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How to Make Pastry Cream

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Learn how to make pastry cream, a classic French stirred custard (crème pâtissière) used it to fill cakes, pastries, tarts, and pies. It’s delicious plain or try one of my flavor suggestions.

A tart crust filled with pastry cream.

Recipe ingredients

Labeled pastry cream ingredients.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Vanilla: ½ vanilla bean, split, may be substituted for the vanilla extract.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In a medium non-aluminum saucepan over medium heat, warm milk until tiny bubbles appear on the surface, about 6 to 8 minutes (about 180 degrees Farenheit). Stir to prevent the milk from scalding.
Milk simmering at 180 degrees in a saucepan.
  1. Meanwhile, In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in cornstarch and salt. While whisking constantly, pour in half of the hot milk. Whisk in remaining hot milk and return to saucepan.
Stirring hot milk into pastry cream.
  1. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a firm consistency, about 5 to 8 minutes. Whisk in vanilla.
Adding vanilla to a bowl of pastry cream.
  1. Scrape in to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on to the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
Pastry cream in a bowl with parchment pressed down on top.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups (1 quart) pastry cream, enough for 1 Fresh Fruit Tart.
  • Storage: The pastry cream can be made up to 4 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed directly on its surface.
  • Butter: For a buttery flavor, softer texture, and a lovely shine, add 2 tbsp. butter with the vanilla in Step 3.
  • Chocolate pastry cream: Stir 2 ounces finely chopped dark chocolate into the pastry cream with the vanilla in Step 3.
  • Coffee pastry cream: Add ½ ounce coffee extract to the pastry cream with the vanilla in Step 3.
  • Coconut pastry cream: Substitute 8 ounces (1 cup) of the whole milk with an equal amount of unsweetened canned coconut milk.
  • Mousseline pastry cream: Whip 6 ounces heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold in to the chilled pastry cream. This will lighten the pastry cream and makes a great filling for eclairs or cream puffs.
If you’re looking for the irresistible cream puffs that have been served at the Wisconsin State Fair since 1924, you’ve come to the right place. These light-as-air pastries are filled with a lightly sweetened whipped cream and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar. Everyone has their own special way of eating them, but absolutely no one can resist the power of a cream puff.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Loaded with a lush assortment of seasonal berries and other fruit, there’s nothing quite as lovely as a Fresh Fruit Tart. You’ll also learn some baking basics, like a tart crust and pastry cream, along…

3 hours
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More classic desserts

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A tart crust filled with pastry cream.

How to Make Pastry Cream

Learn how to make pastry cream, a classic French stirred custard (crème pâtissière) used it to fill cakes, pastries, tarts, and pies. It's delicious plain or try one of my flavor suggestions.
Author: Meggan Hill
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Chilling time 2 hrs
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 8 servings (½ cup each)
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Calories 193

Ingredients 

For the pastry cream:

Instructions 

To make the pastry cream:

  • In a medium non-aluminum saucepan over medium heat, warm milk until tiny bubbles appear on the surface, about 6 to 8 minutes (about 180 degrees Farenheit). Stir to prevent the milk from scalding.
  • Meanwhile, In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in cornstarch and salt. While whisking constantly, pour in half of the hot milk. Whisk in remaining hot milk and return to saucepan.
  • Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a firm consistency, about 5 to 8 minutes. Whisk in vanilla. Scrape in to a bowl. Cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or refrigerate for up to 4 days (cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic directly on the surface of the pastry cream).

Notes

  1. Vanilla: ½ vanilla bean, split, may be substituted for the vanilla extract.
  2. Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups (1 quart) pastry cream, enough for 1 Fresh Fruit Tart.
  3. Storage: The pastry cream can be made up to 4 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed directly on its surface.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 103mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 0.04gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 293IUCalcium: 93mgIron: 0.4mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

  1. I don’t care for cornstarch. How much Wondra flour per 6 eggyokes should I use to thicken it.
    Thank you.

    1. Hi Dusica, I haven’t tested substituting Wondra for cornstarch in this recipe, sorry! Looking into it though, it seems you would us half as much when a recipe calls for cornstarch, so for 6 egg yolks you would use 2 tablespoons Wondra. If you do try this, please stop back on by and let me know how it turns out! I hope it works and doesn’t ruin your day. – Meggan

  2. I was looking for a thorough recipe on how to make pastry cream and I found it. So yummy I could eat it with my finger.5 stars

  3. I’m going to make a pastry cream pie and use the leftover egg whites to make meringue on top of it!