If you’re looking for more non-dairy baking staples, check out my Vegan Condensed Milk, Heavy Cream Substitute, and Heavy Whipping Cream Substitution recipes! This perfect Vegan Custard recipe will make you feel like a real pastry chef. It’s velvety smooth with sophisticated vanilla flavors and easy to make with only 4 ingredients in 10 minutes! Unlike other vegan custard recipes, my version isn’t overly thick or runny and is coconut-free and gluten-free. There are so many ways to use it, too! Enjoy the vanilla vegan custard (or any of the fun flavor variations below) in vegan cakes, eclairs, cream puffs, donuts, fruit tarts, and more.
What is custard?
Custard (crème pâtissière) is a smooth and creamy sauce made from dairy milk and/or cream, egg yolks, starch, vanilla, and sugar. Once it turns into a smooth sauce, the custard is served on its own (like pudding) or used as a filling for many pastries, like eclairs, tarts, and profiteroles. I have tried several vegan vanilla custard recipes, none of which came close to a truly rich French custard. Luckily, my recipe tastes amazing and has a beautifully rich and creamy consistency!
How to make vegan custard
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below. Whisk the milk and cornstarch together in a bowl or large glass measuring cup until smooth. Afterward, add the sugar and milk-cornstarch mixture to a medium pot. Heat to a simmer over medium heat and whisk until it’s thickened (about 5 minutes). Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Tip: Don’t walk away from the stove! The custard needs to be whisked constantly to activate the starch and achieve that silky texture. Transfer the custard to a bowl and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top. Set it aside to cool. Is the custard too thick? Add another ¼ to ½ cup of milk to make it runnier. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to smooth the custard if there are lumps (there shouldn’t be). Use it anywhere you like and enjoy!
Flavor variations
Vanilla custard – You can take the vanilla flavors in this recipe up a notch by replacing the vanilla extract with vanilla bean paste or a freshly scraped vanilla bean. Lemon custard – Simmer ¼ cup of lemon juice along with the sugar and milk/cornstarch, then stir in ½ to 1 tablespoon of lemon zest when you add the vanilla. Coconut custard – Either swap the oat milk for 1 can of full-fat coconut milk or full-fat coconut cream or replace the vanilla extract with an equal amount of coconut extract. Chocolate custard – Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the pot along with the sugar and milk/cornstarch, then stir in about 6 ounces of vegan chocolate when you add the vanilla. Pumpkin custard – Stir ½ cup of pumpkin puree and ½ tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice into the milk-sugar mixture, then make the recipe as normal.
Ways to use vegan pastry cream
It’s a wonderful filling for all kinds of pastries and desserts, like:
Vegan Eclairs and Cream Puffs Boston Cream Donuts and other cream-filled donuts Tarts with fresh fruit and berries Vegan Croissants Boston Cream Pie Vegan Banana Cream Pie Vanilla Cake, Lemon Cake, or Strawberry Cake Vegan Creme Brulee
You can also use it as a sweet and creamy dip for fresh fruit, a substitute for yogurt in parfaits, in vegan banana pudding, or a topping for strawberry crumble or vegan apple pie.
Frequently asked questions
*This recipe was originally published in January 2021. After some troubleshooting and a lot of testing, I have changed the recipe quite a bit. The old version was too thick, clumped easily and tasted too much like coconut. This recipe is easier and so much better!
