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Swirls of vegan chocolate pastry cream piped on a marble surface.
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Vegan Chocolate Pastry Cream

This vegan chocolate pastry cream is easy to make in under 10 minutes with just 7 ingredients and no eggs, dairy or coconut.
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 840 g
Author Domestic Gothess

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

Instructions

  • 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.
  • Place the pan over a low 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 chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.
  • Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to scrape the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.
  • Cover the pastry cream with clingfilm directly on the surface, this will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, giving it a vigorous stir every now and again as it cools. It will take 3-4 hours to cool completely and I like to give it a stir every 45 minutes, this helps to prevent it from forming lumps and setting too firm.
  • When you are ready to use the pastry cream, give it a good whisk with a balloon whisk, electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until it is smooth and creamy. It is now ready to use.

Notes

  • See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
  • I strongly suggest making this recipe by weight, if you use the cup conversions I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
  • If the pastry cream looks like it is becoming greasy as it cools, whisk it thoroughly to re-emulsify it.