How to Make Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
My homemade pastry cream (AKA Crème Pâtissière) comes together flawlessly. I use a simple technique that requires no tempering for silky smooth results. You only need a few common ingredients to make this rich, decadent filling that's perfect for eclairs, cream puffs, and more! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Servings 3 cups
Calories 762kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (236 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (236 ml) heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks discard whites or see note for ideas on how to use leftover egg whites
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together milk, cream, and egg yolks until the egg yolks are well-broken up and the mixture is thoroughly combined.1 cup (236 ml) whole milk, 1 cup (236 ml) heavy cream, 5 large egg yolks
- In a medium-sized saucepan, combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch and whisk together.⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon table salt, 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- While still whisking, slowly drizzle egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Go slowly so you have time to evenly incorporate the ingredients and eliminate any lumps that might otherwise form.
- Turn stovetop heat to medium and whisk constantly until it begins to thicken to a pudding-like consistency. How long this takes depends on your particular saucepan and stovetop, but you can tell it’s done when the whisk leaves trails through the mixture and it coats the back of a spoon (see video for visual).
- Remove from heat and pour immediately through a fine mesh strainer into a large, heatproof bowl.
- Add butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until completely melted after each addition.4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter
- Stir in vanilla extract. Mixture should be smooth and completely combined.1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Allow pastry cream to cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming, then place a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap directly against the surface of the pastry cream (to prevent a skin from forming as it chills).
- Transfer to refrigerator and allow to chill for several hours or up to 3 days before using.
Video
Notes
Leftover egg whites
If you don’t want to throw out your leftover egg whites, here are a few recipes that can be made to use them:- Meringue Cookies (4 egg whites)
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream (6 egg whites)
- White Cake (6 egg whites)
- Pavlova (6 egg whites)
Vanilla Bean
A vanilla bean adds unparalleled vanilla flavor to your pastry cream (and beautiful vanilla bean specks!). If you’d like to substitute a vanilla bean for the vanilla extract, you’ll need one bean split lengthwise. Add it to the pastry cream after you’ve combined the ingredients in step 3 and cook with the cream. It will be caught and can be removed/discarded when you strain the cream in step 5.Make it chocolate
Finely chop 4 oz of 60% chocolate before beginning. Reduce butter to 2 Tablespoons. Set aside and follow the recipe as written through step 5. Add the finely chopped chocolate and the 2 Tablespoons of butter in step 6 and stir until melted. Proceed with the recipe as written.Storing
When storing pastry cream, always store in the refrigerator in an airtight container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Unfortunately I do not recommend freezing pastry cream as the texture degrades and it begins to separate when frozen.Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 762kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 482mg | Sodium: 277mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 2197IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 1mg