This Vanilla Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream) is one of the most basic and traditional French Pastry recipe. Made with 5 simple ingredients and ready in 15 minutes, it is a deliciously rich and creamy custard that can be used to fill pastries, eclairs, choux, cakes, desserts and baked goods!
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What is Crème Pâtissière
Crème Pâtissière is a thick cream that has the consistency of a pudding or a custard. Made out of Milk, Egg Yolks, Sugar and a Flour, it is a classic French Recipe that is often used to fill cakes and baked goods.
The Milk is thickened with the Egg Yolks and the Flour (or Starch) in a pot on the stove. Pastry Cream is often flavoured with Vanilla, but can be made with many different flavouring ingredients such as Coffee Powder, Pistachio, Lemon or Chocolate.
The most famous way of using Pastry Cream is in Choux Pastries such as Eclairs, Choux au Craquelin or Choux à la Crème (Cream Puffs). This custard can also be used to fill Tart Crust like for these my Strawberry Tartlets and Mini Fruit Tarts.
Ingredients
Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities.
What is Crème Pâtissière made of:
- Milk: Full Cream Milk is always the best option for flavour and texture; I do not recommend using a light/skimmed milk here.
- Egg Yolks: used for both flavouring and to thicken the cream. Use medium size eggs at room temperature.
- Sugar: Caster Sugar - or fine white granulated sugar.
- Cornstarch: what will make the cream thicken. Sift before using if needed.
- Vanilla: whole Vanilla Bean if possible (for the best flavours), or alternatively Vanilla Paste. Vanilla Extract will work too, but you won't get as much flavours.
- Optional: unsalted Butter
The cream does not especially require the use of butter, but it can be added to the preparation for a creamier (and richer) finish. It is up to you, depending on how you will use it, to decide to add butter or not.
Substitution
- Milk: you can use a Dairy-Free Milk (I often make it with Soy Milk) to make this recipe dairy-free
- Cornstarch: can be replaced with Plain / AP Four, but I personally always use Cornstarch as I find it gives a lighter consistency to the cream than flour. Can also be replaced with another starch like Tapioca Starch.
How to make Vanilla Pastry Cream
- Place the Milk in a medium-size saucepan. Add the vanilla paste or extract. If using fresh vanilla bean, slice it in half lengthwise, scrape the beans inside the pod and add them to the milk along with the remaining pod. Turn on medium low heat and bring to a simmer.
If you are using fresh vanilla, turn off the heat once the milk simmers and cover the saucepan with a lid. Leave to infuse for at least 20 minutes then remove the vanilla pod.
- Photo 1: While the milk is heating up, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium heatproof bowl. Mix for about a minute or until smooth.
- Photo 2: Whisk in the cornstarch until no lumps remain. You should get a thick mixture.
- Photo 3: Slowly pour the warm milk over the egg mixture while continuously whisking. Whisk well until fully combined.
This step is called "tempering". It allows to slowly bring up the temperature of the egg yolks to avoid cooking them too fast once back on the stove.
- Photo 4: Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and place back on the stove over low heat.
It is important to work with a low heat - even if it takes longer to cook - to avoid overcooking (or even burning). That would get you a lumpy or grainy pastry cream.
- Cook on the stove for about 5 minutes or until the custard has thickened. Make sure to continuously whisk while the cream is cooking so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan or cook unevenly.
- Once you notice large bubbles starting to puff on top of the pastry cream, vigorously whisk for about 30 seconds to a minute then directly remove from the stove.
- For the perfect result, use a kitchen thermometer to check the exact temperature of your crème pâtissière. It is cooked once it reaches 82 to 84 degrees Celsius (180 to 183 degrees Farhenheit). Over that temperature, the eggs will start to curdle.
Optional: once the vanilla cream is cooked, you can pour it through a thin mesh sieve to remove any potential lumps and thin it out.
- If adding butter, mix it in a little bit at a time until fully incorporated.
