Pink Strawberry Crème Brûlée (Vegan & Easy)

Creamy.

Bougie.

PINK.

This strawberrylicious take on the classic French dessert, strawberry creme brulee, is meant to be delicious and pretty! Honestly, I came up with the idea for this in preparation for Mother’s Day. I wanted to come up with something that would be ridiculously easy to make, require NO OVEN, and make you look like a STAR! I decided to make a few tweaks to the “cream” part of my Vegan Tiramisu Recipe (which is so good it’s hard not to eat it right out of the blender) and cover it with the iconic glass of melted sugar. It’s perfect for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or any ole’ day, to be perfectly honest!

So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂

---

Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for Strawberry Creme Brulee.

If you’ve made my vegan tiramisu, then a lot of the ingredients for this strawberry creme brulee will sound familiar. Let’s go through each of them!

Silken Tofu.

This recipe calls for silken tofu. Silken tofu is among the softest varieties of tofu you can find in the grocery store, and the good news is, it’s readily available at most Western style grocery stores (I get mine at Ralph’s!). The silken tofu will form the basis of the hi-protein creme of this strawberry creme brulee. If you don’t have access to silken tofu, you can also use soft tofu, though you’ll likely taste more of the “tofu-ness” the firmer you get with your tofu.

Vegan Cream Cheese.

I find that the consistency of vegan cream cheese provides the best result when it comes to ensuring that the mixture properly sets. A tofu-based vegan cream cheese (like Tofutti), in my experience, will impart a very minimal flavor that doesn’t “fight” with the flavor you get from the silken you’re also using in this strawberry creme brulee recipe. Of course, if you don’t have access to Tofutti or a good tofu-based cream cheese, go with whatever vegan cream cheese you prefer. If you cannot find vegan cream cheese, you can substitute in vegan sour cream or vegan yogurt, though both of these will yield a much softer, more liquid-y filling.

Freeze Dried Strawberries.

In order to infuse creme for this strawberry creme brulee with intense strawberry flavor, we use ground freeze dried strawberries. The ground freeze dried strawberries will also provide a lovely pink color to the creme. If you can’t find freeze dried strawberries at your local grocery store, you can also use freeze dried raspberries.

Caster Sugar.

This recipe for strawberry creme brulee requires exclusively caster sugar or “superfine sugar,” as it’s often referred to in the United States. Caster sugar is lighter than regular sugar and as such, does a much better job of dissolving into the creme and will also melt evenly when subjected to the torch (in order to make the “glass”). However, if you can’t find superfine sugar, you can substitute with regular granulated organic cane sugar–it just may take a little longer to ensure the sugar is properly dissolved or incorporated.

Vegan Butter.

Vegan butter is also used in this strawberry creme brulee recipe in order to provide richness and emulsification. You want the creme filling to come together and unsalted vegan butter will do just that. If you don’t have vegan butter, you can substitute with a flavorless vegetable oil of choice.

Vegan Food Coloring (OPTIONAL).

If you want your creme to be pinker, you can add a couple drops of your preferred vegan food coloring. Otherwise, the ground freeze dried strawberries will definitely impart a pale pink color for your strawberry creme brulee.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Strawberry Creme Brulee.

Step 1.

First, make the “creme” for your strawberry creme brulee by blending together your silken tofu, vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, caster sugar, ground freeze dried strawberries, and food coloring (if using). Divide these evenly between 6 3-inch ramekins. Cover them and place them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to make sure the creme sets.

Step 2.

After your creme has set, add 1 tablespoon of caster sugar over the top of each ramekin. If you want to ensure an the sugar is evenly distributed, you can use a pastry brush, but I just used the back of my spoon and it worked fine. There should be enough sugar that it doesn’t readily dissolve into the creme. This is what will make a nice, hard “crack” when the sugar melts and hardens. Ignite your blow torch and then bring it close to the sugar (about 1-inch away) and using a smooth, small, circular motion with your hand, move the flame over the sugar until it bubbles and turns into an amberish gold color.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Recipe Card.

Did you like this recipe? If so, please leave a rating and share it!

Comments & Questions.