Let's go back to basics! Today, I am sharing how to make perfect pastry cream - It's so smooth, rich, shiny, and thick... this is the only pastry cream I use.
Mastering how to make pastry cream spreads more potential for you to make a variety of desserts, such as cream puffs, eclairs, fruit tarts, custard pies, fraisier cake, Boston cream pie, etc. If I need to pick 10 recipes for beginners, I will definitely include this one. It's that important!
💛 I love the pastry cream because:
- The texture is so smooth and creamy.
- It's thick enough as a filling - no more loose pastry cream!
- The vanilla and yolks give a rich taste.
- It's not overly sweet.
💬 Pastry cream is called differently in areas: custard, custard cream, crème pâtissière, French pastry cream, etc.
In this post, you'll learn essential baking tips such as:
- How to heat the cream to get the best result
- Tips for avoiding lumpy pastry cream
- A hack to make it incredibly smooth
- Different textures from cornstarch and all-purpose flour
... and so on.
So, let's dive in!
Jump to:
📌 What's In Pastry Cream?
- Whole Milk
- Use full-fat whole milk.
- Vanilla Beans
- I highly recommend using vanilla beans for its incredible flavor. My favorite kind is Madagascar vanilla beans.
- Granulated Sugar
- Sugar is necessary to make smooth and shiny pastry cream.
- Egg Yolks
- It helps to thicken the cream and add rich flavor.
- Cornstarch
- It helps to thicken the cream as well. It gives a light, slightly jelly-like texture.
- All-purpose flour
- It also helps to thicken the cream. Compared to cornstarch, it gives a chinkier, heavier texture. I often like to blend cornstarch and all-purpose flour.
- Salt
- It adds more depth in flavor.
- Butter (Unsalted)
- It is optional. It adds richness in flavor and thickens the cream slightly more.
📌 How To Make Pastry Cream
The 9 steps:
- Heat milk, vanilla, and about half of the sugar in a pot until it simmers.
- Mix yolks, the rest of the sugar, and salt in a bowl until it looks pale. Add flour and mix well.
- Combine the milk and yolk mixture:
- Heat it at medium heat while mixing constantly.
- Remove from the heat and add butter.
- Strain it.
- Emulsify it with a hand blender. (Optional)
- Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge. (1 - 2 hours)
- Mix well until it looks smooth and shiny.
📝 More Tips With Images
Now, let me share detailed tips on each step, which are crucial for making the pastry cream successful.
Step 1: Heat milk, vanilla, and half of the sugar in a pot.
Scrape off the beans using a petty knife. I also like to add the pod since it contains the flavor.
Vanilla beans or vanilla extract?
Vanilla beans make the best pastry cream with an amazing flavor.
I like Madagascar vanilla beans. The sweet bourbon smell goes well with the other ingredients.
You can also use vanilla extract instead as an alternative!
Add about half of the sugar to the pot:
Save the rest of the sugar to add to yolks later.
💬 It doesn't have to be precise; just "about" half is fine!
👩🏻🍳 Sugar plays a fine role in preventing milk from forming a skin on the surface too quickly. But it is not a crucial step. You can add all the sugar to yolks and make pastry cream successful.
Now, heat the pot at medium heat!
Continue heating it until the milk starts simmering.
Milk boils out rapidly once it reaches a certain temperature, so check it more frequently toward the end! (I made a mess on my stove SO many times during this process by not paying attention😅)
Step 2: Mix yolks, the rest of the sugar, and salt together. Add flour and mix.
While heating the pot, work on the yolk mixture at the same time.
💬 If you are a beginner, prepare all the ingredients beforehand to move smoothly as we go on. We want to use milk right away once it starts simmering.
Whole eggs or yolks?
Making pastry cream with whole eggs is possible, BUT it won't be as rich as the one with only yolks. It makes a big difference!
💬 Save the egg white to make other desserts such as macarons, meringue cookies, Swiss buttercream, etc.!
Add granulated sugar and salt to yolks and mix right away with a whisk:
⚠️ Once the sugar touches the surface of the yolks, it soaks up the moisture and creates small lamps. Mix them right away to avoid that.
And continue mixing until it looks paler, like in the photo below:
💡 When the color gets pale, yolks contain more air - The air helps to deliver the heat more mildly when you add the hot, simmering milk. When the mixture does not contain air, the yolks touch the hot milk more directly. It can potentially cook yolks partially.
Once yolk and sugar are mixed, add flour and mix well:
👩🏻🍳 Mix well until it looks nice and smooth. The pastry cream can get very lumpy when it's not mixed well.
Scrape off the side and bottom to create an even mixture:
⚠️ Don't forget to add flour here - I made the mistake MANY times. (Without flour, you'll make Anglaise sauce, basically!) ... maybe I'm just forgetful😅
Step 3: Combine the milk and yolk mixture.
Finish mixing everything in the bowl before the milk starts simmering.
Once the milk starts simmering, remove from the heat.
Add some milk first and mix until it's evenly incorporated:
And add the rest, dividing it into a few more times:
⚠️ Do not add all the milk at once because the hot milk can cook the egg partially.
Scrape off the side and bottom well to make an even mixture.
Step 4: Heat the mixture over mixing.
Now, pour all the mixture into a pot.
Heat it at medium heat while mixing constantly.
How to heat pastry cream:
When you mix, keep in mind to mix:
- Fast
- Evenly
- Constantly
Just remember the 3 tips.
It is essential to prevent the pastry cream from:
- getting lumpy
- getting burned.
After the mixture thickens slightly, the game is on. Mix even faster! This is the MOST important time to make smooth pastry cream.
A Tip for a smoother pastry cream
When you want to make smooth pastry cream a little bit easier, try this:
- Remove it from the heat when it starts getting thick slightly.
