How to Make Custard

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Custard is a cooked mixture of cream and egg yolk. Though it's most often used for tasty desserts, it can also be used as a base for savory foods such as quiche. Though you can buy pre-made custard, making it by yourself will make for a tastier treat, and will allow you to experiment with various recipes. If you want to know how to make custard, just follow these steps.

Ingredients

Simple Custard

4 egg yolks
3 tbsp. cornstarch
3 cups (700 ml.) milk
½ teaspoon. salt ( or none! )
½ cup (100 g.) sugar
2 tbsp. butter
Drop of vanilla extract

Low Fat Custard

1 pint skimmed milk
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
1 tbsp. unrefined sugar
1 tbsp. heaped corn flour
2 medium egg yolks
Handful diced strawberries

Baked Custard

2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
Dash ground cinnamon
Dash ground nutmeg

Caramel Custard

1 ½ cups sugar, divided
6 eggs
3 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Simple Custard

1
Mix all the ingredients except the egg yolks together in a pan. Mix 3 cups of milk, 3 tbsp. of cornstarch, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ cup (100 g.) of sugar, 2 tbsp. of butter, and a pinch of vanilla extract together in a pan. Mix the ingredients together until they've blended well.
2
Heat the mixture over medium heat. Heat the ingredients until they're reached a simmer. Then, remove them from the heat.

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3
Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the 4 egg yolks together until they turn pale. This should take about 1 minute.
4
Pour the cream into the egg yolks. Pour the cream into the egg yolk and continue to whisk the yolks as you do this. This will heat the yolks gently without cooking them.
5
Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat it over medium heat. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon as it continues to heat up. Take care to scrape the bottom of the pan with the spoon so the custard doesn't stick. Cook until the custard thickens to the desired consistency. Do not allow the custard to boil -- this will curdle it leaving you with a lumpy mess.
6
Let the custard thicken. Wait at least five minutes for the ingredients of the custard to thicken a bit.
7
Serve. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon and a handful of berries over the custard and enjoy this rich and creamy dessert.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Low Fat Custard

1
Pour all but 2 tbsp. of milk into a heavy saucepan.^{[1]
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2
Split 1 vanilla pod lengthwise. Scrape the seeds from the pod and add the seeds and the pod to the milk.
3
Bring the milk to a simmer.
4
Mix the sugar and corn flour together in a medium-sized bowl. Mix 1 tbsp. of unrefined sugar and 1 tbsp. of heaped corn flour together until you've thoroughly combined the ingredients.
5
Add 2 tbsp. of milk and 2 egg yolks to the mixture. Stir the ingredients together until there are no lumps.
6
Remove the vanilla pod from the milk.
7
Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Whisk the ingredients together as you do so.
8
Return the ingredients to the saucepan and continue to whisk them together over medium heat. Do this until the custard thickens and boils.
9
Serve. If there are any stray bits of vanilla pod or lumps in the custard, pour it through a sieve before serving. If not, just serve it on its own or serve it with a handful of diced strawberries on top.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Baked Custard

1
Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC).
2
Whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, and salt together in a small bowl. Whisk together 2 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, and ¼ tbsp. of salt together in a small bowl until the ingredients are completely blended.
3
Pour the ingredients into 4 ungreased 8 oz. custard cups. Sprinkle the ingredients with a dash of ground cinnamon and a dash of ground nutmeg.
4
Place the custard cups in a 13 x 9-in baking pan. Pour hot water up to ³⁄₄ inch (1.9 cm) in the pan.
5
Bake the cups uncovered for 50-55 minutes. Bake them until a knife inserted near the center of the custard comes out clean. Remove the cups to a wire rack to cool them when you're done.
6
Serve. Enjoy this baked custard warm or chill it for an hour.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Caramel Custard

1
Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC).^{[2]
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2
Cook and stir 3/4 cup of sugar over low heat in a medium saucepan. Heat the sugar until it's melted and golden -- take care not to burn it.
3
Pour the melted sugar into 6-oz. custard cups. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom of the cup. Let the melted sugar stand in the cups for 10 minutes.
4
Beat the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and the remaining sugar together in a large bowl. Beat 6 eggs, 3 cups of milk, and 3/4 cup of sugar together until the ingredients are combined but not foamy.
5
Pour the mixture over the caramelized sugar.
6
Place the cups in two 8-in square baking pans. Pour boiling water up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) in the pans.
7
Bake the cups for 40-45 minutes. Bake them until a knife or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the custard cups from the pans and cool them on wire racks.
8
Serve. Enjoy this caramel custard while it's nice and warm or chill it for a few hours before you eat it.
9
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I cook the custard in one bowl instead of individual bowls?

Community Answer

Yes, you can.
Question

Can I add vanilla to the baked custard ingredients?

Community Answer

Yes, you can.
Question

What can I use instead of a vanilla pod?

Community Answer

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon artificial vanilla extract.

Warnings

Ensure the custard is hot through so the eggs are well cooked.

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Once again, do not allow the custard to boil.

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