Name: Sugar Free Keto Custard (Dairy Free)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 cups / 500 ml coconut cream; 5 egg yolks (large); 1/3 cup / 40g powdered erythritol (So Nourished); 1 vanilla bean pods (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

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You only need 4 ingredients to make this incredibly creamy and delicious sugar free custard! The recipe uses coconut cream, which makes this custard much lighter than the classic version with dairy cream.

ramekins with custard topped with berries

Most good things in life are simple, and this recipe is no exception. It's hard to believe that combining 3 basic ingredients - cream, egg yolks and sweetener - can turn into something so beautiful it'll make you sigh with pleasure/close your eyes/lick your ramekin. But it has happened in this house, and I recommend trying it out in yours as soon as possible!

How to make dairy-free sugar free custard

coconut cream and a vanilla pod in a saucepan

1.) Cut open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. The spoon in the pic shows how many seeds my bean yielded.

Heat the coconut cream and the scraped vanilla bean pod in a saucepan over a medium heat. Wait until the coconut cream simmers and the first bubbles form on the top. Do not boil! Take off the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes. This allows the coconut cream to cool until it's only lukewarm and also infuses the coconut cream with more beautiful vanilla flavour.

If you are using vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean, add it after you take the saucepan off the heat.

egg whites and powdered sweetener in a glass bowl

2.) Add the little spoonful of super-tasty vanilla seeds to a mixing bowl, together with your egg yolks and powdered erythritol.

mixing egg yolk and sweetener with an electric blender

3.) Blend with an electric mixer for about 2-3 minutes until the yolks are pale in colour, nice and frothy and there's so much air whisked into the mix that it has roughly doubled in size.

Slowly add the (lukewarm) coconut cream to the egg yolk mixture, stirring continuously.

4.) Get yourself some ramekins and place them into a casserole dish. Depending on the size of the ramekins, you'll end up with 4-6 portions.

Then boil water and fill the casserole dish with hot water that reaches half way up the sides of the casserole dish. The water bath helps the keto custard to bake more evenly.

Tip: If your casserole is very large, you can put a paper towel at the bottom to prevent the ramekins from sliding around when you carry it.

baked custard in ramekins in a casserole filled with water

5.) And voila! After 40 minutes in the oven, this is how your keto custards look. They are lightly browned, the top is set, but the inside remains jiggly.

Cool them on the counter to room temperature, then place them in the fridge until serving.

Tips and recipe variations

I used cartons of coconut cream (from Sainsbury's). But you can also get yourself two cans of coconut milk and refrigerate them so the liquid and the firm parts separate. The firm part is the cream - only use that part and keep the leftover to add to smoothies or perhaps a curry. The coconut milk cans I buy typically contains 400ml/14oz, so 2 cans should yield enough coconut cream (but be sure to measure or weigh).

Even though I have been singing the praises of coconut cream, you can make this custard with double / heavy cream if you prefer. In this case, I recommend to use the smallest size ramekins available because it will be more filling!

The custards taste lovely with a sprinkling of ground nutmeg. I imagine cinnamon would also work well here.

A quick note on sweeteners: I used powdered erythritol in this recipe. If you use Swerve, be sure to use the cup measurement. Swerve is much lighter than erythritol in weight.

And last but not least - the vanilla. I implore you to try using fresh vanilla bean pods, even though they aren't cheap. The flavour they lend is out of this world and you get those lovely little brown vanilla specks inside your custard.

An alternative could be vanilla bean powder, if you can source it. But of course, simple vanilla extract will also work.

Want to turn this custard recipe into a crème brûlée?

First of all, you want to get your low carb custard seriously cold, so make sure it's been in the fridge for a couple of hours after baking. Then add granulated erythritol (a brown sugar alternative such as Lakanto Golden would be delicious here) over the tops and use a kitchen torch to caramelise it.

It you don't have a culinary torch, place the ramekins under the grill / broiler. Place them quite close to the top and watch them closely to ensure the custard does not go liquid.

A custard with a bite missing so the texture of the inside is visible

More dairy free desserts:

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Sugar Free Keto Custard (Dairy Free)

Katrin Nürnberger

from Sugar Free Londoner

If you're looking for a comforting sugar free dessert, you're in for a treat! Here's a dairy free vanilla custard that will make you swoon. Light, airy and silky-smooth!

5 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine British, French

Servings 5-ounce ramekins (6 4-ounce ramekins, 4 6-ounce ramekins)

Calories 372 kcal

Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups / 500 ml coconut cream
▢ 5 egg yolks large
▢ ⅓ cup / 40g powdered erythritol (So Nourished)
▢ 1 vanilla bean pods or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat the coconut cream and the vanilla bean pod in a saucepan over a medium heat. Wait until the coconut cream simmers and the first bubbles begin to form on the top. Do not boil! Take off the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes. (If you are using vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean, add it now.)
Add the egg yolks and the powdered erythritol to the mixing bowl with the vanilla bean seeds. Blend with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are pale, frothy and double the size.
Slowly add the (lukewarm) coconut cream to the egg yolk mix, stirring continuously.
Heat the oven to 160 Celsius / 325 Fahrenheit.
Pour the custard mix into ramekins and place the ramekins into a casserole dish. Fill the casserole with boiled water that should reach half-way up the ramekins. This helps the custard to bake evenly and prevents splitting.
Bake for about 40 minutes until the tops are set and very lightly browned, but the centres are still jiggly.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until serving.

Video

Notes

Best served cold! Keeps in the fridge for 3 days.

I sprinkled my custards with ground nutmeg, but this is optional. Cinnamon could also be good here!

The recipe makes 5 portions if you use 5 ounce ramekins. I made this batch with 6-ounce ramekins and found my portion to be VERY FILLING. Use smaller ramekins if you can.

Nutrition for 6 4-ounce ramekins: 4.1 g net carbs per portion

Nutrition for 4 6-ounce ramekins: 6.1 g net carbs per portion

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 7gProtein: 6.2gFat: 37.8gSaturated Fat: 31.1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 331mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 0.1g

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Dairy Free Sugar Free Custard (Keto)

How to make dairy-free sugar free custard

Tips and recipe variations