This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
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.
Pastry cream is basically glorified vanilla pudding, but the best, richest vanilla pudding you’ve ever had. The texture is thicker and more luxurious, whilte the flavor is softer and tastes like real vanilla instead of something artificial.
It’s useful, too. You can use it in layer cakes, fruit tarts, pies, and pastries like eclairs. But, you can also use it to elevate any processed dessert requiring pudding into something more homemade.
It takes a few more steps than a box of pudding, but it’s not difficult, and it’s definitely worth the effort.
Table of Contents
Recipe 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
- 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. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on to the surface of the pastry cream.
- Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes just over 2 ¼ cups pastry cream, enough for one Fresh Fruit Tart or one Danish Layer Cake.
- 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.
Recipe FAQs
Pastry cream is made of milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.
Pastry cream is a type of custard, while a custard is simply a liquid (often milk) thickened with eggs.
Pastry cream is an important component in many desserts including cakes (layer cakes specifically), pies, tarts, and pastries such as donuts and eclairs.
Put your pastry cream to work
Cake Recipes
Danish Layer Cake (Dansk Lagekage)
Pie and Tart Recipes
Fresh Fruit Tart
Cake Recipes
Easy Chocolate Eclair Cake
Cake Recipes
Tiramisu
Join Us
How to Make Pastry Cream
Ingredients
For the pastry cream:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (see note 1)
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 (cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic directly on the surface of the pastry cream).
Notes
- Vanilla: ½ vanilla bean, split, may be substituted for the vanilla extract.
- Yield: This recipe makes just over 2 ¼ cups pastry cream, enough for one Fresh Fruit Tart or one Danish Layer Cake.
- 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
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.
I don’t care for cornstarch. How much Wondra flour per 6 eggyokes should I use to thicken it.
Thank you.
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
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.
I’m going to make a pastry cream pie and use the leftover egg whites to make meringue on top of it!