Gluten-Free Homemade Custard
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This Gluten-Free Homemade Custard is a family favourite which is whipped up regularly to pour over our cosy desserts. It’s a simple vanilla custard, made from easy ingredients and is richer, more flavourful and without the added colours or preservatives that you find in a tin of powder or even fresh custard from the supermarket. This homely, comforting and wonderfully tasting custard is totally worth the trouble.
I get it! I am a harassed mum of 4 littles and when it comes to dessert then making custard from scratch to pour on top of your Homemade Apple Crumble might seem like one step too far. That tin of Bird’s Custard which you keep in the cupboard for emergencies is just so convenient.
But what if I told you that making your own really good Gluten-Free Vanilla Custard is easy, foolproof and I promise is quick and easy.
Plus the flavour of custard from scratch will blow your mind! it absolutely levels up your dessert game. Your family will think you own the kitchen and if they are anything like my kids then they will be demanding the custard as the dessert not the accompaniment!! There is nothing more satisfying when they tell their friends ‘yeah, but mummy’s custard is the best!’ I’m tempted to get a plaque of that quote framed in my kitchen.
Is custard gluten free?
Homemade custard is usually gluten free as it is typically made from naturally gluten-free ingredients, eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and sugar. However, sometimes, in order to stabilise custard and prevent splitting, flour might be added to the traditional ingredients. This recipe uses cornflour (cornstarch) for this purpose but some recipes might use wheat flour.
If you are buying ready-made custard or custard powder then do check labelling to ensure there is no additional flour in the ingredients list.
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Custard
- Easy. Not only is this Gluten-Free Vanilla Custard so simple to make but it’s an easy recipe to remember so when you are in the supermarket you can naturally reach for the ingredients.
- Eggs. This custard uses 8 medium sized egg yolks so it is gloriously rich.
- No added colour. That mellow sunshine yellow comes from using the best eggs, not from food colouring!
- Real vanilla. This time I want to implore you to use an actual vanilla bean rather than extract. The flavour is a little brighter and the look of those speckled vanilla pods throughout the custard makes it look so appetising.
- Whole milk + double cream. Using both gives our custard the right consistency and a little luxury that just using milk does not.
- Extra dash of double cream. We also add a dash of cold cream to the custard right at the end which makes it taste just a little fresher and also takes the temperature down a little as scalding custard can burn the roof of your mouth.
- Foolproof. There will be no curdled custard here thanks to a smattering of cornflour (cornstarch) whisked into our eggs. If it’s okay for Delia’s custard recipe then it’s okay by me. Plus it gives a lovely smooth texture.
- Perfect pourable consistency!
Watch the video to see how to make it
Custard or crème anglaise?
A crème anglaise is the French culinary term for this kind of pourable vanilla custard which is used as a sauce for desserts.
Ingredients needed
Eggs. We just need the egg yolks for this recipe. Don't throw away your egg whites though, they freeze really well and are excellent for swiss meringue buttercream or pavlovas. This recipe uses medium size. Each whole egg (including shell) weighs 60g which is a large medium/small large. Use the best free range eggs you can get, Burford Browns have a lovely rich orange yolk.
Caster sugar. This is a fine white baking sugar. Granulated sugar is okay too.
Double cream. Or you can sub heavy cream.
Whole milk. Using full fat gives our custard more creaminess.
Vanilla bean. I urge you to use an actual pod for those beautiful vanilla seeds. You can sub for 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Cornflour (cornstarch). Helps to avoid a curdled custard and makes your sauce velvety smooth.
How to make Gluten-Free Custard
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Pour double cream and milk into saucepan with vanilla pod and seeds. Heat until just under a low boil. Strain the warm cream mixture into a large jug.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a large mixing bowl until thick and smooth.
Pour the strained warm cream mixture into the egg mixture in a slow steady stream, whisking all the while. Pour back into the saucepan.
Whisk the custard continually on a medium heat until it thickens and starts to gently bubble. Turn off the heat and stir in the extra double cream. Continue whisking to ensure the custard is smooth with no lumps.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Remove the vanilla seeds out by halving the vanilla pod lengthways to split open and scrape the seeds out with the blunt side of a knife or a small palette knife.
