Brûléed Yogurt? Yes, Please!
Did you know you can brûlée, like, anything? I always forget brûléeing is an option, because it’s one of those fancy cooking processes that’s too much fuss for home cooking. The thing is? It’s really not. All you need is a broiler and the courage to turn it on. (I suppose you might also need a fairly clean oven, or you’ll set off your smoke alarms — but I do that once a month anyway.) And once you’re in the swing of it, it’s truly so much fun.
“I love brûléeing the most simple things,” says our friend Jerrelle Guy, whose gorgeous cookbook, We Fancy, comes out this week. “Warm oatmeal, fresh bananas, grapefruit halves, the peanut butter on my peanut-butter toast. And whenever I brûlée my yogurt, it becomes decadent. I think of it as a no-bake crème brûlée.” For breakfast! Or whenever!
This week, we’re excited to share this fun, creamy, tangy new recipe from Jerelle’s book. True to the title, this is indeed a fancy dish, but Jerrelle is the kind of recipe writer who knows that fancy doesn’t need to be complicated (this is the woman who judged our boxed brownie taste test, after all). When she says you can do this — in less than 30 minutes, no less — you can trust her. And doesn’t a warm, citrus brûlée sound so good right now? Definitely worth braving the broiler. Let’s crack a window and do this thing.
Brûléed Lemon Yogurt With Berries
From We Fancy, by Jerrelle Guy
For the berry pico
1/2 cup blueberries and strawberries (fresh or frozen), diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
Kosher salt
For the yogurt crème brûlée
1 cup Greek yogurt (full-fat) or labneh
Turbinado sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Make the pico: In a small bowl, combine the berries, thyme, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Set aside to allow the berries some time to release their juices.
Make the yogurt: Divide the yogurt among four 4-ounce ramekins (or two 8-ounce ramekins), or small heat-proof bowls, and spread in a smooth, even layer. Wipe any splattered edges of the ramekins with a clean kitchen cloth. (If making ahead, you can cover the yogurt and refrigerate for up to three days, until ready to eat. You can also leave it overnight to make the yogurt firmer.)
Brûlée the yogurt: Sprinkle sugar over the tops of the yogurt in a thin, even layer. If using a broiler, set an oven rack just beneath the heating element and turn the broiler on high. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and slide under the broiler. You can also use a blow torch, moving in slow, circular motions over the yogurt. Burn the sugar until it beads, then caramelizes and melts into puddles. Remove from the oven (if using), and allow the yogurt to rest for a few minutes until the sugar hardens. Top with the pico and serve.
Note: If you want to make it even fancier, Jerrelle suggests mixing the yogurt with 2-3 tbsp of lemon curd and 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract, before transferring to the ramekins, to add a pleasant tang.
Thank you so much, Jerrelle! We love the new book!
P.S. Molly Yeh’s classic egg-in-a-hole, and seven delicious muffin recipes.
(Photos from Jerrelle Guy. Excerpted from We Fancy. Copyright © 2026 by Jerrelle Guy. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.)
Tags: breakfast recipes
Comments
41 commentsThe thyme adds such an earthy taste. I added a bit of honey in there and turned the berries into a compote. Absolutely delicious!!!
Kelsey, would we get the same effect if we used one of those handheld brulee gadgets? Is there a superior handheld or will the ones on Amazon do? Thanks for sharing your recipe with us!
I can answer this — yes!! We have one at our house and use it for everything :)
This is brilliant!! I’ve been on a creme brûlée kick this winter. What a fun way to have breakfast though!
I love Jerrelle Guy recipes from the NYT’s cooking site. This one is amazing. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027656-baked-creole-tetrazzini#notes_section
I’m going to do it with the pico under the yogurt so my brûlée topping stays crunchy!
Ooh, I love this idea.
What are we broiling IN? I have little ramekins that specifically say “no broiler” and I looked up the broil setting on my air fryer thing and it looks like it gets really hot. Any suggestions for what to use?
Excellent q! Many ceramic, porcelain or stoneware ramekins are oven-safe, and will be fine for a minute or two under the broiler (which is all you should need for something like this). I wouldn’t risk it with glass or pyrex, and if yours specifically say “no broiler” then it’s probably best not to. If you know the brand, you can often look up the exact heat ratings on the manufacturer’s website. That said, I’ve never looked up the specifics on my ceramic ramekins — I just know they’re oven-safe — and they’ve done fine!
Just here to say how much I LOVE Kelsey’s writing!!!! Always a weekly highlight for me.
What! Can this be done in a toaster oven?
Hi Jess! I don’t think so, unfortunately. You need a really hot, really close heat source.
