Homemade custard

Homemade custard

By Good Food
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(61 ratings)
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Prep: 10 mins Cook: 15 mins

Easy

Serves 8

Once you've cracked your own technique for silky smooth vanilla custard, you'll never go back to tinned

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal284
  • fat20g
  • saturates11g
  • carbs22g
  • sugars17g
  • fibre0g
  • protein5g
  • salt0.1g
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Ingredients

  • 200ml double cream
  • 700ml whole milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 3 tbsp cornflour
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

  1. Put the cream and milk into a large pan and gently bring to just below boiling point. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the yolks, cornflour, sugar and vanilla. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture onto the sugar mixture, whisking constantly.

  2. Wipe out the saucepan and pour the mixture back into it. Heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon (see Steps 1 and 2, for stirring tips) until the custard is thickened, but before any lumps form. Eat hot or cold.

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Comments, questions and tips

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scruby17
27th May, 2020
4.05
Reduced the sugar and didn’t bother with the cream. Makes for a delicious (slightly less rich) custard
daisydoodle
7th May, 2020
4.05
Consistency is perfect. Super easy. I made half the recipe (so 50g sugar) would use slightly less sugar next time but otherwise gorgeous.
Laura Smith's picture
Laura Smith
6th May, 2020
Perfect! Just skip the vanilla.
Michael's picture
Michael
30th Apr, 2020
4.05
Seems a too little sweet & vanilla, even with 100g I am not the custard fan. It was very popular for those that are.
BeyoncePadThai
27th Apr, 2020
4.05
It looks like they fixed the recipe ingredients list because 100g of sugar was about right, although I used 90g and could have dropped it down slightly more. However yhe wording of the recipe is still annoying- mentions whisking tips that don’t exist. STILL my custard came out delicious. It was my first time making custard so I was nervous, but it was perfect. I used vanilla paste instead of essence and it was even better than the M&S creme anglaise I usually buy.
MoarC
19th Mar, 2020
1.05
100g of sugar is way too much. The custard was too sweet and inedible :-(
loopyb
8th Feb, 2020
5.05
Quick and easy to make and you know what has gone into it.
heather rosemary's picture
heather rosemary
21st Jan, 2019
1.05
waaaay too much sugar ruined the whole batch of custard who ever put this recipe on should be ashamed of themselves
Eva Lams's picture
Eva Lams
19th Jan, 2019
5.05
I just made this custard and it is so tasty! I thought that making custard was going to be really hard but it's not! I didn't halve the sugar and it tastes really great but you may want to if you don't like things which are too sweet. Definitely going to recommend this recipe to friends.
trumpetgirl's picture
trumpetgirl
25th Dec, 2018
4.05
I gave this only 4* because of the sugar. I halved the sugar (like most people suggested) & because my custard was for trifle I used a tsp or 2 more cornflour & added amaretto. It was fantastic but they do need to sort the recipe!

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Mopsa
27th Sep, 2019
Has the amount of sugar been changed as comments talk about 200 g sugar but recipe states 100g
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
28th Sep, 2019
Thanks for your question. Yes, this recipe has been amended following feedback. We do re-test recipes if there are consistent issues raised. We hope you enjoy it.
TechMinerUK's picture
TechMinerUK
21st Feb, 2016
Can this custard be stored in the freezer and if so how long can it be stored in the fridge/freezer?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
28th Apr, 2016
Unfortunately this custard doesn’t freeze well, it is likely to thin or curdle, sorry.
janicejean
4th Sep, 2014
Hi Can this custard be used for a trifle, will it set?
MsD
21st Sep, 2017
5.05
Unfortunately, it does not set in the fridge. It stays runny no matter how cold. It's perfect for ice cream!
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
23rd Sep, 2017
Hi MsD, We're glad you enjoyed the custard. Thanks for responding and experimenting. As you've discovered, this custard doesn't set but if you decide to make trifle with homemade custard again, we'd suggest using the following custard recipe which will: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/strawberry-elderflower-trifle Thanks and enjoy! The Good Food Team.
MsD
21st Sep, 2017
5.05
I just used it for trifle, but unfortunately it does not work. It stays runny even when completely cold.
MsD
21st Sep, 2017
5.05
I am just about to use it for a trifle, so I'll let you know.
Eva Lams's picture
Eva Lams
19th Jan, 2019
5.05
When you're mixing together the cream/milk mixture and the egg/sugar mixture it's good too use a whisk then so you don't have any lumps when you're thickening it.
Cburn
20th Dec, 2016
4.05
Used half the amount of sugar and it was still too sweet. Maybe use about 80g and then add to taste. Mine also went lumpy as I couldn't continuously watch and stir it, but a quick blast with the hand blender soon smoothed things out .
rucbar11
30th Jul, 2016
Best served with fish fingers.
thekat
27th Nov, 2013
Adding the sugar afterwards stops the custard sticking to the pan.