How to Freeze Custard and Restore It
Freeze custard and restore it in just 5 minutes – it’s so quick and simple! Normally, freezing custard/creme patissiere is an absolute NO-NO in the baking and pastry world. All info online clearly states that you cannot freeze custard/creme patissiere because it splits into oblivion. And it does.
But I’m here to tell you that you can FULLY restore thawed/defrosted watery custard! YAY! π
Context
I’ve been developing a recipe for a super exciting brownie (which I will share in the future) which requires creme patissiere. Not knowing how much custard Β I would need, I made the whole recipe and ended up with about 2,5 cups of it. After using only half a cup for my experimental brownies, I still had 2 cups left!
Of course I wouldn’t let the rest just sit in the fridge and go to waste. Without googling at all (which is quite unlike me) or thinking twice, I just popped the custard in the freezer.
Current Info on Freezing Custard
According to the whole web (cooking.stackexchange.com, thekitchn.com, nigella.com, chowhound.com,Β forums.egullet.orgΒ just to name 5) homemade custard should never be frozen as is and used again later. Apparently the best method to at least avoid waste is to make “frozen custard” aka ice cream! This requires a bit of effort though.
Once in the freezer, you need to whisk the custard every 30 minutes for 3 hours. This aerates the custard and keeps it smooth during the freezing process. The result is beautifully smooth frozen custard.
BUT, they all say you cannot freeze custard, thaw/defrost the custard and then use it again as custard due to the severe separation that cannot be rectified.
Unfortunately I only read all this info after my custard had been in the freezer for 3 weeks already! I left it on the counter to defrost for a few hours. It was a watery MESSSSS. I really did not expect this, but since I hate wasting, I was not going to throw it away.
Although it may not always seem so, I suffer from selective, slightly-above-moderate laziness. I go to extreme and labour intensive measures to achieve a “yum-high” in my cooking and baking, but for some things I just cannot be bothered.
I’m definitely not going to make creme patissiere 3 times a week. I’m also definitely not going to divide a single egg yolk in 3 so that I can make 100 ml of creme pat! There had to be a way to freeze custard and restore it.
My dad has this incredible line I’ve been quoting for years: “If you want to be lazy, you have to be clever.” So I put on my thinking cap…
Β
The Science of Freezing Custard
I did a post a while back on how to fix and prevent chocolate ganache that has split. Both ganache and custard split when frozen. The ingredients are still 100% tasty, but the texture has transmuted completely. In one case it is the fat that separates and in the other case it is water.
Although ganache and custard are completely different, I firmly believed that their restoration processes would be very similar.
I decided to apply the same process I use on thawed ganache. Step one was to heat it on the lowest possible heat in a saucepan while stirring occasionally with a balloon whisk. It became looser, but was still very much grainy with a watery residue.
At that point I realized that custard is typically cooked at a much higher (boiling in fact) temperature. I upped the heat one setting higher. It started looking much better.
Another trick that works to re-emulsify split ganache, is adding warm milk. I heated 1 tablespoon of milk in the microwave and proceeded to whisk it into the warm custard.
After whisking a bit more vigorously (still with a balloon whisk) for about 10-15 seconds it smoothed out TO PERFECTION!!! SO rad! π
I got so excited! There was still a big concern that it just looked smooth, but upon tasting it I would end up writing that “the restored custard is 95% smooth!”. Not the case. At all. It is seriously 100% smooth! It tastes, looks and feels freshly made. Can’t believe it!
Method Recap
How to Freeze Custard
>> Put your left over creme patissiere / custard in a freezable cotainer.
>> Place in freezer.
Have some coffee, you’ve worked hard.
How to Thaw/Defrost Custard
>> Remove custard from the freezer and leave out on the counter to defrost for 3-4 hours.
Have some coffee, you’ve worked hard.
I wouldn’t recommend defrosting in a microwave for longer than 2 minutes. You may do that to get it going, but longer than that will start overcooking some parts of the custard. You can also place the sealed container in some warm water to speed up the process if you are in a hurry.
How to RESTORE Thawed/Defrosted Custard
>> Place the split custard in a heavy based saucepan (all of it, including the separated water).
>> Turn on the stove to the lowest possible setting. Stir the custard with a balloon whisk every 30 seconds so that it heats evenly and doesn’t catch on the bottom.
>> When the custard is warm to the touch, turn up the heat a bit more. Stir occasionally for about 2 minutes while it keeps heating up.
