Fragrant lavender and tangy lemon transform this lavender lemon creme brulee into a luxurious date night dessert! Tips and tricks included for baking a restaurant-quality creme brulee.

I’m about to show you how to make the DREAMIEST date night dessert in the comfort of your own home!
Creme brulee is always my go-to dessert to order when Jason and I go out to dinner and I’m guessing I’m in good company in this tendancy?
Spoiler alert: it’s SO incredibly easy to make at home, cheaper than any restaurant, and seriously just as good.

Today we’re making one of my all-time favorite spins on creme brulee. Lavender + lemon is a match made in HEAVEN here.
I know creme brulee seems like a daunting dessert to tackle at home, but I’m going to walk you through each and every step to nailing this stunning dessert!
This Lavender Lemon Creme Brulee features…
- Fragrant dried lavender and tangy lemon zest
- An incredibly rich, creamy custard filling
- The classic crackly bruleed sugar topping

Making the Lavender Lemon Creme Brulee
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Where to Buy Lavender
I’ve had best luck finding dried culinary lavender online on Amazon. Make sure you purchase dried, not fresh.
You can also find lavender in the spices section of some major grocery stores such as Woodman’s or Walmart.
Making the Custard
Heavy cream gets slowly heated with sugar, dried lavender, and lemon zest over medium heat until just steaming.
Be very careful not to let the cream simmer or boil. You just want it heated through.
In order to get the lemon + lavender flavor into the custard we’re going to let them steep in the cream mixture for 15 minutes. Don’t skip this step!
Once the cream has steeped, very rapidly beat egg yolks, additional sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt into cream mixture until smooth.
Strain the cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve and discard solids (super important step!)
For baking the creme brulee, I recommend 8-oz ramekins. We’re also going to be baking them in a water bath of about 1 inch.
Don’t skip the water bath! The steam from the water bath helps the creme brulee bake evenly.
How to Brulee
First and foremost, it’s important that you let the creme brulee chill 3-4 hours after baking before bruleeing. You can even store the un-bruleed ramekins in the fridge up to 2 days before serving!
When ready to brulee, sprinkle several teaspoons of granulated sugar evenly over tops of creme brulees and then use a kitchen torch to brulee the top until sugar forms a hard golden crust.
If you don’t have a kitchen torch you can also use the broiler setting on your oven. While this method definitely doesn’t give you QUITE as good of a sugar crust, it still does the trick.
Place the ramekins 1 inch from broiler top and broil 2-3 minutes until caramelized, turning occasionally to get an even browning.

Top individual ramekins off with some fresh berries for an extra little pop of flavor! It just gives them an extra little oomph.
Crack the hard sugary crust and dig into this creamy beauty! It’s the most fun part so definitely make a over-the-top show of it.
And seriously, it’s gonna be hard not to. This creme brulee is so incredibly creamy and bursting with fragrant lavender and lemon in every bite.
Date night is in the bag, y’all!

More romantic date-night desserts you’ll want to make next!
- Mini Lavender Mascarpone Blueberry Galettes
- Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta
- Rhubarb Rose White Chocolate Cheesecake
Lavender Lemon Creme Brulee
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar plus 4 teaspoons, divided
- 2 teaspoons dried lavender
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Fresh berries for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Place two 8 oz ramekins in an 8×8 pan. Set aside.
- Place cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, lavender, and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until cream is just steaming. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes to allow the lavender and lemon zest to steep.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons sugar with egg yolks, vanilla, and salt until smooth and thickened. Very slowly, begin adding warm cream mixture, 1/4 cup at a time whisking constantly to temper the egg yolks.
- Once all the cream is added and mixture is smooth, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding lavender and lemon zest. Divide cream mixture between prepared ramekins, filling each about 3/4 full.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil then very carefully pour into 8×8 pan 1-in up the sides to create a water bath for the creme brulees, being careful to avoid splashing into the ramekins.
- Transfer pan to the oven and bake the creme brulees at 325F 35-40 minutes. When done, the creme brulees will be slightly jiggly and spring back when lightly touched. When cool enough to handle, remove creme brulees from water bath and let cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack. Transfer to fridge and let chill 3-4 hours until completely cold.
- When ready to serve, remove creme brulees from fridge and sprinkle 2 teaspoons remaining sugar on each. Use a kitchen torch OR the broiler setting on oven to caramelize the sugar until sugar forms into a hard golden-brown crust. Allow to cool 5 minutes then serve creme brulees with fresh berries on top. Enjoy!
Nikki says
Hi Sarah,
I’m also sweet obsessed girl but I never tried sweets that may be healthy. You shared an amazing one. I will definitely try.
Avis Lawton says
Hey,
thanks for this wonderful recipe, can you please share the budget for this recipe?
actually i run a small youtube channel so i need this.
Sarah says
Hi there – I do not know the budget of this recipe, sorry!
DANE BELLAMY says
When do you add the salt and vanilla?
Sarah says
So sorry for that typo! The recipe has been updated to include the salt and vanilla.