This easy homemade custard is made without cream using simple, everyday ingredients including milk, a whole egg and cornflour. It's smooth, creamy and delicious without the need for cream. There's no custard powder needed either, and it takes less than 15 minutes to make on the hob, with an easy all-in-one method.
To clarify, this easy homemade custard is a custard sauce, also known as Crème Anglaise or English custard. It's the perfect accompaniment to pour over apple and almond crumble, or a bowl of stewed fruit. It's no exaggeration to say that between my daughter and me, we've made this custard recipe over 300 times!
Egg custards that are baked in the oven are more solid and not suitable for use as a sauce.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- Made without cream. This homemade custard is rich and creamy, but lighter and lower in saturated fat than a traditional recipe
- No custard powder needed. This convenient recipe is made from ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen
- Uses a whole egg, so there's no egg whites to use up later
- Quick and easy. Everything is mixed in one pan and the custard is ready in less than 15 minutes
- Easy to adapt. You can make it thicker or thinner for different types of dessert, and serve it warm or chilled
- Lower in added sugar. With just a small amount of added sugar, it's a healthier homemade custard recipe
Ingredients
Milk. I made this healthier custard with skimmed milk, but you could also use either semi-skimmed or full-fat milk. I've also got a recipe for dairy-free custard if you prefer.
Egg. I find custard with a whole egg convenient, as I make it frequently and don't want leftover egg whites. But if you prefer, you can use two egg yolks in place of one whole egg. You'll get a slightly richer, more eggy flavour and a deeper yellow colour.
Cornflour, also known as cornstarch. This fine white powder, which is found in the baking section of supermarkets, is not the same as cornmeal or polenta.
Sugar. There's only a small amount of sugar in the recipe, as milk is naturally quite sweet. If you prefer, you can substitute the sugar with either honey or an alternative sweetener such as stevia. I've personally made the recipe with honey before when I've run out of sugar.
Vanilla extract. Start with 1 quarter of a teaspoon, and you can always add more if you prefer a stronger vanilla flavour. A few readers have commented that they prefer to add a little more vanilla.
How to make custard without cream
This recipe uses an easy all-in-one method, and you'll only have one pan to wash up.
Simply add all the ingredients to a cold pan and whisk together until smooth.
Place on a low heat. Whisk constantly whilst you bring the custard up to the boil. Ensure that you stir across the whole pan whilst you are whisking so that the custard doesn't catch on the bottom.
Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the custard has just come to the boil and is thick and smooth. You'll have perfect lump-free custard in 10 minutes!
Recipe tips
- Keep the heat low and keep stirring!
- Take the custard off the heat once it has come to the boil and is thick and smooth. Overcooked custard can taste too eggy as the proteins in the egg start to change.
- 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. Delicious!
How to serve homemade custard
Often, if I've made a lighter dinner such as a salad, I'll make crumble and custard for dessert. It's filling, and the combination of milk and egg in the custard makes this a great source of calcium, protein and vitamin B12.
Banana and custard is one of my favourite snacks. And custard with stewed rhubarb and apple is perfect!
A slightly thicker version of this custard can be used in recipes such as healthy trifle, gluten free rhubarb and custard tart or healthy rhubarb muffins with a custard filling.
Easy custard desserts
Storage and reheating
Enjoy your healthy custard hot or cold. If you want to leave it to cool without a skin forming, you'll need to put a layer of greaseproof paper directly onto the custard.
Cooled custard can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you want to reheat it, put it in a pan (ideally non-stick) and heat it very gently whilst stirring constantly.
The heat must be very low, otherwise the custard can curdle. If you struggle with that on your hob, put the custard in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. It'll take a little longer to reheat this way, but will keep the heat lower.
If you're a big fan of custard, and fancy it for breakfast, try this custard oats recipe. It's healthy porridge with an egg, which makes a rich custardy flavoured porridge.
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 depending on how rich you want the custard to be.
