Silky smooth and rich vanilla vegan custard, made with only 6 ingredients! No eggs or milk needed. Perfect for eclairs, tarts, donuts and more!
Custard and pastry cream are traditionally made with lots of eggs, milk and butter. I have tried several recipes, none of which came close to a rich custard/cream. Until now!
Many recipes out there for vegan custard or pastry cream basically taste like weird vanilla pudding… Not at all what I was hoping for.
This vegan custard tastes amazing – it’s rich, SO creamy, vanilla infused and thick, not runny.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Full fat coconut milk – You must use canned, full fat coconut milk. Coconut cream works as well, and will result in a thicker cream/custard.
- Plant milk – I have used soy, cashew and almond milk. Any unsweetened plant milk will work here, if you use sweetened add less sugar so it’s not too sweet.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar works best, but you could probably substitute a few tablespoons of pure maple syrup for a less sweet custard. Coconut sugar may also work, but the custard will turn brown.
- Cornstarch – I haven’t had luck with any other thickener, but arrowroot might work. Tapioca starch makes things more stretchy, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure extract for best flavor. Or use a freshly scraped vanilla bean.
- Vegan butter – I have used Melt, Earth Balance and Country Crock with great results.
How to make it
You will love how easy it is to make! First, whisk the plant milk and cornstarch in a glass measuring cup or small bowl until smooth. This will help the custard be smooth and not have chunks.
In a medium/small pot, add the coconut milk, sugar and plant milk/cornstarch mixture. Turn the heat to medium-high, and whisk until smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue whisking for about 5 minutes, until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and vegan butter. It should be smooth and the butter should be completely melted. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (or parchment paper) to avoid a film developing on the top.
Let it cool for a few hours in the refrigerator. Then use an immersion blender to smooth it out right before using (a hand mixer/stand mixer with whisk or even regular blender works as well).
Why is my custard a weird texture after cooling?
Don’t worry, the texture will seem a bit rubbery and not as smooth after cooling, this is normal. Simply blend it with an immersion blender, regular blender, hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment until smooth again. The same thing has to be done with traditional custard.
What is the difference between custard and pastry cream?
Pastry cream is usually thicker than custard, but I have found for this vegan version they can be used interchangeably. If you want a thinner custard, use only 1/4 cup of cornstarch and full fat coconut milk instead of coconut cream. Thicker pastry cream is great for eclairs and donut fillings.
Where can I use vegan custard/pastry cream?
I have several recipes coming up that use it, so be on the lookout for those (subscribe by email so you never miss a recipe!).
- Vegan Eclairs
- Vegan Cream Puffs
- Boston Cream Donuts and other cream filled donuts
- Fruit tarts
- Boston Cream Pie
- Cake fillings
Chocolate pastry cream
For chocolate flavored pastry cream, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder when you add everything to the pot at the beginning, then stir in about 6 ounces of vegan chocolate when you add the vegan butter/vanilla.
Vegan Custard (Pastry Cream)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (soy, almond, cashew, etc)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 can full fat coconut milk (13.5 oz)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
Instructions
- Whisk the plant milk and cornstarch in a measuring cup or bowl until smooth.
- To a medium pot, add the coconut milk, sugar and milk/cornstarch mixture.
- Turn the heat to medium-high, and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and continue whisking for about 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and vegan butter, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Place in a bowl with a layer of plastic wrap touching the top of the custard, to avoid a film forming. Place it in the refrigerator for a few hours to cool (you can speed this up by sticking it in the freezer for 30 minutes).
- Once cool, if it is clumpy at all, use an immersion blender to smooth it out. You could also use a high powered blender, stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a. hand mixer to smooth it out. Use immediately anywhere you'd like, or serve with a spoon and enjoy!
Notes
- For a thinner custard, you can decrease the cornstarch to 1/4 cup and use full fat coconut milk, not coconut cream.
