5.0 from 6 votes
Vanilla Custard (Pastry Cream)
This delicious silky smooth Vanilla Custard is a super easy to make French pastry cream! Made with egg yolks, milk, butter, and vanilla, it’s infused with a delicate buttery vanilla flavor. You can eat it topped with fresh fruit with a spoon like pudding or use it to make other desserts like cream puffs, tarts, eclairs, and even cakes!
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Chilling time
30 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 278 kcal
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
French
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean split in half and use scraped seeds, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 6 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted, softened
Instructions
- Add the milk and vanilla extract to a medium saucepan and heat until hot but not boiling.
- Meanwhile, add the egg yolks, sugar, and whisk until light and fluffy. Add cornstarch and salt to the bowl of you mixer and mix on medium speed until smooth.
- Gradually add the milk while mixing until well combined. Pour the mixture back into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and registers at 170°F. Should take about 6 to 10 minutes, make sure to not boil.
- Stir in the butter until smooth.
- Transfer the custard to a bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap directly over the surface of the cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- ½ cup.
- Recipe yields about 3 cups of custard. Nutrition information is per ½ cup.
- Room temperature eggs and butter. The butter and egg yolks should be at room temperature so that they blend together properly with the other ingredients.
- Never let the custard boil. At no point in this recipe should the milk or custard ever come to a boil. This is to prevent the custard from curdling and having an eggy taste.
- Plastic wrap the surface. The plastic wrap should be laid right on the surface of the custard. Doing so prevents a skin from forming on the top when it goes into the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Serving
1serving
Calories
278kcal
(14%)
Carbohydrates
32g
(11%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
15g
(23%)
Saturated Fat
8g
(40%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
5g
Trans Fat
0.3g
Cholesterol
213mg
(71%)
Sodium
89mg
(4%)
Potassium
143mg
(4%)
Fiber
0.05g
(0%)
Sugar
26g
(52%)
Vitamin A
610IU
(12%)
Calcium
125mg
(13%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 278
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 278kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 32g | 11% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 213mg | 71% |
| Sodium | 89mg | 4% |
| Potassium | 143mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 0.05g | 0% |
| Sugar | 26g | 52% |
| Vitamin A | 610IU | 12% |
| Calcium | 125mg | 13% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.