Yes. I've used whole eggs to make this custard as I think it is more convenient than having leftover egg white. However, if you do have egg yolks that you want to use up, replace one whole egg with two egg yolks in this recipe.
Yes. You don't need custard powder to make custard. This recipe uses cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the custard, together with a whole egg for flavour and richness. Vanilla adds the traditional custard flavour, so there's no need for custard powder.
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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 low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture just comes to a boil and thickens. Ensure that you stir right across the base of the pan and into the corners. Turn off the heat immediately, 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.
Notes
- Keep the heat low and keep stirring!
- Take the custard off the heat once it has come to the boil and is thick and smooth. Overcooked custard can taste overly eggy as the proteins in the egg start to change.
- Use a vanilla pod in place of vanilla extract if you prefer.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Linda Carroll says
Really pleased with this easy to make custard and also the fact that my husband asked me where I'd bought the custard from!
Marc thackeray says
Just made this had it with old school cake was absolutely amazing
James says
This is a nice easy recipe! The only downside was that I followed the recipe to a tee - and it wasn’t silky smooth custard. It was slightly lumpy and not a smooth consistency. Any ideas how I can stop it being lumpy and also more silky?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, I think maybe you've got the heat turned up a little too high. Try a lower heat and keep stirring as the custard comes up to the boil. Use a whisk if you find it easier.
Amanda says
Very nice recipe Linda. I will double the vanilla next time as for me it wasn't strong enough but everyones tastebuds are different. But the smoothness and thickness was perfect.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, Amanda. Yes, feel free to add more vanilla. It might also depend on what you are serving the custard with.
edward collins says
Have not made this yet and was wondering if I could substitute 2 packages of Sucralose for the sugar? I'm low carb.
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, yes you could use sucralose in place of sugar. I'm not exactly sure of the right quantity to use though. You could start with one pack and add the second if needed.
cici says
Hey can i use this recipe for a vanilla slice or custard tarts?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, I have used this custard recipe for a custard tart, but it might not be firm enough for a custard slice. I think I would double the quantity of cornflour for a custard slice
Abbie Perryman says
was too thick immediately, was tasteless and when i added more milk it was just a watery mess.
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi Abbie, sorry but I think something went wrong somewhere. This is a very well-tested recipe; not only do I make it at least once a week, but it has also been tested by thousands of readers.
Dave Thackery says
I was making two trifles and required some thick custard (blancmange ish). I made two portions of the custard each portion being double the basic recipe. I used 2 X heaped cornflour, 500ml of milk, 2 x eggs, a good teaspoon of vanilla extract but less sugar. Perfect.
Thank you for the recipe it is lovely and will use it when required in the future.
Matti says
Not very strong flavour and has an eggyness to it, it's also very thick. It seems like placing everything into the pan at once and mixing doesn't incorporate very well so I will try the recipe again adding things incrementally. The same recipe is just fine using two egg yolks, but I really don't want to have to waste the egg whites
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, you can adjust the flavour with the amount of vanilla and sugar that you add to the recipe. You can also add a little more milk if you'd prefer, although I'd suggest doing this at the end so you can see how thick it is first.
Victoria C J Fullerton says
THere is a traditional safer way to make this... which is to temper the milk mixture.. so heat the milk slowly and then take a small amount to beat into the egg beaten with the cornstarch and sugar. Once you have a paste, then you add that to the warmed milk and immediately whisk until smooth. Try that.
Joni Harris says
Just found this as I looked for ‘healthy custard recipes without cream’. Trying to get my husband and I to eat healthier and keep our weight down …
WHAT A GLORIOUS FIND! Soo easy and soooo delectable ☺️
Thank you ~ keep up the healthier food recipes ☺️♥️
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you so much, what a lovely comment:)
Lynne says
I needed a quick and easy recipe.
This is the one for me. It’s so nice. I will be using this always !! I did three quarters milk and quarter double cream (needed using up). It was delicious. Thank you for sharing it
😋😋
karina says
Can you use just egg yolks to make a darker colour and how many would i need.
