How To Make Vegan Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)

This vegan pastry cream is easy to make in under 10 minutes with just 6 ingredients and no eggs, dairy or coconut.

It is rich, smooth and creamy, not too sweet, with a delicious vanilla flavour and it holds its shape when piped. Use it to fill tarts, cakes, pies, doughnuts and other desserts.

What Is Pastry Cream?:

Pastry cream, also known as crème pâtissière or simply crème pât, is a type of French vanilla custard that is rich, thick and creamy.

It is traditionally set with both egg yolks and starches (usually cornstarch and flour) to give it a thicker texture than regular custard.

It has a wide range of uses such as in tarts, mille-feuille, choux buns, cakes and doughnuts.

This vegan version simply uses extra cornstarch in place of the egg yolks, with some vegan butter for richness and a firmer consistency.

It is thick, creamy and smooth and full of buttery vanilla flavour. It pipes beautifully and can be used to make many different desserts.

It is also very quick and easy to make in around 10 minutes with just a few basic ingredients.

Ingredient Details:

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 barista would be best; avoid using thinner milks such as rice, almond or coconut drinking milk.

If your milk is sweetened then you will need to reduce the sugar a little to compensate. You can always add more to taste once the pastry cream is cooked.

Non-Dairy Cream: You can absolutely just use more milk instead, but using part milk, part vegan single cream gives the pastry cream a wonderful rich, creamy texture and more rounded flavour.

I use Alpro soy cream, but my homemade cashew cream (thinned to pouring cream consistency), Oatly Creamy Oat or full fat coconut milk will also work; otherwise just use more soy milk instead of the cream. Bear in mind that the texture may be a little softer if you do not use cream.

Cornflour (Cornstarch): Cornflour (cornstarch) is what we use to thicken the pastry cream in place of egg yolks.

I really don't recommend swapping it for any other kind of starch or flour, you will not get the right texture.

Sugar: While you can use any kind of sugar, white caster or granulated will give you the most classic flavour and appearance.

Vanilla: I recommend using vanilla bean paste or the seeds from a vanilla pod for the best flavour, though extract will work in a pinch.

Vegan Butter: Adding some vegan block butter makes the pastry cream richer and helps it to set. Make sure that you use the block style vegan butter rather than spreadable.

How To Make Vegan Pastry Cream:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Place the cornstarch in a pan and gradually whisk in the cold milk, making sure that there are no lumps. Whisk in the cream, sugar and vanilla.

Step 2: Place the pan over a low-medium heat and stir constantly until it comes up to the boil and thickens. Once it starts to thicken, whisk it vigorously for about a minute, making sure that you get right into the edges of the pan. When you stop for a few seconds, a few big bubbles should rise to the surface and pop.

Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted and combined.

Step 3: Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with baking paper or clingfilm directly on the surface of the pastry cream, this will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours until cold.

Top Tips:

I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale 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!

Always mix cornstarch with cold liquid, never warm or hot as that can cause it to form lumps.

Don't taste the pastry cream then put the spoon back into the cream - the enzymes from your saliva can break down the cornflour and make it runny again!

I don't recommend swapping the cornflour (cornstarch) for any other thickener. While technically arrowroot will work, it can give the pastry cream a slimy texture.

The pastry cream isn't overely sweet but you can reduce (or increase!) the sugar if you prefer.

Stir the pastry cream 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.

This pastry cream is perfect for filling things like tarts and doughnuts. If you want a firmer set pastry cream that could be used in between cake layers then increase both the cornstarch and butter to 70g.

When you are ready to use the pastry cream, give it a good whisk to smooth it out. It will firm up and set slightly when it cools and it might look a bit rubbery or jelly-like, but it will become smooth and pipeable again after a good whisk.

FAQ's:

How To Use Vegan Pastry Cream:

• In fruit tarts: fill a baked tart shell with vegan pastry cream and top with fresh fruit. Strawberries and raspberries work particularly well. I also have an incredible vegan rhubarb tart recipe.
• In layer cakes such as Boston cream pie.
• To make Mille-feuille with layers of puff pastry.
• As a filling for doughnuts, brioche or croissants.
• With vegan crêpes, either rolled up as a filling or stacked to make a crêpe cake.
• Serve it in place of cream with your favourite desserts, or just eat it with a spoon!

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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