Irish Cream Creme Brulee

Make this Irish Cream Creme Brulee for your next holiday or party! Smooth and creamy creme brulee custard spiked with Irish Creme!

Don’t you just love a delicious party-worthy dessert like this one? This boozy dessert can be made ahead of time and finished off right before serving. Also be sure to check out this Bailey’s Martini recipe or this strong, classic Irish Coffee to serve alongside! 

Creme Brulee recipe with Irish Cream

Why This Creme Brulee Is The BEST Dessert Recipe!

Creme Brulee is really a basic custard dessert with a torched sugar topping. It’s actually a pretty simple dessert recipe, even though it seems supah fancy.

But take that amazing creme brulee and spike it with a creamy Irish Cream Liqueur? Now we’re really talking about a party dessert. The Irish Cream just adds a slight boozy, chocolaty feel to the custard. Taking zero away from the classic creme brulee dessert.

Serve this Irish Cream Creme Brulee at you next holiday party (perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!) or date night at home. We guarantee it’ll be a hit!

Custard in ramekins to make creme brulee

How Do You Make Creme Brulee?

Honestly, you guys. It’s really so, so easy. We are not bakers or dessert makers by any means and I promise, this one’s a cinch. Start by making a simple custard with heavy cream, sugar and a pinch of salt.

Bring that to a simmer and then whisk into a bowl with egg yolks, Irish Creme (like Bailey’s) and vanilla extract. Whisk the warm custard mixture just about 1/4 cup at a time so the eggs don’t scramble or cook.

Creme Brulee with a sugar topping

Place four 8-ounce ramekins (see note*) in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish and divide the custard evenly between them. Pour hot water into the baking dish, until the water comes halfway up the ramekins.

Carefully place the dish into the oven at 300 degrees and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the centers are set.

A Creme Brulee with a spoon on top

How Do I Know When Creme Brulee Is Done?

Give the ramekins a little jiggle to see if the centers are set. That’s one way to do it…Another way is to get an instant read thermometer. The Creme Brulee will be cooked when the temperature reaches 170 degrees.

S poon scooping out a bite of creme brulee custard

Can I Make This Dessert Recipe Ahead Of Time?

Absolutely! This Irish Cream Creme Brulee is the most perfect make-ahead dessert recipe. It can even be made up to two days in advance, then finished off right before serving.

I do prefer torching the tops right before serving so the sugar toppings is crackling hard when you tap your spoon into it! If you do the torching ahead of time the sugar coating will soften in the refrigerator.

Spoon in the bottom of a ramekin with creme brulee

How Do You Serve Creme Brulee?

Our go-to toppings are, as you can see, berries, whipped cream and fresh mint. You can use these toppings with any flavor of creme brulee you’re making. Some other ideas for toppings are:

  • Chocolate shavings
  • Cocoa powder
  • Espresso powder
  • Powdered sugar
  • Finely chopped nuts like pistachios or walnuts
  • Ice cream

Looking For More Party or Holiday Dessert Recipes?

Print
A Creme Brulee with a spoon on top

Irish Cream Creme Brulee

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Think making creme brulee is out of your league? Think again. This Irish Cream Creme Brulee recipe has even beginners (like me!) looking like a rock star!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For The Topping:

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • Berries and whipped cream, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place 4 (8 ounce)* ramekins in a 9″ x 13″ inch baking dish.
  2. Add the cream, sugar and salt to a medium-sized pot. Whisk together over medium heat until the cream mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Don’t bring the cream to a boil, as it can scorch easily.
  3. Add the egg yolks to a separate bowl and whisk with the Irish cream and vanilla.
  4. Once the cream is hot, pour into the bowl with the egg yolks, slowly, while whisking. You don’t want the egg yolks to scramble so do this step slowly. Pour the custard into the ramekins, dividing equally.
  5. Pour boiling water into the bottom of the baking dish with the ramekins, filling until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
  6. Bake until the filling is just set, between 50 and 60 minutes, depending on the size ramekins that you’re using.
  7. Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Once the ramekins are cool, cover each ramekin with plastic wrap until very cold, at least 4 hours.
  8. Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tops of the custard with the sugar in an even layer. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until lightly browned. Alternately, you can place the ramekins under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar caramelizes.

Recipe Notes

* You can also make this dessert in 6 (6 ounce) ramekins

  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Stove Top / Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: mantitlement, creme brulee recipe, st. patrick’s day recipes, easy recipes, recipes with irish cream, holiday recipes, holiday desserts

You Might Also Like:

1 Response
  1. CAM

    Delicious, a real hit. Will be saving this for future meals! Just enough Irish Cream flavor, not overwhelming.

Leave a Reply

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Cocktails and Drinks

Side “Bar”

Try some of the cocktails and drinks we’re mixing up this week!

VISIT THE COCKTAIL BAR

Mantitlement collage

Join thousands of subscribers and get new recipes via email!

Never miss another recipe!