Eggless Fruit Custard…. Simple & easy to make, it’s ready in a jiffy! Plus…. this light and luscious treat is also gluten-free…. The perfect finishing touch to a special meal!
Loved by all in our family while I was growing up, my Mom made this quite often… Now, this love seems to have passed on to the next generation as well. I thought of posting this recipe as I remember my Dad on his birthday. He loved this simple dessert, just as he enjoyed pretty much all varieties of sweetmeats…. He sure had a sweet-tooth!
But… He also had something really rare: an effortless ability to exercise portion-control! How many of us “sweet”-lovers can honestly make that claim?! Not me, that’s for sure!
“Everything in moderation” …. His words still ring in my ears… and give me pause…. when I reach for that 2nd or 3rd helping of something, because I just can’t seem to resist it! How did he manage to resist the indescribable urge to just “give in”?
Egg-Free Desserts…
Folks from the Indian sub-continent make a wide variety of popular milk-based desserts, and pretty much all of them are egg-free! Most are made for special occasions and celebrations…. weddings, anniversaries, religious festivals, etc. But why wait for a special occasion? Of course you can make one you love, whenever you want to… maybe just to satisfy a sudden craving! Why ever not?!
I don’t know this for a fact, but I can speculate….. During the colonial years in India, the British and the Portuguese might have introduced custard. A quintessentially “Western” dessert, it is traditionally made with milk and eggs… and maybe some cream, too. And then…. as almost always happens, the local folks probably got in on the act….. and started tinkering with this “classic” recipe, imposed upon them by the colonizers!
So….. My guess is, somewhere along the way, some creative cook “discovered” how to make custard without eggs! A custard that is almost identical in appearance and a mouth-feel that is remarkably similar to the original!
Wait… Why would this “discovery” even matter? Because lots of folks in India choose to not consume eggs. So…. this “discovery” meant that now, everyone, including all those folks who don’t eat eggs, could begin to enjoy delicious custard!
I see the same type of creativity nowadays…. among the many cooking enthusiasts who develop vegan versions of dishes that are typically not vegan. Pretty darn brilliant, I think…. And I humbly salute them all!
To be honest, I actually find egg-based custard just a tad too “eggy” for my palate! I like this egg-free adaptation so much better – it’s so much milder and neutral in flavor…. So smooth and creamy, with a lovely mouth-feel, and NO “eggy” smell or flavor!
How to make egg-free custard?
How to make egg-free custard? Pretty simple, actually: all you need is milk, sugar and cornstarch… and some food coloring and flavoring. Essentially, you simply mix these up and cook till thickened. That’s it!
Of course, you can add in any flavors you like, although vanilla is by far the most common. Commercial custard powders, basically a simple mixture of cornstarch (aka “corn flour” in India) and sugar, come in assorted flavors and colors – vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mint, almond….
My Mom quickly stopped buying the commercial varieties… Why? She already had all the ingredients in her pantry, so her logic was very simple: “Why should I pay someone to just mix corn starch with sugar, color and flavoring? I can do it myself!”
Not only was it far cheaper to do it herself, it also gave her lots of flexibility – She could now customize her custard…. add whatever flavors and colors she wanted. As you might guess, she created some pretty unique ones, too, that you couldn’t actually “buy”… at least not back then! Nowadays, of course, the commercially available selection has expanded considerably…
Use corn-starch to thicken hot liquids
Corn starch, like many other plant-based starches, can be used to thicken liquids – soups and puddings come to mind immediately…. But that’s not all… Even cakes, muffins, pancakes and a host of other dishes rely on the transformation that starch granules undergo when heated with a liquid….
Heat is key…. without heat, the starch-liquid mixture remains “runny”. When heated, though, something quite magical happens. The “runny” liquid soon starts to thicken, becoming more viscous. Afterwards, as it cools, it thickens even more… and stays that way!
Think about what happens when you finish cooking that pancake on a hot griddle for just a few minutes… As it cools on your plate, does it go back to looking like your runny, pourable batter?! Likewise, with lots of other foods that contain starch…
Heating a starch-liquid mixture…
So… What exactly happens when a starch-liquid mixture is heated? To answer, we first have to think about what starch actually is. Starch granules are essentially clusters of two main types of starch molecules, amylopectin (about 70%) and amylose (about 30%).
