Crème Pâtissière, or vanilla pastry cream, is the creamy custard filling that should be in every baker's repertoire, and I'm about to show you how to master it.
Crème Pâtissière Recipe Snapshot
What it is: Thickened French custard filling used to fill tarts, pastries, and desserts.
Why you'll love it: Silky, reliable, and versatile - this detailed pastry cream recipe is the foundation for countless desserts.
How to make it: Heat milk and vanilla on the stovetop, then slowly add to whisked eggs, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook until thickened.
Pastry cream can be tricky - not because it's complicated, but because small missteps with heat or timing can quickly lead to lumps, thin custard, or scrambled eggs.
I've made and tested this crème pâtissière countless times while developing recipes for Bonni Bakery, in both home and professional kitchens. When it goes wrong, it's rarely the recipe - it's almost always how the custard is handled.
This is the version I rely on for pastry cream that's smooth, stable, and pipeable, yet still soft and creamy on the palate - perfect for tarts, profiteroles, and other filled desserts.
I'll walk you through exactly how to make it, and why each step matters, so you're not left guessing at the stove.
Reader Review:
Very easy recipe to follow. I let the custard sit over night and just tasted it, ommmmmmg it's amazing. Will definitely make again.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Rachael
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What is Crème Pâtissière?
If you've ever wondered 'what was that irresistibly creamy dessert filling?', chances are it was pastry cream! Crème pâtissière is a classic that every pastry chef learns early on, because it's the foundation for so many other pastries and desserts.
Making it at home might seem intimidating, but with the right technique, it's surprisingly easy - and I'll walk you through it step by step so it turns out perfectly every time.
Pastry cream is also a star ingredient in some of my most popular recipes: it fills my Custard Donuts, flavors the German buttercream in my Vanilla Custard Cake, and creates the luscious center of Boston Cream Pie.
Why This Recipe Works
- Scalding the milk denatures the proteins to help create a silky-smooth texture.
- Tempering the eggs by adding the hot milk gradually prevents scrambling and lumpy custard.
- Using constarch and cooking for the right length of time creates a thickened pastry cream that isn't gummy.
Ingredients
I have experimented a lot to find this ratio of egg yolks to cornstarch, which gives a pastry cream that thickens reliably without tasting floury or overly 'set' once cold.
- Milk - You need to use full-fat milk (whole milk) for pastry cream for both the flavor and texture to be right.
- Sugar - Use regular white sugar.
- Egg Yolks - Just the yolks, not whole eggs. The egg yolks are what give custard that wonderful, rich flavor. Use large eggs if you can.
- Vanilla - You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for convenience, or for a more authentic crème pâtissière, just a whole vanilla bean pod. Avoid using vanilla essence as it doesn't give the same real vanilla flavor as a vanilla pod or high-quality extract or will.
- Cornstarch - This helps to thicken the mixture to make a nice thick custard, rather than a runny sauce.
- Unsalted Butter - This is optional to make an enriched pastry cream, you can leave it out if you prefer.
See the recipe card for quantities and full recipe.
How to Make Crème Pâtissière
The process for making pastry cream is a classic technique used in many dessert recipes, such as crème brûlée and custard pie.
Whisk Eggs and Sugar
Whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until light and thick.
Heat the Milk
Pour the milk and vanilla into a medium saucepan and slowly warm over medium heat until it is scalding hot.
This means that you can see steam rising and tiny bubbles appearing on the surface.
Do not let it boil or you risk scrambling the eggs in the next step.
Temper the Eggs
Drizzle a small amount of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and mix to combine. Keep drizzling the remaining milk in a slow, steady stream and mixing it in until all the milk has been added.
Most lumpy pastry cream starts here - not because tempering is difficult, but because the hot milk is added too quickly. Go slower than you think you need to.
Add Back to the Pan
Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and continue the cooking process.
Cook Until Thick
Keep heating the mixture, whisking constantly until it reaches the boiling point. Boil for 1-2 minutes or until you see thick bubbles bursting on the surface and the pastry cream has thickened - it should look glossy and feel heavy, not grainy or stiff.
Test
Once the pastry cream is ready, it should be thick enough that it can coat the back of a spoon and you can draw a line in it without it filling back in.
Strain
Remove the pastry cream from the heat and pass it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.
Enrich
If you want an enriched pastry cream, add the optional butter chunks to the hot pastry cream, stirring until they have completely melted into the custard.
This step is optional.
If you are adding any additional ingredients such as chocolate or nut butter, add them now.
Let Cool
Pour the custard into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure that the middle piece of plastic wrap is touching the surface of the pastry cream, this is to prevent a skin from forming.
Once it reaches room temperature you and transfer it to the refrigerator.
