Whether it’s crème brûlée, creamy flan, or a classic cheesecake, most custard-based recipes have the same starting ingredients: cream, sugar, and eggs. But, instead of buying and whipping up those ingredients separately, use ice cream as one ingredient to replace them all. Utilizing ice cream as the shortcut ingredient in this 3-ingredient crème brûlée is how you quick-start a deliciously creamy dessert. Since so many are making fancy burnt cream at home, we had to try this one. The results are worth the effort. If you’ve ever been intimidated by making a crème brûlée from scratch, here’s how to make the silky-smooth custard and feel like a fancy French chef right in your home.

How to Make 3-Ingredient Crème Brûlée

This easy recipe should work for any single flavor ice cream with cream, eggs, and sugar included in the first five ingredients. Avoid an ice cream that has a lot of chunky ingredients. This is the base recipe needed per serving, which fills one small ramekin or a custard dish.

Ingredients

½ cup ice cream1 egg yolk1 Tbsp. sugar

Method

Now it’s time to enjoy your 3-ingredient crème brûlée! Of course, a little bit of waiting time is required, but the process is simple, and you definitely get that satisfying crack as your spoon breaks through that sugar topping. Keep the caramel love going by making some addicting popcorn. Or try your hand at another fancy dessert like a Pot de Crème, which is a custard similar to crème brûlée, just not as thick.