These large polymer molecules loosely bind to each other, and when mixed with a cold water-based liquid, resist binding to water molecules. However, when the mixture is heated, these bonds begin to weaken somewhat… and sets the stage for them to bond with water instead.
With so many attached water molecules in tow, these already large molecules now occupy even more volume…. i.e., These “swollen” molecules actually become even “bigger”! Also, since the water molecules hang on tight, effectively forming a shell around the starch molecule, it is practically impossible for the starch molecules to re-bind to each other… the way they were before!
The overall effect? Well…. The whole mixture starts to “look” very different…. it no longer looks runny…. instead, it looks thick and viscous… the starch has gelatinized! What a magical transformation!
Use Beet juice for pink colored custard
How did I color the custard pink? You might be thinking I used what comes in those little bottles of food coloring you find in the baking section at the grocery store…. Nope!
For many years now, I have been trying to avoid using artificial food coloring… Some colors are hard, but for pink color…. Ohhh… that’s really easy to do! I just use beet juice! You need just a few drops, and No… You do NOT taste the beetroot in the custard. See Recipe Notes for how to make a little bit of beet juice from fresh beets.
Serve the custard in style… with fruits
Serve your chilled custard in style… with your favorite fruits…. and maybe some nuts as well, if you like. You might notice that it’s the fruit that often steals the show, while the custard humbly takes a back seat.
If you have a discerning palate, though, you certainly understand that the smooth and luscious custard is not quite in the background…. You know that it’s the custard that elevates the cut-up fruit…. into a rather special treat!
Fruits to use in Fruit Custard
What kinds of fruit are best to use with this egg-less custard? That depends on whether you want to mix them into the custard or serve them separately. For mixing-in, non-acid fruits are the best – banana, papaya, chikoo (Zapota), apples….
Medium acid fruits are fine if you add them in just before serving – mango, pineapple, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, etc. However, if the added fruits stay in the custard for too long, the acid from the fruits curdles the custard – while not exactly “spoiled”, it doesn’t look very appealing at all!
So, I recommend that you keep the custard and fruit separate, until it is time to serve. If you’re planning to use non-acid fruit, you can go ahead and mix them just before you serve. Better yet, simply spoon the fruit into individual bowls first, then generously ladle the chilled custard sauce on top. Or, maybe you want to do it the other way… pile the fruit on top of the custard!
Or…. Why not just put it all out there and let folks serve themselves, however they wish?
More Dessert Recipes to try
Looking for more fun and interesting dessert recipes to try? Maybe muffins, Kheer, Halva, Laadoo, Barfi…
Here are a few links for some of my personal favorites… and of course, more dessert recipes are in the works…
- Almond Barfi – definitely a special occasion dessert
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – with finely slivered orange peels
- Cranberry Muffins – with fresh cranberries and nuts
- Dinkaachey Laadoo – nutty, crunchy and addicting, made with edible Gum
- Alivaachey Laadoo – soft and moist balls, with cress seeds and fresh coconut
- Shevayaachi Kheer – super-thin vermicelli, simmered in sweetened milk
- Dudhi Kheer – delicate tasting squash and rice, floating in thickened milk
- Mung Shira – modernized & simplified, to make this delicacy easily
- Sweet Shira – the quintessential and popular Indian dessert
- Sweet Srikhand – from strained yogurt, exotic flavor with saffron and nutmeg
- Sweet Banana Thalipith – puffy whole grain flatbread with ripe bananas
- Apple Crisp with Oats – Gluten free, enjoy with ice cream
- and several more….. !
Make them, share them….. and please don’t forget to post a review and star rating…. Many thanks!
Special Diets
This luscious egg-less fruit custard is gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free. I have not made it with non-dairy milk myself, but don’t really see any reason why it might not work. Of course, the nutrition information will change, based on what type of “milk” you use.
If any of you decide to try such a vegan-version, do let me know… and I will certainly update the post as appropriate. Thanks in advance for your help!
Also, would you like to have this dessert during Hindu religious fasting days? Sure… instead of using cornstarch to thicken the custard, just use Upvas-suitable flours like arrowroot starch, tapioca starch or potato starch. See Recipe Note for details.
