This vanilla pastry cream (crème pâtissière) recipe is a thick, silky French custard you can make right on the stovetop with simple ingredients!
It’s the filling for éclairs, cream puffs, fruit tarts, and layer cakes. This was one of the first recipes I learned in pastry school since it’s used in so many classic pastry recipes.
I’m sharing step-by-step photos, a video, and my best tips so it turns out smooth every time.
We had a whole class on pastry cream at Le Cordon Bleu, and then we made it for other recipes too.
I’m sharing the tips I picked up from the demos, the practice, and my own trial and error, so yours turns out creamy and lump-free.!🙌🏼
What is pastry cream?
Pastry cream is a foundational French custard. It’s delicious as is and can be used in many desserts.
It comes together in minutes and uses simple ingredients: milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, flour and vanilla.
You can use pastry cream as the filling for eclairs or cream puffs using my choux pastry recipe! It’s also delicious in tarts, cakes, cupcakes (use it to fill these Boston cream pie cupcakes).
We’re making classic vanilla pastry cream today. It’s also easy to customize with other flavors like chocolate, coffee, or citrus.
For another bakery-style recipe I learned in pastry school, be sure to try my apple tart recipe!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: You only need milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, flour, and vanilla.
- No special equipment needed: You probably have everything all the basic tools in your kitchen already.
- So versatile: Fill eclairs, cream puffs, tarts, and cakes, or use it as the base for other fillings.
- Silky smooth: It’s thick, luscious and delicious.
- Easy to customize: Make classic vanilla, or stir in chocolate, citrus or lots of other flavors.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some useful notes about the ingredients. You likely already have most of the ingredients!
- Whole milk gives the best flavor and texture.
- Egg yolks add richness and help thicken the cream. Save the whites for meringues or macarons.
- Granulated sugar: You can modify the amount of sugar you add depending on your preference or depending on what you’re using the pastry cream for.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch work together to thicken the cream. Cook it until it bubbles so that you activate both and cook out any starchy flavor.
- Vanilla: You can use half a vanilla bean, vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. If you’re using vanilla bean, add it with the milk in the beginning to infuse the flavor.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Don’t have a vanilla bean? Add some vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract at the end off the heat.
- Want to make gluten free pastry cream? Omit the flour and use 28 g cornstarch in total.
- Out of whole milk? Whole milk gives the best rich, creamy pastry cream, but you can swap in 2%. It won’t be as rich, but it’ll work. I don’t recommend using skim milk.
- Want to make a boozy version? Stir in a splash of rum, Grand Marnier, or Kirsch at the end.
- Add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
How to make pastry cream
Quick Video Recap
step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Bring milk to a simmer over medium heat. If using a vanilla bean, slice the bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out of one half with the tip of your knife. Add the seeds and the scraped pod to a medium saucepan with the milk. Save the other half for another recipe.
Step 2: While the milk heats up, whisk together the sugar and yolks.
Step 3: Whisk in the cornstarch until the cornstarch has dissolved. Whisk in the flour.
Step 4: Temper the yolks. Once the milk is steaming and small bubbles form around the edge of the pan, remove the vanilla bean pod (if using). Whisk about 1/3 of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Whisk for about 20 seconds, then whisk in another 1/3.
Step 5: Whisk the milk and yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Scrape the bowl with a spatula.
Step 6: Return the saucepan to medium heat. Whisk nonstop, including the sides and corners of the pan. Once it starts to thicken and bubble, whisk vigorously for one minute so the flour and cornstarch cook through.
Once thickened, remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean pod or whisk in vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste if using.
Step 7: Pour pastry cream into a large heat proof bowl or a clean baking sheet. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or until cooled completely.
Step 8: Whisk before using. If cooled on a baking sheet, use a scraper or spatula to scrape the cream out and into a bowl. Whisk pastry cream for about 20-30 seconds before using.
Why is my pastry cream lumpy
Lumpy pastry cream usually comes from clumps of flour and cornstarch or from eggs that cook too fast. The good news is that it’s easy to prevent. Follow these tips for a smooth cream:
- Mix the flour and cornstarch into the yolks and sugar until smooth before adding any milk.
- Pour the warm milk in slowly while whisking the yolks. This tempers the eggs gently so they don’t scramble.
- Cook over medium heat. Higher heat can make the eggs set too quickly.
- Whisk constantly, especially along the sides and corners of the pan, where the cream can stick and cook faster.
- Boil for 1 minute once it thickens so the flour and cornstarch fully cook.
Expert Tips for Perfect Pastry Cream
- Measure out all your ingredients before beginning– you want the yolk mixture ready to be tempered when your milk reaches a simmer.
- Read over the recipe before you start-pastry cream moves fast once the milk comes to a simmer, so you’ll want to know what comes next before you begin.
- Take out all your equipment before starting- that way you won’t need to stop and search for something when you’re in the middle of making the recipe.
- Use a vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste if possible- the bean infuses the milk with flavor, and both the bean and paste give you those pretty vanilla flecks.😍 Vanilla extract works great too, but you won’t get the little flecks.
