Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)

Name: Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: European, Mediterranean, French
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups (568g) milk, whole preferred; 2/3 cup (132g) granulated sugar; 1/4 cup (28g) cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon table salt; 6 large egg yolks; 2 teaspoons King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract; 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, cold; cut into 1" cubes

Instructions

Prep:20min

Pastry cream (crème pâtissière) is a versatile custard used in many desserts, from éclairs and cream puffs to fruit tarts and mille-feuille. Made by cooking milk, sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch into a thick, smooth, glossy mixture, pastry cream is a blank canvas that can be flavored in many ways or allowed to shine on its own.As a result of reader feedback, we’ve retested this recipe and made some changes from the original; see “tips,” (below) for details.

Updated at: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:06:24 GMT