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- Transfer into a shallow baking pan or clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Place in the fridge to cool down completely for at least 2 hours.
Tips to make the perfect Crème Pâtissière
Making French Creme Patissiere is really not too complicated as long as you follow a few rules and are aware of temperatures and timing!
- When placing the Eggs and Sugar in the bowl, start whisking them together straight away. If you leave them together unmixed for too long, the sugar will start to cure/cook the egg yolks.
- To avoid lumps while baking, make sure the Cornstarch (or Flour) is well whisked with the Yolks and Sugar before being incorporated into the Milk. It is always better to sift Cornstarch as it tends to create lumps in the packet.
- The best way to avoid lumps in the cream is to temper all the ingredients. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before starting, for example.
- Make sure to continuously whisk well while the cream is cooking. Don't forget to go all the way to the bottom of the pan and around the edges - these are the two areas that will start to thicken faster.
- Always work with low heat. If the heat is too high, chances are your eggs will curdle before the cream has time to thicken and you will end up with a lumpy cream. It will take a bit longer to make, but chances of success are much higher!
- For the best result, rely on the custard temperature rather than look or consistency. With a kitchen thermometer, check that the cream has reached 82 to 84 degrees Celsius (180 to 183 degrees Fahrenheit) to be properly cooked. Over that temperature, the eggs will start to curdle.
Troubleshooting
The main issues with Creme Patissiere are usually about its consistency / texture. But whether you want a thicker or looser cream really depends on how you are planning on using it, so there is no right or wrong here!
- The cream is too thick: add a little bit more milk to the pot (away from the heat preferably) and whisk really well to loosen the cream. Place it back on the stove to finish cooking the cream.
- The cream is too liquid: in a separate bowl, mix a little bit of cornstarch (start with 1 tablespoon, it is usually enough) with a splash of milk then add it to the cream away from the heat. Whisk really well to combine, then place back on the stove and keep whisking until the cream thickens. Repeat if needed.
Note that the cream will always thicken in the fridge when it cools down, so don't worry about a slightly runny cream. Try cooling it down first, and if it still too liquid once fully cool, try adding more starch and cooking it again
- There are lumps in the cream: that usually happens if the ingredients were not tempered properly or cooked on a temperature too high and the eggs curdle. Try vigorously whisking the cream first to break down any lumps, then use an immersion blender on the lowest speed for a few seconds if needed.
Make sure not to over-blend the cream with the immersion blender though or it will turn into a soup.
Recipe FAQs
Although they are basically made the same way on the stove and with similar ingredients, there are two main differences between the two creams:
- Crème Pâtissière uses Milk (or a combination of Milk and Cream) while Crème Anglaise is made with Cream only.
- Crème Anglaise has a thiner consistency as it is thickened with the Egg Yolks only - it does not require any Flour or Starch like Crème Pâtissière.
A great tip that I picked up from Pastry School is that there is actually a rule to determine how long the Pastry Cream should cook.
For 1 litre of Milk, the cream needs to cook 1 minute. That means that if you are making a smaller batch of 250ml (1 cup) for example, you need to cook the cream for 15 seconds.
The cooking time starts when all the ingredients are incorporated into the pot and you see the first bubble of a boil. Cooking the Pastry Cream the right time not only allows to get the perfect custard consistency, it also makes sure that the Egg Yolks are properly cooked to avoid any risks.
Once the Cream is cooked, you will want it to cool down as quickly as possible. To do so, I highly recommend pouring it in a large, shallow pan (like a brownie pan for example) so that the layer of cream is very thin.
This will allow for the cream to cool down much more quickly - and more evenly - than if it was stored in a bowl for example.
It is also very important to fully cover the cream with some plastic wrap touching the surface. Otherwise, a thin crust will form on the surface of the cream where it gets in contact with air.
Once fully cooled down, the cream will appear much thicker that warm. Make sure to whisk it well to loosen the cream before using it to fill your desserts and pastries!