- Whisk the sugar into the yolks as soon as you add it-don’t leave the sugar sitting on the yolks because it can cook the yolks.
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface-this stops a skin from forming and keeps condensation from dripping back in. Extra moisture can water down the cream and help bacteria grow, so cover on contact and refrigerate.
- Spread the pastry cream on a baking sheet to cool it faster- the wider surface lets the heat escape quicker than it would in a bowl.
Where to use pastry cream
Pastry cream goes with so many desserts. If you just made a batch or have leftovers, here are my favorite ways to use it:
- Éclairs: Pastry cream is a classic filling for choux pastry. Pipe about 3 tablespoons (45 g) into each baked 4-inch éclair. One batch fills about 14.
- Cream puffs: Fill each baked 2-inch puff with about 1 1/2 tablespoons (25 g) of pastry cream, then top with chantilly if you like. One batch fills about 28.
- Fruit tarts: Spoon it into a baked tart shell and top with fresh fruit. You can also use it in place of the mascarpone cream in my mascarpone blueberry tart.
- Cakes: Spread it between cake layers as a filling. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge first to hold it in.
- Cupcakes and donuts: Use it as a filling. Pipe it into the center of cupcakes. Swap out the curd in my lemon curd donuts and pipe pastry cream in instead!
Turn Pastry Cream Into Other Fillings
Once you’ve mastered pastry cream, you can use it as the base for other classic fillings:
- Diplomat cream: Fold in whipped cream for a lighter, fluffier filling.
- Crème mousseline: Whip in butter for a richer, silkier cream.
- Crème chiboust: Fold in Italian meringue for a filling that holds its shape.
Recipe FAQs
Pastry cream is a type of custard since it’s a mix of milk/cream, sugar and egg.
Yes. Swap the egg yolks for the same weight of whole egg. For 80 g of yolks, lightly whisk 2 large eggs and weigh out 80 g. Then make the recipe as written. Whole eggs make a slightly lighter, less rich cream, so for the silkiest texture I stick with yolks.
Lumps usually come from clumped flour and cornstarch or eggs cooking too fast. Whisk constantly over medium heat, and boil for 1 minute once it thickens. If you still have a few lumps, press the cream through a fine mesh sieve. See my tips above for more ways to prevent lumps.
There are many ways you can flavor pastry cream. You can infuse the milk with tea, coffee or spices. You can also make chocolate pastry cream by adding some cocoa powder to the starch/egg mixture (adjust the ratios since you’d be adding extra dry). Add extracts, alcohol or zests after taking off the heat and before cooling.
No, pastry cream shouldn’t sit out at room temperature. It’s made with egg yolks and milk, so bacteria can grow quickly. Put it in the fridge right away to cool, with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface.
Yes. Pastry cream can be made in advance. Store it in the refrigerator. Whisk it until smooth before using.
Store pastry cream in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed against the surface in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pastry cream doesn’t freeze well.
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Pastry Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (488 g) whole milk
- ½ (2 g) vanilla bean or 1½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (7 g) or vanilla paste (9 g) add at the end of cooking
- 4 (80 g) large egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons (24 g) cornstarch spooned and leveled or use a scale
- 1½ tablespoons (11 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled or use a scale
Instructions
- If using a vanilla bean: Slice the bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out of one half with the tip of your knife. Add the seeds and the scraped pod to a medium saucepan with the milk. Save the other half for another recipe.If you're using vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: stir it in after you take the pastry cream off the heat.
- Heat the milk over medium heat and bring it to a simmer.
- While the milk heats up, whisk the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl until smooth. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and immediately whisk well (for about 30 seconds) until the mixture is smooth and has thickened and lightened in color. (Important: do not leave the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl without whisking them immediately).
- Whisk the cornstarch into the yolks for about 20 seconds until the corn starch has dissolved. Whisk in the flour for another 20 seconds until completely incorporated.
- Once the milk is steaming and small bubbles form around the edge of the pan, discard the vanilla bean pod if using. Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Whisk for about 20 seconds, then slowly pour in another 1/3, whisking constantly.
- Next, slowly pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking constantly as you pour. Use a spatula to scrape out the bowl.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat. Whisk constantly, including the sides and corners of the pan. Once it thickens and bubbles, whisk vigorously for 1 minute so the flour and cornstarch cook through. If it starts to stick or get lumpy, lower the heat slightly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract if using.
- Use a clean spatula to scrape the pastry cream onto a clean rimmed baking sheet or into a large heatproof bowl. Immediately press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate until completely cool, about 45 minutes to 1 hour on a baking sheet or a few hours in a bowl.
- Once cooled, whisk the pastry cream in a large bowl for about 30 seconds until smooth again then use as needed!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Leanne M
I have wanted to make this recipe for a long time now, I finally tried it this Weekend when I came across it on your site. It was very easy to make and turned out perfect and delicious.
Natalie Ward
Hey Leanne, So good to hear you made this pastry cream and that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for making it. 🙂 Natalie