Eggless Vanilla Pastry Cream

Name: Eggless Vanilla Pastry Cream or Crème Pâtissière
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Milk; 1/4 cup Sugar; 2 tsp Vanilla extract; 3 tbsp Cornstarch; 1 pinch Salt; 2 drops Egg yellow color ((optional) )

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Vanilla pastry cream is usually made with eggs and is a perfect base for many desserts, such as fruit tarts, mousses, Bavarian creams, and ice-cream. This simple and easy recipe for eggless vanilla pastry cream, or eggless Crème Pâtissière, opens up a whole new world of desserts for people who can't have eggs.

A jar of vanilla pastry cream. — Eggless Crème Pâtissière, Eggless Vanilla Pastry Cream, Eggless Custard Recipe

Have you looked at a dessert and said wow I wish I could make that but it has eggs. Well, now you can. If you replace the regular egg-based vanilla pastry cream with this eggless version.

Compared to the classic vanilla pastry cream made with egg yolks, this one is also less on the calories and more healthy to indulge in without losing any of the silky smooth goodness.

Different Crème Pâtissière aka pastry cream-based recipes

Almost everything I have learned in baking has been self-taught. So there were times when I was confused about baking terminologies and French names. I wondered what is Creme Anglaise, Creme Chantilly, Crème pâtissière, Creme Legere, Creme diplomat, etc. Too many creme versions and often quite similar. If you are in the same boat as I was a few years ago, here's a little help for you.

You can create an eggless version for any of these by simply substituting the classic pastry cream with this eggless Crème Pâtissière.

Creme Chantilly - is basically sweetened whipped cream.
And Creme Patissiere is this vanilla pastry cream made with milk and thickened with egg yolks.
Creme Anglaise is often referred to as pouring custard. Basically a runny version of pastry creme. Often used as a sauce over desserts. Made the same way as pastry cream, thickened with cornstarch along with egg yolks until it's a pouring consistency.
While Creme Legere is pastry cream combined with Chantilly.
Creme Diplomat - is pastry cream or Crème pâtissière with stabilized whipped cream and gelatin. Often extra flavorings are used with the cream when adding it to the creme diplomat.

What does eggless Crème Pâtissière taste like?

I think the professionals know the difference but to my kids, these are both the same. It has the same consistency and thickness and can be used in almost any recipe that calls for the classic Crème Pâtissière

One of the easiest desserts you can make is a fruit tart filled with pastry cream and fresh seasonal fruit as I have done with my blueberry tart or strawberry tart. But, instead of using the classic, I use this eggless Crème Pâtissière.

Vanilla pastry cream in a tart shell. — Eggless Crème Pâtissière, Eggless Vanilla Pastry Cream, Eggless Custard Recipe

Ah, the color?

The custard starts off in white of course and I add egg yellow food color gel[/easyazon_link] to make it yellow so now my egg-less version does not look any different from the regular classic vanilla pastry cream. I do this only when I need to show the Crème Pâtissière. If it's used as an ingredient I just leave it white.

A collage of progress photos of making a vanilla pastry cream. — Eggless Crème Pâtissière, Eggless Vanilla Pastry Cream, Eggless Custard Recipe

Ingredients and substitutes

Milk - Use regular full-fat milk, not low-fat milk. The milk is one of the main ingredients here, so make sure you use at least 3% fat. Low fat will just not thicken enough.
Vanilla - You also must use good quality vanilla for this pastry cream. It does make a huge difference. I use a vanilla bean but you can also use 2 tbsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tbsp vanilla extract.
Cornstarch/cornflour - In addition to the egg, this cornstarch will help thicken the pastry cream even more. You can add more or less depending on the consistency of pastry cream you need.

Step by step instructions (pin)

In a saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.
Stir well until cornflour is well combined.
Cook on medium heat stirring constantly.
Once the milk is hot - lower the heat to medium-low to prevent the bottom from burning.
Continue to cook stirring constantly until the milk thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
The more you cook - the thicker the pastry cream will become.
At this point, you can add an egg yellow color if you want it to look like the classic.
Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming at the top.
This can be chilled and enjoyed as pastry cream or used in any desserts as an ingredient.

Frequently asked questions.

What vanilla is best for making Crème Pâtissière?

Ideally, a good quality vanilla bean, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract would work. I love to use the scraping and the whole vanilla bean. This gives a wonderful vanilla flavor and takes away any egg smell from the pastry cream.

Can I make this a dairy-free pastry cream?

You can make a dairy-free custard by simply substituting the milk in the recipe with almond milk, coconut milk or soy milk. Coconut milk is my favorite and I often use it when I make coconut mousse.

My pastry cream is lumpy.

I prefer to use a whisk and cook pastry cream on medium-low heat to keep things moving and homogenous. If the heat is high and the mixing is not even, the custard can get lumpy. Remove it off the heat - give it a good whisk and place it back on low to continue cooking. Adjust heat accordingly.

My pastry cream is too thin.

Crème pâtissière needs to be cooked until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you take it off too quickly it will be thin and often undercooked.

My pastry cream is too thick.

Too much starch can cause the custard to be too thick or sometimes doughy. So, always measure the ingredients well and use only the amount stated in the recipe. You can thin down a thick creme patisserie by adding a little whipped cream.

What desserts can I make with vanilla pastry cream?

Here are a few desserts that I have shared with you. Mousse, Tiramisu and tarts are often the most common.

Strawberry Mousse Domes with PC inserts
Mango Mouse - vegetarian mango mousse
Mango coconut cream mousse (vegan, vegetarian)
Classic strawberry mousse
The Best chocolate mousse
Eggless chocolate mousse
Vegan chocolate mousse
Blackberry mousse (eggless)
Chestnut mousse (eggless)
Vanilla Bavarian cream
Strawberry Bavarian cream
Strawberry Bavarian cream cake

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