Vegan Crème Caramel (GF)

This Vegan Crème Caramel has a rich, creamy custard with a sweet brown sugar syrup! It's made with rice, and is gluten-free, refined sugar free, nut-free and soy-free. An easy make-ahead dessert!

What is Crème Caramel?

Crème caramel is a French dessert that consists of an egg custard with a layer of a brown caramel sauce. There are similar desserts that come from other countries, where it is sometimes called flan or caramel pudding or caramel custard. In Japan, there is also a similar dessert called purin (pudding).

What type of rice should you use for this Vegan Crème Caramel?

Using rice to make custard may sound like a strange idea, but it has a wonderfully creamy texture - think Rice Pudding or Horchata. And the neutral flavour of the rice makes it a perfect base! I also used blended rice to make a Vegan Chocolate Mousse with great results.

• You can use either leftover cooked rice, or freshly cooked rice.
• You should use white rice, not brown rice or black rice etc.
• I used Japanese rice (also known as sushi rice), but you can use some other type of white rice if you can't get hold of it.

And the secret to making blended rice turn into a custard is by using saffron!

What is saffron?

Saffron is a vivid red spice that comes in the form of dried threads, and is used as a food seasoning and colouring agent, as it creates a striking yellow hue.

What is the purpose of saffron in this recipe?

• Saffron creates a yellow colour, reminiscent of egg yolks which are normally used in custard.
• Compared to turmeric, which is often used as a colouring agent for egg-free dishes, it's much better as it doesn't have a strong flavour.
• In fact, the saffron in this recipe even adds a rich, egg-like flavour to the custard.

What type of saffron should you use?

You can use any type of saffron for this recipe, it doesn't need to be a particularly expensive or special one.

How to make this recipe

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

• Soak the saffron in boiling hot water.

• Cook the rice according to instructions on the packet.

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor.

• Blend until smooth - you might need to mix it around a couple of times.

Tip: Taste and add more sweetener if necessary.

• Make the syrup - heat together the coconut sugar and water in a pan.

Tip: Be careful not to let it burn.

• Transfer 1 tablespoon each into small glass pots or jars.

• Transfer the custard mixture into the pots, covering the brown syrup.

• Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up before serving.

Substitutions you can make

• You can use any type of plant-based milk: rice milk, almond milk, cashew milk or oat milk. Coconut milk or soy milk also work, though they have a less neutral flavour.
• You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
• You can replace the cacao butter with coconut oil, though the flavour will be affected and it will taste of coconut.
• You can replace the coconut sugar with normal brown sugar.

How long does this keep for?

It keeps well in the fridge for up to a couple of days. It's a great make-ahead dessert for entertaining.

More vegan desserts recipes

• Brownie Cookies
• Pecan Pie Bars
• Churros
• Lemon Cheesecake Crumble Bars
• Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
• Blondies
• Baklava

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

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