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    Home » Desserts

    Vegan Custard

    Published: Apr 14, 2021 Updated: Jun 28, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Custard

    This vegan custard is rich and smooth and totally delicious! It can be made as a classic dessert topping or as a pastry cream. Easy to make with simple pantry ingredients.

    Custard pouring from a glass jug over a slice of sticky toffee pudding.

    This vegan custard is so good! It makes the perfect dessert topping for puddings like our vegan sticky toffee pudding (pictured above) or vegan malva pudding.

    It can be served hot or cold and makes a fabulous dessert eaten on its own.

    This custard is also totally divine served over vegan apple crisp or vegan apple cake. It’s also divine on the sheet cake version of our vegan gingerbread cake.

    It’s also extremely versatile because with one simple adjustment (a little extra cornstarch) it can firm up into the perfect pastry cream that you can use in your vegan custard slices or eclairs.

    Ingredients You’ll Need:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan custard.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Super fine sugar – also known as caster sugar. You can also use regular white granulated sugar if you don’t have any super fine sugar on hand.
    • Coconut milk – should be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk.
    • Turmeric – is just for color and can be omitted or used in a smaller quantity if you don’t want it to be as yellow as ours turned out.
    • Cornstarch – for a pourable custard (as pictured) we use ⅓ cup (42g) of cornstarch. If you’re using it as a pastry cream for something like custard slices, then the amount of cornstarch increases to ½ cup (64g).
    • Soy milk – can be replaced with another non-dairy milk such as almond, cashew or oat milk.
    Custard pouring off a serving spoon.

    How To Make Vegan Custard

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Mix the cornstarch with a little of the non-dairy milk until smooth.
    Collage of two photos showing cornstarch in a bowl and then mixed with soy milk.
    • Add coconut milk and soy milk (or other non-dairy milk) to a saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch mix. Add super fine sugar, vanilla extract and turmeric.
    • Heat on medium to high heat, stirring all the while until it thickens dramatically.
    Collage of two photos showing custard ingredients added to saucepan and whisked together.
    • Add vegan butter and whisk in.
    Collage of two photos showing vegan butter added to custard and whisked in.
    • Now it’s ready to serve as a dessert topping for cakes or pies or puddings etc.
    • Or you can allow it to cool and serve it cold over fresh or canned fruits.
    Custard pouring off a serving spoon.

    Vegan Pastry Cream

    • If you want to make this custard to use as a thick vegan pastry cream in other puddings like vegan custard slices, then simply increase the amount of cornstarch from ⅓ cup (42g) to ½ cup (64g).
    • Follow the recipe as usual and then place the cooked custard into a glass bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Cover it with plastic wrap (this is optional) so that the plastic touches the surface of the custard. This prevents it from forming a skin on top.
    • When the custard has cooled to room temperature place it into the fridge to chill completely and firm up.
    • When you’re ready to use it if there is any lumpiness then simply use your electric whisk or an immersion blender to whisk it up again and it’s ready to use.

    Vegan Chocolate Pastry Cream

    • For chocolate pastry cream omit the turmeric and add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the saucepan with your other ingredients at the beginning and whisk in.
    • Then, when you stir in your vegan butter at the end, add in ½ – 1 cup (88g-175g) of chopped vegan chocolate or chocolate chips and melt it in/whisk it into the custard.
    Custard in a glass jug.

    Storing and Reheating

    This custard stays really good for 3-4 days in the fridge and can be reheated on the stovetop. If it’s a little too thick then simply add in a splash of non-dairy milk and whisk it in as it heats.

    It’s also really good served cold.

    Custard pouring from a glass jug over a slice of sticky toffee pudding.

    More Vegan Dessert Toppings

    1. Vegan Whipped Cream
    2. Vegan Ice Cream
    3. Toasted Coconut
    4. Vegan Chocolate Ganache
    5. Vegan Chocolate Sauce
    6. Vegan Caramel Sauce
    A slice of sticky toffee pudding topped with custard.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Custard pouring from a glass jug over a slice of sticky toffee pudding.

    Vegan Custard

    This vegan custard is rich and smooth and totally delicious! It can be made as a classic dessert topping or as a pastry cream. Easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. 
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Gluten-Free, How To
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 155kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup Cornstarch (42g)
    • 1 ½ cups Soy Milk (360ml) or other non-dairy milk such as almond/cashew/oat
    • 14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
    • ½ cup Super Fine Sugar (115g) Caster Sugar
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • ¼ tsp Turmeric
    • 4 Tbsp Vegan Butter
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Mix the cornstarch with a little of the non-dairy milk until smooth. 
    • Add coconut milk and soy milk (or other non-dairy milk) to a saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch mix. Add super fine sugar, vanilla extract and turmeric. 
    • Heat on medium to high heat, stirring all the while until it thickens dramatically. 
    • Add vegan butter and whisk in. 
    • Now it’s ready to serve as a dessert topping for cakes or pies or puddings etc. 
    • Or you can allow it to cool and serve it cold over fresh or canned fruits. 

