Green Chai Cardamom Crème Brûlée
A silky crème brûlée infused with green chai and extra cardamom—delicate, warmly spiced, and finished with a shattering caramel crust.
Steeping green chai in warm cream transforms this classic French dessert into something unexpected. The tea's grassy notes soften into the custard, while cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon bloom gently in the background.
The key is steeping at a lower temperature—don't boil the cream after adding the tea. Overheating extracts bitterness from the green tea base, and you want sweetness and spice, not astringency.
Extra crushed cardamom pods added during steeping push the cardamom forward, giving the custard a distinctly aromatic, almost Middle Eastern quality that sets it apart from standard crème brûlée.
The crackling caramelized sugar top provides the textural contrast this custard craves. Serve with a few crushed pistachios on top for color and a nutty echo that ties everything together.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 green chai tea bags or 3 tbsp loose green chai
- 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar plus extra for torching
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Crushed pistachios for garnish
How to make it
- 1Heat cream until just steaming (do not boil). Remove from heat, add tea bags/leaves and crushed cardamom pods. Cover and steep 15 minutes.
- 2Strain cream through a fine sieve, pressing to extract flavor. Discard solids.
- 3Whisk egg yolks with sugar, vanilla, and salt until pale. Slowly pour warm cream into yolks, whisking constantly to temper.
- 4Divide custard among 4 ramekins. Place in a baking dish and pour hot water halfway up the sides.
- 5Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 35–40 minutes until set but still jiggly in the center. Cool, then refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- 6Before serving, sprinkle a thin layer of sugar on each custard and torch until golden and crackling. Top with crushed pistachios.
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