So…. Go ahead… For your next special occasion, or even on that Upvas day, whip up some egg-less custard, and serve it with Pizzazzz… with fresh fruit! Your friends will surely love this light and luscious, refreshing dessert… it’s such a lovely & perfect finishing touch to a special meal.
Want to add some extra “Oomph”? Top it with a little bit of bright red Strawberry Jello (look for vegan jelly varieties if you cannot have gelatin)… and maybe some chopped nuts … or fluffy whipped cream… or how about some ice cream, huh? Mmm! I’m drooling, now!
Please leave a review and star rating… Thanks a bunch!
Enjoy!
Eggless Fruit Custard: Gluten-free and Easy to Make
Equipment
- Heavy bottom saucepan – medium, 2 qt/L stainless steel or non-stick coated preferred
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Milk – divided 2 cups + 1/2 cup Whole milk preferred; for vegan custard, use a creamy non dairy milk
- 2 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch (4 1/2 tsp) also called corn flour (this NOT the same as ground/milled whole grain corn)
- 2 1/2 tbsp Sugar (4 1/2 tsp) this custard is not super-sweet – you can add up to 2-3 tsp more if you like it sweeter
- 1 tsp Beet juice adjust as needed to get the color you like
- 1 tsp Vanilla flavoring adjust as per preference; another delightful option is to use 2 tsp rose water
- 1 cup Apples – cored and diced with or without peel; sweet, juicy apples preferred; if not available, use another sweet fruit – pears, Chikoo (sapota), dragon fruit…
- 1 cup Mango – diced (without peel) if not available, use another brightly colored fruit – diced papaya, orange segments, diced strawberries, raspberries, other berries, grapes – all are OK
- 1 cup Banana – sliced lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick pieces if not available, use another fruit – see suggestions listed above
Instructions
- Place 1/2 cup milk in a small bow and allow it to come to room temperature. Add 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch.
- Stir to mix into a slurry.
- Heat 2 cups of milk in a heavy bottom medium (2 qt/L) saucepan on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning at the bottom.Note: For doing this faster and more easily:I recommend heating the milk in the microwave, 1 cup at a time, for about 1 min on Hi for each cup. This way, once you transfer the preheated milk to the saucepan, it will come to a boil very quickly – in about 2-3 min. Do still stir the milk, making sure to scrape the bottom, after you transfer it to the saucepan.
- When you start seeing small bubbles near the sides and top of the milk, turn the heat off.Stir the slurry again – you will immediately notice that the cornstarch has settled to the bottom like thick clay. Stir it well to distribute evenly and slowly pour into the hot milk with one hand, while stirring steadily with the other hand. Note: If you don't stir it continuously while you're adding the slurry, you will get a lumpy custard – that's definitely NOT what you should be getting!
- After you've added all the slurry, add 1-2 tsp water and collect the little bit of cornstarch still left in the bowl. Stir this water to the milk too. Even with the heat off, you will see the milk beginning to thicken. Turn the heat on and cook on low heat, wile stirring, for about 1-2 min and turn the heat off.
- Add the sugar – I have used unrefined sugar, which is not pure white, but slightly brownish.Stir in the sugar and do a taste-test for the following two things:1: There should not be any "raw" cornstarch taste left in the custard – if it tastes a bit pasty, or like uncooked starch, you will need to cook it for a few more min. If it tastes smooth and creamy, it's done.2. Check the sweetness level: this recipe makes a custard that is not super-sweet. So, if you would like it to be sweeter, feel free to add a bit more sugar – up to about 2-3 tsp more, as per your preference.
- It's time to add the food color: I like to add some beet juice for a lovely pink color. (see Recipe Notes for how to prepare the beet juice from fresh beets.)Of course, if you prefer, you can add artificial red food color instead – you will likely need just a couple of drops. You can certainly decide to use a different color for your custard: light yellow and pale green are two other colors that work really well when paired with fresh fruits. Saffron works beautifully to give a golden yellow color along with exotic flavor. For green – artificial food color might be the best option. Either way, I like to dilute 1-2 drops of food color with a tsp of water before adding to the custard, that way, I can more easily control the intensity of color.
