What To Do With Leftover Custard Powder

It was a hot day in July when I first came across a packet of custard powder at a baking supply store in Singapore. The year was 2020, and COVID lockdowns made me hellbent on recreating desserts from around the world to pass the time. My flavour of the month was Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding, which required what was then a six-dollar box of Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding for one recipe. Six bucks plus taxes, I felt, was a price too steep for an ingredient I can only use once. What if I mess up on the first try? I was ambitious and a tad stir-crazy, but I was practical. I bought a 500g-bag of custard powder for half the price, simmered some of it with the milk, sugar and vanilla extract from my pantry for 2 minutes, and never looked at a box of Jell-O again.

Fast forward three years to Canada, where I learned that custard powder is the key to a velvety filling for delicious Nanaimo bars. I also learned that sometimes, a tin of custard (usually Bird’s Custard Powder) can gather dust in the pantry until it’s time for the next batch of, well, Nanaimo bars. But there are so many other ways to use it.

Invented by English chemist Alfred Bird in 1837 (yes, the Bird of Bird’s custard!), custard powder was created as a convenient way to make the U.K.’s most beloved dessert condiment: custard sauce. It’s often poured over sticky toffee pudding, or a warm apple crumble. Using precooked cornstarch instead of eggs as a thickening agent extended the product’s shelf life, and made it easier to incorporate “custard” into various recipes.

If you have a tin of your own aging in the kitchen right now, consider this your sign to dust it off (though custard powder can last for up to three years unopened, once opened it’s a good idea to use it up in six months or so). My two-year long dessert odyssey taught me a few things about custard powder. Here are four quick and easy ways to use it.

Custard Pancakes

Take your breakfast game to the next level by incorporating 1 ½ tbsp of custard powder for every cup of flour into your pancake batter. The pancakes will have extra notes of a creamy custard flavour. The powder’s starch will also give your pancakes a more “yellow” hue—but a lighter and fluffier crumb.

Custard-Infused Hot Chocolate

Think chocolate silk pie in liquid form, but less sweet. Whisk a teaspoon of custard powder for every cup of (cold) milk you’ll use in your hot chocolate. Once the powder has dissolved in the milk, simmer on low heat; stirring every so often to avoid any lumps. When the mixture is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, add in your chopped chocolate or cocoa powder and mix until smooth. The result? A creamy and silky hot cocoa, perfect for a cozy night indoors.

Custard-Infused Whipped Cream

Upgrade your desserts by adding 3 tsp of custard powder to every cup of cream next time you make whipped cream. (Remember to add the powder before whipping the cream, or you’ll end up with a grainy bowl of whipped cream.) Whether topping a pie, cake, or a bowl of fresh berries, custard-infused whipped cream adds a layer of richness to any sweet treat. The starch in the custard powder gives the cream more stability, which means it stays firm for a longer time. It’s a cream with a more luxurious mouth-feel, like an eggless vanilla crème diplomate.

Custard Cornbread

Here’s a recipe I made at random, and I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of the usual amount of all-purpose flour in your Classic Cornbread recipe, swap ¼ cup of the flour for ¼ cup of custard powder. The result is a fluffier cake with a vibrant yellow colour and a rich, buttery taste reminiscent of cream corn.

Other Chatelaine Recipes With Custard Powder

No Bake Raspberry Trifle

Bust out your best novelty glassware: This no-bake trifle recipe from the 1990s remains unchanged and as delicious as ever. Get the No Bake Raspberry Trifle recipe here.

Holiday Nanaimo Bars

What makes this Canadian dessert standard a holiday knockout? Toasting the walnuts for extra oomph, adding a little salt to balance the sweetness and cutting it into sleek diamond shapes. These cute little bars appear here exactly as they did in our December 1995 issue.Get the Holiday Nanaimo Bars recipe here.

Custard and Strawberry Tarts

Savour the blend of creamy custard and fresh berries in these easy strawberry tarts. Whether you eat them right away or make them ahead, these zesty tarts are the perfect irresistible treat for any occasion. Get the Custard and Strawberry Tarts recipe here.