Vegan Custard (Pastry Cream)
Silky smooth and rich vanilla vegan custard, made with only 6 ingredients! No eggs or milk needed. Perfect for eclairs, tarts, donuts and more!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time5 minutes mins
Total Time10 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 151kcal
- 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
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!
- 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.
Serving: 1of 12 servings | Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg