This easy Vanilla Bean Custard Recipe makes a rich, creamy homemade custard with real vanilla beans. Made from scratch with simple ingredients and without cream or cornstarch, this classic vanilla custard is a must-try!
Custard is great on its own but even better drizzled over Easy Dinner Party Desserts, like this Strawberry and Apple Crumble or this Malva Pudding!
Why This Vanilla Bean Custard Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Vanilla Bean Custard
- Ready in: 1 hr 10 minutes
- Serves: 4 servings
- Main ingredients: Egg yolks, sugar, flour, milk, and vanilla bean pod.
- Perfect for: Use as a filling for cakes, cupcakes, and tarts, or serve it in a glass with peaches or fresh berries.
- Why I love it: This rich, creamy homemade Vanilla Bean Custard recipe uses real vanilla beans and is made without cream.
- Calories: 417kcal
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If you love trying new dessert recipes, you'll want to try this recipe for mini Tiramisu Cups, this Baileys Panna Cotta, or this White Chocolate Crème Brûlée recipe.
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Key Ingredients
- Extra-large eggs - Out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams and the yolks are about 2 grams each. Weigh your eggs and adjust accordingly.
- Caster sugar - Use superfine sugar for this recipe.
- Cake flour - Use flour rather than cornstarch to thicken the custard; use cake flour or all-purpose flour.
- Vanilla bean pod - If you can't find vanilla beans, use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
This custard is a great recipe to perfect for use in other bakes such as a filling for cakes and cupcakes, as it is thick enough to hold its form. This Vanilla Buttercream Cake or these Vanilla Cupcakes with Oil would be delicious filled with this homemade custard.
This pastry cream recipe works perfectly as a custard filling in tart shells, as seen in this Strawberry Custard Tart Recipe.
How to Make Vanilla Bean Custard
- Step 1: Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
- Step 2: Add the flour to the egg mixture and whisk again.
- Step 3: Add the milk, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla bean pod to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture until just before boiling. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the hot milk mixture into a jug.
- Step 4: While whisking continuously, add a little of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, and whisk until smooth. Pour the remaining milk in a steady stream into the egg mixture while still whisking continuously.
- Step 5: Strain the custard mixture through a sieve into a clean saucepan set over medium-low heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove the custard from the heat and whisk until smooth.
- Step 6: Add the cubed butter to the custard and whisk continuously until melted and incorporated. Spoon the custard into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool, then use the custard as desired. Enjoy!
How to Make The Perfect Custard
- Don't overheat the milk; once you see it is just about to reach boiling point, take it off the stove and add it to a jug to make tempering the eggs easier.
- Sieve the mixture as instructed in the recipe, you may been too slow with whisking as you add the milk to the eggs and this can result in part of the egg yolks cooking and forming small hard lumps. Sieve these out for the best-textured custard before thickening it on the stove.
- Use a clean saucepan when returning the custard mixture to the heat to thicken.
- Whisk constantly as the custard thickens to ensure a smooth, lump-free custard. This also prevents the custard from burning at the bottom of the saucepan.
- Once the custard is thick, continue whisking for about 3 - 5 minutes to prevent lumps from forming, then add the butter and whisk again.
- Make sure the plastic wrap touches the surface of the custard; otherwise, a skin will form as the custard cools.
Vanilla Bean Custard FAQs
This recipe makes a spoonable rather than pourable custard; serve alongside baked desserts if you prefer a sturdier custard.
Serve this custard alone in pretty glasses as I have done, or as a side to any cake or dessert. If serving desserts in glasses is your jam, try this Espresso Panna Cotta, this Banoffee Verrine, or these delicious Tiramisu Cups.
Store any leftover custard in a mixing bowl or an airtight container with cling film pressed over the surface of the custard. This prevents a skin from forming on the custard during storage. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Fresh strawberries and berries, peaches, or even stewed apples would be delicious with this custard recipe.
Yes, if you'd like an even richer custard, you can replace up to half the milk with heavy cream. This will give a silkier, more indulgent texture, though this recipe is designed to be deliciously creamy using milk alone.
Yes, you can substitute cornstarch for the flour in this recipe if you prefer. Use half the amount of cornstarch as you would flour, since cornstarch has stronger thickening power.
More Easy Dessert Recipes with Egg Yolks
This vanilla custard recipe is perfect for any home baker looking to nail an easy custard recipe that they can turn to for fillings and sides! If you're wondering what to do with the leftover egg whites, try this recipe for Easy Mini Mango Pavlovas or these Chocolate and Hazelnut Meringues.
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at these Mini Apple Crumble Tarts!
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Bean Custard
Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks extra-large
- 120 g castor sugar
- 50 g cake flour
- 500 ml whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- 50 g unsalted butter cubed
Instructions
Vanilla Bean Custard
- Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour to the egg mixture and whisk again.
- Add the milk, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla bean pod to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and heat the mixture until just before boiling. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the hot milk mixture into a jug.
- While whisking continuously, add a little of the warm milk mixture to the egg mixture, and whisk until smooth. Pour the remaining milk in a steady stream into the egg mixture while still whisking continuously.
- Strain the custard mixture through a sieve into a clean saucepan set over medium-low heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove the custard from the heat and whisk until smooth.
- Add the cubed butter to the custard and whisk continuously until melted and incorporated.
- Spoon the custard into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool, then use the custard as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes about 2.5 cups of custard, which is about 4 servings depending on how much custard you'd like to plate up!
- I always get help from a family member to pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs, this way you can focus on the whisking part!
Jen says
I’ve always been scared of making custard but this recipe was so easy! Thank you for sharing