Whisk the cream and milk with the vanilla in the saucepan to get the seeds to separate in the liquid as they have a tendency to clump together.
Don’t boil the cream/milk, watch it heat carefully so that you remove it from the heat just as it starts to shimmer with bubbles forming under the surface. If you have a digital thermometre you want the temperature to be between 60-65°C (140-149°F). Remove off the heat immediately when you think it's ready, it can boil over very quickly.
Strain the cream and milk into a large measuring jug so that when you pour into the eggs you can control the slow consistent stream which helps to avoid the eggs curdling.
Give your heated cream an extra whisk just before pouring into the eggs as a skin might have formed.
Place the bowl or jug of eggs/sugar onto a damp tea towel on your work surface, this will help hold it in place so you can whisk with one hand and pour the cream with the other without it moving around.
You can strain the custard again before you add it back into the saucepan, just to ensure that there's no curdled egg in there.
Whisk your custard continually in the saucepan and don’t leave it to its own devices or lumps will start to form. I use a ball whisk at this stage (as opposed to a balloon whisk which I use to whisk the egg yolks) as it really gets into the corners of the saucepan to ensure an unlumpy custard.
As soon as the custard has thickened then remove from the heat.
To stop a skin from forming on your gluten-free homemade custard then you can either rub the surface with a knob of butter or sprinkle caster sugar over the surface or press a sheet of cling film or baking parchment to the surface of the custard (the latter is my preferred choice as then it doesn't mess with the flavour / sweetness of the recipe).
How to store
The custard will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Re-heat in a saucepan until it just reaches a boil, whisking well to smooth out any lumps.
How to freeze
You can freeze this Gluten-Free Vanilla Custard in an airtight container with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed to the surface. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Defrost in the fridge overnight. Whisk thoroughly whilst re-heating in a saucepan to ensure the custard is smooth.
Variations
- Lemon Custard. Replace the vanilla with a thinly peeled strip of lemon zest.
- Lavender Custard. Replace the vanilla with tablespoon dried edible lavender.
- Thyme Custard. Infuse your milk/cream with 2 sprigs fresh thyme.
- Baileys Custard. Add 2 tablespoons Baileys to the finished custard.
How to make dairy-free custard
- You can swap the whole milk for your favourite plant based milk, I recommend either oat milk, cashew milk or almond milk.
- The double cream can be substituted with plant based double cream (I like Coconut Collab's Double Cream).
More gluten-free sauce recipes you’ll love!
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Gluten-Free Homemade Custard
Ingredients
- 8 egg yolks - medium size
- 80 g caster sugar
- 600 ml double cream
- 400 ml whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 tablespoons cornflour - cornstarch
Instructions
- Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into a large saucepan, along with the pod, the milk and 500ml of the double cream.
- Heat on a low heat until just under a boil. Watch the surface carefully and when it starts to shimmer with tiny bubbles just underneath the surface then remove from the heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour until light and creamy in a large mixing bowl.
- Strain the heated cream into a large measuring jug to remove the vanilla pods and any husks.
- Pour the cream into the eggs in a long steady stream, whisking the eggs continually.
- Pour this thin custard back into the saucepan. Then whisk continually on a medium heat until the custard thickens and starts to gently bubble.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the extra 100ml double cream and continue whisking for a minute or so to ensure the custard is smooth with no lumps.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Vanilla Bean. You can substitute with 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Double cream. You can swap for heavy cream.
READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups Nutrition Information: Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.
The nutrition serving is for 1 serving of custard, assuming the custard is divided between 8 servings. Although this custard can serve 8-10 people, depending on how generous the servings are.
Hello. Does this custard “ set”? Can it be used in a trifle? Thanks.
This is a pouring custard. If you want it to set for a trifle you need to add more cornflour (cornstarch). I'll test it as well but I would imagine the amount of cornflour will need to be doubled.
Beautiful custard but didn’t make much for all the effort and took me much longer to make.
Thank you for your feedback, I'm happy you enjoyed the custard - sorry there wasn't enough!!
This recipe has now been amended so that it makes more custard and now serves 8-10 people. I appreciated your feedback and thought you were correct.