So, how do I come up with new recipes?
One of the most common questions readers ask is where I get inspiration for new recipes.
You might think I should be running out of ideas after 7 years of blogging… but I’m not even close! I am constantly dreaming up new ideas—in fact, it can be annoying at times because inspiration often strikes when I’m eating, exercising, or even when I’m trying to sleep.
There are little scraps of paper all over my apartment with recipes ideas.
And when paper is not available, I’ve been known to write on cereal boxes, receipts, or even paper towels.
For more answers to personal questions, see Chocolate Covered Katie FAQ Page.
What inspired me to create avocado crème brûlée?
Two things: and both because I wanted to do something different.
The first was that I’d purchased an avocado and was trying to brainstorm ways to use it up that were not guacamole, avocado chocolate pudding, or any other such recipe one immediately thinks of when one thinks of avocado.
The other was that, with St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I wanted to make a festive dessert that was not key lime pie, Guinness brownies, or mint chocolate anything.
On the imagined sheet of paper in my mind, I drew a line down the middle.
On the left, I wrote “avocado.”
And on the right, I mentally wrote down every single dessert I could think of in the span of about a minute.
The moment “crème brûlée” went down on that imaginary sheet of paper, I knew it was the one I had to try.
Avocado Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe avocado
- 1/2 cup milk of choice or canned coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sweetener of choice (see note below)
- 2-3 tsp brown sugar or coconut sugar (omit for a sugar-free version that just won’t have the classic top)
Instructions
- *If using a liquid sweetener, scale milk back by three tbsp.To make the recipe, puree the first five ingredients until completely smooth. Pour into oven-safe ramekins or small dishes and refrigerate until thick like mousse—about five hours or overnight. (These can easily be eaten as mousse, sans the crème brûlée topping if desired.) Before serving, sprinkle about a tsp of brown sugar evenly on top of each dish, then either set as close to your oven's broiler as possible and broil OR use a blow torch to burn the sugar. If broiling, it will only take 5-10 minutes, so watch carefully and rotate frequently.View Nutrition Facts
Have you made this recipe?
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Reader Shout Out:
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
This is not the first time I have seen a dessert recipe incorporate avocado, but Ihave to say, I am not entirely sure I am convinced that avocado + dessert go together! Your recipe does look pretty good though! Maybe I will have to give it a shot. 😉 I cannot believe you have been blogging for 7 years! That’s crazy! I have only been seriously blogging for two months now, so this gives me courage to know that I could potentially make it a long time edition as well!
Kesia says
Julia, have you ever heard that Brazilians eat avocado with sugar all the time? It’s actually considered a “fruit” to be used in sweet dishes. We have all kinds of avocado-based desserts… Most of us can’t even imagine mixing avocado in savory dishes. When I tell people that, for a quick snack, I LOVE mashed avocado topped with lemon juice and diced tomatoes they make a weird yuck face most of the times… So, go for it!! It isn’t weird at all! It’s delicious!
Cristina says
Wow, I’ve never heard of this before! It sounds amazing, I will definitely have to try it. Crême Brûlée is a favourite!
Love Low Fat says
I have to say as unusual as Avocado Crème Brûlée sounds, wow do your pictures make it look great! You are so creative! 🙂
Jill @ Champagne for Everyday says
Creme brulee is my favorite desert, but I always get so sick from the lactose when I eat it! I can’t wait to try this substitution! Genius.
Jill
Cassie says
I had everything in my fridge! Until the blow torch :'(
Anna says
She does note you can broil it in your oven
Cassie says
Ah, I didn’t see that! Fabulous!
Jessica says
I know the feeling. I have so many ideas and only so many chances to test them. And I definitely come up with ideas faster than I make them!
Sarah says
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely to die for! May have to try this soon!
x Sarah
http://www.bohochiccafe.com
Maddie says
Sounds so good, can’t wait to try! Maybe a banana Crème Brûlée?? Could you actually just sub banana in this? Thx!
Michelle says
I was just about to ask that! I try and skim the comments to see if anyone asked the same question as I did, but I see Katie hasn’t answered this yet.
