The 5-Ingredient French Chocolate Dessert I Make Every Valentine's Day

Chocolate pot de crèmes—rich, velvety French custards—are easy enough to make on a weeknight, and luxurious enough for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day.

Yvonne Ruperti

Published February 08, 2025

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Overhead view of pot de cremes — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Why It Works

Using a bittersweet chocolate with about 70% cacao prevents the dessert from being cloyingly sweet.
A mixture of whole milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks produces a rich custard.
Cooking the pot de crèmes in a water bath ensures even, gentle cooking that reduces the risk of overcooking the custards.

When I think of the most sensuous desserts, chocolate pot de crème immediately comes to mind. Rich and supple, the chocolate custard envelops your mouth in a way a chocolate cake just can’t. Though similar in flavor and texture to a chocolate pudding, a pot de crème is technically a different beast. Both are custards, so it all comes down to the thickener and the method used to set the custard. A pudding is classified as a “stirred” custard and thickened with starch—generally cornstarch—while a pot de crème is baked and only relies on eggs to set it.

Side view of a scoop of pot de creme — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Which do I prefer? As a chocolate lover, it’s hard to choose. Pudding has its creamy merits, but it’s usually made with cocoa powder, and I much prefer the robust flavor of the dark chocolate used to make pot de crèmes. They’re my go-to dessert for multiple reasons: They’re deeply delicious, and a blend of milk, heavy cream, and yolks gives the custards their rich, velvety texture, while a water bath prevents them from overcooking. Plus, you can easily make them ahead of time and keep them refrigerated. It’s the best kind of dessert: easy enough to make on a weeknight, but also luxurious enough for special occasions like anniversaries or Valentine’s Day.

Overhead view of pot de creme — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

February 2014

Recipe Details

The 5-Ingredient French Chocolate Dessert I Make Every Valentine's Day

Prep 5 mins

Cook 45 mins

Cooling and Chilling Time 4 hrs 15 mins

Total 5 hrs 5 mins

Serves 4

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Ingredients

4 1/2 ounces (128g) bittersweet chocolate, about 70% cacao, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups (355ml) whole milk
3/4 cups (180ml) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
3 large egg yolks
3/4 ounce granulated sugar (22g; 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for topping (optional)
Chocolate shavings, for topping (optional)

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 325ºF (160ºF). Set four 4-ounce ramekins in a large roasting pan; set aside.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Place chocolate in a large mixing bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring milk, heavy cream, and salt to a boil over medium heat. Pour over chocolate and let sit until chocolate begins to melt, about 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
In a small bowl, whisk yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract to combine. Add yolk mixture to chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
Serious Eats /Amanda Suarez
Divide mixture evenly between ramekins. Pour just boiled water (around 180 to 200ºF; 88 to 93ºC) into baking dish until it comes 2/3 of the way up the ramekins; be careful not to splash water into ramekins as you pour. Carefully transfer roasting pan to middle rack ot oven and bake until puddings are just set, about 45 minutes. Remove roasting pan from oven and, using oven mitts or a kitchen towel, carefully remove ramekins from roasting pan; let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled and set, about 4 hours. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Special Equipment

Four 4-ounce ramekins, roasting pan, small saucepan, whisk, wire rack

Notes

Though most custard recipes may have you press plastic against the surface of the custard, there's no need to do that here: The surface of the custard darkens during cooking and appears as a skin, but does not form an actual skin.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The custards can be made up to 3 days in advance, loosely covered in plastic wrap, and refrigerated.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
517	Calories
42g	Fat
22g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	517
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 42g	53%
Saturated Fat 25g	123%
Cholesterol 248mg	83%
Sodium 261mg	11%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	8%
Dietary Fiber 5g	19%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 197mg	15%
Iron 6mg	36%
Potassium 494mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.