Italian Pastry Cream-Crema Pasticcera is so creamy and smooth. This easy recipe is made from scratch and ready in less than 10 minutes. Use it in so many different recipes, or eat it right out of the bowl!
Also try my Crema al Limone for a bright lemon custard variation.
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Pastry cream, crème pâtissière, crema pasticcera...in whichever language you say it, it sounds beautiful. Creamy and wonderful. Perfect enough to eat right out of the bowl, spoonful after spoonful. But wait! Don't eat it all, my silly friends. Save it for creating some incredible desserts.
In Italy they are used to fill crostate, pâte à choux (bignè, eclairs).So gorgeous filled in cakes and whatever tart you can dream of! A basic recipe you must have and need to make this summer and all year round.
Crema pasticcera - Italian pastry cream - is one of the first things Teresa ever taught me to make in her kitchen. She made it look effortless: egg yolks and sugar whisked together, hot milk poured in slowly, the whole thing thickening on the stove in minutes. I have been making it ever since. This Italian pastry cream recipe is done in under 10 minutes, it is silky and rich, and it is the filling behind so many of Italy's most beautiful desserts. Once you have a batch in the fridge you will find yourself using it for everything.
Why You'll Love This Crema Pasticcera
- Ready in 10 minutes. This is not a complicated custard. A bowl, a saucepan, a whisk, and you are done.
- The base for dozens of Italian desserts. Cakes, tarts, eclairs, trifles, crostate - this cream fills them all.
- Dairy free option included. Use unsweetened almond milk and dairy free butter and it works beautifully.
- Keeps for days. Make a batch on Sunday and use it all week.
- Flavor variations are easy. Chocolate, lemon, coffee, lavender - all start with this same base recipe.
What is Crema Pasticcera?
Crema pasticcera is the Italian name for pastry cream - a thick, rich custard made from egg yolks, sugar, milk, cornstarch, and vanilla. It is the same thing as the French crème pâtissière. In Italy it is used to fill everything from bignè (cream puffs) and eclairs to crostate, layer cakes, trifles, and holiday pastries like Pastiera Napoletana.
Unlike whipped cream, it holds its shape under the weight of cake layers and does not weep or deflate. It is one of the most essential recipes in Italian pastry.
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups whole milk (or unsweetened almond milk for dairy free)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons (half stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (or dairy free margarine)
How to Make Italian Pastry Cream
Step 1: Mix the Egg Base
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth and pale. Pour in ½ cup of the cold milk and whisk until fully combined and lump-free.
Step 2: Heat the Milk
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining 1½ cups of milk to a gentle simmer. Do not boil. Remove from heat as soon as you see small bubbles around the edges. If you want to infuse a flavor - dried lavender, coffee beans, or a strip of lemon zest - add it to the milk as it heats and remove it before the next step.
Step 3: Temper the Eggs
Very slowly drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Add it a little at a time, especially at first - if you pour too fast the eggs will scramble. Once all the milk is incorporated, the mixture should be smooth and warm.
Step 4: Cook the Cream
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking vigorously and constantly. The cream will begin to thicken after about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep whisking until it comes to a boil and the whisk leaves a visible trail through the cream, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Do not stop whisking or the bottom will scorch.
Step 5: Finish and Cool
Remove the pan from the heat immediately. Stir in the vanilla extract and the butter, piece by piece, until fully melted and smooth. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream - this prevents a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cold before using, at least 2 hours.
Flavor Variations
- Chocolate pastry cream: While the cream is still hot, stir in 2 oz of finely chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips until completely melted and smooth.
- Lemon pastry cream: Add a strip of lemon zest to the milk as it heats. Remove before tempering. Or try my full
- Lemon pastry cream: Add a strip of lemon zest to the milk as it heats and remove before tempering. For a full lemon custard recipe see my Crema al Limone.
- Coffee pastry cream: Add 2 tablespoons of whole coffee beans to the milk as it heats. Steep for 5 minutes then remove the beans before proceeding. The cream will have a subtle espresso flavor.
- Lavender pastry cream: Add 1 teaspoon of dried culinary lavender to the warm milk. Steep for 5 minutes then strain out before using.
What to Make with Italian Pastry Cream
Once you have a batch of crema pasticcera in the fridge, here is what to use it for:
- Fill a crostata or jam tart - spread it on the crust before adding fruit
- Layer it inside a Pan di Spagna sponge cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream
- Fill bignè (cream puffs) or eclairs
- Use it in a trifle with ladyfingers, fruit, and whipped cream
Recipes that use this pastry cream: Italian Birthday Cake (Torta alla Panna) • Strawberry and Amaretti Cookie Trifle • Devil's Food Bundt Cake • Caramelized Apple Bundt Cake
Expert Tips for Perfect Crema Pasticcera
- Whisk constantly once it goes back on the heat. If you stop whisking the bottom will burn and you will have scrambled egg custard. Keep the whisk moving the whole time.