- After adding each drop of diluted color, stir to mix and decide whether or not to add more color.
- Keep adding one drop at a time, until you get the color you want.
- The picture shows the shade of pink I personally like for this fruit custard – it's up to you to decide whether to go lighter or darker. Stir the custard periodically while it cools to room temperature, to prevent it from forming a "skin" on the surface. Some folks suggest covering the custard with plastic wrap that touches the custard, to prevent the "skin"-formation. However, I do not recommend doing this – it is not advisable for a plastic film to touch very hot food! Even if a bit of "skin" forms, don't worry! It's OK – just stir it back into the custard – you won't even notice it when you eat it!Once the custard has cooled to room temperature, stir in the flavoring – do NOT add while the custard is hot or the flavoring will just evaporate away!Vanilla works very well when pairing with fresh fruit… another delightful option is rose water (available at Indian grocery stores). You don't need much at all – 1-2 tsp should be plenty.Transfer the custard to a serving bowl and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Note:If you're in a hurry, here's a way to cool it down fast: Place ice in a large bowl or pot, add just enough cold water to make an ice-water slush. Place your hot saucepan with the custard into the ice-water slush and stir gently and steadily to cool it down evenly. It should cool down in about 5-7 min. I recommend cooling the custard while it's still in a metal saucepan – it will cool faster because the metal conducts heat better. If you transfer it to a glass/ceramic serving bowl while it it still hot, it will take much longer to cool down.
- While the custard cools, you can begin to prep the fruit.Cut the mango into cubes. See the picture for illustration. Use a sturdy spoon to scoop out the pieces.
- If there's a little bit of juicy pulp left behind, scrape it away from the peel (with the spoon) and collect that too! Repeat with the remaining part of the mango (on the 2 uncut sides). Even if the pieces seem a bit uneven in shape, it's OK!Place the mango pieces in a separate serving bowl. It's best to serve the fruit at room temp, but you can refrigerate it if you like it chilled. A Sweet Fruity Bonus: When you're done cutting up all the fruit, take a sweet break! Suck on the mango seed to slurp up and enjoy the last little bit of juicy pulp that you cannot possibly remove with a knife!
- About 10-15 min before you plan to serve the custard, prepare the apples. I don't recommend doing this too much in advance, mainly because the apples start browning – visually, that's not very appealing! To prep: Slice the apple(s) into quarters, remove the seed core by making a with a V-cut through each piece. Slice each quarter into 3-4 thinner slices, then dice each piece – see accompanying picture for illustration.
- About 10-15 min before you plan to serve the custard, prepare the bananas. I don't recommend doing this too much in advance, mainly because the bananas, just like the apples, quickly start browning – visually, that's not very appealing! To prep: Peel and slice the banana(s): cut in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/4 in (1/2 cm) pieces. Add to the bowl with the diced mango and apples.
- Set it all out and let folks help themselves…. Maybe you could also set out some diced jello, ice cream, whipped cream….. Yumm!Enjoy!
Notes
Corn starch not available?
No worries… Use one of the following substitutes instead, a 1:1 swap- Arrowroot flour – a 1:1 swap (so , for this recipe use 2 1/2 tbsp arrowroot flour)
- gluten-free
- also suitable for Hindu religious fasts
- Potato starch – a 1:1 swap (so , for this recipe use 2 1/2 tbsp potato starch)
- gluten-free
- also suitable for Hindu religious fasts
- Tapioca flour – a 2:1 swap (so, for this recipe use 4 1/2 – 5 tbsp tapioca flour )
- as soon as it thickens the milk, turn the heat off, do not boil longer – it might become stringy!
- gluten-free
- also suitable for Hindu religious fasts
- All-purpose flour: a 2:1 swap (so, for this recipe use 4 1/2 – 5 tbsp all-purpose flour)
- it will likely take a bit longer to thicken, so be patient and keep stirring till the milk is thickened
- do a taste-test, to make sure there is no “raw flour” taste left in the custard
- NOTE: this option is NOT gluten-free!
