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. 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!
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Southern Style Boiled Custard
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- NEW NOTE: If the egg mixture was tempered correctly, the custard shouldn't contain lumps, but if it does, simply use a fine mesh strainer to get them out.
- Chill thoroughly before serving.
Notes
Equal amounts of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste will yield the same flavor, but the paste will give you visible vanilla bean specks in the custard which is quite pretty!
Save this recipe to your holiday Pinterest boards! Use the pretty image below:
My husband and I found this recipe in hopes that it would be like his family from Kentucky used to make. Miraculously, it passed his nostalgia test and will definitely be our go-to boiled custard recipe!
I felt that the emphasis on tempering the milk before adding to the pot was helpful—we had no lumps and the custard was very smooth. I tried it with and without spices and found it to be wonderful either way. It’s thick enough (especially after being chilled) to add some fun spirits (like vanilla or caramel vodka) and still be substantially thick enough for our liking.
Delightful!!
This is the recipe I have looked for, my grandmother’s, mother’s now mine! I am 76 and still remember the taste it had.
Lunele, I loved reading your comment----your mother and grandmother would be thrilled that you are making this :). Merry Christmas to you!
I tried this out last night and mine went thick like pudding. It also tasted very eggy but after reading the contents above I understand what happened with the eggs, i used extra large not large but would that also affect the thickness?
Hmm, the larger yolks may have played a part. I haven't had an issue with this being as thick as pudding, though, it ends up with an egg nog type consistency. Did you alter or add anything else to the recipe? Were you using a candy thermometer to keep the heat in check?
I’ve only had store bought boiled custard and I do like it very much. This holiday season it’s been so hard to find (kind of like the shortage of Lysol wipes) so I’ve decided to make it. I’m doing it right now and can’t wait to try it. I’ve always enjoyed it with a splash of Kahlua and freshly grated nutmeg!
I hope you love it!! I grew up drinking only store bought boiled custard as well.
Hello,
I just made this as a trial run for Christmas and it tastes great. Growing up in Kentucky this was a Holiday favorite but the originators are now all gone.
This will sound odd but I miss the lumps. Would using the whole egg make it lumpier?
Hmm.. you could try to be "less careful" about tempering the eggs into the hot mixture and that could certainly incorporate some lumps, though may add a scrambled egg taste haha. You could also not whisk it as much when smoothing out the custard. Hope this helps!
My mother whipped the egg whites and gently folded them in spoonfuls into the rest while still hot and that's what made the little puffs of egg whites!
Can I use monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar?
Hi Erin!! I am SO glad that I found your recipe for Boiled Custard! We love to have it during the holidays. I have made it 3 times. 2 times with 2% milk and the last time with whole milk and it never gets thick like store bought boiled custard. We are drinking it because it tastes so god, but would like it a little thicker if possible. Got it to about 170º all 3 times. It was so smooth but never got thick. Do you have any suggestions? Would using half and half make it thicker? I only have fat free half and half. I use whole milk for making my Greek Yogurt so I always have a little on hand. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! THANKS!!
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Hey there! I'm so glad you love the recipe! There's a couple things you can try to alter the thickness to suit your tastes. One, you can try adding an extra egg yolk and reducing the milk/half & half by 1/4 cup. Or, you could add a thickening agent, like cornstarch, to the sugar (try a teaspoon or two of cornstarch). To activate the starch as a thickener you'll need to push get the temperature up to the higher end (cornstarch does well at 180 but don't let the mixture exceed that) and then I recommend, when straining, do it in a bowl over an ice bath to prevent over coagulation. That latter method is a little fussier though so I would recommend playing with the egg/milk mixture first and see if that gets you closer to what you want!
Thank you Erin for letting me know. I am going to try each of these and let you know how I goes. Does you boiled custard get thick when you make it? Just wondering what you do differently than I do. Thanks again!
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I have made this 2 times already. Love the flavor but I guess because I didn't use whole milk or half and half (I only had 2% in my fridge and was dying to make this!), it didn't get real thick like the store bought does. Hubby said it tasted just fine to him. He didn't care if wasn't that thick! We use bourbon in it for special occasions but I like it plain with a sprinkle of nutmeg!! BTW, We live in TN and sometimes we like boiled custard in the summer and it's a no-no until Nov. for Thanksgiving or Christmas time! Now I can make it ANY TIME WE WANT SOME!! Thanks for a great recipe! And only those in the South know what Boiled Custard really is!!
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I had never heard of boiled custard but I M from Mississippi, so maybe it's not prevalent in the Gulf South. Sounds very sweet!
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It's surprisingly not too cloying due to the fat from the egg yolks. It reminds me so much of what would happen if you melted down a good quality ice cream and drank it chilled - yumyum!
It is AWESOME with either Kentucky bourbon or Tennessee whiskey! We also add a dollop of whipped cream on top. Total decadence for the Holidays. Lol.
Ooh all of those ideas sound delicious!
When I was a girl, Mama made boiled custard every year and I never liked it. She died in 1972 and I have not tasted it since. This year my husband asked if I would make him some , so I turned to Pinterest for a recipe and found yours. Yours made me realize that Mama must have used Pet milk for hers (I never remember having fresh milk in our house.) I made this yesterday and happily discovered that I LOVE boiled custard. It was easy to make and turned out perfectly. Thanks for making me a boiled custard lover. I will make more for Christmas Day.
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I love this story! Thank you so much for sharing and I'm thrilled the recipe worked so well for you. I love boiled custard!
This recipe is wonderful. I grew up drinking Goldenrod brand boiled custard. It was the best! Unfortunately Goldenrod milk company went out of business. I had tried a couple times in the last few years to make my own with no great success. I found your recipe yesterday and made it. I let it chill overnight and just tried it when I got home from work. It was awesome and tasted just like I think boiled custard should taste. If got thicker as it sat in the fridge. I live in Ky. Unless you live in Ky or TN must people don’t have the same idea of what boiled custard is. Thank you so much for the recipe. Brought back memories of my childhood and Christmas time.
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Aww that is so wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your memories.
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!