Our Easy Crème Anglaise Recipe makes a classic pourable custard sauce that is the perfect complement to innumerable cakes and sweet treats.
A few years ago, I was at a friend’s house for a dinner party. After the main course, we all lingered around in our chairs, chatting and sipping on whisky drinks, when the host came out with a gravy boat. I hope there’s not more potatoes on the way, I thought. (Just kidding; I would never think negatively of more potatoes. In fact, I was excited that there might be more potatoes.)
It wasn’t another potato course—it was actually better. It was crème anglaise, for pouring all over the angel food cake that was about to hit the table. When I tell you it was heaven, I mean I was obsessed with this sauce for months after this dinner party ended. The next day, I made my first batch of crème anglaise.
Today, I’m sharing it with you! This recipe gives you perfect, silky crème anglaise, thick enough to coat a spoon and thin enough to pour over all your favorite desserts. It’s full of real vanilla flavor, just sweet enough, and adds a creaminess to everything it touches. Once you get the hang of it, this recipe is easy as pie.
Tips for the tricky part of crème anglaise
If you don’t know exactly what part I mean when I say the tricky part of crème anglaise, you’ve probably never made it before. I’m talking about the part where you add the hot cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture, and I’m going to save you the pain of scrambling your eggs during this step!
To properly temper your egg yolks, first make sure you’re working with room-temperature eggs. Pull them out of the fridge an hour before starting this recipe. Next, let the cream mixture sit for a few minutes off the heat so it’s not boiling hot when you pour it into the egg yolks. When you’re pouring the cream mixture, pour it in as thin of a trickle as humanly possible while vigorously whisking. I find it’s easier to put a small amount of the cream mixture into a glass measuring cup with a spout and pour from that. The slower you go, the less of a chance you’ll scramble your eggs!
How do I store leftovers?
You can keep leftover crème anglaise in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you freeze crème anglaise, however, it will likely separate and get grainy upon thawing, so I don’t recommend it. If you like to use every bit of leftovers, consider freezing it and using it for milkshakes or other creamy drinks. I know someone who freezes it to put into chocolate protein shakes!
Serving suggestions
Dish up this crème anglaise on top of light cakes, such as Vanilla Sponge Cake. It’s also the perfect topping for fruit-based desserts, such as our Cherry-Almond Crumble or our Strawberry Cobbler. But you don’t need a decadent dessert to enjoy this pourable custard! It’s just as good drizzled on a fruit salad.
Easy Crème Anglaise Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Scrape and seed a vanilla pod into a saucepan, then add the milk and cream. Bring to a simmer, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, add yolks and sugar. Whisk together until combined.
- Very slowly, trickle some of the milk and cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Do this very slow, or you risk scrambling the egg yolks.
- When you've added all the milk mixture and everything is thoroughly combined, pour it all back into the saucepan and heat slowly on low heat. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- You will know it's ready when you dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and it coats the spoon.
- When you swipe your finger across the spoon, the line stays.
- Remove the pan from heat. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving on top of (or alongside) desserts, such as cake.
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