When I was growing up, boiled custard was an annual part of our holidays. It was sold in the grocery store right next to the eggnog. I always thought it tasted just like melted vanilla ice cream, and it wasn’t until later when I became more interested in cooking and baking that I realized that’s basically exactly what it is!
If you have ever made homemade ice cream with a cooked egg yolk base, then you have technically already made boiled custard. You just skip the step where you add the custard to the churner and instead you pour it, chilled, right into a glass and drink it up.
Sound rich? Oh, it is. But that’s what the holidays are all about.
I was an adult before I learned that boiled custard is a treat that is specific to the southern U.S, especially Kentucky and Tennessee, where I live.  My husband, who is from California, had never heard of such a thing. Once I realized that it’s simple to make homemade boiled custard (and that I had already made it dozens of times through my many batches of homemade ice cream) I will never go back to purchasing the cartons from the grocery store.
I like to use vanilla bean paste so that you can see the pretty vanilla bean speckles in the custard.  Vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract is equal in flavor, however, so if you only have extract go ahead and use it and it’ll be perfect.
You can add some spices if you like – cinnamon, nutmeg, etc… but I like it pure and simple. Â If I want it spiced, I’ll drink eggnog!
I like to sip on boiled custard when it is ice ice cold. I like to move it from the fridge to the freezer about 20 minutes before I’m ready to serve it so that it gets extra chilly. Enjoy!
| Southern Style Boiled Custard | Print |
- 1 quart (4 cups) whole milk or half & half
- ½ cup granulated white sugar, divided
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Whisk the egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Combine the milk or half & half and the remaining sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium until just starting to steam, but do not allow it to boil.
- Scoop out about ½ cup of the heated milk mixture and drizzle it into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Then slowly pour the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens a little and coats the back of the spoon. If you use a candy thermometer, you want the mixture to reach 160F but not exceed 175F. This step usually takes about 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Chill thoroughly before serving.
Save this recipe to your holiday Pinterest boards! Â Use the pretty image below:
I have tried this recipe 2 times and mine has a egg after taste. It’s very smooth no egg pieces but still has that cooked egg taste. What am I doing wrong? I tried mixing a little of the heated milk into my eggs and sugar and I even tried a second time mixing all together first and bringing the mixture up to 160* both times very good consistency but not the taste I am looking to achieve.
Hm, that’s interesting! When I make this recipe it tastes like melted vanilla ice cream. Though you’ve probably already thought of these possible causes, I can offer some troubleshooting advice. Make sure you are using large eggs, and not extra-large or jumbo. Make sure you’re only using the yolks. Also, make sure you’re using whole milk or half & half, and not lower fat varieties. You seem to have tried a couple of different techniques with the same result, so it’s possible this might not be the exact recipe that you’re after if none of the above suggestions apply to you. Sorry it didn’t work out!
Hello Erin,
I tried it a third time and it turned out great! The only thing I can think of is the eggs that I bought were not as fresh as I thought. I bought a dozen from Whole Foods instead of Walmart. Thank you it is a wonderful recipe!
Sounds wonderful. Do you add liquor to it, like eggnog, or drink it just as prepared?
Either way! Boiled custard is less likely to be spiked than eggnog, but it can certainly be prepared that way if you like!