Review: Aldi - Vanilla Creme Brulee

Aldi's Specially Selected brand Vanilla Creme Brulee features a single-serving of "creamy vanilla-flavored custard to top with golden caramel flakes."

A 3.6-oz cup was $2.09.

The golden caramel flakes come in a separate foil pouch so that you just sprinkle them on prior to eating. If they came in the same cup as the custard, they would probably go soft.

If you want a "burnt" or "brulee" crust like in the photo on the packaging, you'll need to use a torch or broiler.

I don't have a torch and didn't feel like turning on the oven for a single small dessert so I tried putting it in the air fryer. I got mixed results--the creme stayed cool but the caramel flakes only half melted going 2 minutes under the broil section. I could have gone longer but, having made creme brulee before, I've seen that the line between caramelized and completely burnt is a pretty fine one that the windowless air fryer makes it hard to discern. I would guess another minute would have been fine but didn't want to chance it.

So I ended up with a semi-brulee topping. It was suitably crunchy with a slightly bitter, caramelized flavor.

The custard was cool and delicate but coherent with a smooth, silky texture. It was creamy but not quite rich with a moderate note of vanilla to it. It was sweet but not overly so.

Overall, Aldi's Specially Select Vanilla Creme Brulee turned out really well as far as the custard goes and can work out quite well as to the caramel flake topping depending on how you go about it. If you go the convenient route, you still get a bittersweet crunch but not that satisfying crack of a properly brulee'd crust.

Nutritional Info - Aldi Specially Select Vanilla Creme Brulee (109g)
Calories - 230 (from Fat - 140)
Fat - 15g (Saturated Fat - 8g)
Sodium - 15mg
Carbs - 21g (Sugar - 16g)
Protein - 5g