How to Thicken Pastry Cream
This crème patissière recipe is a standard thickness and a creamy texture, which is perfect for filling fruit tarts, donuts, choux buns etc.
You can adjust the consistency of this custard recipe by altering how much cornstarch is added. For a thicker pastry cream, add a little more cornstarch, or for a looser pastry cream, add less. I wouldn't adjust by more than 2 teaspoon either way.
Different Kinds of Custard Filling
- Creme Patissiere - This recipe is for classic creme patissiere, it is thick, pipeable and creamy, often used as a filling for pastries. I use it for my Custard Donuts and profiteroles.
- Creme Anglaise - Vanilla custard sauce - literal translation = 'English Cream', this is the thin, pourable custard that is often poured over desserts in the UK, it is made by leaving out the cornstarch. I use it in my Floating Island Dessert recipe.
- Crème Mousseline - Creme Mousseline is pastry cream folded with whipped butter to create a thick, stable end result that is often used in entremets and layer cakes. I use it in my Fraisier Cake.
- Creme Diplomat - Diplomat cream is pastry cream folded into whipped cream to make a lighter, thicker filling. It is often used as a cake filling for gateaux. It is also the filling for these delicious cream-filled donuts.
- Custard Buttercream - Kind of a form of crème mousseline, German Buttercream is basically pastry cream mixed into whipped butter with added sweetener. I use it in my Custard Cake.
Ways To Use It
Here are just some of the ways you can use homemade pastry cream in some of your favorite desserts:
- Tarts - A very popular base for fruit tarts, pipe it into a pastry shell and top with fresh fruit and a glaze, just like my Strawberry Custard Tarts.
- Cakes - Use as a filling or in the frosting for layer cakes, like my Vanilla Custard Cake. It also makes a great custard cupcake filling.
- Mousses - Custard-based mousses are thicker and richer than meringue-based mousse. You can fold pastry cream with medium-peak whipped cream to make a lovely mousse. I use this technique in my chocolate tuxedo cake.
- Pies - Perfect for cream pies like banana cream pie
- Donuts - Use as the filling for Boston Cream Donuts or mix with whipped cream for Bavarian cream donuts.
- Pastries - Use this for all kinds of pastries such as profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs, or anything made with pastry!
Flavoring Pastry Cream
One of the best things about pastry cream is how versatile it is. Classic vanilla pastry cream is amazing on its own, but you can really add any flavor you like to crème pâtissière to make endless flavor combinations!
Here are a few ideas:
Pistachio Pastry Cream - Stir in some pistachio paste to make Pistachio Pastry Cream.
Chocolate Pastry Cream - Add some finely chopped chocolate at the same time as the butter for a chocolate version.
Lemon Pastry Cream - Add some lemon zest (or any citrus zest) into the milk as it is warming up for a zesty cream.
Coffee Pastry Cream - Dissolve some espresso powder in a dash of hot water and add it at the same time as the vanilla.
Caramel Pastry Cream - Fold your finished pastry cream together with some homemade caramel sauce for a sweet and luxurious filling.
Spices - Add spices such as cinnamon or ginger to your pastry cream for a warm, fall-time version.
To Add Liquids
It's best to add liquids such as alcohol, purees etc, into the hot milk mixture as you are warming it.
To Add Dry Ingredients
For dry ingredients, you can usually add them along with the sugar and egg yolks, in small quantities. For something like chocolate, chop it finely and add it at the end, along with the butter.
To Add Pastes
To add anything with a paste-like texture, such as peanut butter, add it at the very end, as the pastry cream is cooling.
Storage
Store your pastry cream in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap (touching the surface of the pastry cream). It will be good like this for up to 5 days.
I actually like to make my pastry cream 24 hours ahead of time, as the vanilla flavor develops overnight and becomes richer.
FAQ
You can use heavy cream to make pastry cream, it will make a thicker custard. It is often used if custard is going to be baked, like in a custard pie or creme brulee.
The butter is optional, but I like to add it as it adds some richness and extra flavor to the pastry cream. You can leave it out entirely according to your personal taste.
No, it isn't, pastry cream is a custard that is made with egg. Pudding is typically made without eggs.
The pastry cream is passed through a fine mesh strainer just in case there are any little lumps of egg that may have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pan while the custard was cooking. This ensures your end result is perfectly smooth and free of lumps.
Yes and no. Pastry cream is a type of custard. A custard is basically defined as 'a cooked mixture made of eggs and milk or cream and usually having a thick, creamy consistency.
But not all custards are pastry cream, for example, technically, a baked cheesecake is also custard.
Creme Patissiere - This recipe is for classic creme patissiere, it is thick, pipeable and creamy, often used as a filling for pastries. I use it for my Custard Donuts.
