Easy Vanilla Pastry Cream

Pastry cream may sound fancy, but with a bit of care, it’s totally achievable at home—and the payoff is well worth it. Once you master it, you’ll find endless uses for this creamy, dreamy delight.
​
Let me know in the comments: What’s your favorite way to use pastry cream?

🍮 What Is Pastry Cream?
Pastry cream is a rich custard made by cooking milk, sugar, eggs (or yolks), and a starch (typically flour or cornstarch) together until thickened. Unlike crème anglaise, which is pourable, pastry cream is thick enough to pipe or spread—it’s the creamy filling in éclairs, Boston cream pie, fruit tarts, and mille-feuille.


🧁 Pro Tips for Perfect Pastry Cream

• Avoid lumps by whisking constantly and straining the finished cream if needed.
• Don’t overcook: Once the cream has thickened and bubbled for about 30 seconds, it's ready.
• Flavor variations: Try adding espresso, citrus zest, chocolate, or almond extract to customize it.

🍓 Delicious Ways to Use Pastry Cream

• Fruit Tart: Spread chilled pastry cream in a baked tart shell and top with fresh fruit.
• Éclairs & Profiteroles: Pipe into choux pastry shells for a classic French treat.
• Layer Cakes: Use it between cake layers for a creamy filling.
• Napoleons (Mille-feuille): Layer between puff pastry with a dusting of powdered sugar or icing.

Easy Vanilla Pastry Cream

•     1/4 cup sugar or Allulose (a natural zero calorie sweetener)
•     ¼ cup cornstarch
•     Pinch of sea salt
•     4 large egg yolks
•     1 teaspoon vanilla paste
•     2 cups full fat coconut milk
•     2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl..

Whisk egg and milk together.

Add egg and milk mixture to a saucepan and stirring or whisking continuously, bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Add in the sugar cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil 1 minute, still whisking; then remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter.  Whisk to combine.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cooled.

You can use this as is, or mix with a tub of CocoWhip (non-dairy whipped topping) to make a lighter cream as I did to fill these cute chocolate cups that I topped with a black raspberry and a sprig of mint.
Pastry cream is great in between cake layers, or to fill a cream puffs (pate a choux) (see my recipe HERE.
​
It's also wonderful simply dolloped over fresh berries.