- I have used soy, almond and cashew milk. They all worked well. Make sure to use unsweetened for best results; it may be too sweet if you use a sweetened milk.
- I have tried this using full fat coconut milk AND a can of coconut cream, and they both work well. The custard is thicker using coconut cream.
- If you need to substitute the sugar, you could likely add a few tablespoons of pure maple syrup instead, for a less sweet custard. Or use coconut sugar, but the custard will be brownish.
- You may leave out the vegan butter if needed, but it adds a richness that will be missed. It works without it though.
- Chocolate Pastry Cream - Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder with everything in the pot at the beginning, then stir in 6 ounces of vegan chocolate chips when you stir in the butter.
2nd try. Very good recipe. Note that I am using Miyoko’s unsalted butter. I put half of the butter from the recipe for the 2nd batch, first was too fat for me. Same result for the consistency. I will try without it next time as suggested in the recipe. Best custard recipe so far 😉
Thank you for sharing your review and feedback!
My grandson is allergic to eggs not milk, can I use regular milk for this recipe? .  I’m making cream puffs for Christmas. He can have them, because the eggs in it are baked
Regular milk should work just fine here. Hope everyone enjoys the cream puffs!
Hi Nora! LOVE your recipes, can’t wait to try this for your Boston Creme Pie Donuts! Quick question though: in the recipe you say to use the custard immediately. Does it not keep in the fridge (ie. can I make the custard a day or two before I am planning to use it in the donuts)? How long does it keep/what happens to it over time? In other words: why does it need to be used immediately?
Hi Adi! Thank you so much! Sorry if that’s confusing. You can make it a day or two ahead of time, keep it in the refrigerator, then when you are ready to use it, remove it from the fridge and smooth it out if needed with an immersion blender. It may not need it though. Enjoy!
Nora is there any substitute for the coconut milk? I need to make this for someone who needs to avoid soy, nuts, and coconut. Wondering if I can use oat milk for the plant milk and the coconut milk and increase the plant butter to make up for the fat from the coconut milk.
Many thanks for your help and your wonderful recipes.
I think it will work pretty well with another plant milk. I’ve never tried it but it will probably work okay. Thank you!
This sounds awesome! Thank you for this recipe Nora! I was wondering if you used clear vanilla or brown vanilla extract?Â
I usually use the brown vanilla extract, but sometimes I use clear. Either is fine.
The custard is super good with pancakes an fruits. We did not even wait to cool it dosn. Can we freeze the rest?
Thanks! It might get a little strange once frozen, texture wise, but you might be able to put it in a blender or something to smooth it out again once thawed.
Would this work for a coconut cream pie filling?
Yes, I think it would. It’s actually a recipe I’m working on and will post in a few weeks or month. 🙂
Yay!
Hi Nora , can’t wait to try it out . I had a question : can I replace coconut milk and plant milk with cow / buffalo Milk ?
If you do the custard won’t be as thick and creamy, it will be quite thin.
I made this and the cake for the boston cream pie and it was delicious, but I’m wondering if you can make a custard without the coconut flavour? Like the old fashioned department store cakes that would have a custard in the middle. Same texture, but just sweet with no particular flavour. Making a cake for my Dad’s 75th birthday and trying to recreate that. Thanks in advance!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m not sure what to use in place of the coconut, maybe cashew milk, homemade would probably be best. I don’t feel like the custard tastes coconutty at all, but that might just be me. 🙂
Warning! Do not sample this custard if your using it for another recipe! It’s too damn delicious! About to make it again for Boston Creme Donuts. I doubt we will make it that far!
Thanks for your fun and great review Elaine! I’m glad you love the custard!
Thank you so much for posting this! I was thinking of making it today for my mom’s birthday as a fruit tart, using a frozen pie crust. Would the measurements be the same? And any suggestions on what to do with the crust beforehand?