- Temper slowly. Add the hot milk to the egg mixture a little at a time, especially the first few spoonfuls. This brings the eggs up to temperature gradually without cooking them.
- Press the plastic wrap directly onto the surface. This is non-negotiable - even a few seconds of air contact will form a thick skin on top.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Thin pans develop hot spots and the cream will scorch on the bottom before it thickens properly.
- Chill completely before using. Warm pastry cream is loose and runny. It needs at least 2 hours in the fridge, ideally overnight, before it reaches the right consistency for filling.
How to Store Italian Pastry Cream
Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Do not freeze - the cornstarch breaks down when frozen and the cream becomes watery and grainy when thawed. Always make it fresh or up to a day ahead.
FAQs
Pastry cream (crema pasticcera) is a thicker, firmer custard that holds its shape when used as a filling. Regular custard (like crème anglaise or pot de crème) is thinner and pourable. The difference is the cornstarch - pastry cream includes it to create a thick, pipeable consistency. Custard typically does not.
Pastry cream is egg-based and holds its shape under pressure - it will not collapse under the weight of cake layers or deflate over time. Whipped cream is lighter and more delicate but must be made fresh and used quickly. For Italian layer cakes that need to hold up for hours or overnight, pastry cream is the right choice.
You can substitute flour for the cornstarch using twice the amount (about ½ cup flour). The texture will be slightly less glossy and a bit heavier, and it needs to cook a little longer to eliminate the raw flour taste. Cornstarch gives the cleanest, smoothest result.
Either the milk was added too fast and scrambled the eggs, or the cream was not whisked constantly while cooking and the bottom scorched. If you see small lumps, strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve immediately while it is still hot - this usually rescues it.
Yes - use unsweetened almond milk or oat milk in place of whole milk, and dairy free margarine or coconut oil in place of butter. The texture is slightly less rich but it works well and tastes delicious.
It is ready when the cream has thickened noticeably and the whisk leaves a clean trail through it that holds for a second before falling back. If you draw a line across the back of a spoon with your finger and the line stays clean, the cream is done.
If you make this Italian pastry cream, leave a star rating and a comment below - I love hearing what you fill it with.
Some other desserts to enjoy:
- Devil's Food Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze (filled with pastry cream)
- Caramelized Apple Bundt Cake (filled with pastry cream)
- Strawberry and Amaretti Cookie Trifle (made with pastry cream)
Did you make this and love it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)
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Italian Pastry Cream Recipe (Crema Pasticcera)
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups whole milk or unsweetened almond milk (for dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces or margarine (for dairy-free)
Instructions
- Combine the cornstarch with the sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Pour ½ cup of the milk into the cornstarch mixture and whisk together. Whisk the egg yolks into the cornstarch mixture until smooth.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring the remaining 1 ½ cups milk to a simmer (be sure not to boil) Once it comes to a simmer, remove the pan from the heat.
- Drizzle the hot milk mixture a little at a time into the egg mixture. Keep on whisking while you drizzle in the milk.
- Pour the mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Whisk vigorously until it comes to a boil and the whisk leaves a trail in the pastry cream (about 5-6 minutes).
- As soon as the cream has the right consistency, take the pan off the heat. Stir in the vanilla and he butter.
- Place plastic wrap over the pastry cream surface and let it cool completely in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
LOVE this pastry cream. I needed it to fill some pastries, and ended up eating so much of it right from the bowl. It's delicious!
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Hi Lora, thanks so much for this recipe. My son used to like the commercial vanilla pudding, but with this he will no longer have those chemicals. It's incredibly good, I made it 3 times already, but next time I will double the quantity because I want to eat too haha.
Lora,
Thank you for another wonderful recipe! I'm allergic to dairy so I made your recipe with 2 substitutions. I changed the whole milk to a can of coconut milk and the butter to Earth Balance sticks. I used it to make a banana cream pie and it was AMAZING!!!
I love making pastry cream, Lora. It's not only delicious but it gives me a heck of a workout from the whisking 😉 You're making me want to make a batch and start filling pastry 'n cakes with it!
This makes me want to run into the kitchen and bake up a batch of eclairs!
Lora,
Your pastry creme looks delicious. Can't wait to try it.
Annamaria
I love pastry cream, yours looks creamy and silky. I will for sure try your recipe 🙂
I love pastry cream. I usually make it for fruit tarts though I haven't in ages. I also love working with cornflour curds. One of our favorites is an Indian Halwa. I hope you are having a lovely time in Italy, Lora. Shulie
Pastry cream is one of the things I looooove to make and yours looks AMAZING!
I LOVE pastry cream and could make it every day..then eat it right out of the pot upon setting. Your pastry cream looks perfect. I would love to pull it straight from the photo and start filling all kinds of pastry.,.OR, just eat it right out of the pot 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful 'Italian' 4th! xo