Quick Answer: Can You Freeze Crème Brûlée?
Thankfully for all lovers of this exquisite French dessert, you can successfully and easily freeze Crème Brûlée at home following a set of simple instructions! Despite being fairly delicate and being made of dairy ingredients, the dessert freezes quite well and can be kept in freezer storage for up to 6 months, extending its shelf life considerably. The main trick is to freeze the base.
This comprehensive guide covers everything from when should you freeze Crème Brûlée to how, in detailed steps, along with all the tips and hacks you need!
Put together with the help of time-tested personal experience, expert opinion, and hours’ worth of research, and this guide is your best friend when it comes to freezing Crème Brûlée!
Read on to find out everything you need to know about freezing this delicious French dessert successfully at the comfort and ease of your home!
How to Freeze Crème Brûlée
If you are making the dessert from scratch and would like to freeze, I have some advice for you. First of all, I do not recommend that you freeze the entire dessert, fully assembled with the caramel crust and everything. All you need to do is freeze the base properly for now.
This will, of course, not be an option for when you are freezing leftover or store-bought crème Brûlée, in which case, worry not, we will get to those soon.
Also, just in case you require a quick refresher on preparing some delicious homemade crème Brûlée, you can refer to this guide!
Materials
- Large ramekin
- Cling wrap or tin foil
Tools
- Rubber bands / tape
- Airtight freezer-safe container
Instructions
Prepare your Creme Brûlée base as per recipe – Once prepared, pour your base into a large ramekin, and then bake it.
Make sure you wait for it to cool down completely once you have baked it. It is very important to cool down freshly prepared foods before freezing them.
Cover the ramekin with tin foil or cling wrap – Once cooled down completely, use cling film or tin foil to cover the ramekin tightly and securely.
You may want to use rubber bands and/or tape to make sure the wrapping is totally secure, and stays so when put inside the freezer.
Place ramekin inside an airtight freezer-safe container and seal carefully – You can also use a freezer-friendly airtight bag or pouch if it is more convenient with regard to freezer space and size of your ramekin.
Seal carefully, label and freeze – Make sure the container or freezer bag is sealed very tightly and securely. Label the crème Brûlée with the storage date. It is ready to freeze!
Freezing Store-bought Crème Brûlée
Time Taken: 15-30 minutes
What You Need:
- A sturdy spoon
- Airtight freezer-safe container
- Cling wrap
This is a bit harder to freeze as all the ingredients have already been assembled into the dessert, leaving you no chance to prep them beforehand to ensure better freezing.
It is also tricky and not recommended to freeze store-bought crème Brûlée in the packaging or container it came in. The chances are very high that the original packaging does not provide your dessert with enough protection during freezing.
Therefore, if you have a choice between making crème Brûlée yourself at home or buying it from the store, especially if you are looking to keep the dessert in freezer storage at least for a while, it is always a better idea to go with homemade.
You can still freeze store-bought crème Brûlée without worries. Just follow these steps carefully, and remember to consume it as early as possible within freezing it.
Transfer into an airtight container
Use a sturdy spoon to transfer the crème Brûlée immediately into an airtight freezer container. Remember, the fresher it is when kept in the freezer, the better it will freeze.
It is a great idea, therefore, to freeze the store-bought crème Brûlée at the earliest since the time it is bought and opened.
Cover the container with cling wrap, secure lid, label and freeze
Once you have put the crème Brûlée inside the container, cover the mouth of the container securely with cling wrap. You can once again go with rubber bands or tape to make sure the covering is secure.
Then secure the lid tightly, making sure it is airtight and watertight. Ensure you have sealed it carefully. Label the container with the storage date, and it is ready to freeze.
Freezing Leftover Crème Brûlée
Time Taken: 10-15 minutes
What You Need:
- Large ramekin
- Cling wrap or tin foil
- Rubber bands / tape
- Airtight freezer-safe container
You can also freeze leftover crème Brûlée just fine, but do note that in case of this and store-bought crème Brûlée, it may not be very wise to keep it in the freezer for 6 months. Instead, be sure to use up the dessert within not more than a month of two from freezing.
That said, the instructions to freeze leftover crème Brûlée are also quite simple! It is most ideal to freeze it in a ramekin, similar to the first method. Let us go over the method in detail.
