Pastry cream substitutes

Boxed instant pudding whisked with cold whole milk, held back so it sets stiffer than pudding.

Best for

fruit tarts, eclairs, trifle, cream puffs, layer cake filling, danish

The most common shortcut and it does hold up under fruit, which is what most people need. The differences are honest ones: instant pudding sets with modified starch rather than egg yolk, so it tastes lighter and slightly artificial with a distinctly vanilla-essence note rather than the deep eggy richness of creme patissiere, and the mouthfeel is a little slick and gelatinous instead of silky. Making it with whole milk rather than skimmed and folding in whipped cream fixes much of that. Always use whole milk; water or a plant milk gives a wobbly filling that weeps.

A cook-and-serve pudding mix or custard powder simmered with milk until it thickens, then chilled.

Best for

tarts, eclairs, mille-feuille, trifle, boston cream, doughnut filling

Closer than the instant version because it is actually cooked, which develops the starch properly and gives a smoother, glossier set that slices cleanly. Custard powder in particular is essentially pastry cream without the eggs, and British bakers use it this way deliberately. It will be a stronger yellow than a real creme patissiere and the flavour is simpler, more one-note vanilla and less of the buttery, faintly caramelised note that cooked yolks bring. Whisking one egg yolk and a tablespoon of butter into the hot custard at the end closes most of that gap.

The real thing in about twelve minutes: milk, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch and vanilla whisked over medium heat until it boils and thickens.

Best for

fruit tarts, eclairs, mille-feuille, cream puffs, napoleons, fruit flan

Include this because most people looking for a substitute do not realise how quick it is. For about two cups, whisk four egg yolks with a third of a cup of sugar and three tablespoons of cornstarch, pour in two cups of hot milk while whisking, return to the pan and cook, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and thickens, then whisk in two tablespoons of butter and a teaspoon of vanilla. The only real skill is not stopping whisking. It tastes incomparably better than any mix and costs pennies.

Any custard base, scratch or from a mix, folded with softly whipped cream.

Best for

fruit tarts, layer cakes, choux buns, trifle, tart shells, crepe cake

Not so much a substitute as an upgrade, and useful because it makes a thin or slightly lumpy custard presentable. Folding whipped cream in makes the filling paler, lighter and mousse-like rather than dense, and it mutes the eggy flavour and the sweetness. It also makes it less stable over time, so it will soften and start to weep after a day, where straight pastry cream holds for two or three. Fill tarts on the day you serve them.

Mascarpone or softened cream cheese beaten with powdered sugar, vanilla and a splash of cream until smooth and pipeable.

Best for

fruit tarts, cake filling, crostata, berry tarts, no-bake desserts

Choose this when you want a filling that works rather than one that imitates. It pipes beautifully, holds fruit without collapsing, needs no cooking and does not weep. It is unmistakably different though: tangy, dense and cheesecake-like where pastry cream is mellow, eggy and custardy, and much richer on the tongue. On a berry tart the tang is arguably better than custard. In an eclair or a mille-feuille, where the whole point is a soft custard against crisp pastry, the density feels wrong.

Heavy cream whipped with powdered sugar and either a little cream cheese, mascarpone or bloomed gelatine to keep it from deflating.

Best for

fruit tarts, cream puffs, shortcake, trifle, crepes

The lightest option and the least like pastry cream, but genuinely delicious and the easiest to make with no cooking at all. Stabilising it matters: plain whipped cream collapses into liquid within a couple of hours under fruit, so beat in two tablespoons of cream cheese per cup of cream or a teaspoon of bloomed gelatine. Expect a filling that is airy and barely sweet against pastry cream's dense, glossy, custardy body, and expect less of it to stay put when you cut a slice.