Keto and dairy-free vanilla custard

Keto and dairy-free vanilla custard

Just like grandma used to make... only better! We took the cream out of the creamy custard, but it is still... wait for it... creamy! And keto. Wait 'til you taste it!
June 3 2017 by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Dessert

Keto and dairy-free vanilla custard

Just like grandma used to make... only better! We took the cream out of the creamy custard, but it is still... wait for it... creamy! And keto. Wait 'til you taste it!
USMetric
4 servingservings

Ingredients

  • 6 6 egg yolkegg yolks
  • ½ cup 120 ml unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp erythritol (optional)
  • ¼ cup 60 ml melted coconut oil or unsalted butter
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Instructions

  1. Whisk together egg yolks, almond milk, vanilla, and optional sweetener in a medium metal bowl.
  2. Slowly mix in the melted coconut oil or butter. Be sure the oil isn't too hot, or the eggs may cook unevenly.
  3. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk the mixture constantly and vigorously until thickened. Your instant-read thermometer should register 140°F (60°C) for 3 full minutes. Usually, this means about 5 minutes of total cooking time. (When ready, it should coat the back of a spoon.)
  4. Remove the custard from the water bath. Serve either warm or chilled. (If serving chilled, it can be prepared 1-3 days ahead and refrigerated. Re-whisk before serving.)

Tip!

Check out Maria's recipe for Biscuits and Gravy if you're wondering what to do with the left-over egg whites! This recipe is part of a collaboration with Maria Emmerich, a best-selling American cookbook author. Check out her website for more keto inspiration and recipes.

More recipes from Maria Emmerich

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💬 Have you tried this recipe?

What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

38 comments

  1. 1
    Luka Lavrin
    May 18 2017
    Could you make this recipe with coconut milk instead of almond milk?
  2. 2
    Maryrose
    June 1 2017
    I have used both in cooking low carb dishes, and also coconut cream is fab, and non dairy !
  3. 3
    Bana
    November 19 2017
    Honey is not keto apporved, it will spike your bloodsugar.
  4. 4
    Liz
    December 7 2017
    Bana, it is 1/4 t per serving giving 1.5g carbs, and also optional.
  5. 5
    Jennifer
    December 15 2017
    Please don't list a recipe as "keto" if you're listing obviously non-keto items in the recipe (honey). This confuses people who are just starting keto and still learning.
  6. 6
    Rachel
    December 25 2017
    Jennifer, the amount of honey is not a lot in carbs and optional means you don't have to include it.
  7. 7
    mary
    January 14 2018
    so when i made this recipe. it was really frothy but never really thickened after about six mintues it all seperated like it curdled. What did i do wrong?
    Reply: #16
  8. 8
    LHK
    January 15 2018
    If you don’t have an issue with dairy it probably would be better, and more “keto”, if you used cream instead of almond milk.
  9. 9
    Emilia
    January 28 2018
    Mine also curdled. Not sure where I went wrong because I followed the recipe exactly.
  10. 10
    Allison
    February 4 2018
    If it curdles in the pot immediately transfer to a blender. Instant fix!
  11. 11
    Sandra
    February 9 2018
    This is the third Maria Emmerich recipe I've used and they've all be a disaster. I followed instructions to the letter and this custard burned half-way through the baking process. I skimmed off the burnt top and what was left had a horrible, grainy texture. No more Emmerich recipes for me. I don't think they're well tested.
  12. 12
    Sibz
    February 10 2018
    Had a very bland taste to the point I had to add more vanilla and Syrup after cooking. Very light and not the nicest . Sorry
  13. 13
    Meaghan
    March 27 2018
    Tasted awful. I tossed the whole thing in to my compost bin. This is the only recipe on the site I have been disappointed with so far and I have tried quite a few.
  14. 14
    Christina
    April 26 2018
    This recipe requires patience. Allow egg yolks and almond and coconut milk to come to room temperature before cooking. Also the water in the pot must be simmering before you place the bowl in it AND the water must not touch the bottom of the bowl. For me it did take more than 5 minutes to get thickened. I cooled it and made keto whipped cream and folded into the cooled custard for a fantastic mousse. Add some fresh berries. So good!
    Reply: #29
  15. 1 comment removed
  16. 16
    Reply to comment #7 by mary
    Adriana
    June 16 2018
    Mary, I had the same problem.
  17. 17
    KRISTINA D
    June 19 2018
    I accidently put too much sweetener is so was very very sweet! But it came together nicely and I had no issues with the cooking of it
  18. 18
    Mitzy
    December 10 2018
    Mine came out fine, more like runny-like warm pudding but congealed in the fridge. I had Truvia and added 1 tsp...definitely not enough. Added 1 tbsp to each of two servings and it was much much better. Tasted good. The recipe did not state that the inner bowl can't touch the simmering water, but I used a Martha Stewart bowl with rubber bottom and immersed it. My eggs did not overcook. Just took longer than 5 min to thicken even at 140+ degrees for 3 min. No the consistency I wanted with almond milk but I'm dairy adverse. Overall I will make again with more Trivia and a thickener added to the almond milk...maybe a couple tbsp cream cheese.
  19. 19
    Jill
    March 19 2019
    Mine turned out like micro-scrambled eggs! Not sure what I did wrong.
  20. 20
    Nicholas
    April 15 2019
    Hello team! I am going to buy unsweetened macadamia milk tomorrow and I came across this recipe. Can I sub the almond milk? I really hope so because I don’t really use almond milk and I want to try the macadamia milk :)
    Reply: #21
  21. 21
    Reply to comment #20 by Nicholas
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    April 16 2019

    Hello team! I am going to buy unsweetened macadamia milk tomorrow and I came across this recipe. Can I sub the almond milk? I really hope so because I don’t really use almond milk and I want to try the macadamia milk :)

    Yes, that should work well also.

