Crème Anglaise (VIDEO) (2024)

Also commonly referred to as "English cream",Crème Anglaiseis aclassic vanilla custard sauceand popular French dessert. Made with justegg, milk, sugar,andvanilla, this delicious and easy-to-make French cream is the perfect complement to your desserts whether you pour it, drizzle it or drink it on its own!

The best part is that Creme Anglaise takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. You won't have to wait long before satisfying your sweet tooth with this vanilla-flavored delight!

📖 What is Crème Anglaise

Creme Anglaise is a sweet, light, vanilla-flavored French custard that translates directly to mean "English cream." However, this delicious cream has several names, including "English custard," "custard sauce," crème française ("French cream"), or simply "Anglaise."

Using just four staple ingredients (egg, milk, sugar, and vanilla) this cream can be made in no time and is a super simple dessert recipe even for beginners! Creme Anglaise is often a pouring sauce for pastries, bread pudding, tarts, and ice cream.

Although very similar to crème pâtissière, you shouldn't confuse the two.Creme Anglaise is notably thinner and best used for drizzling and pouring versus used as a filling cream.

📚 What is Crème Anglaise used for

One of the best things about Creme Anglaise is that it is very versatile. You can use it as pouring or drizzling custard to add a burst of vanilla flavor to fruits, desserts, pancakes, pies or pastries. Or, you can even thicken it and use it for other delectable cream fillings and frostings such asChocolate Cremeux.

Another common way to use Creme Anglaise is to make Bavarian cream filling out of it by adding gelatin into the sauce and then folding whipped cream into it.

Because of its lightness, it isn't uncommon to see Creme Anglaise eaten as a dessert on its own. For example, theFloating Islandis a classic French dessert with Creme Anglaise as a base topped with poached meringue. In fact, it is one of my childhood favorites!

In some places, it is even served as a drinking custard. Instead of serving eggnog over the holidays, give your guests a sweet treat with a glass of Creme Anglaise!

💡 What is the difference between Crème Anglaise and Custard

When it comes down to comparing the structure of Crème Anglaise vs Custard (the "proper" English custard) you'll find that Creme Anglaise is lighter and more refined. On the other hand, proper custard tends to be thicker. However, you can use the two names interchangeably and it will not have much difference, other than the fact that Creme Anglaise sounds much fancier!

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

1. It doesn't take too much time- My recipe is quick to make, only taking 5 minutes to prepare the ingredients and another 5 minutes to cook it. You'll be enjoying your delicious Creme Anglaise sauce in no time!
2. It is easy to make- My recipe doesn't require any special equipment and uses just four staple ingredients that are likely already in your kitchen. It is also very straightforward and easy to understand, so even beginners can try it
3. It is super delicious- In all of my recipes, I use only the highest quality ingredients to give the most natural taste and the best overall result. You and your guests will be craving more as soon as it is gone!
4. It is versatile- In addition to the base recipe, I provide you with some flavor variations as well as other dessert recommendations to try.
5. It is foolproof- If you follow this easy Creme Anglaise recipe step-by-step, you'll learn how to make the perfect cream as well as how to prevent and correct the most common mistakes.

📝 Ingredient notes

1. Whole Milk- Milk with high-fat content is a must to give the best results. For this recipe, I recommend using milk with 3% fat. The milk will be heated so it is not crucial to start with room temperature milk
2. Granulated sugar- Regular white sugar is all you need for this recipe. Be sure to check out my sugar guide for the different types of sugars and how to use them.
3. Egg yolk- You will need the yolk only. Roughly three eggs should do the trick to give you the proper amount. However, you may wish to slightly increase the amount of yolk if you want a thicker cream. For best results, the yolk should be at room temperature. Wondering what to do with leftover egg white? Why not try macaron recipe or pavlova recipe
4. Vanilla Bean Paste- Pure vanilla is the key to making a delicious, intensely flavored vanilla Creme Anglaise. I personally love to make my own vanilla extract. Alternatively use vanilla sugar.
5. Corn Starch(Optional) - Traditionally the cream does not contain corn starch, however, if you want it thicker, sorn starch can be used as a thickening agent versus using extra egg yolk.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. Step-by-step process

