The Best Low-Carb Creme Patissiere

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Say hi to the best keto crème pâtissière!

Creamy vanilla custard pastry filling has always been my favourite. Even as a kid I always devoured all the frosting and topping on a cake, leaving the dry sponge untouched. I was never too keen on pastry either, it was always the filling I loved.

This sugar-free French pastry cream is the perfect filling for low-carb desserts. It’s easy to double the batch so you’ll have plenty of creme patissiere if you need more.

I came up with this recipe while I was working in my new Keto Chaffles book where I used this deliciously creamy vanilla custard pastry filling to make keto approved eclairs. They were incredible!

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Just remember to refrigerate this sugar-free creme patissiere as it tends to be runny unless completely chilled. It's best if you leave it to set in the fridge overnight. You can then use it as filling in keto cakes and pies just like regular creme patissiere, or spoon it over summer berries for a quick keto treat.

And that's not all! You can spoon it in popsicle molds and freeze (maybe even dip the popsicles in some melted chocolate to create coating), or combine with some heavy whipping cream and churn in an ice cream maker just like you would any keto ice cream.

Making this keto creme patissiere is also a great way to use leftover egg yolks. So if you made a batch of Low-Carb Chocolate Meringues, Keto Yeast Bread or Low-Carb Marshmallows, give it a go, it's delicious!

Special thanks to our talented recipe developer Dearna Bond for taking such beautiful photos of my Keto Crème Pâtissière!

Nutritional values (per serving, 2 tbsp/ 30 ml)

Ingredients (makes about 2 ¹/₂ cups/ 600 ml)

• ¹/₂ tsp gelatin powder, or up to 1 tsp for a firmer set
• 1 tbsp water (15 ml)
• 6 large egg yolks
• ¹/₂ cup + 2 ¹/₂ tbsp granulated Erythritol or Swerve (85 g/ 3 oz), or to taste
• 1 tbsp sugar-free vanilla extract or about 1 tsp vanilla powder
• pinch of sea salt
• ¹/₂ cup heavy whipping cream (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• 1 ¹/₂ cups unsweetened almond milk or any nut or seed milk (360 ml/ 12 fl oz)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chopped into 6 to 8 pieces (113 g/ 4 oz)

Instructions

1. Sprinkle the gelatin in a small bowl filled with 1 tbsp of water and set aside.
   
   
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream and almond milk over a medium-high heat.
   
   
3. While it’s heating, place the egg yolks into a bowl together with the sweetener, vanilla and salt. Using a hand mixer or a balloon whisk, beat until smooth and frothy.
   
   
4. Once the milk starts boiling and foam starts to form, take off the heat. Use a ladle to gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg mixture. Keep whisking constantly or the mixture will curdle.
   
   
5. When the eggs have been tempered, add the egg mix back into the hot milk in the saucepan.
   
6. Whisk vigorously and cook over a medium heat until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
   
7. Take off the heat and add the bloomed gelatin, and then stir in the butter.
   
   
8. Pour the mixture into a container and let it cool down to room temperature. You can speed up the chilling by placing the container in ice water and stir occasionally until cool.
   
   
9. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. This will help the custard set and thicken. This low-carb crème pâtissière can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.
   
   

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, 2 tbsp/ 30 ml)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Egg yolk, fresh
0.2 g	0.8 g	1.4 g	16 kcal
Gelatin powder, thickening agent, unsweetened
0 g	0.1 g	0 g	0 kcal
Water, still
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Vanilla extract
0.1 g	0 g	0 g	2 kcal
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)
0.2 g	0.1 g	2.3 g	22 kcal
Almond milk natural (unsweetened)
0.1 g	0.1 g	0.2 g	3 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g	0 g	4.6 g	41 kcal
Total per serving, 2 tbsp/ 30 ml
0.7 g	1.1 g	8.5 g	85 kcal

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