Hi Jaclyn! That sounds nice. I haven’t tried using the custard in a tart recipe, but I’m sure it would work. I don’t know what exactly you would do with the crust, probably bake it according to the package.
I used Lite Coconut Milk with the same amount of cornstarch (1/2 cup) since that was what I had on hand and it still came out great! Will try the coconut cream next time 🙂
I’m glad it turned out great for you, Ashley. Thank you for sharing!
This is incredible!
Thank you! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi! I was going to add a little bit of my own touch to this and possibly use for a pop tart filling. Â Do you think that would work? Would the pop tarts need to be kept refrigerated?Â
They would need to be refrigerated if filled with custard, yes. I think it would work. Hope you enjoy!
Can this be steamed (like, in a bun), or will it turn weird with the heat or something?
It might work, but I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure, sorry!
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but I was wondering if the custard can be used immediately, without being placed in the refrigerator? Thank you.
It’s edible, but in order to be spread on a cake it would need to be cooled first. Even for filling donuts with, I would chill it because it thickens up more, it’s a bit thin right after cooking. Hope that helps.
I made an eclair cake with this custard, some store-bought graham crackers, and vegan chocolate frosting. It was incredible and totally works in case anyone else was wondering! So easy and so good!
Thank you, Megan, for sharing! I’m glad you love the custard!
Hi Nora – thank you for all your fabulous recipes! Each one is a 5 star winner.
Question about this custard – do you think it would work for a classic Italian cannoli (not the ricotta kind)? It’s one of the only things I miss since going vegan three years ago. Thank you!
I think it would work, yes. Sounds so good!
This is maybe a dopey question, but…could this be used as a frosting, of sorts? If I’m not trying to win any baking competitions and don’t really care how it looks?
I ask because all vegan frostings seem to require a mixer and a mountain of vegan butter, neither of which I have, and I’d like to put SOMEthing on top of cupcakes or a cake.
I don’t have a sense of how runny or stiff this would come out, but if there are ways for me to stiffen it up so that it would sit on top of a cupcake or whatever, that would be awesome.
It might work! I have a recipe coming up for Boston Cream Pie where I put the custard in the middle layer and it worked well.
Thanks Nora! So I went ahead and made this last night.
I finished cooking it as instructed and dumped it in the fridge. I finished making my cake several hours later and when it was cool, and took the custard out of the fridge to attempt using it as frosting. It was solid! Like rubbery blubber! I was very surprised by this.
So I stuffed it into my Vitamix and shoved it down as hard as I could so the blades would be able to grab it, and used my tamper, and after wrestling with it a whole bunch…the result was perfect lol. Exactly the texture I would expect custard to have, and it stayed that way overnight in the fridge.
I frosted my cake with it and it obviously wasn’t as stiff as real frosting, so I couldn’t really do the sides, but it worked for the top.
I consider this a success, even if it took a few detours to get there!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! yes, the texture is a bit odd once chilled (though egg custards tend to need a smoothing out after chilling as well). I use a hand mixer or immersion blender and it smooths up nicely, but Vitamix works, too.
Can I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk?Â
Yes, the custard will be a bit thicker using coconut cream, I have used both.
Great recipe!
How long is the custard good for if kept refrigerated?
Thank you! It’s good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Don’t try to freeze it though, I did and it got super weird. ?
Can this be used for banana pudding?
Yes, I think it could.
Can this be frozen for frozen custard?
I’m not 100% sure, but it would be an interesting experiment!
Thank you so much! This recipe sounds delicious and I will immediately prepare them this evening.
Enjoy! Thank you for using my recipes!
Husband really enjoyed this.
I’m so glad to hear it, thank you!
This sounds like a recipe I want to try. Thanks so much! A question: Does this cream have to be kept refrigerated? Once I fill doughnuts, they may stay around for a few days. Can I keep the doughnuts on the counter and not in the refrigerator?
Yes, the custard should be refrigerated, even in filled doughnuts. Hope you love it!