Sprinkles of Sweetness says
This is such a creative idea! I’m still kind of iffy on using avocado, but I might just make this. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Jules @ WolfItDown says
Genius! I love the texture of it 😀 x
Jennifer Stevens | Adventurous Appetite says
Wow, what a great idea!! I love avocado pudding, so I will definitely try this!
http://www.adventurousappetite.com
Aja says
Avocados always surprise me with what you can do with them. It’s amazing!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
Woah! You are extremely creative. I have to give you props for this idea. The creaminess of creme brûlée suits the smooth flavors of avocado. I think I’ll give this a time.
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
try^
Karen says
When I first saw the title of this I thought “this looks really good, but unfortunately, I don’t a blow torch” but then I actually read the recipe and saw that you can broil it! I think I’m going to have to make it now!
Jaime says
I loved creme brulee but no longer eat most of what is in a normal one.
This sounds AMAZING (and I don’t like avocado but I’d still try it).
How much does the recipe make? I have four 5-oz ramekins; are they enough or would I need to find a bigger oven-safe container?
New England Flybaby says
Jaime –
Katie’s recipe shows that it makes 2 – 3 servings, & it is pictured in glass custard dishes (which usually hold 4 oz.) You could probably use 2 or 3 of your ramekins & you’ll be fine. 😀
Bethany says
Creme brûlée is my favorite dessert to order at restaurants so it will be a real treat to make a healthy version at home! Thank you! I also wanted to ask you if you have used Swerve sweetener yet? I tried it in your chocolate donuts last evening and it seemed to work for me.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I’ve not used it, but I’m glad it works!
Nicole {VeganShowOff.com} says
Wow, you never cease to amaze me with your creativity! I love avocado in desserts and it’s always fun to bring out the old blow torch lol
Melissa says
Oh my goodness!!! This is amazing!! Ok, I haven’t actually made the crème brulee but I have it chilling in the fridge right now. Just tasting it as it came out of the Ninja was life changing! I’m thinking about making a quadruple batch next time – that will be tomorrow, and freezing some of it to use in smoothies. Thank you so much for sharing such an incredibly delicious dessert!
Audrey C says
Amazing recipe Katie! It looks so thick and creamy, I can’t wait to try it. I was wondering if you could post a recipe for hummus. I love Summer Fresh brand but would love to make my own.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I’ve not done a plain one, but this is my favorite: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/30/melty-pizza-hummus/
Matea says
What a great way to brainstorm new recipes! I’ve been wanting to make creme brulee but the amount of eggs always deterred me. Have to try this 🙂
Alexa [fooduzzi.com] says
I LOVE this! What a wonderful idea – I’m sure the fattiness and creaminess of the avocado makes this dessert totally irresistible!
Alie says
Fabulous! I love using avocado in ‘seemingly’ obscure ways. 😀 I am nuts for chocolate though, so I may have to turn this into chocolate crème brûlée.
Mandie | Mandie's Kitchen says
Never would have thought to put avocado in creme brulee, but it sounds super healthy and delicious! I love adding avocado to my baked goods for a healthier treat!
Lorie @ Be Whole. Be You. says
Oh wow! I am a sucker for creme brulee! This is definitely on my to do list in the kitchen! Wow!
Pottedfern says
Hi Katie have you ever attempted making a tres leches cake? 🙂 They are sooo amazing and I’m sure a vegan version would be possible with coconut milk or cashew cream maybe?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
It is definitely on my list of things to try! 🙂
Am says
I made these and they turned out spectacularly! I used my broiler because I don’t own a fancy Creme brûlée torch, and it still worked! I used stevia for they’re am part and regular brown sugar for the top. Cannot believe it’s so low in calories and is basically a superfood that tastes like dessett! 🙂
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you so much for making them!
Fionna says
Dear Katie the avocade creme, looks pretty amazing, I gotta try this, since my best friend loves avocado (maybe I’ll surprise her?).
I have got a question concerning veganism- I don’t want to bug you, but I’ve been vegetarian for some time now and I consider going vegan, but recently read about the problem of vitamin B12 deficiency. So I wanted to ask how to prevent this? At my research I found out that fermented foods like sauerkraut or natto provide vitamin B12… Since you lived in Japan for a while, would you request eating natto? Or is there another solution?