Transfer the crème Brûlée into a ramekin
Whichever container it was previously in, you can arrange it back carefully into a ramekin.
Cover the ramekin with tin foil or cling wrap
Use cling film or tin foil to cover the ramekin tightly and securely. You may want to use rubber bands and/or tape to make sure the wrapping is totally secure, and stays so when put inside the freezer.
Place ramekin inside an airtight freezer-safe container and seal carefully
You can also use a freezer-friendly airtight bag or pouch if it is more convenient with regard to freezer space and size of your ramekin.
Seal carefully, label and freeze
Make sure the container or freezer bag is sealed very tightly and securely. Label the crème Brûlée with the storage date to make sure that you do not forget about it and end up keeping it in the freezer indefinitely. It is ready to freeze!
Remember to make sure to eat up your frozen crème Brûlée, whether leftover or store-bought, within not more than 2 months from freezing!
Freezing Creme Brûlée in Popsicle Molds
Time Taken: 15-30 minutes
What You Need:
- A sturdy spoon
- Popsicle molds / small plastic freezer-safe cups
- Cling wrap
This is a tried and tested method where you would need popsicle molds, or even small plastic cups should do the trick.
This is a very versatile method to freeze desserts such as crème Brûlée, allowing you to take them out and enjoy them anytime as small, quick, delicious and sweet snacks. Crème Brûlée popsicles are also very popularly enjoyed desserts!
Transfer Creme Brûlée in portions into popsicle molds or little plastic cups
Do as instructed. Be careful not to fill the molds or cups to the brim; leave around half an inch of space for the Creme Brûlée to expand while freezing.
Insert sticks
Insert sticks into the Creme Brûlée.
Cover the cups or molds with cling film
You can also use plastic wrap. Cover the top of the molds or cups tightly, with the stick poking out from the center; making them airtight and watertight.
Freeze
Your Creme Brûlée popsicles are ready to freeze! They can be kept in freezer storage for up to 4 to 6 weeks, and should ideally be consumed within a month of freezing.
If you are a little confused about the whole popsicles molds method and how to go about it, don’t worry. You can check out this easy to follow, visual guide and the step-by-step instructions it provides for more help:
How to Freeze Eggnog Crème Brûlée
Time Taken: 6-7 hours
What You Need:
- Airtight freezer-safe containers
- Large airtight resealable heavy-duty freezer bag
Eggnog crème Brûlée is a very creative and delicious way to experiment with these tasty desserts! For a quick refresher on the recipe, you can check out this detailed and simple guide:
This is a very simple method for freezing homemade eggnog crème Brûlée. Just freeze the bottles as they are, and they will stay good for at least 6 months.
Transfer the eggnog crème Brûlée into containers
This is for flash-freezing the dessert first, which helps it significantly to freeze better.
Stick the containers of eggnog crème Brûlée in your freezer
Keep the container upright in the freezer and let it flash-freeze for a solid five to six hours.
Put inside a large freezer bag
Once the eggnog crème Brûlée has frozen hard, simply put the entire container inside a large airtight heavy-duty resealable freezer bag. This is a good way to preserve the dessert, which has a delicate consistency when made properly.
Label and freeze
Label the freezer bag with the storage date to make sure you do not end up keeping the eggnog crème Brûlée in the freezer for too long. Your dessert is ready to freeze!
Remember to use up your eggnog crème Brûlée within a maximum of six months!
How Long Can You Freeze Crème Brûlée?
For best results, the frozen crème Brûlée should not be kept in freezer storage for beyond five to six months and should ideally consumed within that time frame.
This is also I always recommend freezing any food, with the storage date labeled. This way, you do not end up keeping the crème Brûlée in the freezer for too long.
The longer you keep the crème Brûlée in the freezer, the more it is going to lose its texture, consistency, flavor, and taste as the ingredients will start to lose moisture, separate, and get spoilt.
Hence, it is advised that you mandatorily consume the crème Brûlée within six months of freezing.
How to Store Frozen Crème Brûlée?
As discussed, crème Brûlée can be kept in freezer storage in airtight containers with tight-fitting lids, whether homemade or store-bought, freshly-made or leftover, or as popsicle molds.
Whichever method you go with, the sealing and freezing needs to be done very carefully; good quality airtight and watertight freezer-safe containers need to be used, and it needs to be ensured that the dessert is frozen at the same, consistent temperature in the freezer.