- Mix fast until it gets smooth.
- And put it back in the heat to cook more. (Do everything else the same.)
You can succeed better this way even when you can not perfectly mix yet.
I still do this way when I want to make it with less sweat and stress... which is most of the time!
It started thickening slightly:
Once it starts boiling, you'll see it gets very thick:
How long should we cook the pastry cream?
Many people stop heating it as soon as it starts boiling, but it is not done yet!
Continue heating while mixing (Usually another 45 seconds with one batch. Cook longer for more amount.) until it gets slightly looser and shinier, like in the photo below.
This means that the starch in the flour is cooked enough. It leads to a thick pastry cream.
Seeing the difference between the photos might be hard, but you'll see it as you pay close attention.
Watch my video tutorial to see the transformation.
💬 I recommend using a stainless pan. The coating can peel off with a non-stick pan as you mix with a whisk.
Step 5: Add butter.
Remove it from the heat once it's heated enough, and add butter.
Mix and melt it completely.
By adding it, the pastry cream gets:
- Thicker
- Richer
💬 You can omit it if you prefer softer pastry cream. (Or add less amount.)
Step 6: Strain it.
By straining the pastry cream, you can discard:
- vanilla pod and the broken pieces.
- partially cooked eggs, if there are any.
Step 7: Emulsify it with a hand blender (Optional)
Emulsifying the pastry cream with a hand blender makes it extra creamy and smooth. This is the step some pastry chefs take. It makes a big difference.
✔️ It is optional, but I highly recommend it to make the best pastry cream EVER.
Step 8: Chill it in a fridge.
Place a plastic wrap on top so the cream does not touch the air:
Chill in a fridge until it cools down, usually for 1 - 2 hours for one batch.
Step 9: Mix well.
After the pastry cream is chilled completely, it gets much firmer:
💡 If the cream is rubbery and comes off from the bowl easily, don't panic! - It means you made it successful. The starch in the flour was cooked enough.
Simply mix well to bring back the smooth texture:
💬 Use a spatula, hand mixer, or stand mixer with a pedal.
📌 Uses For Pastry Cream
The pastry cream is so shiny, smooth, and creamy... it is heavenly good! This makes an amazing dessert such as:
- Fruit tart
- Custard pie
- Cream puff
- Eclair
- Fraisier cake
- Custard bread
- Donuts with filling
- Cake with custard filling
... and so many more.
What's your favorite dessert with pastry cream?
One of my favorite ways to enjoy this pastry cream is fruit tartlets. The crispy tart shell, rich cream, and fresh fruits taste divine.
Check out how I decorated them in this video!
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
That can happen when:
* The flour was not mixed well before adding hot milk.
* When you mix it as you heat:
1. The speed was too slow.
2. It was not mixed evenly. or
3. It was not mixed constantly, etc.
You can store it in an air-tight container in a fridge for up to 5 days.
Use it within 1 - 2 days for the best taste.
It happens most frequently when the starch in the flour or yolks is not cooked enough. So try cooking longer next time!
Yes, you can! Emulsify it with a hand blender before freezing it while it's still warm. By doing it, the pastry cream stays nice and creamy even after it's defrosted.
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
Watch this video to learn how to make the madeleines visually and have a deeper understanding of all.
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
📌 Printable Recipe
💬 If you loved this recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Perfect Pastry Cream
Equipment
- Pot
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Strainer
- Hand blender optional
Ingredients
- 14.1 oz Whole Milk 1 ⅔ US cups
- ½ pod Vanilla beans or ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 3.5 oz Granulated sugar ½ US cup
- 4 yolks Egg yolk
- A pinch Salt
- 0.7 oz Cornstarch 2.5 tablespoon * Level the surface.
- 0.7 oz All-purpose flour 2.5 Tbsp
- 1 oz Butter 2 Tbsp
Instructions
- Heat milk, vanilla, and about half of the sugar in a pot until it simmers.14.1 oz Whole Milk, ½ pod Vanilla beans
- Mix yolks, the rest of the sugar, and salt in a bowl until it looks pale. And add flour and mix well.4 yolks Egg yolk, A pinch Salt, 0.7 oz Cornstarch, 0.7 oz All-purpose flour, 3.5 oz Granulated sugar
- Combine the milk and yolk mixture:Add a small amount of milk first and mix until it gets even.And add the rest, dividing it into a few more times.
- Heat it at medium heat while mixing constantly:Mix fast, evenly, and constantly to prevent it from getting lumpy and burnt. When you find it challenging to keep going, try this:1. Remove it from the heat for a second when it starts getting thick very slightly.2. Mix fast until it gets smooth.3. And put it back in the heat to cook more.After it starts boiling, continue heating while mixing constantly until it gets looser and shinier (Usually another 45 seconds with one batch.)
- Remove from the heat and add butter.1 oz Butter
- Strain it.
- Emulsify it with a hand blender. (Optional)
- Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge. (1 - 2 hours)
- It should look rubbery. Mix well until it looks smooth and shiny.
Video
Notes
How to store it:
You can store it in an air-tight container in a fridge for up to 5 days.Use it within 1 - 2 days for the best taste. ** For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements are provided for your convenience. **
Nutrition
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Sophia says
Thank you for all of your techniques and recipes - you have been such an inspiration for me in perfecting my desserts and learning new approaches to my creations. I love everything you have presented.
Once again thank you
ayacaliva says
I'm so happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing☺️
Jared says
Is this recipe enough for a 9" banana cream pie?
ayacaliva says
Hello! You may want to try 1.5 - 2 batches depending on how thick you want it to be. I would personally do 2 batches just in case!