These vegan no-egg custard tarts are a classic British bake consisting of a crisp shortcrust pastry shell filled with creamy nutmeg and vanilla flavoured custard.
This retro bakery treat is surprisingly simple to make at home, and without all the usual eggs and dairy of course!
I have previously posted a recipe for Portuguese custard tarts (pastéis de nata), but these British-style vegan custard tarts are quite different. While pastéis de nata use a laminated, puff pastry style shell with a cinnamon and lemon flavoured custard, British custard tarts have a shortcrust pastry base and are flavoured with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
They date back as far as 1399, when they were served at a coronation banquet for Henry IV. Today, they are ubiquitous in bakeries and supermarkets all around the UK, where they can be found both as small individual tarts and as large ones.
While they are usually made with an egg based custard, dairy milk and sometimes cream, you don't need any of those things to make custard tarts that are still deliciously creamy and satisfying, so why not give my vegan version a go!
Ingredient Details:
Vegan single/pouring cream: Using a mixture of milk and cream gives the custard a richer, creamier mouthfeel and better flavour. I use Oatly creamy oat, but Alpro single soya is also good. You could also use full fat coconut milk if you don't mind a hint of coconut flavour.
Non-Dairy Milk: I recommend using unsweetened soy milk as it has a neutral flavour and creamy texture. If you can't use soy then a creamier milk like cashew or oat would be best.
Custard powder: This is what sets the custard in place of the usual eggs. Most custard powders are vegan friendly (such as Bird's, which is what I used), but do check the packet just in case.
Vegan butter: For the best crisp pastry you really need to use a block butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub. I use Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.
Sugar: You will need both icing (powdered) sugar for the pastry and either caster or granulated sugar for the custard. These vegan custard tarts cannot be made with sweeteners or liquid sugars.
Plain flour: Plain (all-purpose) flour is best for the pastry.
Vanilla: Either vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract is fine.
Nutmeg: This is the classic flavouring for British egg custard tarts. It is usually just sprinkled on top but I didn't find that that added enough flavour so I add a little to the custard as well, you can just sprinkle it on top if you want a milder flavour. Either pre-ground or freshly grated nutmeg is fine.
How To Make Vegan Custard Tarts:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: To make the pastry, mix the flour, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Step 2: Gradually add enough cold water to bring the pastry together into a ball. Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
- Step 3: Divide the pastry into 12 even pieces, roll them into balls then roll out into a thin round on a floured surface. Use a 10-11cm cookie cutter to cut out a circle from each.
- Step 4: Gently press the pastry rounds into a 12 cup muffin tin lined with strips of baking paper. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Step 5: Line each pastry case with a square of crumpled baking paper and fill with baking beans. Make sure that the squares of paper are big enough that you will be able to easily lift the whole lot out later.
- Step 6: Bake for 15 minutes then remove the paper and beans and bake for another 10 minutes until golden. As the assembled tarts are only going to be baked for a few minutes you want to ensure that the pastry is fully cooked at this stage.
- Step 7: To make the custard, place the custard powder, sugar and nutmeg in a saucepan, whisk in a splash of the milk to make a smooth paste.
- Step 8: Whisk in the rest of the milk, the cream and vanilla extract then heat while whisking constantly until it comes up to the boil and thickens.
- Step 9: Spoon the warm custard into the pastry shells and spread it level. Sprinkle over a little nutmeg.
- Step 10: Bake for 5 minutes until the custard is dry to the touch.
Top Tips:
USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
For the teaspoon and Tablespoon measurements, please use proper measuring spoons, not just regular spoons. A teaspoon is 5ml and a Tablespoon is 15ml.
Lining the muffin tin with strips of baking paper makes it easier to lift the baked tarts out of the tin.
For the best, crispy pastry, make sure that you don’t overwork it or let it get too warm. Freezing the tart shells prior to blind baking helps to make the pastry crisp and stops it from shrinking too much.
If you want to save time you can use shop bought shortcrust pastry instead. Many are vegan friendly - Jus Roll pastry is vegan (apart from the 'all-butter' one).
