This Vegan Pastry Cream is thick, sweet, and absolutely delicious. This Cream will be perfect for tarts, for pudding, or for filling cream donuts. Simple to make and completely dairy-free.

I have made the “real” pastry cream that is filled with egg yolks, milk, and cream. It is really stressful because you have to temper the egg yolks by slowly heating them with hot milk. But made right, it was creamy and luxurious.

In this recipe, no eggs are needed, instead, I use cornstarch to thicken the mixture and vegan butter to add a creaminess. You wouldn’t be able to tell it isn’t made with dairy and eggs.

Many thanks for this Pastry cream goes to Berry Baker. This is an adaptation of her recipe.

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Ingredients for Vegan Pastry Cream

• Cornstarch. This is to thicken the mixture. You can use arrowroot powder instead.
• Non-dairy milk. I use oat milk because it has a neutral flavor. You can use your favorite milk brand, but try to get that is high in fat.
• Sugar. I use cane sugar, but you can use any sweetener of choice. Please note: if using a liquid sweetener, it could alter the color a bit.
• Vegan butter. To add extra creaminess that pastry cream usually has.
• Vanilla Extract. This is for flavoring the cream.

Procedure

Heat the milk and vanilla paste in a pot. Don’t boil it, just a light simmer. After 5 minutes, take off the heat.

In a bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add some of the milk in and mix well. Make sure there is no lumps. Once you have your cornstarch slurry, add it back to the pot.

Keep whisking as you add it back to the heat. It will quickly thicken. Once it is your desired consistency, take off the heat again and let cool.

Pass the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. To make it easier to do this, use a spatula to move the cream around as it pours out. The result will be a smooth and creamy pastry cream.

Once it is perfect, add the vegan butter and turmeric. The turmeric isn’t necessary, but it makes the cream slightly yellow. Since pastry cream usually contains egg yolks, this is meant to mimic that.

This cream will last about 3-5 days in the fridge. They don’t last long, so use it quickly for the best flavor. You CANNOT freeze the cream. The best way to store it is by pouring it into a bowl and covering it with plastic wrap. To prevent it from getting a skin, have the plastic wrap touch the surface of the cream.

What to use it for?

This Vegan Pastry Cream can be used in a variety of ways. Here are some examples:

• Cream filling for donuts or pastries.
• Used in tarts as a base for fruits, nuts, and/or chocolate, or even vegan meringue.
• Eaten as a pudding for a quick snack.
• Used in a layered cake to add extra flavor and creaminess. This would be good in a Tiramisu.
• Sprinkle some sugar on top to make a Vegan Creme brulee. Don’t forget to caramelize the sugar with a torch. Yum!

There are endless applications to use this cream and it is so quick and easy to make. What’s not to love?

Want More?

Try out similar recipes below:

• Flaky Pie and Tart Dough
• Vegan White Chocolate
• Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!