t affect it. For ultra-smooth tops, cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil during baking.
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Salted Burnt Caramel Custard
Equipment
- 2.5 quart baking dish
- 6 to 8 ramekins or glass Weck jars
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 large egg yolks, room temperature
- pinch Kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- flakey sea salt, such as Malden sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Prepare a 2.5 quart roasting pan or baking dish with 8 custard pots, oven-safe glass jars, or ramekins. Have a kettle of water ready by your oven.
- Place cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.4 cups heavy cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk egg yolks, salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl, set aside.6 large egg yolks, pinch Kosher salt, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Combine remaining sugar and 1/2 cup water in a heavy gauge metal pot, at least 3 quarts in size. Stir. You are stirring until the sugar is largely dissolved. The water will begin murky and end somewhat opaque. This could take up to 5 minutes of constant stirring.1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup water
- Set the pot on top of the stove. Make sure there are no sugar granules on the side of the pot. Use a damp pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pot to get all of the sugar crystals into the mixture.
- Turn the burner on to medium heat. Stir some at the beginning to make sure that all of the sugar is dissolving. Once the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is beginning to bubble, stop stirring. Resist the desire to stir.
- Let the sugar and water cook together and work their science. The sugary mixture will graduate through the various sugar stages as the water evaporates and will eventually begin to caramelize. Do not reduce or increase the heat and don't stir. You can gently swirl the pan to achieve even caramelization if it looks to be necessary.
- Watch the pan closely as the process moves quickly. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as your caramelized sugar has reached its desired color. The darker you can get the caramel without burning it the better the end product will be, but use caution and use your nose to smell for "sweet" versus "burn."
- Slowly add warmed cream to caramel (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously), stirring constantly until very smooth.
- With a 1/4 measure cup of the caramel mixture, dribble slowly into the egg mixture while whisking constantly with your other hand to 'temper' the eggs. Whisk in the remainder of the caramel mixture into the eggs slowly until all the caramel has been incorporated.
- Move the assembly close to your oven. Divide custard among jars or ramekins and replace into the roasting pan. Using the kettle, fill the roasting pan with water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Carefully lift the roasting pan into the oven.
- Bake until custard is just set but still jiggly in the center, about 55 to 65 minutes. Carefully remove ramekins from roasting pan and place on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Chill custards, uncovered, at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt to serve.flakey sea salt
Notes
- Very slowly and steadily whisk the cream into the eggs. If there’s any lumps, you can strain that out by pouring the mixture through a sieve.
- The sugar cooks until it turns a lovely deep amber, but not actually burned. It will take some time at medium heat on the stove, and you must watch it closely. Your nose “knows.” The darker the sugar mixture, the more flavor the custard will have, but if it becomes too dark, or if you can smell burning, you have taken it too far.
- This recipe makes 8 six-ounce portions. I like to bake them in the smallest clear glass canning jars I own. You can definitely use genuine glass pot de crème jars or plain old ramekins, too.
- Boil the water for the bain-marie in a tea kettle rather than using hot tap water. Pour it into the pan around the jars or ramekins, but be careful not to get water into the custard cups.
- The custards will acquire a quasi-crunchy film of bubbles toward the end of their bake, and this is correct. Once you lightly salt them, it will not make a bit of difference. Cover the baking pan of custard cups with aluminum foil if you want them ultra smooth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved the strong flavor.
Glen, I am glad to know you appreciated the deep caramel profile in this dessert – it exudes autumn! Also thanks for taking time out to drop me your kind comment. Jenny
The sweet and salty combo of this caramel was so insanely amazing!! Gosh, this is my new favorite! Thank you for this!! 🙂
Hello, My name is Paula and I just signed up for your recipe newsletter. I want to make this salted burnt caramel custard recipe. Please could you tell me, I have glass ramekins that I don’t know are oven proof, plus they barely hold 4 Oz’s. Are they OK, what size should I buy? Of weck or canning jars even? I tried to make a salted caramel once before and pretty sure I burnt it because it had a very strong not enjoyable flavored when I poured it on my ice cream. So I want to try yours, since you offer so many tips. Thanks in advance., paula
Thank you for reaching out before jumping into the recipe to ask about equipment. A huge part of this method is the equipment/jars. At the time of the article, I did not own ramekins, so I purchased these 4oz Ball Mason jars. They are oven-safe and work very well. Whatever you use must be able to hold just over 1/2-cup. Before you buy anything new though, is there a way to Google what you already have to see if they are oven-proof? Also, making caramel sugar is a labor of love and this recipe requires me to go slow, so I will advise you to go slow. The sugar can burn in an instant, so you must keep an eye and be careful. This method is the water caramelization method which means the process is slowed down. This is good for somebody like me who is not always good when caramelizing! I am going to also attach a video that I review frequently when embarking on this recipe. https://youtu.be/yWxuPDynKOY Last tip to impart is to use a wooden spoon due to the high heat – silicone or plastic will melt. Please let me know how you enjoy this recipe! I am excited you will be making it – it’s unlike anything else you’ve tasted! x – Jenny
You had me at caramel! I have to treat myself to this over the weekend…homemade custard is a favorite of mine. Beautiful photos too 🙂
Tammy, you’re too kind, and thank you! If I am honest, the pictures herein are some I shot when I first started blogging, so NOT GOOD. The custard on the other hand, EXQUISITE. If you have a Malden or other flakey sea salt, use it at the end, but sparingly. It 110% takes the custard from great to superior 🙂 Jenny
These are beautiful little gems! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Hope the rest of your week is awesome!
Yummy! Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 17. Shared.