Vanilla Custard Recipe (2024)

This homemade vanilla custard recipe is easy to make. Use this delicious dessert sauce as a topping for pies, puddings, crumbles, and cakes. Custard is made of a few simple ingredients which are probably already in your pantry. By the way, this is the perfect custard sauce for bread pudding.

Ingredients notes and substitutions

• Dairy - Since milk is used to make custard, it's generally not dairy-free. To make a dairy-free or vegan custard, substitute the milk for your favorite milk substitutes like almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk. All of these three options add a lovely flavor to it but change the taste fundamentally. If you are lactose intolerant, use lactose-free milk. No matter which milk alternative you choose, substitute 1:1.
• Sugar - I recommend using only superfine sugar. If you can't get superfine sugar, place granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times until it is fine and powdery. Substitute the sugar for maple syrup, honey, or golden syrup 1:1 = 2 tablespoon (30ml) or use your favorite sweetener (must be fine and powdery or liquid) to make a sugar-free custard.
• Cornstarch - Cornstarch is naturally gluten-free. I did not try this recipe with any other thickener, but you could try one of these cornstarch substitutes.
• Vanilla - Since vanilla is the main flavor in this homemade vanilla custard recipe, I used the seeds of a real Bourbon vanilla bean. You can substitute the vanilla bean for 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract if preferred.

Don't know what to do with the egg whites? How about angel food cake?

Photo instructions

Start with whisking the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until combined and set aside.

Add milk to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and turn heat to low. Meanwhile, cut off both ends of the vanilla bean. Then place a finger on one end to hold the bean, and with the tip of a sharp knife, cut the vanilla pod lengthwise. Although you don't need to cut it all the way through, it's ok if you do so.

Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife.

Add both the pod and the seeds to the milk. Turn heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer. Then remove and discard the vanilla bean.

Turn heat down to low and remove the saucepan from the heat and spoon about ¼ to ½ cup (60-120ml) of the hot vanilla milk into the egg mixture while whisking to temper the egg yolks slowly.

Then place the saucepan back to the heat, pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and whisk until combined.

Cook gently on low heat for about 20 minutes or until thickened. Whisk continuously.

The vanilla custard is done when it coats the back of a spoon.

Expert tips and troubleshooting

• Slowly tempering the egg yolks should avoid forming lumps in the sauce. However, if you notice some lumps in the cooked sauce, pour it through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps.
• Resist the urge to speed up the cooking time by cooking the sauce at a higher temperature. It will thicken too much too fast and could curdle. Cook on low heat and do not boil or simmer the sauce at any time once the egg yolks are added to the milk.
• If you accidentally overcooked the egg custard and it's not a pourable sauce anymore, then remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly whisk in ¼ cup (60ml) of milk until smooth and combined. Bring back to the heat and gently cook until it coats the back of a spoon.
• Cook the sauce long enough until it coats the back of a spoon, or the sauce will be too thin. Although it thickens as it cools, you can thicken the custard after cooking by combining 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 teaspoon of water and whisk it into the sauce. Then place it back to the heat and cook until it coats the back of a spoon.

How long does it last in the fridge

Store the cooked dessert sauce in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Unfortunately, it doesn't freeze well.

More custard recipes to try

• Spanish Flan
• Crème Brûlée
• Custard Pie
• Chocolate Eclairs
• Banana Cream Pie
• Cream Puffs
• Bee Sting Cake

Recipe