Sometimes you need a little indulgent treat to top off the tummy after a delicious meal. But if you’re trying to avoid white refined sugar most store-bought custards or even custard recipes you find online are a pretty big no-no.
Maple syrup comes to the rescue in this delicious melt-in-your-mouth treat that keeps you satisfied – I love that there is no refined sugar added; it is super simple to make with real natural ingredients. Plus homemade custard doesn’t contain any artificial flavors, preservatives, or wheat-based thickening agents that some store custards do.
I even have this yummy maple custard as a snack because of the protein from the eggs, calcium from the dairy, and the energy I get from the maple syrup. (sounds downright good for you when you think of all the real whole food ingredients)
So without further ado…
Our Super Simple Natural Custard Recipe
• 6 farm-fresh eggs
• 3 cups whole milk
(milk alternatives can also be used: coconut, almond, hemp, etc..)
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• nutmeg (optional)
Making Custard: Preparation and Baking
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2) Whisk together eggs, salt, milk, and vanilla – blend in maple syrup (yes it really is that easy)
3) Pour into 8×8 (or 2 Liter) glass baking or casserole dish
3) Bake for 40-50 min (until nice and brown on top and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean)
4) Serve warm or cold, sprinkle with nutmeg (or we love it with pumpkin spice)
5) Enjoy!
Extra Tips for Making Perfect Baked Egg Custard
While I love this custard recipe because it is so simple, baking any egg dish takes a bit of practice to get the texture right. Here are a few tips and extra methods for making a great custard.
Eggs:
Using the freshest eggs you can find when making egg custard is the key. We are lucky enough to have a local small farm where we get fresh pastured eggs. If you can’t get pasture-raised eggs opt for organic eggs for the most health benefit (the more orange the egg yolk the more nutrients).
Beat the eggs gently with a wire whisk before adding in the other ingredients. Your custard will come out much smoother. Also, beating the eggs lightly prevents air bubbles from forming which changes the texture of the custard.
Strain the eggs:
A simple tip for a smooth creamy custard is to strain the egg mixture before cooking. This removes any unmixed egg whites which let your custard get its smooth on so to speak. A smooth custard is a happy custard.
Water Bath:
While you don’t need a water bath (I’ve made some great custard with the no-frills method I mentioned above) a water bath ensures your custard is cooked evenly. Also, if you choose to bake your custard in ramekins a water bath is essential.
To make a water bath, place the baking dish or ramekins into a deep baking dish lined with a tea towel. Add hot water into the lined baking dish about 2/3 the way up until it reaches the level of the custard inside the ramekins or dish.
A water bath or bain-marie (the Fancy Nancy name) protects the custard from the direct heat of the pan bottom, this assures the custard cooks gently and doesn’t overheat and separate.
Timing:
Making egg custard is a delicate balance when it comes to timing because you don’t want to overcook your custard. A trick is to shake the baking pan to check for doneness.
Does your custard wiggle only slightly when you shake it? Then do a happy dance because it is ready to be taken out of the oven and enjoyed!
If your eggs don’t have that nice jiggle, they are overcooked and the custard won’t have the proper texture.
Do you have a delicious homemade custard recipe you really love? Let us know; we always like trying healthy new recipes. And remember sharing feels good – please share this simple custard recipe with at least a million friends (that’s a lot of feelgood-ness)
Love desserts, but they don’t love you? How would you like to sink your teeth into 50 guilt-free dessert recipes (okay fine don’t eat the recipes just the nummy desserts you make)
I am in love with the Healing Gourmet’s new dessert cookbook – they revamped all your favorite dessert recipes to remove every ingredient that was unnatural or refined, as well as anything that would spike your blood sugar or cause your body to store fat. They are actually GOOD for you!
Give it a try by clicking below:
FAQs
Using a Thickening Agent
Mix flour and cold water well, making sure the mixture is smooth. For 1 cup (240 mL) of custard, use 2 tablespoons (17 g) of flour mixed with 4 tablespoons (59 mL) of cold water. Add the mixture into your custard ingredients as they cook on the stove. Use cornstarch as an alternative to flour.