If your toaster oven has a broil setting, it totally can! You just might want to lower the rack before putting the dish in – since toaster ovens are smaller the food sometimes ends up a lot closer to the broiler than in a full size oven. Other than that, broil away!
Highly recommend Ellenos brand yogurt! They make a wonderfully creamy plain unsweetened whole milk Greek yogurt. I find it at Whole Foods.
I read that Cabot’s full fat greek vanilla yogurt is a good sub for the Ellenos vanilla yogurt. I have both in my fridge and need to do a taste test.
Thanks for the recipe! Very interesting. In French, brûlée is the feminine past participle of the verb brûler (or bruler) -to burn. Seeing it used as a full-blown verb in English is wild to me. The same happens with sautée btw. And it is kind of the same with fiancée. In English, the form is used for husbands-to-be as well, I believe (vs the French masculin fiancé).
One of my college lecturers was fond of reminding us that “you can verb any word in English”!
We use fiancé for the male, fiancée for the female. If you see someone using fiancée for both that’s just an error.
OMG yuuuuuummmmmm! This looks so good. One of my favorite breakfast dishes is a bruleed oatmeal from a restaurant near me, so I will definitely be trying this.
My dad (cook in our house growing up) used to make something similar. He would place slices of peeled (blood)oranges on the bottom of an ovenproof dish, spoon thick natural or greek yoghurt on top, chill to very cold and brûleé the top under the broiler. Still one of my favorite deserts :)
This is brilliant!
oh wow yum. quick q: for those of us who typically have just regular yogurt in the fridge as a default, will that work as a substitute? or is the density of greek yogurt/labneh important for this to come out right? ty ty!
Hi Eva! I think the density does help, especially with maintaining the layer of sugar on top (I imagine it could sink in/dissolve more easily in thinner yogurt). If you want to give it a try, I’d suggest using Jerrelle’s recommendation to leave it overnight in the fridge, which will help it firm up a bit. I think it’s worth a shot!
You can also try draining plain yogurt using a sieve over an empty bowl. Liquid removed helps to thicken. Then proceed.
Gonna try this with Cabot Vanilla yogurt and maybe some espresso in the yogurt. Thanks for the great idea! That books looks great.
1/4 cup of yogurt is not NEARLY enough for a serving. ;) I think I’ll be having the full cup to myself. Absolutely adding that cookbook to my cart! It looks beautiful!
Right? 1/4 cup = 4.5 Tablespoons. Like, 4 bites. I’d need at least a half cup…but this is an amazing and easy idea – especially with a camping sized kitchen torch, a cheap and essential tool, imo! PS: now that we’ve done fire, I’d like advice on ice…the freezer specifically. I know you’re supposed to press as much air out of the container as possible to prevent freezer burn, but my frozen things still come out covered in frost. This cannot be the way. I don’t want to buy a food saver or other gadget. I’ve tried glass, but ususally use double ziplocks – neither work. Any suggestions?
Healy, do you place room temp, warm, and hot items straight into your freezer? It takes a really long time for your food to cool and your freezer then begins to freeze your food unevenly. Try cooling food items down in the fridge overnight before placing them in the freezer. If you do that, less condensation will form and the bonus is less water will be forced from the food you are trying to preserve. Food science. No new appliance needed.
Came here to say the same. Who eats 1/4 cup of yogurt at a time?! Also, 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons, not 4.5. However, I am super into this idea, as Greek yogurt is already my daily breakfast. And the lemon curd suggestion? Hell yes!
(Insert mind blowing emoji here). WHY haven’t I thought of this??? Genius!!!!
Loving It! It is an amazing idea!!!
Those spoons!! Any chance for an ID?
Came here for the same question.
Not OP but I typed in “floral spoons” and saw World Market had some cute ones!
Hi Dana! They’re from Jerrelle’s 2023 Anthropologie collection, which is sadly no longer available.
WHAT. Eyeing my morning oatmeal with yogurt in a completely different way….
First, I’m reading Old Money and loving the vivid setting that begins straight away. Still mourning the slow demise of food52’s recipe forum and what was once a robust creative food community. NYT Cooking is too stiff on comments to my liking. Thank heavens for independent recipe creatives so generous with their ideas! I use full fat Greek yogurt often in many diff ways so I’ll happily give light torching a try! The addition of lemon curd sounds right up my alley. Revisiting the muffin link as well!!
Food52 is a shell of what it was under Amanda. What a shame!
You might want to check out the NYT cooking subreddit. Better comments than on the NYC site itself.
Oh my gosh, Hillary, thank you so much for reading the book (and for the very kind words)!
Thank you for the suggestion Elle. I will check out Reddit. Never have.