This recipe for the easiest baked caramel custard out there comes from my grandmother (we call it Granny’s Custard) and is a favorite in my family! It’s an old-school, comforting dessert that’s also elegant enough to serve guests.
Caramel Custard
This classic creamy baked custard is made with just a few simple ingredients: sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg.
Its taste is similar to crème brûlée or flan, although it’s not as rich since it’s made with milk instead of cream. And in this recipe, the custard is baked right on top of a rich caramel sauce.
You can make this dessert in one large soufflé dish or in 6 individual ones. For this, I used Weck glass canning jars. But I often use small (3 or 4-ounce) ramekins.
A few things to know when making this dessert:
- Scald the Milk: You will need to scald the milk while making this custard. If you’ve never scalded milk before, it’s super easy to do! Just heat up your milk until right before it boils (180 degrees). You can tell you’ve reached the right temperature when tiny bubbles start to form around the edges.
- Bake Custard in a Water Bath: The pudding is baked in a water bath (also called a bain marie). This is done to help prevent the custard from cracking and to ensure the custard cooks evenly. You can easily do this by placing your baking dish(es) in a casserole dish and then adding warm water to the bottom of the pan (the water should rise about a 1/4 of the way up the outside of the dish).
- Serve Custard: This custard can be served at room temperature but I think it tastes best cold.
- Storing: You can store any leftover custard covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Looking for another easy pudding recipe? Try this dairy-free chocolate pudding!
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Caramel Custard Pudding
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
This creamy, comforting classic dessert is super easy to make and elegant enough to serve guests!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Nutmeg, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Spread the brown sugar over the bottom of one large casserole dish, or in several individual dishes.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar and salt and set aside.
- On the stove, scald the milk by heating the milk until just before boiling (180 degrees). You’ll be able to see small bubbles forming around the sides. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Then slowly mix the milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly (you don’t want to cook the eggs!). Add the vanilla and stir until blended. Sprinkle with a few pinches of nutmeg, if desired.
- Gently, pour the mixture over the brown sugar.
- Set dish (or dishes) in a casserole pan and then add warm water to the bottom of the pan (the water should rise about a ¼ of the way up the outside of the dish).
- Bake until a knife comes out clean, about one hour.
- Allow the custard to cool to room temperature before serving. It also tastes great cold.