- NOT suitable for Hindu religious fasts
- it will likely take a bit longer to thicken, so be patient and keep stirring till the milk is thickened
Make a little Beet Juice for adding pink color to the custard:
Place a small piece of beetroot in a microwave safe ceramic bowl and add about 2 tbsp of water.- Cover and microwave on medium-hi (about 40-50% power) for 30 seconds.
- Set aside for 5-7 min for the beetroot juice to bleed into the water.
- The liquid will turn a very dark pink.
- Use a few drops of this liquid to color the custard pink- if its extremely dar, I suggest diluting it a bit before adding to the custard.
Storing Leftovers:
In refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers in a container with a well-fitting lid; consume within 2-3 days.- Since it contains dairy milk, it can spoil fairly quickly.
- However, if you do have a lot left over, and don’t think you can finish it off in 2-3 days, sure, go ahead and freeze it in a lidded container.
- To serve:
- Thaw, transfer to a heavy-bottom saucepan and heat on low heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to gently boil.
- Cool to room temperature, chill and serve.
- Thaw till ice crystals are mostly melted, transfer to a blender jar and blend on low speed till it becomes smooth again and serve (chilled)
- Do not blend on high speed – it will become too frothy!
- Thaw, transfer to a heavy-bottom saucepan and heat on low heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to gently boil.
Awesome recipe! Will be sure to try this. Ever since I stopped eating eggs, I have stopped using the custard powders we used since childhood. This gives me a fresh start.
Oh good! Start enjoying your custard again.. and I hope you saw the Upvas-suitable substitutes as well – use these instead of corn-starch and have it with your “Phalaahaar”! 🙂
Being a fruit lover, i just loved it ❤️
Me too! And I hope you saw the Upvas-suitable substitutes as well – use these instead of corn-starch and have it with your “Phalaahaar”! I was thinking about you when I wrote that up!🙂
Lovely tribute to your Dad.
Thanks, Suhasini.
Nice …good to know 3-4 substitutes….and also so much science behind the whole thing with of course your personal and dotes thrown in…
My mom used to make this , she used to add fresh beaten cream and all fruits ….
Especially the grapes and pineapple used to give such a lovely flavour. It was a hit at all army parties along with her home made icecream.
She used to add some lemon in the cut fruits to retain its freshness. The lemon flavour used to add such a great flavour …
U made me visit my child hood favourite desert of my mom again.
So easy and yummy!! Love that it can go with so many different fruits
So glad you like it Jennifer! Thanks for the review and star rating! 🙂
Super easy dessert to make and fun to make with my family, love the fruits as well!
Thanks, Alex! Im so glad you enjoyed making it and eating it! Thanks for your review and star rating! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing, I appreciate how simple the recipe is to make and all the alterations you considered in advance(I hate grocery shopping and did not have cornstarch). I liked doing a banana/strawberry mix for my custard 🙂
Thanks, Leah! I’m so glad you found it easy to make and that you enjoyed it. Thanks for the letting me know what fruits you added. I change up the fruits, based on the season and what I have on hand… I agree with you… who really wants to go to the store to get just one thing? Thanks for the kind review! 🙂
Hi !! Im not sure if my review posted but this is a super cool recipe and I appreciate you giving so many substitution options(I did not have cornstarch and did not want to go to the store just for that). I really enjoyed it with strawberries and banana 🙂
Lovely recipe! One of my favourite desserts since I was a kid. Being a fruit lover, I really like how you can customise your choice of fruits. I also like to put some fresh cream on top!
Thanks Ashwini! I’ve always loved it too… and yes, it is so versatile to use with whatever fruit you wish… and with fresh cream on top? super Yumm! Thanks for the review and star rating! 🙂
The recipe was easy to follow and fun to customize according to each person’s preference. We added more sugar since the sweetness level was low and it turned out great! We did have to modify the measurements a bit to get the correct thickness of the custard. We did so by adding more cornstarch and water and it came out good! The sweetness of the fruits made it delicious!
So glad you enjoyed the fruit custard! I generally like to keep the sugar content of this dessert on the low side…. mostly personal preference, but also because it’s so easy to stir in more sugar at the end and make it as sweet as you like! And yes, since fruits add their own lovely sweetness (and flavor) too, I like to keep the custard itself a bit on the less sweet side.
Thank you for your thoughtful review. Really appreciate it! 🙂