Vegan Chocolate Pastry Cream

Name: Vegan Chocolate Pastry Cream
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 60 g (½ cup) cornflour (cornstarch); 500 ml (2 cups + 1 Tablespoon) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy); 25 g (2 ½ packed Tablespoons) cocoa powder; 80 g (6 ½ Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 50 g (3 ½ Tablespoons) vegan block butter; 125 g (4 ½ oz) 70% dark chocolate (finely chopped)

Go to Recipe

This vegan chocolate pastry cream is easy to make in under 10 minutes with just 7 ingredients and no eggs, dairy or coconut.

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

Vegan chocolate pastry cream piped into a small glass.

This vegan chocolate pastry cream is a great alternative to regular vanilla pastry cream or to chocolate ganache. It is thick, creamy and smooth with an intense chocolate flavour, but is not quite as rich as a ganache would be. 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.

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

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan chocolate pastry cream.

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.

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, caster or granulated will give you the most classic flavour.

Vanilla: As the chocolate is the main flavour here you can get away with using vanilla extract rather than vanilla bean paste or a vanilla pod.

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.

Dark chocolate: Use a good quality 70% dark chocolate. Don't use a higher cocoa percentage than that however as it can be more likely to split.

Cocoa powder: I recommend using Dutch processed but natural would be ok as well.

Swirls of vegan chocolate pastry cream piped on a marble surface.

How To Make Vegan Chocolate 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 cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla.

Step 1, the ingredients whisked together in a pan.

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.

Step 3: Add the butter and chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.

Step 3, the pastry cream with the butter and chocolate added.

Step 4: Scrape the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

Step 4, scraping the pastry cream through a sieve.

Step 5: Cover the pastry cream with clingfilm directly on the surface, this will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, giving it a good stir every now and again as it cools.

Step 5, the pastry cream covered with clingfilm.

Vegan chocolate pastry cream in a bowl with a spoon.

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.

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.

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.

I highly recommend giving the chocolate pastry cream a good stir every now and again as it cools. This prevents it from forming lumps and setting too firm.

If the pastry cream looks like it is becoming greasy as it cools, whisk it thoroughly to re-emulsify it.

FAQ's:

How should I store pastry cream?

Store the chocolate pastry cream in a container or a bowl covered with clingfilm or baking paper directly on the surface. This will prevent the top of the cream from drying out. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Can I freeze it?

I do not recommend freezing this vegan chocolate pastry cream as it is set with cornstarch which can break down when frozen and defrosted.

How do I fix lumpy pastry cream?

Simply use a spatula to scrape the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve before refrigerating it, this will remove any lumps. If it has become a bit lumpy after it is chilled this is normal, just give it a good whisk and it will become creamy again.

Is pastry cream the same as custard?

While pastry cream is a type of custard, it is not the same as the custard that you would serve poured over a pudding for example. Traditional custard has a thinner, pouring consistency whereas pastry cream is thicker and holds its shape when piped. If you want to make custard rather than pastry cream then I also have a vegan custard recipe.

How To Use Vegan Chocolate Pastry Cream:

In fruit tarts: fill a baked tart shell with vegan chocolate pastry cream and top with fresh fruit. Strawberries and raspberries work particularly well.
As a filling in ln layer cakes.
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!

Two glasses with pastry cream piped into them.

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