Vegan Vanilla Pastry Cream- A delicious and creamy filling for tarts with rich vanilla flavor and a hint of lemon. Plus it’s gluten free!
What is Pastry Cream?
Pastry cream, or creme patisserie in French cuisine, is a kind of thick pudding or custard. It is traditionally made with milk and eggs, this vegan version uses plant based milk and starch instead. I have also omitted the use of flour in order to make it gluten free. This vegan vanilla pastry cream is a staple in my recipe book. It is so versatile and I find it much easier to make than traditional pastry cream.
Uses for Vegan Vanilla Pastry Cream
- A filling for fruit tarts
- Spread between cake layers like for a Boston cream pie
- A filling for cream puffs and eclairs
- Used in many classic French desserts such as Mille-feuille or Paris-brest
- You could even eat it straight from the bowl if you wish. I won’t judge! Its delicious.
If you make this recipe then be sure to take a picture, tag me in it on Instagram or Facebook @bakingtherapyemily, and hashtag it with #bakingtherapy. I would love to see that you are enjoying my recipe!
Why Vegan?
Well… I have a confession to make… I am not vegan. *gasp* So scandalous right? Okay maybe not scandalous but I’m sure you’re wondering why I would post vegan recipes. There’s a simple explanation, I have many friends who are vegan. When the thing I enjoy most is cooking for my friends, why would I make something that half of my guests can’t eat? I respect my friends and their choice to be vegan. For this reason I have begun developing recipes that vegans and non-vegans can both enjoy. This is one of those recipes and I hope you like it.
To find out more about Baking Therapy you can go here.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- A plant-based milk is the main ingredient. You can use any you prefer. I like using Unsweetened Almond Milk for cooking.
- A powdered starch, such as cornstarch or potato starch. This will be our thickener.
- The zest of one lemon.
- Sugar, you can use granulated or raw sugar. Adjust amount if you are using a sweetened plant-based milk.
- Real vanilla bean sliced in half lengthwise or vanilla bean paste. Vanilla extract can also be used but I would avoid any type of imitation vanilla. Imitation vanilla is called Vanillin, it leaves a telling chemical aftertaste in your mouth.
- Plant-based margarine or butter. I like to use a sunflower oil margarine. This will be used at the end of the recipe to add some richness and shine.
You probably have all the ingredients to make it in your kitchen already. A lot of people think that cooking vegan requires shelling out a lot of money at an expensive organic market, but this is a false assumption. You can find these ingredients at any grocery store. My recipe making philosophy is to keep things simple and accessible for everyone no matter the cuisine.
Tools Needed for Recipe
- Kitchen scale for measuring ingredients
- A tablespoon
- A small mixing bowl
- A medium saucepan
- Whisk
- A wire mesh strainer
- A fine grater for zesting the lemon
- A large heat resistant bowl to strain the hot pastry cream into
- Some plastic wrap for storage
Scroll down to see the full printable recipe!
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Upcoming Recipes
- Almond Oat Crust for Vegan and Gluten-Free Pies or Tarts
- How to Make the Perfect Berry Tart
- Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes- Vegan and Gluten-Free
- Let me know in the comments what else you want to see!
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