How to use this Vanilla Pastry Cream
The ways to use Crème Pâtissière is almost infinite! You can use it a a filling between two layers of cake or pastries (think Mille-Feuille), in a tart covered with fresh fruits or baked in a tart shell (Baked Custard Tart).
Or inside Choux Pastries, baked inside a Cake, as a layer in a Trifle or a Parfait, as a base to make these Vanilla Mousse Cups,...
This basic cream is also the base used to make more complex French Pastry Creams like Crème Diplomate - the one I used to make this Fraisier Cake - (pastry cream + whipped cream +gelatine), Mousseline Cream (pastry cream + butter), Crème Légère (pastry cream + whipped cream) or Crème Chiboust (pastry cream + Italian meringue).
You can also flavour your Vanilla Pastry cream with fruit sauce, citrus zest, coffee, nut paste like in my Pistachio Pastry Cream, Chocolate or even Praline Paste!
Here are a few recipes that use Pastry Cream:
- Coffee Choux Buns
- Plum and Vanilla Custard Tart
- Rhubarb and Custard Tart
- Strawberry Tartlets with Pastry Cream Filling
- Mini Fruit Tarts
Storing & Freezing
How long does Pastry Cream last: Pastry Cream needs to be kept in the fridge and will keep up to 3 days when refrigerated. Make sure the cream is well covered with plastic wrap, touching the surface of the cream. A thick crust will form on the top of the cream if not properly covered.
Can I freeze Custard? It is not recommended to freeze Pastry Cream as it will loose its consistency and become wet and soggy when being thawed.
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Recipe
Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream)
Ingredients
- 500 ml Full Cream / Whole Milk
- 1 Vanilla Bean - or 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
- 4 large Egg Yolks - at room temperature (approx 80 grams)
- 45 gr Caster Sugar - or fine white granulated sugar
- 40 gr Cornstarch - or Plain / A-P Flour
- 30 gr Unsalted Butter (optional) - cubed, at room temperature
Disclaimer
I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
- Place the Milk in a small saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean in half, scrap the seeds then place both the seeds and the bean in the milk. Turn on low heat and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, cover the sasucepan with a lid and leave to infuse for 15 to 20 minutes. If using Vanilla Paste or extract, you do not need to let it infuse in the milk.
- In a seperate heat-proof bowl, whisk the Egg Yolks and Sugar until foamy. Add the sifted Cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
- Carefully pour the warm milk over the Yolk/Sugar mixture while continuously whisking (see note 1). When all smooth, transfer the whole mixture back into the saucepan over the stove and turn on low heat
- Keep whisking on low heat until the cream starts to thicken - about 5 to 8 minutes (note 2). When you see the first bubble appear on top of the cream, keep whisking for 30 seconds then directly remove from the heat (note 3).
- To precisely cook the pastry cream, use a kitchen thermometer. The custard is cooked once it reaches 82 to 84 degrees Celsius (180 to 183 degrees Fahrenheit).
- If using the Butter, add it into the warm pastry cream a little bit at a time. Mix well and continue to add until all fully incorporated and smooth.
- Transfer the Pastry Cream into a large shallow pan or container (note 4) and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream (note 5).
- Place in the fridge and leave to cool down set for at least two hour - or until cool and thickened.
- Keep in the frigde for up to 3 days, until ready to be used. Before using, whisk the cream to loosen it.
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Notes
- This is to temper all the ingredients and make sure the eggs don't burn or curd once placed on the stove
- Always work with low heat to avoid burning the cream and/or overcooking the eggs. It will take longer to thicken, but it is the best way to get the perfect creamy texture without any lumps.
- The cooking time depends on the quantity of Milk. As a general rule, count 1 minute of cooking after the first boil for 1 litre of Milk. We are using half a litre of milk here, so we cook it for 30 seconds.
- Storing the cream in a shallow pan or container will help the cream cool down much faster and more evenly as well.
- It is important to cover the cream with wrap touching the surface to avoid the creation of a thin crust over the cream.
