Pastry Cream (Creme Patissiere)
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Make perfect pastry cream every time with this foolproof recipe! It’s simple and yields rich, creamy custard every single time. Made without flour so it’s 100% gluten-free and can be used for a variety of desserts.
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You need just a few staple ingredients and the flavoring of your choice to make bakery-style creme patissierie at home. It’s an easy recipe that uses a not-so-traditional method for thickening the cream. This makes it super simple for the inexperienced baker.
Creme patissierie, commonly known as pastry cream, is a rich creamy custard. It’s made with sugar, milk, eggs, and a thickener such as flour, cornstarch, or a combination of both.
My recipe uses only cornstarch as a thickener. This method is less traditional but is guaranteed to work every single time.
There are a variety of ways to flavor the cream. I kept it simple and used vanilla bean paste but you can use extracts, liqueurs, chocolate, espresso/coffee powder, or fruit. I’ve included recipe variations in the notes of the recipe.
You can make the cream lighter by folding in whipped cream once it’s thickened and cooled. This is called diplomat cream.
How to use pastry cream?
Pastry cream is a filling. It has a smooth and creamy texture that is thick enough to remain stable at room temperature.
It’s commonly used to fill pastries made with pâte à choux (French pastry dough). Profiteroles, cream puffs, and eclairs are few common examples. But you can also use it to fill cakes and fruit tarts. The possibilities really are endless. Try it in boston cream pie!
Is creme patissiere the same as pudding?
Pastry cream is similar to pudding/custard in that the cooking process is the same. Both are cooked on the stovetop, stirring constantly to ensure the egg doesn’t scramble and curdle the cream.
However, the cream is much thicker than pudding. This means it can be used in more ways and holds up longer at room temperature.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make my pastry filling recipe. Nothing special, just basic pantry ingredients.
- Sugar: Use regular granulated sugar. There’s just enough to make the cream sweet without it being cloying.
- Cornstarch: Using cornstarch instead of flour is the cheater’s way. But, it always works and tastes no different than the traditional methods.
- Milk: Use only whole milk. You need the richness that full-fat milk offers.
- Egg yolks: You only need the yolks. Save the whites to make macarons or macaroons.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is added to give the cream a creamier consistency.
- Vanilla: I prefer to use vanilla bean paste instead of soaking a vanilla bean pod in the milk. Pure vanilla extract can also be used. Avoid anything imitation!
Can I use flour instead of cornstarch?
Traditionally, flour is the thickener used for creme patissiere but it takes practice and experience to get good results every time. However, if you wish to try it, you will need 3 tablespoons of flour to replace every 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Keep in mind, I have only made this recipe with cornstarch so I can’t guarantee how it will turn out.
Can I make dairy-free pastry cream?
You can turn this into a dairy-free version by replacing the milk with your favorite dairy-free alternative. And vegan butter can be used in place of regular butter.
These changes will affect the overall richness of the custard.
Tools needed
- Heavy bottom saucepan: Choose a saucepan with a heavy bottom. Thin-bottomed pots tend to develop hot spots that can burn the custard as it cooks.
- Mixing bowls: You’ll need a small mixing bowl for the wet ingredients and another medium bowl for the cooked custard.
- Whisk: A large balloon whisk works perfectly.
- Fine-mesh sieve: I prefer to press the cooked custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any bits of egg that may have scrambled. If your pastry filling looks perfectly smooth, you can skip this step of the recipe.
How to make pastry cream
- Combine the cornstarch and sugar in a pot.
- Whisk the milk and egg yolks together then add to the sugar mixture along with the butter.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until just boiling and thickened.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Press through a sieve into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
How to tell if creme patissiere is done?
In order to get a thick custard that won’t turn soupy once cooled, you must let it get hot enough. You will notice a few bubbles burst through the surface once it has reached the correct temperature. And the custard will be thick and glossy.
You can also check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. Once the custard reaches 200°F, it is ready to come off the heat.
How to store
It’s best to use the filling within 24 hours of making it. However, you can keep it stored for up to 2 days. Cover the custard with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming and keep it refrigerated.
If I know I’m not going to use the custard within a day, I’ll add a second layer of plastic wrap. This is to make sure the cream doesn’t dry out.
My creme is too thick after refrigerating it.
It is normal for the custard to become congealed or rubbery after refrigeration.
When you are ready to use it, simply let it sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. Then whisk it until it is smooth enough to pipe.
Never let the custard sit at room temperature longer than 4 hours.
Pastry Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (28 g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) whole milk
- 4 (56 g) egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium pot, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and egg yolks together until well combined.
- Slowly pour the milk mixture into the sugar mixture while whisking to remove any clumps. Add the butter.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until bubbles start to burst through the surface. Once boiling, continue to cook while whisking for a full minute. The pastry cream will become thick like pudding. It should register 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla paste until well combined.
- Press the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any bits of egg that may have scrambled.
- Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using it.
Notes
- Fold ½ cup (120 ml) softly whipped cream into the cooled pastry cream.
- Stir ¼ cup of fruit puree or curd into the cooled pastry cream.
- Stir 2 ounces (60 grams) of finely grated bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate into the hot pastry cream until melted. Cover and chill as directed in step 7.
- Add ½ – 1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee powder to the sugar and cornstarch in step 1.
- You can use any extract flavor depending on how you wish to use the pastry cream. Orange, almond, and lemon are just a few that would make great tasting fillings for a variety of pastries. Remember to choose pure extracts and avoid anything imitation.
- The pastry cream can be made up to 2 days in advance. Bring to room temperature and whisk until smooth and pipable.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Absolutely loved this recipe. It made a great cake filling. Very stable and delicious. It’s awesome 👌.
Could this be frozen? For example, if I were to make a tart with it then freeze it, would it be good once thawed? Thanks!
I don’t recommend freezing pastry cream. It’s possible it will separate once thawed.
I love this recipe. Thanks for making it easy, yet still yummy.
Is it possible to use heavy cream instead of milk, or to use a combo of both?
Heavy cream will make it incredibly rich. I recommend using whole milk for best results.
Can this creme patissiere be filled in a tart shell and baked together?
Don’t bake the cream in the tart. It’s best to blind bake the tart shell then fill it with pastry cream once it has cooled.
If I have 2% milk would that work or should I mix some whipping cream into it?
2% is fine. It just won’t have the richness as whole milk. You could mix in a couple of tablespoons of whipping cream if you wanted to.
Is there any way I can make this a mango pastry cream? I am trying to make mango cream puffs
Yes! There are instructions for different variations in the notes section of the recipe.
Are u supposed to cool on counter before putting in the fridge. As mine looked just like your pictures, till I took it out from fridge after 3 hours it was soupie!
It’s not necessary to cool on the counter before refrigerating. But it must reach temperature when cooking or will turn soupy once cooled. I’ve explained this in the post under “How to tell if creme patissiere is done?”.
Do you have the recipe for eclairs as well, to pair with this pastry cream? 🙂 this looks soooo yummy!!!
I do! It will be published next Tuesday.