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, yes, you can. Use 2 egg yolks in place of one whole egg, and your custard will be a deeper golden yellow.
Steff says
This is a fantastic. I didn't know how easy it was to make custard and without cream. Who needs custard powder when this simple recipe is a joy to follow! I found white spelt flour worked as I did not have any cornflour. The custard thickened. Thanks for this recipe.
Carla says
Easy and delicious, made it for my kids and served it with fresh sliced banana.
Mariam Jilani Papini says
Hi just wondering if I could use coconut milk, would it still work?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, yes it should do - I think another reader might have tried that. But of course the flavour will be very different.
Mariam Jilani Papini says
Oh my goodness! I just made this with coconut milk and coconut sugar and it was delicious.
Thank you so much for this simple healthy recipe.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you for letting me know. I'm so glad your coconut milk custard was a success!
Steff says
I used a whole oat drink instead of normal milk. It work well and he, my partner, was very impressed it was not made from custard powder.
J mead says
Do you have to use corn flower
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, yes the cornflour is essential to thicken the custard and stabilise the eggs. Another reader suggested arrowroot powder as a replacement, but I haven't tried it personally I'm afraid.
Rosie Cremona says
I have use arrowroot to thicken my custard and it works ..
Ron says
Hi All,
Just made this custard for the 1st time,wow real success I won't be buying shop custard any more .thanks a lot
Jamisa says
I’ve used arrowroot when I didn’t have the cornflour and it was just as nice.
anu says
Won't bringing the mixture to a boil cause the egg whites to coagulate?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, so long as the heat is not too high and the mixture is stirred whilst it is heating up, the eggs won't coagulate. And once it comes to the boil and thickens, you remove it from the heat.
Marquita Lee says
Cani use an egg substitute...just egg
Wendy Faulkner says
I've never made custard without eggs. But vegan custard is often made with just plant milk and cornflour and flavoured with vanilla. Sometimes people add a little turmeric for colour, so you could try that.
Hannah says
This recipe has become the go-to dessert for my kids! It’s so quick and simple to make, they even love to help. Sometimes I add in a little sweet chocolate powder for a little something different.
Tina Day says
Absolutely fantastic recipe! I’d always been too nervous to make custard but when I read this I was inspired- I’ve always used Delia Smith’s one pot white sauce method which has never failed me so I could see this working too, and it did! My husband was very impressed lol. Thank you so much for a recipe I will forever use!
Billy says
Is it possible to replace the sugar with maple syrup? If so, how much would you recommend? Incredibly excited to try this recipe for my little one!
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi Billy, yes, you can use maple syrup as a substitute for sugar. I'd use a dessertspoonful for this quantity of custard, but you could add a little more if you feel it's not sweet enough. I hope your little one likes it!
Kylee says
So easy! Love this recipe 🥰
Terri says
Made this for my kids and swapped sugar for unrefined coconut sugar and corn flour for tapioca starch - turned out great! The kids loved it and asked for more. Might have to do a double batch next time.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thanks for your feedback. That's really helpful to know that the recipe was successful with tapioca starch.
Trudie says
I made a rhubarb crumble before discovering I'd run out of custard powder. I thought I'd look for a recipe but was worried it would need loads of cream and be very complicated. This recipe is perfect. It uses basic store cupboard ingredients and is quick, easy and delicious. Don't think I'll bother with custard powder again.
Wendy says
A super easy and tasty custard. Thank you for the recipe 😍
Chantal says
Yummy! And so simple, thanks a lot for this recipe. You are right, Custard is very similar to Crème Anglaise as we, Frenchies, call it. Maybe a little thicker. I love your recipe...and the hubby loves my Custard. In France, we usually eat it cold, but since I'm married with an English block, I like it both ways!
This Custard I just made will top beautifully the apple and blackberry crumbles I've made for bringing to my neighbours as they invited us:)
Jackie says
Great easy peasy recipe no more artificial custard😊