What is instant custard powder made of? ›
INGREDIENTS: Maltodextrin, Modified Maize Starch, Whey Powder (Milk), Sugar, Coconut Oil, Dried Cream (Milk), Cornflour, Flavourings, Milk Proteins, Stabiliser (Sodium Triphosphate), Colours (Annatto Norbixin, Curcumin) Caramelised Sugar Powder.
What makes custard so good? ›
Custard is a decadent dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Eggs are responsible for custard's thick and velvety texture, but some recipes (such as this one) call for thickeners such as cornstarch or arrowroot for extra richess.
What are the three types of soft custard? ›
There are three types of custard: baked, stirred, and frozen. Baked custards include bread pudding, flan, and cheesecake, and are prepared by baking in an oven or water bath. Boiled Custards include beverages like eggnog. Puddings, creme anglaise (krem on-GLAYZ), and pastry cream are some examples of stirred custards.
How to thicken custard without cornstarch? ›
There is one egg yolk per 100mls of liquid and this is enough to thicken the custard without the addition of cornflour (cornstarch). As the custard is not intended to set it does not need an extra thickening agent.
What ingredient is used to thicken custard? ›
For a thick, hot custard you need to add cornflour (cornstarch) as a thickener. The custard needs to come up to boiling point to thicken and to loose the taste of the uncooked starch, but the cornflour stabilizes the egg yolks so that they can tolerate higher temperatures without scrambling.
Is instant pudding same as custard? ›
While most custard and pudding recipes both typically call for eggs, the main difference is that pudding uses a starch for thickening, whereas custard's thickening agent is the egg itself (or egg yolk, in most instances). Custard's texture also tends to be firmer than pudding.
Is custard powder just cornstarch? ›
So while custard powder typically contains cornstarch, flavorings, and coloring agents, tapioca powder is made solely from cassava starch.
Is instant custard the same as custard powder? ›
In summary, Custard Powder requires cooking with milk, while Instant Custard is ready to serve by simply adding hot water, making it a quicker and more convenient option. A good example of an instant custard brand is Checkers Custard Brand.
What are the mistakes when making custard? ›
The most common mistake people make with custards is that they tend to overcook them. Custards need to come out of the oven just before they're completely cooked because they will continue baking even after you take them out of the oven.
Tip: Whisking the eggs with sugar helps, too. Now you can add the tempered eggs to the hot milk without worrying that the eggs will curdle or scramble. Keep stirring over medium heat as the custard thickens. You're all tempered and all set.
What's the difference between pudding and custard? ›
Custard primarily relies on eggs and dairy, while pudding uses milk or cream, sugar, and a starch thickener like cornstarch or tapioca. Custard tends to be smoother and more velvety due to the egg content, whereas pudding has a thicker, more gelatinous consistency because of the added starch.
What's the difference between crème brûlée and custard? ›
The main difference between the two is that creme brulee is topped with a layer of sugar that caramelizes under a broiler or torch, resulting in a crunchy, burnt sugar topping. Egg custard does not have this additional layer of sugar, but some recipes call for a dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon.
How do you stop watery custard? ›
Whole eggs, as opposed to just egg yolks, will also give you a firmer texture. If you are really concerned, you could add a teaspoon of flour to the ingredients to help firm up the custard's texture.
Can you thicken custard after it's cooked? ›
The key to thickening it is to add in more powder (as a paste or you will get lumps) stir well and re-heat.
Can you make ready-made custard thicker? ›
I don't use eggs in my trifle custard I just put more custard powder in it. It works well and tastes similar to the egg one, I use extra vanilla. I bought a pot of supermarket ready made custard from the chiller, warmed it up, added a little cornflour to thicken as it was too thin for trifle. Worked really well.
What to do with unset custard? ›
If lumps are starting to form during the making of your recipe, remove the custard from the stove and immediately pour it into a bowl. Pulse the mixture with an immersion blender for about 30 seconds, taking care not to overprocess, otherwise you will thin the mixture.