    Notes

    1. Cornstarch – for a pourable custard (as in the photos) use ⅓ cup (42g) of cornstarch. If you want to use it as a pastry cream for something like custard slices, then the amount of cornstarch should increase to ½ cup (64g). See more about this below.  
    2. Super fine sugar – also known as caster sugar. You can also use regular white granulated sugar if you don’t have any super fine sugar on hand. 
    3. Turmeric – is just for color and can be omitted or used in a smaller quantity if you don’t want it to be as yellow as ours turned out. 
    4. Vegan Pastry Cream: If you want to make this custard to use as a thick vegan pastry cream in other puddings like vegan custard slices, then use ½ cup (64g) of cornstarch. Follow the recipe as usual and then place the cooked custard into a glass bowl and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Cover it with plastic wrap (optional) so that the plastic touches the surface of the custard. This prevents it from forming a skin on top. When the custard has cooled to room temperature place it into the fridge to chill completely and firm up. When you’re ready to use it if there is any lumpiness then simply use your electric whisk or an immersion blender to whisk it up again and it’s ready to use. 
    5. Vegan Chocolate Pastry Cream: For chocolate pastry cream omit the turmeric and add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the saucepan with your other ingredients at the beginning and whisk in. Then, when you stir in your vegan butter at the end, add in ½ – 1 cup (88g-175g) of chopped vegan chocolate or chocolate chips and melt it in/whisk it into the custard.  
    6. Storing and Reheating: This custard stays really good for 3-4 days in the fridge and can be reheated on the stovetop. If it’s a little too thick then simply add in a splash of non-dairy milk and whisk it in as it heats. It’s also really good served cold. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.6g | Protein: 1.3g | Fat: 9.9g | Saturated Fat: 5.8g | Sodium: 76mg | Sugar: 10.1g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ronisha Sathiram says

      December 24, 2024 at 8:11 pm

      This is my go to custard. I use it for my trifle as well as the filling for my stuffed doughnuts. Super delicious.

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        January 29, 2025 at 10:26 am

        Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Ronisha!

        Reply
    2. Renae says

      February 24, 2023 at 7:17 pm

      I love this recipe! I leave out the coconut milk ‘cuz I don’t like coconut. Didn’t add butter or turmeric. And I added 1/2 cup of lemon juice (then increased the cornstarch by another tablespoon or so), and it’s amazing! I use it as yogurt in parfaits, and it’s YUM! Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Renae says

        February 24, 2023 at 7:18 pm

        (Oh — so I just added more oat milk instead of the coconut milk)5 stars

        Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 14, 2023 at 12:48 pm

        Thank you so much for sharing your additions and for your great review!

        Reply
    3. Anu says

      July 16, 2022 at 1:38 pm

      Hi! I made this today for my trifle and it was wonderful! Wow! Thank you so much!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 16, 2022 at 1:47 pm

        That’s awesome Anu! Thanks for the great review!

        Reply
    4. Rachael says

      March 14, 2022 at 6:03 pm

      Hi Alison, I plan on making this for a vegan Manchester Tart so will be using the pastry cream version! Do you recommend using spreadable vegan butter from a tub or the foil wrapped, block kind? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 15, 2022 at 10:23 am

        Hi Rachael, either/or will do fine, but lately I’ve been using Flora Plant butter (which comes in the hard blocks) and it’s working great for everything! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Sully6 says

      July 15, 2021 at 2:27 pm

      This is amazing EVERY time we make it! It’s easy to make and it’s DELICIOUS!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 15, 2021 at 2:30 pm

        Yay! Thanks so much for the wonderful review!

        Reply
    6. Kesh Lionheart says

      May 21, 2021 at 2:24 am

      AWESOME! THANKS FOR SHARING5 stars

      Reply
    7. Anna says

      April 16, 2021 at 2:53 pm

      Super delicious, creamy and rich and to use as is! I will try it on apple crumble though..5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 16, 2021 at 3:07 pm

        Awesome, thanks Anna!

        Reply
    8. Barb says

      April 14, 2021 at 5:30 pm

      Looks yummy have you tried arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 15, 2021 at 9:51 am

        Hi Barb, I haven’t tried this with arrowroot but I think it would work, however I believe you may need up to twice as much arrowroot as the cornstarch to get the same results.

        Reply
    9. Michelle says

      April 14, 2021 at 4:54 pm

      Could this be used as cream brulée?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 15, 2021 at 9:50 am

        Hi Michelle, I’m not sure! I haven’t ever made a creme brulée though it’s definitely on my list to do at some point! So I’m just not sure what’s needed for that.

        Reply

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    5 from 7 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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