  22. 22
    Paige Kittles
    July 20 2019
    I made this pudding last night but used canned coconut milk instead of almond, and I sweetened it with liquid sucralose. I made this hoping my husband would enjoy it, as he is starting keto today, but I had high doubts because he’s a “super taster” and doesn’t like anything that’s actually healthy. I just now made him try it (against his will) but he and I were both surprised that he loved it! I mean, I enjoyed it but I didn’t expect him to!

    Side notes-
    I used a hand mixer bc I’m not super woman and can’t keep whisking by hand.
    The thermometer is critical.

    Thanks Maria for (yet another) amazing recipe!

  23. 23
    Toniann
    August 1 2019
    This is my go-to keto custard recipe. whenever I have egg yolks left over from another recipe I pop over to this page and make this custard. I always add a pinch of xanthan gum to ensure nothing separates, but i'm sure it would work the same without.
  24. 24
    Foroya
    October 18 2019
    This has come out really bland and with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Also did not thicken at all - really disappointed that I wasted all these ingredients..
  25. 25
    Vanesa
    December 18 2019
    The warm bath is key. You have to be patience. Mine thickened but the taste waste that great. Not dull but I think we can eat it.
  26. 26
    Vanesa
    December 18 2019
    Wasn't* not waste

    The warm bath is key. You have to be patience. Mine thickened but the taste waste that great. Not dull but I think we can eat it.

  27. 27
    Nicky
    December 21 2019
    please add the "best keto bread" recipe to the Tips! of what to do with the egg whites
    (especially the coconut flour version which requires double the egg whites of the almond flour)
  28. 28
    G
    January 1 2020
    If you have trouble with this curdling or the oil separating or the eggs looking "scrambled", search for tips on how to cook a custard sauce/creme anglaise. This recipe assumes you know how to cook this very gently to just below a simmer and never boil. A double boiler is the safest, but can be cooked in a thick bottomed saucepan if very careful to whisk all the time. (I also use a silicon spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot.) As soon as the texture changes, remove pot from stove and set on a heat-safe tile surface to cool the pot quickly or pour into a serving bowl to stop the custard from overcooking.
  29. 29
    Reply to comment #14 by Christina
    tsabens
    March 11 2020
    Thanks for your suggestions!
  30. 30
    DBH
    March 12 2020
    This is fantastic. So, so good. Took about 8 minutes over the double boiler to really thicken and come to temp.
  31. 31
    Anna Kasparian
    July 4 2020
    I feel like this recipe gets a bad rap in the comments. I made this as I had egg yolks to use up. As I was stirring over heat I read the comments and started to get a sinking feeling. One commenter suggested adding xantham gum. Another suggested whisking 8 mins. Another suggested pouring straight into a bowl once texture changes. I did all this and the custard is great. It's not sweet but presumably you can add sweetener to taste. I really enjoyed it. Thank you!
    Reply: #32
  32. 32
    Reply to comment #31 by Anna Kasparian
    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
    July 4 2020

    I feel like this recipe gets a bad rap in the comments. I made this as I had egg yolks to use up. As I was stirring over heat I read the comments and started to get a sinking feeling. One commenter suggested adding xantham gum. Another suggested whisking 8 mins. Another suggested pouring straight into a bowl once texture changes. I did all this and the custard is great. It's not sweet but presumably you can add sweetener to taste. I really enjoyed it. Thank you!

    Thanks for your feedback! So glad you enjoyed it!

  33. 33
    Eirin
    September 11 2020
    For how long can I leave it in the fridge or on the counter?:)
    Reply: #34
  34. 34
    Reply to comment #33 by Eirin
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    September 11 2020

    For how long can I leave it in the fridge or on the counter?:)

    I wouldn't recommend storing it on the counter, but it should keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

  35. 35
    Hesster
    March 23 2021
    Could this be adapted to sous vide in small mason jars? The precise temperature control seems ideal.
    Reply: #36
  36. 36
    Reply to comment #35 by Hesster
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    March 23 2021

    Could this be adapted to sous vide in small mason jars? The precise temperature control seems ideal.

    You should be able to adapt this to a sous vide preparation. I would look up a traditional custard sous vide recipe and base this on that temperature and time, using these ingredients.

  37. 37
    Teri Vickery
    June 14 2021
    This was very easy to make and used up my leftover egg yolks from a double batch of the Best Keto Bread. I personally think it could use a little more sweetner and it is wonderful with berries!
  38. 38
    Laura
    July 28 2021
    Made this last night with my daughter. We used a little extra sweetener. I used a very thick bottomed saucepan and just put it over low-medium heat and constantly stirred with a rubber spatula. We also used macadamia nut milk because we didn't have almond milk. We are not dairy averse so we may try heavy cream next time. It took A LONG time to get the custard to set up in the saucepan. Maybe 10-15 minutes with us taking turns stirring. My daughter ate hers warm right out of the pan with a little whipped cream on top. I waited for mine to cool down. I added a couple of Lily's chocolate chips to mine. We both enjoyed it. This will be another go-to when we have extra egg yolks on hand! Thank you.
  39. 39
    Tru
    April 11 2022
    365 brand organic liquid stevia has absolutely no additional ingredients And tastes cleanly sweet

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