Crème anglaise
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Milk infused with vanilla, thickened gently with egg yolks and sugar to 82–84 °C until it coats a spoon. A silky pouring custard and the base of classic ice creams.
Crème anglaise is a French sauce from France, ready in about 35 minutes and made with milk and egg yolk. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 130
Method
Step 1
Heat the milk (opens in a new tab) with the split vanilla (opens in a new tab) pod and its seeds in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) over medium heat until steaming with small bubbles at the edge (about 80 °C). Take off the heat, cover and infuse for 10 minutes. Set a bowl over a larger bowl of iced water, with a sieve on top, ready for the finished sauce.
- 5 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels Step 2
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the yolks and sugar (opens in a new tab) in a bowl for 1–2 minutes until pale and slightly thickened, but not foamy.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 3
Reheat the milk (opens in a new tab) to steaming. Pour about a third onto the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly, to temper them, then pour the mixture back into the pan with the rest of the milk.
- 2 min
- medium heat
- Whisk (opens in a new tab)
Step 4
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly in a figure-of-eight with a wooden spoon (opens in a new tab), for 5–8 minutes until it reaches 82–84 °C and is nappe: it coats the back of the spoon, and a finger drawn through leaves a clean line that holds. Do not let it simmer — at 85 °C and above the yolks scramble.
- 7 min
- 83°C · 82–84 °C; never above 85 °C.
- low heat
- Wooden spoon (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
Step 5
Immediately strain into the chilled bowl to stop the cooking, removing the vanilla pod. Add vanilla extract (opens in a new tab) now if using. Stir now and then as it cools, then press cling film on the surface.
About this dish
- Origin
- France · Well documentedThe French name means 'English cream', a nod to English custard traditions; it is a pillar of classical French pastry. The ratio of 6 yolks and 100 g sugar per 500 ml milk is the standard pastry-school formula.Also popular in United Kingdom, BelgiumMore food from France
- Dish
- Dessert · Sauces · Desserts
- Cooking method
- Simmered
- Taste
- sweet, creamy, rich, aromatic / warmly spiced
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium - Cook more with
- Milk · Egg yolk · Vanilla extract · Sugar
- Techniques
- Simmering · Tadka (tempering)
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
130 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 78 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 13%
- Carbohydrate 49%
- Fat 38%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 130 kcal | 168 kcal |
| Protein | 4.1 g | 5.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 16.1 g | 20.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 16.1 g | 20.8 g |
| Sugars | 15.9 g | 20.5 g |
| Added sugars | 12.5 g | 16.1 g |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 5.5 g | 7.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.4 g | 3.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 145 mg | 187 mg |
| Sodium | 34 mg | 44 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.1 g | 0.1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 100 mg
- Calcium
- 89 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 7 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 78 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.5 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 22 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- If it starts to curdle, plunge the pan into iced water and blend the sauce smooth with a stick blender; it often recovers.
- Churned in an ice cream machine, chilled crème anglaise becomes classic French vanilla ice cream.
Common mistakes
- Cooking on high heat or walking away; it turns from sauce to sweet scrambled eggs in seconds.
- Under-cooking, which leaves a thin sauce that tastes of raw egg.
Serve with
- Apple pie, tarte Tatin and fruit crumbles.
- Chocolate fondant, brownies and steamed puddings.
- Île flottante (floating islands) and poached fruit.
Food safety
- Cool quickly over ice and refrigerate within 2 hours; egg custards are a good medium for bacteria.
Storage
- Refrigerate, surface covered, for up to 2 days.
Reheating
- Serve cold or warm very gently over low heat, stirring, without letting it get near a simmer.
Variations
- British custard (United Kingdom): Often includes a teaspoon of cornflour, so it can be brought closer to a simmer without splitting.
- Crème anglaise au café or au chocolat (France): Infuse the milk with coffee beans, or stir in melted chocolate at the end.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Goes with
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
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