Homemade Custard

Custard is one of those sauces you can whip up easily on the stovetop. It’s delightful on its own with berries or banana, or used to accompany pies and puddings. Whether you're 9 months old or 99, this creamy custard recipe will become your new regular. 

How to make homemade custard: key tips

The key to a perfect custard is getting the whisking right. For a lump-free sauce, you’ll need to make sure that the cornflour is completely incorporated with the eggs and milk and that the mixture is smooth before adding any heat. 

Whisking constantly while the mixture heats (choose a medium-low heat) helps to distribute the heat evenly throughout the custard, ensuring that it thickens uniformly and none of the sauce sticks to the bottom of the pan or scorches. 

As your custard heats, it will become thick and creamy and able to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Draw a finger across the back of the spoon and, if it leaves a trail, your custard is ready. This will take around 10 minutes.

Key ingredients in this homemade custard recipe

You only need 5 simple ingredients to make a gorgeous homemade custard. 

Cornflour is your thickening agent for this custard, while the milk, eggs and vanilla create the moreish vanilla flavour. Use full cream milk for a creamier custard.

Sugar sweetens your custard and you can use as much or as little as you like, depending on your personal taste. You might also like to use less sugar if eating your custard with a sweet pie or sliced ripe banana, for example.

Here are another 100 custard recipes for custard lovers. I’ll be making this lemon custard magic cake next.

This recipe was originally submitted by Shelly68, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.