Fruit Custard

Smooth creamy velvety custard loaded with fresh seasonal fruits and berries makes for an absolutely delightful summer dessert. The recipe shared here is egg free, vegetarian and so easy to make.

Fruit custard is an absolute crowd puller as it is liked by people of all ages whether young or old. It is effortless to make, barely takes 15 minutes and can easily be customised by adding fruits or nuts of choice.

It’s each bite tastes delectable with sweet juicy fruits, crunchy nuts accompanying creamy thick vanilla custard. It can be enjoyed as it is, paired with ice cream, cake for an indulgent dessert or can be used in other recipes like trifle pudding or fruit tart.

You can prepare it well in advance and keep it chilled till the time of serving. When we were kids, my mom used to make it frequently during our summer vacations and we loved having it with vanilla ice cream. It is also a great option for kids birthday party or potluck.

The fruit custard recipe shared here is:

Eggless
No Bake
Vegetarian
Gluten free
Easy make ahead dessert for summers

I have used different variety of fruits here like apple, banana, pomegranate, grapes, oranges etc. You can also add other fruits of your choice like mangoes, strawberries, cherries, raspberries etc depending on the seasonal availability. Just avoid using watery fruits like watermelon or muskmelon as they can thin out the consistency of custard.

What is Custard Powder?

Custard can be thickened by using variety of ingredients like eggs, condensed milk or flour. In this recipe, we have used ‘custard powder‘ which is basically a maize starch, also known as cornstarch or cornflour, mixed with vanilla flavour and/or food colour.

Cornstarch is a naturally gluten free flour as it is extracted from corn kernels but still do check out the custard powder’s complete composition or ingredients list on the back of its carton to make sure it is 100% gluten free.

There are many brands of custard powder readily available in market like Weikfield, Pilsbury, Blue bird or ‘Brown & Polson’. You can use any brand of your choice. Personally I prefer using brown and polson brand for custard.

Custard Powder to Milk Ratio:

I would advice you to always read the instructions on the back of custard powder carton as each brand suggest slightly different ratio of milk to custard powder. For instance, for 500 ml milk ‘brown polson’ instructs to use (2+1/2) tbsp custard powder and weikfield says 2 tbsp.

If you are using (2+1/2 tbsp) custard powder for 500 ml (1/2 litre), you will need double the quantity i.e. 5 tbsp custard powder for 1 litre milk and around 8-10 tbsp milk for 2 litre milk. The amount of custard powder is directly proportional to quantity of milk which means the more the amount of milk, the more the custard powder is required to thicken it.

Variations:

There are many flavours of custard available in market these days like butterscotch, kesar pista, strawberry and mango. You can play around and create different varieties of custard like-

Mango custard by using (mango custard powder + chopped mangoes).
Use kesar pista custard powder and along with fruits you can add lots of chopped mixed nuts, saffron strands and raisins.
Adding chocolate chips with fruits in butterscotch flavoured custard.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: (For 4-5 servings)

Milk- 2 cups (500 ml)
Custard Powder- (2+1/2) tbsp
Sugar- 4 tbsp (to taste)
Apple (chopped)- 1 medium
Banana (chopped)- 1 small
Blueberries- 1/3 cup
Pomegranate- 1/4 cup
Grapes (halved)- 3/4 cup
Cashews (chopped)- 1 to 2 tbsp (optional)
Tutti Fruity / Candied Fruit Bits- 1/4 cup (optional)

Notes:

For 1 litre milk use 5 tbsp custard powder and also double the amount of sugar used.
Other fruits that you can use- mangoes, chikoo (sapota), kiwi, black grapes, strawberries or any other berries of choice. Skip adding cashews for nut free version.

How to make fruit custard?

Step 1:
Set aside 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk from total quantity. Transfer the remaining milk to a heavy base or non stick pan and turn on the flame. While the milk is heating, let’s move to next step.

Step 2:
Add custard powder to 1/2 cup milk which we kept aside earlier. Please make sure the milk is at room temperature and not chilled. Mix well using a fork or whisker. Keep aside.

Step 3:
Once the milk comes to boil, add sugar to it and mix well till it is dissolved completely.

Step 4:
Whisk the custard milk once again (as the powder sometimes settles down) and add it to milk while stirring continuously to avoid any lumps.

Continue cooking while stirring for 3-4 minutes till the milk begins to thicken up. At this step you can taste the custard and increase the amount of sugar as per your liking. If you are adding more sugar, then mix for 1-2 minutes more to make sure sugar is dissolved completely.

Step 5:
Transfer the custard in a serving bowl and let it cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and then keep in fridge till it cools down completely (around 40-60 minutes).

Step 6:
Once cooled, bring the custard bowl out of fridge and mix well once again. Add all the fruits along with cashews and tutti fruity bits (if using). Mix gently using a spatula or spoon.

Step 7:
Chill the custard in fridge until ready to serve. Garnish with more berries, fruits or nuts of your choice before serving. To make it even more summer perfect, you can top it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fruit jelly.

Please note the custard starts becoming thin once fruits are added to it due to added moisture. If you want to serve it thicker then add the fruits just 20-30 minutes before serving and store in fridge.

Tips:

1. If you want the consistency of custard to be thicker, then use increase the amount of custard powder for the same quantity of milk (instead of 2.5 tbsp use 3 tbsp custard powder).

2. When to add fruits in custard? Always add fruits to custard after it has cooled down completely or even better when chilled. DO NOT add fruits to hot or warm custard as they will instantly release their moisture making custard thin and the fruits will also become soggy-mushy.

3. If you are adding citrus fruits like kiwi or oranges then please taste them before using as if they are sour in taste, it can ruin the overall flavour of custard. Fruits NOT TO ADD in custard- watermelon, cantaloupes (musk melon) and pineapple.

4. Even after continuous whisking if you later notice lumps in custard then simply pass it through a sieve once before transferring to a serving bowl.

5. Though custard powder is already vanilla flavoured but if you wish, you can also add cardamom powder, rose water or saffron strands for more aroma.

Hope you would like this delicious fruit custard recipe. More simple no bake summer desserts:

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Kitchen Products Used:

Custard Powder: https://amzn.to/4biApvi
Cashews: https://amzn.to/3QTZYK9

(Note: The post was originally published on 4th March, 2017 and has been updated with better images and recipe.)

If you try this easy fruit custard recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

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