1. Add the sugar, egg yolkand vanilla into a large bowl. Using a hand whisk,whisk the two ingredients togetherfor a minute or two until it is slightly fluffy.
2. Next,add the milk to a saucepanandbring it to a simmerover medium heat. Make sure that you onlysimmerthe milk and do not bring it to a boil!
3. After you bring the milk to a simmer,slowly pour it over the egg yolk mixturein the bowl. As you pour,vigorously whisk itwith your hand to temper the egg yolks effectively. It is important that you are whisking constantly. If you notice that the egg yolks start to cook, it means that the milk is too hot (a result of bringing it to a boil versus a simmer)!
4. Pour the milk mixtureback into the saucepan andcook it over medium heat,continuously stirring until it reaches 82C / 180F. The cream should thicken as you stir it.
5. Remove the cream from the stoveas soon as it reaches the correct temperature. Do not cook it any longer!
6. Enjoy the cream as desired andplace leftoversin the fridgefor up to three days.

Plase note that the temperature is super important in case of cooking this cream as the eggs will curdle above 82C / 180F. Without measuring it, you can try to following: Once the cream can coat a spoon when dipped and not rejoin when you run a finger down the middle, you can consider it done.

💡 Top Tip: For a thicker cream, you can either increase the amount of egg yolk in the recipe or add cornstarch as I do in mypastry cream recipe.

📚 Flavor variations

While it isn't particularly common to flavor Creme Anglaise, you can use other spices such as cinnamon or cardamom in place of the vanilla.

A delicious cinnamon-spiced cream would be perfect for the Fall or for the holidays! Cook the milk and cinnamon stick together (just hot enough for the sugar to melt) prior to adding the egg mixture.

When adding flavors to a cream, I always recommend using a powdered flavoring agent. Doing so won't just save you time but also give you the best consistency and overall result. Liquid-based flavoring agents increase the amount of moisture in the cream, making it thin or even runny. However, if a liquid flavoring agent is all you have access to, add it gradually in small amounts.

🥣 Equipment Notes

Use adigital scaleinstead of measuring cups to get the most accurate measurement of your ingredients. Baking is a science; even the smallest difference in measurements can significantly affect the outcome.

You'll need ahand whiskto mix and fluff the sugar and egg yolk mixture thoroughly. It is also a critical tool when tempering the egg yolks.

Adigital thermometerwill come in handy when cooking the cream. If overcooked beyond the indicated temperature, the cream could curdle. The last thing you want is scrambled eggs in your recipe because it was too hot!

Use arubber spatulato stir the Creme Anglaise as it cooks to prevent air bubbles from forming. You can also use the spatula to help spread the creme over your favorite pastries.

🎓 Expert tips

1. Start your recipe with room-temperature eggs for the best results
2. When cooking the sugar and egg yolk mixture with the warm milk, use a digital thermometer to ensure that the temperature doesn't exceed 82C / 180F. Otherwise, the egg will curdle!
3. If using corn starch for thickening (versus using more egg yolk), use a sifter and whisk it well with the egg yolk sugar mixture until you achieve a smooth paste. Doing so helps to avoid lumps from ending up in your cream.
4. If you want your cream to taste richer, substitute half of the milk with a 36% fat heavy cream.
5. Use fresh farm eggs to achieve a bright yellow color cream. The cheaper supermarket eggs will give a pale cream color.
6. Unless you want scrambled eggs, it is critical that you ONLY bring the milk to a simmer. You want the temperature just hot enough to temper the egg yolk). Remove it from the stoveas soon asit starts to simmer.
7. Until you become a pro at pouring and whisking the mixture simultaneously, it helps to place the bowl on a kitchen towel. This prevents it from slipping and ending up on the floor!

❓Recipe FAQs

🍰 Recipes using Crème Anglaise

You can use Creme Anglaise in a variety of ways. You can pour it over fruits, pies and pastries, or even drink it on its own like you would an egg nog! However, there are also several other recipes where this delicious French cream comes into play. Here are a couple of my personal favorite Creme Anglaise recipes:

Chocolate Cremeux:This dessert is made by pouring Creme Anglaise over chocolate and letting it sit in the fridge for a bit. The result is a creamy chocolate frosting perfect for toppings, cake fillings, or piping!

Floating Island Dessert: This classic French dessert is one of my childhood favorites, made by topping Creme Anglaise with poached meringue (a combination of egg white and sugar). The meringue on top makes it look like a floating island!

🧁 More frosting and filling recipes

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Have you tried this recipe?

Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your dessert turned out and your feedback also helps other Readers!