For all the processes and methods prescribed here, using heavy-duty, airtight, resealable, freezer-friendly bags and pouches to freeze the crème Brûlée in is a must.
If you are using containers instead, also ensure that they are freezer-safe and have tight-fitting lids.
And they need to be sealed really well. A vacuum sealer is actually a great investment for this purpose, especially if you freeze food often. It would help get all the air out.
Remember that your crème Brûlée may not hold up well in the freezer even beyond a couple of weeks if the storage is not done properly, following all the instructions correctly and meticulously and making sure you use the best quality materials.
How to Defrost Frozen Crème Brûlée?
To defrost frozen crème Brûlée, simply transfer the container or bags to the fridge from the freezer, and allow it to thaw overnight. Never thaw frozen crème Brûlée by leaving it sitting at room temperature.
Once the custard has softened a little bit, sprinkle the top with sugar and other toppings, and then torch it according to recipe to form the caramel crust of your choice!
In case of leftover crème Brûlée, you can simply leave the dessert to thaw properly in the refrigerator, there is no need to reheat it separately.
The only issue when it comes to freezing crème Brûlée, is its tendency to do something we commonly call “weeping” once it has been thawed and defrosted.
Weeping is a term used in cooking to describe liquid oozing out of a frozen and defrosted food. There are many reasons why crème Brûlée produces a clear liquid after it has been thawed.
Certain ingredients, usually including thickeners or say, food starch, may cause the dessert to weep.
Other reasons can include coagulating proteins, or even simple moisture migration or condensation. However, it is minimised if you freeze carefully and thaw properly.
Can You Re-freeze Frozen Crème Brûlée?
It is not recommended to re-freeze frozen crème Brûlée, as, to freeze and thaw it once would already take a toll on its consistency, texture, and even flavor. But to repeat that whole process once more might render the dessert ruined beyond salvation.
Try your best to use up all of the crème Brûlée the first time around that it is thawed.
In the case of leftovers, it is best to discard them as chances are that they are no longer suitable for consumption. Refreezing is really not worth it.
Does Crème Brûlée Freeze Well?
The answer to this question comes down ultimately to the type of ingredients used in your crème Brûlée. However, on a general note, it can be said that crème Brûlée freezes fine, as long as it is consumed within a maximum of 5 to 6 months within freezing.
Just make sure the crème Brûlée is not left in the freezer indefinitely, in which case chances are that the drink will get bad and inedible.
Also, ensure the freezer temperature stays steady and consistent and that the bags or containers you are freezing the crème Brûlée in are sealed really tightly and securely.
FAQs
When refrigerated, store-bought crème Brûlée has a shelf life of around 2 to 4 days. So, if your plans are to consume it by then, there is no need to go into freezing.
However, if you are planning on storing your crème Brûlée for longer, I would definitely recommend freezing it to be your next best alternative.
You can reduce the likelihood of the crème Brûlée weeping by baking the dessert before freezing. Also, try your best to not overcook or undercook the base to prevent weeping.
The base has to set properly or else, ice crystals are likely to form within the custard, ruining the dessert. The water crystals will change the consistency of the base and lead to weeping once they melt.
There is a good chance that crème Brûlée that has been thawed and again refrozen, will turn sour upon being defrosted and reheated.
It is the best idea to discard any crème Brûlée that has been reheated and not consumed, as the ingredients of the dessert would have been exposed to a higher temperature, which increases risks of bacteria growth and spoiling significantly.
I would advise you not to. Freeze just the base, and once you want to eat it, simply defrost, reheat, and add your toppings and whipped cream then and serve with it.
Whipped cream is a great option to serve with crème Brûlée! It is just not very wise to freeze it with it.
Ideally, you should freeze it as soon as possible from making it. The fresher the dessert is, the better it will freeze.
However, you should try your best to eat it up, and if required, to freeze crème Brûlée within a maximum of two to three days of making it.
Bottom Line
We hope this comprehensive, step-by-step guide covering the best methods to freeze crème Brûlée successfully at the safety and ease of your home has helped you!
For any further questions you may have regarding freezing this dessert, please do let us know by reaching out to us!
If you have any other tips and tricks you have discovered about freezing crème Brûlée, feel free to reach out and let us know; we will add them to this guide so they can help more people!
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