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OMG! HotForFood's Lauren Toyota is a magician in the kitchen. Unlike normal magicians, Lauren is happy to reveal her secrets and show you exactly how she creates the divine creme brûlée that is creamy and sumptuous but completely free of dairy and, therefore, cholesterol-free and cruelty-free. So watch and try this at home! Warning, you need a mini-blow torch! Here's the written recipe so you can make it exactly the same way! For more fabulous inspiration from Lauren Toyota, please visit: https://www.hotforfoodblog.com

Vegan Crème Brûlée

Makes 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Refrigerate: 6 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 C soft tofu
⅔ C granulated sugar, plus extra for brûlée
½ C thick cream from a can of coconut milk
¼ C nondairy milk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 vanilla bean
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
tiny pinch of turmeric (optional)

Strain excess water from the tofu. I used a nut milk bag to squeeze most of it out. Add tofu to a blender with sugar, coconut cream, nondairy milk, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, sea salt, and turmeric. Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean, adding the paste to the blender.

Blend until very smooth, then pour the mixture into a saucepan. Heat it over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, until it's thickened and gelatinous - approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Divide the mixture evenly into ramekins and allow to cool at room temperature. Once they're somewhat cooled and still warm, but not piping hot, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours until firm or overnight.

Only brûlée the top right before serving. To brûlée, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar on top of a serving and torch it until deep golden brown and a caramel coating forms. You want to hold the torch far enough away from the surface so the end of the flame burns the sugar rather than the base of the flame. Move it around to prevent overly burnt spots. Let it rest for a few minutes, then serve immediately.