A simple recipe for pouring custard, or crème anglaise, made with cream, egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar. Pour over crumbles, crisps, and more. Making your own custard couldn't be easier, and just needs a bit of time and patience. It's a good basic baking skill to have and a simple recipe to memorize once you've made it a few times!
Serve your custard with a British classic, bread and butter pudding, or try it with a sweet-tart rhubarb crisp or autumnal apple blackberry crisp. Pictured is with baked fruit and candied walnuts.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- 10% Cream: any cream between 10% and 18% fat content will work. Most milk or cream will work depending on how thick you want the custard to be. We've listed half whipping cream and half whole milk in the recipe card because we know not everyone can get half-and-half cream.
- Vanilla: try subbing ¼ teaspoon of almond extract for the vanilla if you'd like an almond-flavoured custard.
- Eggs yolks: these should be from large eggs.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Method
Step 1: add the egg yolks, cream, sugar, and vanilla to a pot.
Step 2: whisk everything together until smooth.
Step 3: cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until thick.
Step 4: serve warm or cold.
Top Tips
- If your custard separates: this can happen after cooling - it's not split in that case - but a good whisk will make the custard smooth again.
- Keep the temperature low: stirring constantly and keeping the custard at a low temperature will prevent the eggs from scrambling. Be patient.
- Do a spoon test: the surefire way to know if a custard has thickened properly is to see if it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Run your finger through the custard: if a line stays without filling in, the custard is ready. See picture 3 in the step-by-step images above for how the custard stays on the spoon.
How to Store
Storage: keep the fully cooled custard in a sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge. It will thicken as it chills and you may want to bring it back up to room temperature before serving if it's too thick to pour. If it splits at all, gently reheat by placing the bowl into another bowl filled with warm (not hot) water and whisk vigorously until smooth.
Freezing: while custard can be tricky to freeze, as it will definitely split when frozen, you can reheat it after thawing to get it to come together again. Follow the same method as above (in a bowl of warm water) after thawing overnight in the fridge. If serving warm, reheat over a bain-marie instead.
Recipe Notes
If you don't plan to serve the custard immediately, pour it into a shallow dish that has a lid. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the surface of the custard and gently press out any air bubbles, folding the edges as needed. It will prevent the custard from forming a skin (a layer of slightly dry custard on top).
Two main factors come into play when making custard, and both are related to heat. First, custard should cook over low-medium heat. If the custard shows any sign of sticking to the bottom of the pot, reduce the heat immediately. Second, use a thermometer. Using a thermometer is a surefire way to achieve accuracy and consistency. Custards begin to set around 160ºF (71ºC) and are generally considered done at 170º-172ºF (77º-78ºF).
If you make this Vanilla Pouring Custard recipe or any other baking basics on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Pouring Custard (Crème Anglaise)
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Medium sized pot
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk *
- 6 egg yolks, about 120 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup white sugar
Instructions
- Add the cream, egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar in a medium pot and whisk together to combine.
- Place the pot over low-medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard has thickened. Don't let it come to a rapid boil.
- The custard is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and you can trace a line in it. Serve warm as pouring custard or let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating if you prefer a firmer custard.
- Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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