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This vegan crème anglaise offers a plant-based alternative to the classic French custard sauce. It has a silky smooth consistency and packs a rich vanilla flavor. You will love to drizzle this custard sauce over chocolate cakes, pastries, baked pears, or fresh berries!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes are required. This recipe requires just one pot and five everyday ingredients. It’s a simple as combining all of the ingredients in a pot and whisking until thickened.
- Velvety and so fresh. With a silky smooth texture, a delectable richness, and plenty of fresh vanilla flavor, this vegan custard sauce is a real treat you will want to use over and over.
- The perfect accompaniment to all kinds of desserts. Drizzled over chocolate cake, baked apples, or fresh fruits, it will upgrade your desserts to a whole new level!
📘 What Is Crème Anglaise
Crème anglaise is a thin and pourable vanilla custard sauce that first appeared in England during the 17th century. Its origins are still unclear, but it is said to have been invented by French chefs working in England during that period.
While inspired by “custard sauce,” this version is quite different as it is thinner and served chilled. It is poured over desserts like brownies and chocolate cakes, for example. It also makes the base of French desserts such as Île Flottante.
Traditionally, crème anglaise uses egg yolks, which act as the thickener and bring richness. This plant-based version tastes as delicious as the original without any egg or dairy!
🥛 Ingredient Notes
This vegan custard sauce comes together in no time with very basic ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Unsweetened almond milk – Or your favorite plant-based milk. Cashew, soy, or oat milk are great alternatives. Check out the Tips section for more alternatives.
- Sugar – Use granulated white sugar. Coconut sugar or brown sugar would alter the fresh vanilla flavor.
- Vanilla – I went with fresh vanilla bean and vanilla extract to create an intense floral aroma. If you don’t have access to fresh vanilla beans, double the amount of vanilla extract or use one teaspoon of vanilla paste.
- Cornstarch – It acts as an egg replacer and thickens the sauce.
- Vegan butter – For extra richness and a buttery flavor. You can use store-bought vegan butter or homemade vegan butter.
🥣 How to Make It
- Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean. Start by slicing the vanilla bean in half. Next, using a thin knife, scrape out the seeds and add them to a saucepan.
- Combine all of the ingredients. Add the plant-based milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and vegan butter.
- Heat over medium heat. Heat the sauce over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. This step will take about 5 minutes. Be aware that the sauce will thicken a bit more in the refrigerator, so it’s normal if it appears very thin while still hot.
Next, strain the custard sauce through a fine-sieve mesh. This step is essential in achieving a smooth texture, as cornstarch can create small clumps.
Finally, transfer the crème anglaise to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, touching the top of the cream. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before using.
🍰 Where to Use It
Crème anglaise goes particularly well with chocolate desserts like chocolate cake, brownies, or even chocolate banana bread. You can also serve it with fruity desserts like tarte tatin or apple caramel flan, or drizzle over baked pears or apples!
📔 Tips
- Use high-quality vanilla. This custard sauce is all about the fresh vanilla aroma, so make sure you use high-quality vanilla extract and/or fresh vanilla beans.
- Make it richer. To keep this recipe simple, I only used plant-based milk. However, if you want to give the cream a silkier and richer consistency, replace half of the milk with your favorite plant-based cream. Soy or oat creams work best as they have a mild flavor. I advise against using coconut cream.
- Strain the sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine-sieve mesh for a velvety texture, and give it a quick whisk before using.
- Cover with plastic wrap. After transferring the sauce to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap touching the sauce. This will prevent the sauce from forming a crust on top.
- Let it chill. This crème anglaise tastes best when served cold. Let it cool for at least 4 hours before using.
💬 FAQ
Crème anglaise is thinner than crème pâtissière. It is used as a sauce, as opposed to crème pâtissière, which is used as a filling.
It is not as rich as it doesn’t use egg yolks, but tastes incredibly similar.
You can keep vegan crème anglaise in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. As it contains cornstarch, I do not recommend freezing it.
If you want a sweet condiment to elevate your desserts, you will love this crème anglaise! It’s sweet, creamy, and tastes lovely, especially over warm chocolate desserts for a contrast of hot and cold!
⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
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Vegan Crème Anglaise
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or soy, cashew milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vegan butter
Instructions
- Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean. Start by slicing the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Next, using a thin knife, scrape out the seeds and add them to a medium saucepan.
- Combine all of the ingredients. Add the almond milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and vegan butter to the saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat. Heat the sauce over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. This step will take about 5 minutes. Be aware that the sauce will thicken a bit more in the refrigerator, so it's normal if it appears very thin while still hot.
- Strain the custard sauce. Using a fine-sieve mesh, strain the sauce. This step is essential in achieving a smooth texture, as cornstarch can create small clumps.
- Finally, transfer the crème anglaise to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, touching the top of the cream. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before using.
- Drizzle over chocolate cake, brownies, fruit tarts, and more! This vegan crème anglaise will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Use high-quality vanilla. This custard sauce is all about the fresh vanilla aroma, so make sure you use high-quality vanilla extract and/or fresh vanilla beans.
- Make it richer. To keep this recipe simple, I only used plant-based milk. However, if you want to give the cream a silkier and richer consistency, replace half of the milk with your favorite plant-based cream. Soy or oat creams work best as they have a mild flavor. I advise against using coconut cream.
- Strain the sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine-sieve mesh for a velvety texture, and give it a quick whisk before using.
- Cover with plastic wrap. After transferring the sauce to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap touching the sauce. This will prevent the sauce from forming a crust on top.
- Let it chill. This crème anglaise tastes best when served cold. Let it cool for at least 4 hours before using.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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It add a new taste to our dessert.