Vanilla is a flavour that is far too often used to describe something as bland, and this really couldn’t be further from the truth. A great vanilla ice cream is something truly delightful, and so are things like a vanilla forward creme brulee or flan.

That was the inspiration for this custard – a celebration of vanilla flavour! A French-style pot de creme, this custard is baked until it’s set – which means it uses no cornstarch to get that rich, thick texture. It’s also deceptively simple to make.

How to Make Homemade Custard Without Cornstarch

Fundamentally, this is a super simple recipe and it’s very similar to my chocolate pudding (though it’s baked and uses no chocolate). It starts with some milk and, of course, a bit of vanilla.

Add some whole milk to a small saucepan along with a pinch of salt. Then, split a vanilla pod lengthwise and use the back of a knife to scrape out the seeds. Toss the seeds and the pod into the milk.

Now, if you can’t find or don’t have a full vanilla pod, then you can use extract or paste, I just think using the pod adds such a great depth of flavour that’s tough to recreate without it. If you do use extract, add it toward the end of cooking.

Set the milk mixture over medium heat and very gently heat it up, stirring occasionally. You don’t want it to boil here, bring it to just under a boil – it will be very steamy but not bubbling.

While that’s happening, go ahead and vigorously whisk some egg yolks and sugar together. You want the mixture to be light, pale and foamy, so it will take about a minute to reach this.

Once your milk is heated, whisk the egg yolk mixture constantly while slowly streaming the milk mixture into it.

After you’ve done that, set a fine mesh sieve back on the pot and pour the custard through it – this is just to ensure you didn’t curdle any of the eggs.

Now, whisk in some cold butter, one piece at a time, making sure that each piece is melted before you add another piece. This helps the butter emulsify into the custard and gives a nice richness to the finished dish.

Pour the custard into some ramekins and then set them a baking dish. Then, pour some boiling water around the ramekins, ensuring the water only comes up about halfway along the sides of the custards.

Place the dish in a 150°C/300°F oven and bake the custards until they’re set around the edges, but still wobbly in the middle; this will take about 45 minutes.

Let the custards cool completely before moving them to the fridge to chill. Then, you can go ahead and serve! Or, they will keep (covered) in the fridge for up to three days.

Vanilla Custard without Cornstarch

Also known as pot de creme, this baked set vanilla custard is thickened only with egg yolks, giving it a rich, silky texture.

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Servings 4

Prep Time 10

Chilling Time 4

Total Time 4 50

Ingredients

500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
¼ tsp salt
1 vanilla pod (see note 1)
5 egg yolks
75 g (⅓ cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter fridge cold, cut into cubes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Add the milk and salt to a small saucepan. Use a paring knife to split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise. Flip the knife over and use the dull side to scrape the seeds from the pod. Add the seeds and pod to the milk and set it over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, gently bring the heat up until the milk is steaming but just below a boil. Remove from the heat.
While the milk is heating, add the egg yolks and sugar to a large heatproof bowl and whisk vigorously until pale and frothy, about 1 minute. Once the milk has heated, whisking constantly, slowly stream the milk mixture into the eggs to temper the eggs and prevent scrambling. Discard the vanilla pod.
Set a fine mesh sieve over the now empty saucepan and pour the custard through the sieve. Stir or whisk in the cold butter, one piece at a time, until each piece is melted and incorporated before adding another piece.
Divide the custard into individual ramekins. Place each ramekin in a baking dish. Pour some boiling water into the baking dish so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Move to the oven and bake until the custards are set around the edges but wobble when shaken, about 45-50 minutes. Remove from the water bath and allow to cool completely before refrigerating until chilled through, 3-4 hours. Serve.