Stir the custard constantly while it is cooking and don't cook it over too high a heat as that can make it lumpy or burn on the bottom.
If you do find that the custard is a bit lumpy, simply scrape it through a fine mesh sieve to remove them.
Once the custard is cooked, keep stirring it regularly to prevent it from forming a skin.
Don't taste the custard then put the spoon back into the custard - the enzymes from your saliva can break down the cornflour and make it runny again!
FAQ's:
Custard powder is essentially just cornflour (cornstarch) with some flavourings and colourings so you can just use an equal weight of cornflour (cornstarch) instead. Add an extra ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and add an optional pinch of turmeric for colour.
Keep the tarts in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days though they are best eaten on the day they are made.
No, these custard tarts cannot be frozen. The custard is set with cornstarch and freezing cornstarch set mixtures can cause them to break down and become runny.
The tarts can be eaten warm, or as I prefer them, fridge cold.
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Vegan Custard Tarts
Equipment
- 12 cup muffin tin
- baking beans
- 10-11cm round cookie cutter
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 2 Tablespoons icing (powdered) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 130 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan block butter/margarine (I use Naturli Vegan Block) cold and diced
- 2 Tablespoons ice cold water
Custard
- 38 g (5 Tablespoons) custard powder*
- 75 g (6 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg plus extra for sprinkling
- 250 g (1 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegan single cream (I use Oatly)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the pastry, mix the flour, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain.250 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 2 Tablespoons icing (powdered) sugar, ¼ teaspoon table salt, 130 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan block butter/margarine (I use Naturli Vegan Block)
- Gradually add enough cold water to bring the pastry together into a ball. Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until firm enough to roll out.2 Tablespoons ice cold water
- Line a 12 cup muffin tray with strips of baking parchment - this makes it easy to get the baked tarts out of the tin.
- Divide the pastry into 12 even pieces, roll them into balls then roll out into a thin round (about 3mm thick) on a floured surface. Use a 10-11cm round fluted cookie cutter to cut out a circle from each. Alternatively you can roll the whole block of pastry out into one big circle, cut out rounds then re-roll the scraps to cut out more.
- Gently press the pastry rounds into the muffin tin, pressing them right into the corners and up the sides. Pop the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Line each frozen pastry case with a square of crumpled baking paper and fill with baking beans. Make sure that the squares of paper are big enough that you will be able to easily lift the whole lot out later.
- Bake for 15 minutes then remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for another 10 minutes until golden brown. As the assembled tarts are only going to be baked for a few minutes you want to ensure that the pastry is fully cooked at this stage.
- To make the custard, place the custard powder, sugar and nutmeg in a saucepan and whisk in a splash of the milk to make a smooth paste. Make sure there are no lumps of custard powder.38 g (5 Tablespoons) custard powder*, 75 g (6 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 250 g (1 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- Whisk in the rest of the milk, the cream and vanilla extract. Place the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly with a balloon whisk until it comes up to the boil and thickens.250 ml (1 cup) vegan single cream (I use Oatly), 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Remove the pan from the heat, if there are any lumps, use a spatula to scrape the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove them.
- Spoon the warm custard into the pastry shells, filling them almost to the top, and spread it level. Give the bowl of custard a stir every now and again as you work to prevent it from forming a skin.
- Sprinkle a little ground nutmeg over the top of each tart then bake for 5 minutes until the top of the custard is dry to the touch.
- Leave to cool in the tray for 5 minutes then lift the tarts out of the tin using the strips of baking parchment and place them on a wire rack to cool. Once cool store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- *It is especially important to weigh this ingredient rather than using Tablespoons as a difference of a few grams can significantly change the set and texture of the custard. You can use cornflour (cornstarch) instead of the custard powder, plus an extra ½ teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of turmeric for colour.
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
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Carolyn
What is custard powder? Is it available in the US?
Hannah
Hi Carolyn, Custard powder is essentially just cornflour (cornstarch) with some flavourings and colourings so you can just use an equal weight of cornflour (cornstarch) instead. Add an extra ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and add an optional pinch of turmeric for colour. As I am in the UK I can't say whether custard powder is available in the US or not.