Cuban recipe

Eggless Vanilla Custard with Cornstarch

Name: Eggless Vanilla Custard with Cornstarch
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 225 min
Ingredients: 720 ml whole milk, divided into 120 ml and 600 ml (3 US cups, or tazas medidoras, of 240 ml in total); 40 g cornstarch (approximately 5 level tablespoons); 65 g white sugar (approximately ⅓ cup); 5 ml vanilla extract (1 teaspoon); 1 small pinch of salt, approximately 0.5 g; ½ g ground cinnamon, approximately ¼ teaspoon, to divide among the cups

Eggless vanilla custard thickened with cornstarch and served chilled. A simple, creamy spoon dessert made with milk, sugar and cinnamon.

CiberCubaNovember 15, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation10 min
Cooking15 min
Total time3 h 45 min
Servings6 small cups of approximately 125 ml of custard
DifficultyEasy

This vanilla custard keeps the milk and cinnamon flavor of homemade Cuban desserts, with an eggless preparation. Cornstarch gives it body and allows you to make it with just a few pantry ingredients.

The mixture is cooked in a saucepan and then chilled in small cups. It turns out creamy and is eaten with a spoon: the right consistency comes from measuring the starch and stirring during cooking, before letting the refrigerator finish setting it.

Ingredients

Check off the ingredients you have.

For the custard

720 ml whole milk, divided into 120 ml and 600 ml (3 US cups, or tazas medidoras, of 240 ml in total)
40 g cornstarch (approximately 5 level tablespoons)
65 g white sugar (approximately ⅓ cup)
5 ml vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
1 small pinch of salt, approximately 0.5 g

For serving

½ g ground cinnamon, approximately ¼ teaspoon, to divide among the cups

Method

Prepare the mixture

Prepare 6 small heatproof cups or bowls, with a capacity of about 150 ml. Measure all the ingredients before turning on the heat.
Put the reserved 120 ml of cold milk in a bowl. Add the 40 g of cornstarch and whisk until completely dissolved, with no lumps or starch stuck to the bottom.
Pour the remaining 600 ml of milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the sugar and salt, and heat over medium heat for about 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until steam rises and small bubbles appear around the edges.

Cook the custard

Stir the cold milk and cornstarch mixture again, as the starch settles at the bottom while it stands. Pour it in a thin stream into the hot milk, whisking continuously.
Keep the heat at medium-low and stir continuously, running the whisk over the bottom and into the corners of the saucepan. Cook until the mixture thickens and slow bubbles appear on the surface.
Once it begins to simmer gently, cook for 1 more minute without stopping stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. The custard should fall from the spoon in a thick ribbon, although it will still be more fluid than after chilling.
Immediately divide the custard among the 6 containers. If any lumps remain, pass it through a fine strainer before dividing it; do not keep adding cornstarch.

Chill and serve

Let the cups stand for about 20 minutes, until they stop steaming heavily. Cover them; to prevent a skin from forming, you can place food-safe plastic wrap directly against the surface.
Transfer them to the refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours. Do not wait for hours at room temperature before refrigerating them.
Serve the custard cold, with a little cinnamon on top if you like.

Tips and variations

Total time. Allow 10 minutes for preparation, about 15 minutes for cooking, 20 minutes for the cups to stop steaming heavily and 3 hours of refrigeration: 3 hours and 45 minutes in total.

Which cornstarch to use. You need white corn starch, called cornstarch in the United States. Yellow corn flour or cornmeal will not work for this recipe. The recipe contains no egg, but it does contain cow's milk.

Measurements. The cups indicated are 240 ml, the tablespoons 15 ml and the teaspoons 5 ml. For the cornstarch, it is best to use the weight: a heaping tablespoon can make the custard too thick. The volume equivalents for dry ingredients are approximate.

Texture. Do not add more starch because the hot mixture seems a little runny: it will continue to thicken as it chills. The minute of gentle boiling helps cook the cornstarch and prevent a raw starch taste.

Storage. Keep the cups covered at 4 °C/40 °F or below and preferably consume within 2 days. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the ambient temperature exceeds 32 °C/90 °F. Freezing may alter the texture.