This easy homemade custard recipe is a real treat. It's so creamy and delicious (although made without cream) and it takes less than 15 minutes to make, with an easy all in one method.
Firstly, to clarify, this is a stovetop custard recipe. It's a custard sauce, otherwise known as Creme Anglaise or English custard. It's the perfect accompaniment to pour over Apple and almond crumble , Healthy rhubarb crumble or a bowl of fruit. Egg custards that are baked in the oven are more solid, and not suitable to be used as a sauce.
A slightly thicker version of this custard can be used in recipes such as healthy trifle, gluten rhubarb and custard tart or healthy rhubarb muffins with a custard filling.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, definitely. Milk and eggs will still provide a delicious creamy texture and taste. You can use either whole milk, or skimmed milk if want a low fat custard.
Yes. I've used whole egg in this recipe as I think it is more convenient than having left over egg white. However if you do have egg yolks that you want to use up, replace one egg white with two egg yolks in this recipe
Easy custard recipe tips
This recipe uses an all in one method, and you'll only have one pan to wash up. Simply add all the ingredients to the pan, and stir constantly whilst you bring the custard to the boil. Voila, perfect lump free custard in just 10 minutes.
Adjust the recipe to suit
- If you want thick custard, use 200 ml of milk. If you prefer your custard to be thinner, use 250 ml milk. I suggest making the recipe with 200 ml milk, and then it's easy to stir in more milk at the end if you want to thin it down. The custard will continue to thicken as it cools
- Traditionally, custard is flavoured with vanilla. In this recipe I've used vanilla extract as it's simpler. However, you could also use a vanilla pod if you prefer.
- If you want a delicious chocolate custard, melt in a few squares of dark chocolate at the end. Yum:)
Healthy custard
One of the benefits of making homemade custard is that you can control what goes into it. This recipe is much lower in sugar than most bought custard, although of course you can sweeten it to taste, or replace the sugar with stevia or maple syrup. It's also lower in fat than most, especially if you use skimmed or fat reduced milk. And the combination of milk and egg make this a great source of calcium, protein and vitamin B12.
Enjoy your healthy custard hot or cold. If you want to leave it to cool and don't want a skin to form, you'll need to put a layer of greaseproof paper directly onto the custard. Enjoy!
If you're a big fan of custard, you might also like to try this custard oats recipe. It's healthy porridge with an egg, which makes a rich custardy porridge.
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Recipe
Easy Homemade Custard without Cream
Ingredients
- 200-250 ml milk see notes above
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 whole egg
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Measure the cold milk into a pan, and add the other ingredients. Stir well until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.200-250 ml milk, 1 tbsp cornflour, 2 tsp sugar, 1 whole egg, ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Place the pan over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to the boil and is thickened. Turn off the heat, and serve hot or cold.
- Using 200 ml of milk will make a thick custard, if preferred, add up to 50 ml more milk for a thinner consistency.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Scrambled Brains says
I scrambled mine! It has bits of cooked egg. I think because i cooked at a higher heat
Wendy says
Aw, sorry to hear that:( Yes, it sounds like you need a lower heat and remember to keep stirring.
Darly says
Was delicious! It was easy to make and with all the ingredients mixed together at one time, there's less dishes to wash. Will definitely do this again.
Wendy says
Thank you, I'm so glad to hear that:)
Hart says
can I use this custard in bread and butter pudding
Wendy says
Hi, that is a really good thought. But I've never tried it, and do wonder if the cooked custard might end up splitting if it's reheated. However, I'm fairly sure you could make a bread and butter pudding using milk rather than cream if you wanted to follow a conventional recipe and make that switch.
Mand says
Never actually made custard before, so so easy, I used skimmed milk 200, and half the sugar, lovely consistency, this will be a regular.
Wendy says
Thank you, I'm so glad:)
Patricia says
Just made this custard.Really easy and soo tasty .😋 Thanks.
Wendy says
Thank you, that's great to hear:)
Magdalena Hartley says
Hi, thank you for quick and easy recipe, sound very good, I am definitely going to make it, I made lots of custard recipes,but this one is easy. Australia.
Wendy says
Thank you:)
Sidney Davenport says
Note for US readers: cornflower=cornstarch.
Wendy says
Thank you:)
Lois Jones says
I have been looking for a cream free custard for a long time and I’m glad I found this one. I’ve made several times now. It’s super easy and comes out perfect each time, and sooo good. Thank you.
Wendy says
Thank you so much, that's really great to hear:)
Jamie says
Hi
The custard is banging BTW.
I only eat milk chocolate, will that make good custard?
Thanks
Wendy says
Hi, thanks for getting in contact. I'm glad you like it. You won't get such a rich chocolately flavour with milk chocolate, but I'm sure it'll be creamy and delicious.
Cloud says
Very simple and easy to make and good taste! I love it. I also change vanilla extract to coco powder, which taste good too. Thank you for recipe!
Wendy says
You are most welcome, thank you for your comment, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Lorraine says
First time I have made custard without the cream and it was amazing and so easy to make.
Wendy says
Thank you Lorraine. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Maria says
I've tried this custard recipe a few times & it's lovely. However, it's never enough so can I just double the ingredients to make double the custard & can it be made in advance & reheated. Thanks
Wendy says
Hello, thank you for getting in touch. I agree, you can never have too much custard;). Yes, you can certainly make double the quantity. However, when I have tried reheating the custard on the stove, it sometimes splits. You could try heating it over a pan of boiling water or with gentle bursts in the microwave and see whether that is more successful.
Maria says
Thank you for the reply, will definitely give the doubling method a go.
Wendy says
Enjoy:)
Bev says
I was looking for a custard without cream and found this recipe. I replaced the egg with just an egg yolk. I followed the recipe except I mixed the cornflour with some of the milk before adding it to the pan and it was so easy to make. Fabulous recipe and so easy. Thank you for sharing it.
Wendy says
Thank you so much, that's great to hear.
Sarah Strickland says
Fantastic, thank you
Wendy says
Thank you for your comment, that's great to know:)
Amerdine says
Great adding little milk to the cornflower helps
Thanks for recipe
Wendy says
Thanks for your comment Amerdine.
Mary Randles says
Absolute lifesaver.. we had a guest for dinner I had forgotten dessert. Super fast and easy to whip up with store cupboard staples! Thanks!
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, that's lovely to hear:)
Charlotte says
Love it! So quick and easy.
Wendy says
Thank you for letting me know, so glad you like it.
Carol says
Just made tonight. So easy and absolutely delicious. Thank you.
Wendy says
Thank you so much for your comment, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Mrs K says
Made a lovely custard.
I used soy milk and it worked great!
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, that's really good to know. You can also make dairy free custard with oat milk too.