Fionna
Caroline says
You need to take B12 supplements, no vegan food source is reliable. (B12 is derived from bacteria, so many supplements are vegan). Supplementing is just as “natural” as industrial animal agriculture, IMO. Additionally, everyone over 50 is supposed to supplement B12, so it’s not just a vegan thing — just gotta be careful since we want to show we can be as vegans. It’s honestly not a big deal at all – I take a 1000mg 2-3 times a week. For too much information on the subject, I suggest
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12
Fionna says
thank you so much for your help! I just recently came across this topic and it kind of scared me a little, since some of my relatvis are laughing at my attempt to go vegan-so I want to prove I can be just as healthy as those meat-eating guys! 🙂
Sharon says
Can I sub the avocado with another fruit?
Kathleen says
I made this today using rice milk and regular white sugar. When it was chilled, I just sprinkled brown sugar on top and ate it without torching or broiling it. The brown sugar had a nice crunch to it, so the extra heat wasn’t necessary to imitate a “regular” creme brulee. The taste in my opinion was a dead ringer for the egg and cream version. I am so glad you came up with this fantastic creation!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you for making it!!
Ve says
This looks really good! Love it 🙂
Noora Turunen says
I know what I’m eating this weekend… Thanks again Katie for such an amazing recipe! 🙂
Mary says
I love avocado creme brulee! Your recipe is similar to the one on my site (http://dailydoseofgreens.com/2015/02/18/avocado-creme-brulee/). I need to try your version now! 🙂
Angelique says
This recipe is GENIOUS! Can’t wait to try. you are awesome, as per usual 🙂
Steph says
I can’t imagine why no one has ever thought of making an avocado creme brulee before? It’s genius!! Avocados make everything so creamy so I’m sure they would be awesome in this recipe!! 🙂
Diana says
This was surprisingly REALLY good! 🙂
Taylor says
Flavor was great, but consistency more like pudding. How could I make it gel a bit?
Barb says
I cannot believe this worked!!!
It tasted like creamy vanilla mousse, and the crunchy sugar top really did shatter. I am so impressed!
Mary says
I made this for my birthday treat! And we all loved it! I used almond milk and added a tsp of grass fed gelatin to it to help firm it up. amazing flavor! Even my son liked it despite being thrown by the greenish color. So good. Thanks for giving me a birthday dessert that’s healthy
Melissa W. says
Okay, I really want to try this–BUT–am I the only one who is scared of taking a cold, breakable dish and putting it under a broiler? How does this not cause the dish to break? Should I allow them to sit out of the fridge a little while before broiling? Maybe put them in the oven while it’s cold and THEN turn on the broiler so the glass/stoneware has a chance to heat a little slower? Also, is this supposed to be heated all the way through by the time we consume it, or will the inside still be cold from refrigeration whilst the top gets brown? I’m really hung up on temperature questions here! 🙂
Steph says
Ok, I just made this and it was really good! My avocado was super ripe, so the flavor came through a little strong for me. I just added a bit more (good) vanilla though and it was perfect. The texture was so luscious. Plus, I’m always looking for low carb recipes since I’m diabetic so this was a nice treat when made with a low calorie/sugar almond milk! 🙂
Aaress says
Oh, this was SO good! I’ve been craving creme brulee, but am allergic to dairy, soy and eggs. Thank you, Katie! This solved my craving AND it’s healthy!
Grace says
I made this, but…
I think the avocado flavor was way too strong.
However, it was really really creamy. 🙂
Erin says
This was something I tried out of curiosity more than anything. I love avocados, and I love creme brulee. I was pretty skeptical at first, but this was surprisingly tasty! Will definitely be making again!
Sabrina says
How far in advance can this be made?
CCK Media Team says
Hi! You can make it a day or two in advance; the color will just not be as green.
lolo says
This was something I tried out of curiosity more than anything. I love avocados, and I love creme brulee. I was pretty skeptical at first, but this was surprisingly tasty! Will definitely be making again!