Crema Catalana

Name: Crema Catalana
Prep time: 11 min
Cook time: 19 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 400ml Milk; 150ml Double Cream; 1 Cinnamon Stick; 1 Orange Zest; 1 Lemon Zest; 7 Egg Yolks; 100g Caster Sugar; 6 tablespoons Caster Sugar; 45g Corn Flour

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Dessert recipe with Spanish flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 45 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 30 min total

400ml Milk
150ml Double Cream
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Orange Zest
1 Lemon Zest
7 Egg Yolks
100g Caster Sugar
6 tablespoons Caster Sugar
45g Corn Flour

Step-by-step instructions

Put the milk, cream, cinnamon stick and all the citrus zest in a saucepan set over a medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the milk is just steaming but not boiling, about 3-5 mins. Remove from the heat, cover with a plate and leave to infuse for at least 30 mins.
When the cream mixture has infused, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a separate bowl for 3-5 mins, or until light and pale in colour. Pour the infused milk through a sieve into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the saucepan.
Put the saucepan over a medium-high heat and whisk for around 10-12 mins. The mixture should start thickening to a custard-like consistency – you can tell it’s ready by dipping a wooden spoon in the mixture, then running a finger through the mixture on the back of the spoon. If the line holds, it's ready. Sieve the mixture into a jug to remove any froth.
Divide the custard between six 150ml ramekins or small terracotta dishes, then leave to cool for 1 hr at room temperature until set with a slight wobble. Chill overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle 1 tbsp caster sugar over the top of each ramekin and caramelise using a kitchen blowtorch. Alternatively, slide the ramekins under a hot grill until the sugar turns golden and starts to bubble. Serve straightaway.

Why this works on a weeknight

Crema Catalana genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Sweet Finishes collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Crema Catalana actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍮 Sweet Finishes Dessert Spanish ⚡ 30-Min Dinner