Easy Egg Custard Recipe (2024)

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Warm or cold? How do you like your egg custard? Do you like to make a pastry cream with it or just eat it out of the bowl? Whatever the case, this easy egg custard recipe is fantastic! It is a yummy light simple dessert with a bit of protein as well.

Egg custard is a classic treat that has quite a bit of use. Although most of the time it is just called custard there are eggless varieties of custard as well, so to make sure there isn’t any confusion, this is a great recipe for traditional egg custard.

You can use it to make a pastry cream filling by combining it with homemade whipped cream. A less sweet variety of custard is used for making quiches and other savory dishes.

We will only be using five ingredients and no baking involved! It is super easy to make, if I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get started!

Click the “jump to recipe” link above to take you straight to the printable recipe card with the amounts of all the ingredients.

Step 1: Gather the basic ingredients and tools

First, we need some ingredients and tools to make this easy homemade egg custard recipe. You will need the following:

• Milk – I generally use whole milk, but you can use 2% or 1% as well.
• Sugar – The granulated sugar will be the main sweet element.
• Vanilla extract – This will add immense flavor. You can also add fresh vanilla from a vanilla pod.
• Egg yolks – Only egg yolks are used in this recipe, save those egg whites for omelets, meringues, and angel food cake!
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is the main thickening agent. If you don’t have cornstarch you can try the same amount of all purpose flour.

Tools

• pot
• whisk
• fork

Step 2: How to make this no-bake easy egg custard recipe

In a medium-sized pot add the milk, sugar, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean. If you would like the custard to be less sweet you can halve the sugar. I recommend making it as is the first time and then adjusting as you like.

Step 3: Prepare the egg yolks

Next, in a small mixing bowl add the egg yolks, not whole eggs, and the cornstarch. Mix them together with a whisk or fork until the cornstarch is completely incorporated. The result will be like a paste.

Step 4: Warm the milk on the stovetop

Place the pot on the stovetop at medium heat. The hot milk will dissolve the sugar. Stir the milk occasionally with a wooden spoon until you see little bubbles form around the edges of the milk. It does not need to be scalding or boiling, that is too hot.

Step 5: Add milk to eggs

Next, add a little bit of the warm milk to the eggs and stir quickly, then add a little more, it is important to stir quickly so the eggs in the egg mixture don’t cook. Do this until about half of the milk has been added.

Step 6: Thicken up the egg custard mixture

Now we add the pot back to the stovetop then pour the egg and milk mixture into the pot. The exact cooking time will vary. Keep heating and stirring the egg custard until it becomes a nice thick pudding consistency. When it starts to do a rolling bubble/boil on the top it is done.

Step 7: Serving up some of that easy egg custard

Pour the egg custard mixture into some bowls to cool. It will make enough to fill 4 small/medium-sized to small ramekins. Or right around 2 cups worth.

PRO TIP: If you want it to be extra smooth and have an even better creamy texture pour it through a fine mesh strainer into the serving bowls. Definitely strain it if you use fresh vanilla bean.

Let it sit for a few minutes and eat it warm or cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill to eat later. Add some fresh berries on top of the custard too if you wish sprinkle ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon on top.

Enjoy!

How long will the egg custard last in the fridge?

If kept in the refrigerator the sweet custard will last for 3 to 4 days, but most likely it will be eaten all up before then.

How do I make a pastry cream with the custard?

For the pastry cream, combine equal amounts of egg custard with freshly whipped heavy cream. This will produce a light and delicious homemade pastry cream that you can use with eclairs, cream puffs, etc.

Can I make an egg custard pie with this?

Sure! Pour it into your pie crust and bake for 20 minutes or so at 400F until the pie crust is lightly golden brown. Since it is already cooked from being in the pot the custard won’t need to cook longer than that.

Traditionally though egg custard pie does not use this type of “unbaked” custard. It uses more of a crème brûlée style custard which is pretty much the same as this just one is baked and the other is not baked.

Can I make ice cream with this custard?

Yes! However, you will use heavy cream instead of milk, but follow everything else the same. Then let the custard mixture cool to room temperature before putting it in your ice cream machine.

Here are some other dessert recipes that you may like:

Easy Cream Puffs Recipe

Easy Pound Cake

Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake

Do you like this egg custard recipe? Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it. If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.

Tags

easy eggs

47 Comments

1. SHEILA PIERSON

   May 13, 2023 at 2:20 am·Reply

   
   I love your recipes…timeless and so delicious!
   💜💜💜💜💜💜

   • Matt Taylor

     May 13, 2023 at 8:41 am·Reply

     Thank you so much, Sheila!! 🙂

2. Eric

   November 14, 2022 at 12:03 am·Reply

   
   matt,
   thank you for the recipe,i enjoyed it i believe it was one of the first custards i have ever made it was very easy to follow and good as well …. i did not have nutmeg so i substituted cinnamon instead i recommend something of the sort into the recipe if there is no nutmeg …

   awesome and very simple i like simple …

   complicated recipes i find my self fumbling and forgetting something

   • Matt Taylor

     November 14, 2022 at 8:17 am·Reply

     You are very welcome! Glad you tried it and liked it.

3. James

   January 21, 2022 at 5:37 pm·Reply

   Hi Matt,
   Your recipe was the first one I have ever tried for making an egg custard. I would like more specific directions regarding how long to cook the custard in step #5. I cooked it until it got to a rolling boil, and for a little time more, but the finished product turned out to be EXTREMELY runny. It was more drinkable than edible.
   What do I need to do to have a better result?
   Thank You,
   James

   • Matt Taylor

     January 21, 2022 at 5:59 pm·Reply

     Hi James! There is no specific time for step 5. You only add a little bit of the hot milk at a time so the eggs don’t cook. About half of the milk, then once you do that you can add the rest of the half. I think maybe you meant to ask about step 6? That is where it thickens. Most likely you didn’t cook it long enough. Again there is no set time, it will vary, but it will be obvious when it thickens it will become like pudding, before even taking it off. It will also thicken more as it cools down. Also, make sure you added the right amount of cornstarch, 3 tsp which is the same as 1 tablespoon. Hope that helps!

4. Bella

   January 12, 2021 at 7:11 pm·Reply

   
   This is a super easy recipe to follow! I would definitely recommend to my family,

   • Matt Taylor

     January 12, 2021 at 8:12 pm·Reply

     Thank you, Bella! Glad you like it. 🙂

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