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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

More dairy free desserts:
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- Sugar Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Pops
- Sugar Free Condensed Milk
- 2 Ingredient Sugar Free Caramel Sauce
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
★ STAY IN TOUCH on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM for more great food and join my NEWSLETTER for the latest updates and a FREE EBOOK.★

Sugar Free Keto Custard (Dairy Free)
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: 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
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and purchase a product, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Sugar Free Londoner.
Molly
Can I use this recipe as a pour on custard?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, of course! Just don't put it in the oven so it stays nice and pourable.
Sasha
Hi Katrin,
I've been using your lovely recipes for a while now & really appreciate your work.
Shock & sadness, double cream appears to cause serious stomach acid for me.. not easy when low carb. Do you think this recipe would make a good base for ice cream? If not, do you have a cream free recipe for ice cream please?
Thank you in advance
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Sasha, I would simply take one of my ice cream recipes and replace the cream with coconut milk.
Amy
These look delicious! Erythritol doesn't agree with my tummy. 🙁 Could I use powdered or liquid stevia?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, of course! Both would work. You have to check that the stevia powder you use is a 1:1 sugar replacement. Some are twice as sweet as sugar.
Judy M
Thank you so much for asking this!!! I am in the same boat.
It’s really hard making a lot of recipes because StevieaI doesn’t have the book.
Luisa
HI, would it be possible to substitute coconut cream with normal cream and if so how much of it?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Luisa, I would use the same amount of dairy cream. The two are interchangeable.
Ciara Leinaala
Phenomenal recipe! I added some orange blossom water for a little twist but otherwise followed the instructions. The custard texture is stunning!!! Thank you!!!
Katrin Nürnberger
That sounds delicious!
Alan Murphy
May I ask what coconut cream you use in the Uk. Your link shows an unavailable one. Cheers
Katrin Nürnberger
I normally buy the Sainsbury's coconut cream, or I use the Waitrose Cook's Ingredients coconut cream.
Sinead
Are the calorie and carb count for all 5 servings or one single serving?
Katrin Nürnberger
It's for 1 serving
Jenni
This recipe set well andhad the perfect texture and taste
Toni
If someone used vanilla powder or extract instead of the vanilla bean, how much would be needed?
Katrin Nürnberger
I think 1/2 tsp would be a good amount. Then taste and see what you think!
Jackie Clifton
Made these with the addition of shredded coconut for my husband, who desperately misses coconut custard pie since his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. He completely loves them! They set perfectly and were sweet, smooth, and satisfying. No crust necessary.
Katrin Nürnberger
That sounds delicious! Glad you both liked it!
Odette Layton
Love the recipes. Keep going
Katrin
Thanks Odette!
Priya Dogra
I can have custard at any time of a day. Your recipe looks interesting to me, as I have always made it fruitier. But I really like the idea of giving the custard a flavor of ground nutmegs or cinnamon. I would love to try it.
Katrin
Hope you'll give it a go! I think the warm flavours of those spices work very well with the coconut.
Toni
I'm wondering if you're not going with keto for the fat, if it would work to use all of the canned coconut milk instead of just the cream.
Katrin
Maybe! I'm wondering if it would make sense to add 1 egg white, just so that you're sure to get it firm enough.