Chocolate Pots de Crème

Chocolate pots de crème are rich and creamy French chocolate custards with intense chocolate flavors. Easy to make with just 5 ingredients, they make a decadent dessert ready in no time!

Growing up in France, chocolate pots de crème have always been my favorite for dessert! In France, you can find them in the dairy section of every grocery store, alongside with other yogurts and custards of all sorts (vanilla, caramel, coffee, and so many more!). Outside of France however, they’re almost impossible to find and the dairy section is usually all about yogurts. Luckily, chocolate pots de crème are incredibly easy to make (no baking/cooking skills required) and ready within minutes!

What is chocolate pot de crème?

Chocolate pots de crème is a rich and silky-smooth French chocolate custard prepared with egg yolks and baked in the oven. They’re usually made in individual ramekins or glass jars, hence the name “pots de crème” which refers both to the vessel used for the recipe and the custard itself.

Chocolate pots de crème in short:

• Super QUICK & EASY to make ✔
• 5 ingredients only ✔
• Rich, creamy and decadent ✔
• Intense chocolate flavors ✔
• Can be made in advance ✔

5 simple ingredients

Because you only need 5 ingredients to make these extra delicious chocolate pots de crème, try to choose high quality ingredients only for best results!

• Dark chocolate. I recommend 70% cocoa dark baking chocolate for intense chocolate flavors (my favorite). If you have milder tastes, you can go for a 60% baking chocolate or even high quality semi-sweet chocolate.
• Heavy liquid cream. I recommend 33% heavy cream for best results. Stay away from low fat liquid cream that would impact the final texture of the cream.
• Egg yolks. You need no less than 6 egg yolks for the recipe. Choose them extra fresh and refer to my FAQ section to find great use of the remaining whites!
• Sugar. Go for regular granulated sugar.
• Vanilla bean. The addition of vanilla seeds extracted from the pod makes the recipe divine! However, for budget reasons (vanilla pod is extremely pricey) you can replace with a splash of vanilla extract if desired.

How to make chocolate pots de crème?

1. Chop the chocolate into small bite pieces and place it in a warm glass bowl.
2. Heat the cream in a saucepan until hot and starting to simmer, then pour onto the chocolate and stir until silky smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Slowly pour the chocolate sauce onto the egg mixture, until fully incorporated, and add the vanilla seeds.
5. Divide the chocolate cream onto the ramekins, place them in a shallow baking dish and fill the dish with water, up to half the ramekins.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until almost set on top but still jiggling slightly. Let cool, and enjoy, with topping of choice!

Pro tips to get perfect chocolate pots de crème

• Use gram measurements and a digital scale rather than using cups. Cup measurements are not accurate enough for this French recipe.
• Choose high quality ingredients. Use a high quality baking chocolate, preferably a 60 to 70% cocoa dark chocolate, very fresh eggs, and liquid cream at 30% fat or more.
• Tips when using the chocolate. Chop the chocolate finely; this will enable the chocolate to melt nicely when in contact of the hot liquid cream. Also, let the melted chocolate cool slightly before adding to the yolk mixture to prevent from curdling when in contact to the raw yolks.
• Don’t skip the water bath step! This is key to get a perfect creamy and silky-smooth texture, a little bit like crème brûlée. Place the ramekins to a shallow baking dish, then fill in with water, up to half the ramekins.
• Monitor the baking time, since every oven is different. Again, the perfect pot de crème is almost baked on top while still super creamy inside. Better to under-bake them a little (keeping in mind that they will set while cooling in the refrigerator) than overbake them.
• Serve cold, topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings in top like Americans do, or as is like French do!

FAQ

• What’s the difference between chocolate pots de crème and chocolate pudding? A chocolate pudding is usually thickened with cornstarch while the pot de crème uses egg yolks to create the thick, creamy custard-like texture.
• Can I make these pots de crème in advance? Absolutely! Because these pots de crème are best once chilled in the refrigerator it’s actually recommended to prepare them in advance. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, covered with plastic wrap. When ready to serve, top with homemade whipped cream, and voilà!
• What to do with the remaining egg whites? This recipe uses 6 yolks, which leaves you with 6 egg whites to use. Instead of discarding them, I encourage you to try a meringue recipe like in this pavlova recipe, or to prepare these French Almond Tuiles that would pair amazingly with these chocolate pots de crème!

For the chocolate lovers…

• Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Homemade Hot Chocolate
• Best Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Charlotte Cake
• Chocolate Pancakes
• Dark Chocolate Mousse
• To go further, discover my Best Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

Chocolate Pots de Crème

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: French recipes

Chocolate pots de crème are rich and creamy French chocolate custards with intense chocolate flavors. Easy to make with just 5 ingredients, they make an ultra delicious dessert ready in no time!

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Ingredients

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• 6 ounces (180g) dark baking chocolate, chopped*
• 2 cups (500 ml) heavy liquid cream
• 6 egg yolks
• ⅔ cup (125g) sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds**

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. Put the chocolate in a very warm medium bowl*** and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy liquid cream on medium heat until it starts simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate in two or three additions, stirring until melted between each addition.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy.
5. Pour about one third of the chocolate sauce into the egg yolk mixture and mix well. Stir in the remaining chocolate sauce and add in the vanilla seeds.
6. Divide the chocolate cream into 6 ramekins. Place them onto a large and shallow baking dish and pour enough water into the dish to cover almost half of the ramekins.
7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes (the top must still be set but still slightly gelatinous). Remove the ramekins from the baking dish and transfer onto a rack to cool completely. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until the ramekins are cold.
8. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

* Choose a high quality baking chocolate. 70% cocoa dark chocolate is preferred, but you can also go for 60% cocoa baking chocolate or semi-sweet baking chocolate. It’s also very important to chop the chocolate into equal size small-bite pieces, it will help the chocolate to melt evenly when pouring the hot liquid cream over.

** Because vanilla bean can be very pricey, you can keep the use of vanilla bean optional in the recipe and replace with a splash of vanilla extract if desired.

*** I recommend to use a glass mixing bowl and warm it up in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes before using.

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