This deliciously thick and creamy vegan custard is super-easy to make in 5 minutes, just blitz, heat and serve!
Custard is very important in life, and trying to make some really top-notch vegan custard has been on my to-do list for a while now.
We often have the shop-bought stuff with homemade puddings which is surprisingly tasty, but I thought it couldn't be too hard to make a from-scratch vegan version that was both straightforward to make and really, really tasty.
And this is it. After a bit of experimenting I think I've got the ratio of all the ingredients spot on. I've used dairy-free cream which gives a very luxurious richness to the custard. But hey, if you're having a pudding served with custard you're probably not on a diet, so this is a full-flavour, full-fat custard!
What you need to make thick and creamy Vegan Custard
Ingredients
Dairy-free cream There are now lots of different plant creams available in supermarkets, both fresh and UHT, so take your pick! I used the Elmlea double which is very rich and creamy so makes a particularly luscious custard, but use whichever you like - oat cream is also lovely.
Dairy-free milk Use whatever you have in the fridge - if it is sweetened, add a little less caster sugar to begin with. You can always add more but you can't take it out!
Cornflour This is the thickening agent. Don't be tempted to replace it with any other type of flour, the glossy thickness of the custard really does rely on the particular properties of cornflour.
Vanilla extract Vanilla is the key flavour in custard so do use the best quality of vanilla extract you can for a really superb custard.
Yellow food colouring or pinch turmeric I'm not a fan of artificial colourings, however you do eat with your eyes, and when I tried this without any yellow colouring there was something just a bit lacking about it. Turmeric is a lovely natural colouring but any more than a pinch and you start to get just a background taste of it, so go carefully. In my final trail (the one photographed here) I used both a little turmeric and a little food colouring - the slightly different shades of yellow (turmeric is slighthly orange-y and food colouring much more primary) gave this really lovely colour.
Equipment
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I've included two methods for making this custard below - one which blitzes all the ingredients together in a mini-blender first, and one which doesn't.
I use my Breville Blend-Active* every day, often more than once a day in fact. It was fairly cheap but hasn't let me down in years and is perfect for this sort of quick-blitzing as well as my breakfast smoothies.
Variations on your Vegan Custard
With this basic custard recipe you can really go to town with all sorts of variations:
- Chocolate custard Remember this from school dinners? Chocolate sponge with chocolate custard... yum! Just melt 6 squares of dark chocolate in the microwave and stir through the custard just before serving.
- Rum custard This is absolutely essential for pouring over your Vegan Christmas Pudding - just stir a tablespoon of rum through the finished custard just before serving. (Taste and adjust if you prefer it even more boozy!)
- Make it thicker If you're looking for pipe-able custard to use in cakes or patisseries, more like a vegan créme anglaise, just add more cornflour. Start with an extra half tablespoon, then if it isn't thick enough you can add more to the pan (mixed to a paste with a little vegan milk so it doesn't turn lumpy) whilst it is cooking.
Can I make my custard ahead?
This doesn't keep particularly well once made, so I would really recommend serving it straight away. It is at its glossiest and most luscious straight from the saucepan.
However, you can of course blitz (or mix) together the ingredients and leave them in the fridge (uncooked) beforehand for up to a day in an airtight tub. Then simply pour into the saucepan, heat and serve.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Custard
Ingredients
- 250 ml dairy-free cream
- 150 ml dairy-free milk
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- yellow food colouring or pinch turmeric (optional)
Instructions
To make with a blender:
- Tip all the ingredients into a blender or mini-chopper and blitz for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and heat gently for 2-3 minutes, stirring until the custard has thickened.
- Taste and add more sugar or vanilla as necessary. Serve immediately!
To make without a blender:
- In a small bowl, mix the cornflour to a paste with the dairy-free milk (add the milk a little at a time), until completely smooth.
- Tip the cornflour mixture and all the remaining ingredients into a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the custard has thickened.
- Taste and add more sugar or vanilla as necessary. Serve immediately!
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Video
Nutrition
Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan
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For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.
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Andrea says
Made this today and it was amazing, so easy and tasty. Thank you
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear, thanks Andrea!
Sian says
Hi! If I tried to make a custard tart with this, do you reckon it would set in the oven? (I've been experimenting with vegan tarts lately!)
Chloe Edges says
I'll have lashings please - it looks perfect!
Kate Ford says
Haha! Sending some right over....
Janice says
Great job on the custard it looks amazing.
Kate Ford says
Thanks! x
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Wow this looks amazing! So thick and creamy looking
Dea says
Aahh so luscious! I love that there are no artificial colorings, and the recipe is so simple and delicious. Really, I put it on everything haha. Thanks!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
My mouth is watering at the thought of this custard - I love my desserts covered in custard at this time of year and this definitely sounds worth a try (especially as it is so quick and easy to make!)
Dionne says
I have been looking for a good custard recipe, and here it is! Didn't take me long to find it which makes it even better lol. Super excited to give it a try now!
Jen says
This looks like the perfect way to satisfy my sweet tooth. Love how quick and easy it is to make.
Gina says
This is so amazingly decadent, I can't believe it's dairy free!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
What a great idea to make your own custard and it looks lush!