Creme Anglaise - Vanilla custard sauce - literal translation = 'English Cream', this is the thin, pourable custard that is often poured over desserts in the UK. It is made by leaving out the cornstarch and flour. I use it in my Floating Island Dessert recipe.
Crème Mousseline - Creme Mousseline is pastry cream folded with whipped butter to create a thick, stable end result that is often used in entremets and layer cakes. I use it in my Fraisier Cake.
Creme Diplomat - This is pastry cream folded into whipped cream to make a lighter, thicker filling. It is often used as a cake filling for gateaux.
Custard Buttercream - Kind of a form of crème mousseline, German Buttercream is basically pastry cream mixed into whipped butter with added sweetener. I use it in my Custard Cake.
When making pastry cream, you should look for it to thicken significantly, to the point where it can coat the back of a spoon and you can draw a firm line through it.
The pastry cream will continue to thicken as it cools, and after a few hours will look firm and gelatinous. Stir it gently with a whisk before using to bring it back to a smooth, silky texture - but don't overmix it or it could turn runny!
Custard Desserts
Here are some of my dessert recipes that use pastry cream.
Watch How to Make Crème Pâtissière
In this video tutorial, I walk you through exactly how to make this vanilla pastry cream recipe, step by step.
For more recipe videos - subscribe to my Youtube channel.
Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream) Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 Large Egg Yolks
- 100 g (½ cup) Granulated Sugar (caster sugar)
- 40 g (⅓ cup) Cornstarch
- 480 ml (2 cups) Whole Milk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste or vanilla extract
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) Unsalted Butter
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until pale and thick. It may look like it won't come together at first but just keep mixing for a minute and it will smooth out.100 g (½ cup) Granulated Sugar, 5 Large Egg Yolks, 40 g (⅓ cup) Cornstarch
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it is scalding hot.This means that there is steam rising from it and you can see tiny bubbles starting to appear on the surface. Do not let it boil.480 ml (2 cups) Whole Milk, 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- Drizzle a small amount of hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk, then add a little more, repeat until everything is together in the bowl. It's important to do this slowly and gradually so you don't scramble the eggs.
- Pour the custard mixture back into the pan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it is boiling with thick, bursting bubbles. Let it bubble for 1-2 minutes to fully activate the starch.*
- Remove from the heat. If your pastry cream has any lumps in it, pass it thorugh a fine-mesh sieve to remove them.
- Add the salt and whisk in the butter one small piece at a time, making sure it melts into the mixture completely before adding the next piece.30 g (2 tablespoon) Unsalted Butter, ⅛ tsp (⅛ teaspoon) Salt
- Cover with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate for at least two hours. I like to make this the day before and let it sit overnight, but it can be used after 2 hours.
Vicky says
Hello,
I really want to make your custard cake for my dad's birthday, but it conflicts with one of my exams. I was wondering how far in advance the custard can be made and kept in the fridge? Please let me know. Thanks!
ROSEANN P FOX says
I'm making a sheet cake with the custard between the top and bottom layer of the cake, will 1 batch of the cream be enough? how many batches do you suggest for a sheet cake?
Diana says
Hi
I'm a bit confused with the sugar contents. It say to add 2 tablespoon of sugar to the flour mixture but then underneath it listed as 1/2 a cup. How much sugar goes into the flour mixture and how much goes to the milk mixture? Thanks
Kaylee says
The custard was tasty until I added all the butter in. I feel like the butter ruined it unfortunately.
Rachael Inzer says
Very easy recipe to follow. I let the custard sit over night and just tasted it, ommmmmmg it’s amazing. Will definitely make again.
Colton says
I'm going down the rabbit hole of making perfect doughnuts at home at the moment. I was just looking for a custard recipe, came across yours, and realized your instructions are the only ones I've seen online to include the amount of ingredients used in each step. Seriously it does not make any sense whatsoever that this isn't common practice on cooking websites I'll check out your recipes more from now on!
LavDev says
Oh thank you for this recipe. I made this for my daughter's 6th birthday as she loves a good Vanilla pudding and she wanted a vanilla cake. If only I could share the pic. She and her friends LOVED the cake and the pastry inside. So a million thanks!
Kelly says
We are in Canada, by corn flour do you mean corn starch the thickening agent?
Jules says
Hi Kelly, Yes! Sorry, someone pointed out to me recently that a lot of North Americans are confused when I write 'corn flour' so I'm trying to write corn starch from now on and slowly changing my older recipes!
Lucy says
I left the custard in refrigerator over night and the top part hardened but the rest is still liquid. I followed the directions and used the right ingredients, don't know what happened.