>> Heat 1 Tbsp Milk (I used 4,5% fat whole milk) in the microwave for 20 seconds. Use 1 Tbsp Milk for every 200 g of thawed custard.
>> Add the warm milk to the saucepan. Keep whisking the custard on the stove for another minute till it smooths out and comes together again. Take it off the heat before it starts to simmer/boil. Taste a tiny bit to make sure it is fully smooth.
Now you should have coffee AND a pastry covered in your amazing freshly made (thawed) custard π
Please let me know if you give this hack a go. Save yourself a mountain of effort and waste! Freeze custard and restore it because now you CAN!
Thanks for reading!
Chat soon!
Aurelia π
POPULAR BAKING TIPS
Got a question? Something to add? Letβs chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)
Ohhhhh you just saved me a kg of a beautiful custard, thank you very much!!!
Hey Fabi! I’m SO happy for you!! Yay π
Hi Aurelia! Thank you for the tip. I’m intending to try this out as this would save so much of my baking time during my delivery days to my customers. Just a quick question, how long does custard made with eggs be kept in the fridge? I have googled and many say just about 3 days. If i were to freeze it on the first day and then thaw it using your method, how long will it be able to last and be safe for consumption? Thank you!
Hey Shauna, thanks for your comment π Glad this trick will save you some time! I think if you use this method you should subtract 1 day in total off the shelf life. So then it should be safe for consumption for 2 days instead of 3.
Thanks Auriela Iβm going to try freezing the creme patisserie and wish me luck. Thanks for the tip
Hey Mary, that’s awesome! Let me know how it goes π
Thanks a lot, you saved my day, was doing millefeuille and found my creme patisserie separated after freezing it. Now it is perfect, I added full cream instead of milk though.
Hey Hisham! That’s so great to hear π Glad you could bring it back together again!
Hey Aurelia. I love that out of the whole of google your blog post comes up :). Iβve ordered from you a few years back and Iβm stuck out of town with 1l cream due to be going off today and I want to make creme patisserie filled donuts and pasteis de nata but I want them fresh! And I donβt wanna waste so Iβm going to give this a go. Thanks!
Hi Amy! Thanks for your comment π Not often that I get to reply to someone I’ve actually baked for! Give this hack a go – I’m sure you’ll love it π
It worked!!!
Last step I placed the reconstituted custard (as per your instructions) in a mixer and whipped it for a minute and then I folded in some whipped whipping cream
It was delicious!
Thanks
Thanks for your comment Anna! Such fantastic news! π GREAT job!
Hello Aurelia!! I actually found your website googling in hopes that there would be a way to restore pastry cream, since I knew it was an absolute no-no. I made a batch for a client who ended up postponing their order a week because of personal reasons. It was too long to leave it on the fridge and I thought I was going to have to throw it out (and waste food and money in the process), but I figured I’d freeze it and try your method. It was a LIFESAVER. I’m honestly so shocked you found a way to restore it to perfection, this is a huge breakthrough, let me tell you. I just had to come back and thank you, one week later after restoring my batch, because I woke up early just in case this didn’t work for me (ingredients are so different sometimes all over the world and I’m in Argentina). Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I’ll bookmark you right away β€οΈ
Hi Luli! Thank you so much for sharing your story! SO GLAD to hear you could freeze and restore all that creme pat! Definitely saves a lot of waste and money π Such a pleasure to have helped!
After making Swiss meringue buttercream frosting and having leftover egg yolks I decided to make pastry cream. I didn’t need it at the time and didn’t know what I would do with it. But I came across your site somehow and decided to give it a try. I made it, then froze it and left it in the freezer about a week or so. I took it out and followed your procedure. It was absolutely perfect!!! I don’t know if this can be possible but it tasted even better and looked even smoother than when I originally made it. I know it was only in the freezer for a short time but I am confident that this will work even if the pastry cream has been frozen for a lot longer. Thank you so much for this!! I am always going to make pastry cream after having leftover egg yolks because I know there is a way to use it!!!
Hi Joan! Thanks so much for your comment π That’s AWESOME NEWS!!! Woop woop!! It’s such a cool hack!
