Vanilla Custard Sauce
Vanilla custard sauce made with milk, egg yolks, and sugar. An easy, silky topping for blueberry grunt and other fruit desserts.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 95kcal
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Fine mesh sieve
- Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar divided
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Add the milk and half of the sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until the milk is steaming and small bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil.
- While the milk heats, whisk the egg yolks, remaining sugar, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl until well combined.
- Slowly dribble the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs until the milk is gone.
- Return the mixture to the pot, then cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens slightly and reaches 180 to 181°F (82 to 83°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat, then strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
- Fill the original mixing bowl with ice and a small amount of cold water. Set the bowl of strained custard into the ice bath and stir occasionally until it is cooled. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- For detailed ingredient notes, substitution tips, variations, and step-by-step photos, scroll through the full recipe post.
- Use a digital kitchen scale for precise measurements and an instant-read digital thermometer to confirm temperatures.
- To switch to gram measurements, click "Metric grams" in the ingredients section of the recipe card.
- Keep the heat at medium-low once the custard returns to the stove, as higher heat can cause the egg yolks to scramble.
- This is a thin, silky, pourable custard, so don't wait for it to become thick like pudding in the saucepan.
- Let the custard cool slightly before covering and refrigerating so condensation doesn't drip back into the sauce.
Storage
- Store the custard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir gently before serving warm or cold.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 91mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 210IU | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 0.2mg