Introducing Matcha Crème Brûlée Pie – custardy richness of classic crème brûlée with a touch of vibrant matcha green tea flavor. With a crisp caramelized sugar topping and flaky pie crust on the bottom, it's the perfect treat for your holiday gatherings. Plus you can make it days ahead and freeze it until Thanksgiving.
If you love matcha, you might also like Matcha Gateau Basque or Matcha Creme Anglaise. If you are fan of crème brûlée, try this Sesame Crème Brûlée.
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What is Matcha (抹茶)?
As I mentioned in Matcha Gateau Basque, matcha is a type of powdered green tea that's made from shade-grown tea leaves. It's known for its vibrant green color and distinctive, slightly bitter taste. The quality of the matcha you use always reflect on the food you make, so I highly recommend using ceremonial grade matcha for baking. The green color will last much longer than low quality matcha.
Ingredients in Matcha Crème Brûlée Pie
- Pie Crust - Try my flakiest easy pie crust recipe, or use your favorite flaky par-baked pie crust, which serves as the base of the pie.
- Matcha - Just 1 tablespoon of high-quality matcha powder is enough for this recipe.
- Heavy Cream - Heavy cream adds richness and creaminess to the filling, giving the pie its velvety texture.
- Egg Yolk - The fats in egg yolks contribute to the creamy mouthfeel of the dessert, and it also helps setting the filling and create a firm but delicate consistency.
- Granulated Sugar - Sugar sweetens the filling, balancing the bitterness of the matcha, and helps in caramelizing the top layer for the matcha crème brûlée filling.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Matcha Crème Brûlée Pie?
Prepare a prebaked pie crust. Set the oven at 320°F.
Heat up the heavy cream with medium to low fire.
While heavy cream is being warmed up, mix the sugar and egg yolk in a mixing bowl.
When the heavy cream almost comes to a boil, pour a very small amount of cream into matcha powder, and quickly whisk to matcha paste.
Combine the matcha paste and egg mixture.
Temper the matcha mixture with the rest of the heavy cream. Strain the mixture to remove any lumps.
Pour into pie crust.
Bake the pie at 320°F for 40 minutes.
Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over custard. Slowly caramelize the sugar with the torch. Repeat the last steps for 2 to 3 times until the whole pie is covered with caramel. If the custard was a bit melted, place in freezer for 5 minutes before serving,
Storage
Matcha Creme Brûlée Pie can be store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer up to 2 months on condition that the sugar isn’t added and torched.
Unfortunately the sugar crust doesn’t hold well in the fridge just like usual creme brûlée. If you are thinking about bring the pie for a Thanksgiving party, bring your torch there and perform it in front of other people.
Recipe Tips
Double or triple caramelize the sugar layer on top! Torching a whole pie-size creme brûlée takes much longer than torching a single-serving creme brûlée. The best way to torch it is building thin but multiple layers of sugar.
Cut first and then torch! Sugar crust might be hard to divid, so the best way is cutting it first and torching each slice individually.
Serve fresh! Crème brûlée is best served fresh, right after caramelizing the top, to maintain the contrast between the crispy surface and the creamy custard.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! This recipe is basically matcha creme brûlée, but the baking method is a bit different. If you want to make matcha creme brûlée, after you strain the mixture, pour into shallow heat-proof dishes. Bake them in a hot bath at 320°F for 30 - 40 minutes depends on the size of your dishes. Just like making Sesame Creme Brûlée.
There should be a thin skin forms on the surface, and you can gently touch it with a clean finger. If you try to shake it, it should be jiggly but not liquidly.
Unfortunately the sugar will dissolve into the moisture from creme brûlée after 30 minutes. Keeping it in the fridge can extend the melting time a little bit, but the best way is finish it as soon as it’s served.
Sugar in raw (turbinado sugar) can be a good option.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these Asian-tea desserts:
Recipe Card
Matcha Crème Brûlée Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust
- 400 g heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon ceremonial matcha powder
- 3 egg yolk
- 50 g granulated sugar
- extra sugar for topping
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare a prebaked pie crust. Set the oven at 320°F.
- Warm the cream up: Heat up the heavy cream with medium to low fire.
- Mix: While heavy cream is being warmed up, mix the sugar and egg yolk in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk: When the heavy cream almost comes to a boil, pour a very small amount of cream into matcha powder, and quickly whisk to matcha paste.
- Temper: Combine the matcha paste and egg mixture. Temper the matcha mixture with the rest of the heavy cream.
- Strain: Strain the mixture to remove any lumps.
- Bake: Pour into pie crust. Bake the pie at 320°F for 40 minutes.
- Chill: Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Torch the sugar: Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over custard. Slowly caramelize the sugar with the torch. Repeat the last steps for 2 to 3 times until the whole pie is covered with caramel. If the custard was a bit melted, place in freezer for 5 minutes before serving,
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