You should also make lemon curd with the leftover egg yolks from Swiss meringue. π
Great idea Rosalinda! Lemon curd is ALWAYS amazing π
Hi Aurelia, Thank you for your research into freezing egg custard. I loved reading about your process. And I do have a question, after heating the custard and adding the warm milk and whisking until smooth, have you refrigerated it again? I’m interested to know if the reviving the custard from a frozen state and then keeping it for a day or two in the fridge would then compromise your work reviving it? During the holidays I make an enormous amount of custard which I then place in individual disposable pastry bags to distribute as gifts along with home made cannoli shells that I make for friends and family. It is very time consuming. This year I have thought about making it in advance and freezing it. Another twist in my story is my Aunt taught me to make the egg custard in the microwave which is a dream!!!! No sticking to the bottom of the pan. Have you attempted reviving the custard in the microwave?
Hi Cindy! Thanks for your comment π You know what, I think it will be just fine if you refrigerate it after reviving it… Give it a go! I’ve also seen Poh Ling Yeow make creme pat in the microwave, so it really is a great method! I personally try to avoid using my microwave if I can help it. Just because of the scientific effects it has on our food and making them carcinogenic – I’m quite a health nut about these things, lol!
Finally! We end up with more eggs that we can possibly use. We give some away, but I end up freeze drying and hard boiling the extras. I’ve always avoided freezing custards because …. well, because THEY said not to. Tried this out and it works PERFECTLY. In case your readers are wondering, it also works quite well with duck eggs.
Thank you so much for your comment David! π I’m SO glad to hear that this technique has given you a tastier egg saving option than freeze drying or boiling! And great to know that it works on duck eggs too.
Oh thatβs hugely sweet of you . I have a truck load of eggeolks and thought of preparing custard to freeze. I shall follow your tips ,and I hope Iβll reach to the result you mentioned. Many sincere thanks . Lots of love β€οΈβ€οΈ
Thank you for your kind comment Nermeen! I’m so happy to hear you can now use your truck load of egg yolks! π
You are a total star!
I made a fair sized batch for a dinner party but we have had to cancel as the hostess has been admitted to hospital (I was making the desserts – fruit tarts – yum!)
Having had a quick look everyone, as you say, tells us not to freeze so I was going to sit down and stuff my face with half a liter of creme pat… then I came across you…. OH JOY!!!
I’ve just poured over your site and I love the way you write and you have some amazing tips (like drinking lots of coffee) so I’ll be following you for sure – anyway, thank you for testing this out and telling us mere mortal what to do to save our creme pat.
Thanks again
Adrian
(BTW – the hostess is fine so we are going to set another date)
Oh Adrian, I’m SO HAPPY to hear my post (and other baking tips) have helped & interested you! And very relieved to hear that the hostess is ok!! Hope that dinner party happens soon π
Oh my GOODNESS – this is a total game changer!! I just tested this out, and it works PERFECTLY!! Thank you so much!!
Hi Chrissy! Yayyy! So happy it’s worked! π Thanks for commenting! xxx
Thank you sooooo much for figuring this out. I just made custard for the first time and after gorging on so much of it I didn’t even like it anymore, I was super-grumpy about wasting the rest. I love your humourous and engaging style. Awesome! π
Hi Crystal! You are so sweet – thank you for your kind comment π xxx
would it work to heat the custard over a double boiler to help the uniform heating?
Hi Dennis. You can if you want to, but it’s not necessary. A saucepan on a very low heat works just fine.
Wow, well done Aurelia! I had quite a chukkle when reading your dad’s quote. Looking forward to learn more and try your cheese cake next time.
Thanks! Haha! Yes he is a funny, but wise character π
I have been looking and looking for a way to do this! I successfully freeze lemon or lime curd all the time and wondered why custard would not work. Maybe the acid stabilizes the curd? Anyway I have so many eggs and milk I am definitely going to try this! Thanks!!
Hey Kate, thanks for your comment π How fascinating that lemon & lime curds don’t split in the freezer… Maybe it is the acid? Who knows? I don’t really make much lemon curd, so I can’t say that I’ve tested it, but it would be AWESOME to understand the science behind it! I’m so glad that this has give you a way to use up your eggs & milk! Happy baking! xxx
Wow! A genuine laze ball like me! Thank you! My creme patisserie is in the fridge . Soon it will be migrating to freezer. Wonderful! Kettle on. Coffee coming up!π
Haha! So glad you enjoyed the post Janine π
I too love his comment but am amazingly drawn to your post as I have 18 litres of milk to use up (don’t ask why!!) … pronto and custard seemed to be the go until I realised there was too much to use, even after giving away to neighbours!! Here we go into the freezer in usable lots!! Thanks Aurelia you have a new disciple!
Hey Janine, thanks for your comment π I’m so glad this technique found you just in time! Would have been a tragedy to waste all that milk.