Crème Anglaise (Classic Vanilla Custard Sauce)

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 03/23/22
Creme Anglaise

The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
113 Calories
4g Fat
13g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 113
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 134mg 45%
Sodium 67mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 78mg 6%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 113mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Crème Anglaise is a classic vanilla custard sauce. This crème anglaise recipe is simple to make, with only four ingredients—egg yolks, milk, sugar, and vanilla—and takes a mere 20 minutes. Not to be confused with crème pâtissière, which is a thicker custard and pastry cream, crème anglaise is a thinner custard sauce and a pouring cream.

This sauce is amazing drizzled over all kinds of desserts, like cakes, pies, fruit tarts, muffins, ice cream, and all kinds of pastries—or even fresh berries.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make Creme Anglaise

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and keep it nearby.

    A large bow of ice water

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. Beat the egg yolks with a whisk for a minute or two, until they're very smooth.

    A bowl of beaten egg yolks

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Add the sugar and whisk for about 2 more minutes, or until the sugar is fully incorporated and the yolks are a pale shade of yellow.

    A hand whisking sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. Heat the milk in a double boiler until it is not quite simmering. Don't let it boil. You want to heat the milk until it reaches 180 F as measured with an instant-read thermometer.

    Milk warming in a double boiler with a thermometer

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  6. Very slowly, pour the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture while whisking constantly. Don't add the milk too fast or the eggs will cook, and you don't want that.

    A hand whisking the hot milk into the yolk and sugar mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  7. Return the custard to the double boiler and gently heat, stirring continuously, until it reaches 185 F. The crème anglaise will be thick but still pourable.

    A bowl of custard in a double boiler with a thermometer

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  8. Now set the top part of your double boiler into the bowl of ice water to cool the crème anglaise. Stir in the vanilla.

    A bowl of custard with vanilla added set into a bowl of ice water

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  9. Stir the crème anglaise once in a while until it is fully cooled.

    A hand stirring the cooled creme anglaise with a spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  10. Drizzle over cakes, pies, fruit tarts, or ice cream and enjoy.

    A bowl of strawberries served with creme anglaise

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Tip

  • For a richer crème anglaise, you could substitute half-and-half or heavy cream for the milk.