Name: Easy Egg Custard
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups whole milk; 2 large eggs (preferably free-range); 2 large egg yolks; ⅓ cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Three ramekins of egg custard with nutmeg.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce

Baked egg custard is the little black dress of the dessert recipes set—it’s simple, elegant, and can be dressed up with fresh berries, chocolate sauce, or whipped cream. It’s also astoundingly good all on its own. Custard, in various forms, has been made for centuries: set into creme brûlée, flan, mini egg custard tarts, or a savory quiche; frozen into ice cream; soaked into bread pudding; poured into myriad egg custard pies; or serving as a creamy custard filling for éclairs and other pastries.

This recipe for individual custard cups keeps things very simple: no pie crust, no nonsense. We like to pour the custard mixture into ramekins, but coffee cups marked as oven-safe will also do. You’ll set the cups in a baking dish in order to cook them gently in a hot water bath. When they’re done, the custards should be mostly set, but still have a little wobble in the centers.

Be sure to start this recipe a couple of hours before serving so the custard can cool down. It can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days and it’s even better the afternoon after you've made it.

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

2 cups whole milk

2 large eggs (preferably free-range)

2 large egg yolks

⅓ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place six 4-ounce ovenproof cups (you can use ramekins or coffee cups marked as oven-safe) in a deep baking pan just large enough to hold them.
Step 2
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking gently to combine. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into the cups (if the strainer clogs, use a spoon to scrape it clean), then sprinkle lightly with the nutmeg.
Step 4
Pour hot (not boiling) water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake until the custard is just set (it can still be a little loose), 30 to 35 minutes. Let the custard cool in the water bath for about 2 hours before serving.

Editor's note: This recipe was originally printed in the March/April 2007 issue of ‘Cookie’ and first appeared on Epicurious in July 2007. Head this way for more of our best Christmas desserts →

Leave a Review

Reviews (57)

I'm glad I read reviews. It needed more sugar and way more time to cook. I grated fresh nutmeg. What a difference. I'll make it again for sure.
- Melanie Galea
- Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
- 12/26/2023
I’ve made this recipe several times now and it’s been great every time. My husband loves it. Thank you for making this so easy. Linda Prosser
- Anonymous
- Clover, SC
- 11/9/2022
I baked at 350 for 45 min. and it was perfect but almost not sweet enough. Next time I will use half a cup of sugar. I used two percent milk and it was just fine.
- Anonymous
- 6/1/2022
Great custard with the following changes. Added 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 1/3, steeped vanilla bean into the milk in addition to the extract and baked in water bath at 350 instead of 300 for 45 minutes. I definitely recommend that you use yard eggs if you can get them, if not free range will do. Regular eggs will not yield the same results.
- L D Richter
- 1/9/2022
I added sweetened condensed milk just a little bit to make mine thicker and sweeter since it is eggy
- Nathan
- Alabama
- 10/1/2021
Perfect custard. I don’t know why people think there isn’t enough sugar. This is custard.. not flan. More sugar added to this recipe would make it overly sweet.
- Mikimei
- Ohio
- 2/22/2021
Like it will make
- Daralynn
- 🇺🇸 New Jersey
- 12/30/2020
I cannot believe how easy and perfect this recipe is! I made it exactly as the recipe stated and it set perfectly and is delicious!
- FiMaione
- Ontario, Canada
- 8/31/2020
Substitute 2 oz.. of milk with 2 oz. of Amaretto to add a layer of flavor. It's really great.
- Dvallen
- Indianapolis Indiana
- 8/8/2020
I made it exactly as the recipe and it was smooth, beautifully set and delicious.
- Bertie18
- England
- 6/12/2020
I can forgive the cooking time being way off, but it's impossible to incorporate sugar into baked custard without turning it into a big mess and 1/3 c is NOT enough sugar. The directions are also wrong about stirring to combine. It needs to thicken a bit, too.
- TMR
- Birmingham
- 2/13/2019
Based on what I read, I added an extra egg and increased the sugar to 1/2 cup. Took an extra 15 minutes to set in the oven, so ended up baking for a total of 50 minutes. It was great, though! The second time I made it, I topped it with sugar and browned it with a mini kitchen torch for a healthier version of creme brulee!
- Anonymous
- Middletown, RI
- 5/3/2017
I've made custard since I learned to cook but I've never added egg yolks. I found the taste too 'eggy' but Mama loved it so all was not lost. Were I to make it again I'd definitely up the sugar to a half cup and add a tsp of brandy.
- haolebrah
- Milolii, HI
- 7/25/2016
I used to work in an assisted living facility & sysco systems where we got our food also had recipes. I made this recipe for 60 people, slightly altered with a bit of heavy cream & whole milk. It is just delicious and was a favorite of many residents.
- Anonymous
- Iowa city iowa
- 7/2/2016
I made this yesterday as I had some leftover yolks from making meringue, and I'm so glad I didn't read the reviews as it would have put me off. I did double the recipie, but only used half of the vanilla. Had it in the oven at 150 degrees C for well over the time and it still wasn't cooked so upped the temperature to 180 for 15 mins and they set beautifully. Not watery, not scrambled, but beautifully smooth sweet set custards. Gorgeous.
- christinabunbury8548
- U.K.
- 4/22/2016