Is custard the same as vanilla sauce?

The nearest equivalent in the UK is custard and sometimes vaniljsås is translated as custard, but the two things really aren't the same. Vaniljsås is not quite as thick, has a more subtle flavour and is nice hot or cold, whereas cold custard really isn't very pleasant.

What's the difference between vanilla flavoring and vanilla?

Vanilla Extract: What's the Difference? Vanilla flavoring uses artificial ingredients and additives like synthetic vanillin, corn syrup, and lignin, an ingredient typically extracted from wood pulp. By contrast, pure vanilla extract uses only two ingredients: real vanilla beans and alcohol.

Why use vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract?

Vanilla bean paste is thicker and more gelatinous than vanilla extract, but it can be used almost interchangeably. It's a great product because you get the specks that vanilla beans provide, but it's easy to scoop out of the jar and it's also more affordable than the beans themselves .

Is vanilla custard the same as Bavarian cream?

Vanilla Bavarian Cream: Vanilla pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. A more flavorful and delectable cream filling as opposed to plain whipped cream. Vanilla Custard: A mixture of milk, egg yolks, and sugar cooked to a pudding consistency; also called pastry cream .

What are the 3 types of custard and their ingredients?

There are three main varieties of custard: baked custard, stirred custard, and steamed custard . The first two are both popular in Western cuisine. Baked custard is typically firmer and made with whole eggs, while stirred custards can be much runnier and often only contain the yolks.

What is the American version of custard?

In the USA it is more like ice cream, or frozen Yogurt , or what the local place in St Louis Ted Drewes calls “concrete”. In other word it's usually a chilled confection of the same consistency as ice cream and often served by itself in a pot.

What is real vanilla made from?

Vanilla extract—the kind that explicitly says “pure vanilla extract” on its label—is made by soaking vanilla beans in an alcohol solution to “extract” (get it?) all of their flavor compounds. According to the FDA, vanilla extract must be at least 35% alcohol with a minimum of 100 grams of vanilla beans per liter.

What makes vanilla taste like vanilla?

Tasting Notes The characteristic flavor of vanilla comes from the aromatic compound “vanillin” which is described as tasting like a marshmallow. In vanilla pods of exceptionally high quality, the crystallized vanillin may be visible on the surface in the form of tiny white needles.

Is all vanilla made with vodka?

80 proof Alcohol: Vanilla extract is most commonly made from vodka , but you can use bourbon, brandy, or rum instead. I usually use vodka, but the one bottle of bourbon vanilla I made 7 months ago is DIVINE. No need to splurge on expensive alcohol.

What is McCormick vanilla made from?

McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract: Ingredients Vanilla bean extractives in water, alcohol (35%), and corn syrup .

Easy German Vanilla Sauce Recipe (Vanillesoße) (2024)

Published: Jun 3, 2021 · Modified: Sep 19, 2023 by Marita Sinden · Leave a Comment

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Let yourself get seduced by the rich flavours of this German vanilla sauce. Creamy, sweet and decadent, this sauce is the perfect accompaniment for many traditional German desserts. It is a staple dessert sauce for any season. In the summer with Rote Grütze (red berry pudding) or rhubarb compote or in the winter with Germknödel (sweet dumplings), strudel or baked apples.

You can get them ready in packets made by Dr Oetker (Affiliate Link). However, it is especially flavoursome when you make vanilla sauce from scratch without any artificial flavourings.

Easy German Vanilla Sauce Recipe (Vanillesoße) (1)

What is German Vanilla Sauce?

German Vanilla Sauce is a thin dessert sauce, made from milk or cream, a vanilla pod, eggs and some starch.

The recipe is very similar to that of German vanilla pudding. The difference is the amount of starch added to the mix, as pudding has a more solid texture.

What is the difference between custard and vanilla sauce?

German vanilla sauce might at first be confused with the British custard, but there are some clear differences. Vanilla sauce is thinner and can be made with milk or a combination of milk and cream. British Custard has a thick creamy texture and is often made with double cream which is a lot richer than its German counterpart.

Vanilla sauce is primarily thickened with starch and only a little egg yolk, whereas custard is primarily thickened with eggs.

Easy German Vanilla Sauce Recipe (Vanillesoße) (2)

How to make German Vanilla Sauce

There are several different methods of making this sauce. The traditional method includes a vanilla bean (affiliate link) which can be expensive and may be difficult to find. You can substitute the vanilla pod with vanilla extract (affiliate link) or vanilla sugar (see homemade vanilla sugar recipe).

I am also going to show you a version on how to make vegan vanilla sauce further down below.

Ingredients:

500ml/ 17 fl ozwhole milk
2 tablespoons cornflour/cornstarch (about 20 gr / 0.7 oz)
3 tablespoons 35 gr / 1 oz sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 vanilla pod (alternatively use 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (affiliate link) or vanilla sugar)
2 egg yolks

Recipe Steps

Easy German Vanilla Sauce Recipe (Vanillesoße) (3)

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 4 tablespoon of milk. Mix until you achieve a smooth paste without any lumps.
Place the remaining milk and sugar into a saucepan.
Slice the vanilla pod open lengthways and scrape out the vanilla bean (affiliate link) pulp. Add both to the milk mixture. Alternatively, mix in the vanilla extract (affiliate link) or vanilla sugar.
Bring the milk mixture to a boil. Now remove the vanilla bean (affiliate link) from the milk. (Don’t discard, you can use it to make vanilla sugar).
While stirring continuously pour in the starch-milk mixture. Leave to boil for a minute and then remove from the heat.
In a separate bowl, combine 6 tablespoon of the hot milk mixture with the egg yolk and mix until combined. (this is to prevent the egg yolk from starting to cook before it is absorbed by the sauce). Now pour into the rest of the sauce and stir well.

Recipe Variations

Vanilla Cream Sauce

To make a vanilla cream sauce, which is richer and creamier than the original, replace the 500 ml milk with a mixture of 250 ml / 8 fl oz whipping cream and 250 ml/ 8 fl oz milk.

Vegan Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients for Vegan Vanilla Sauce

500 ml soya or almond milk
30 gr/ 1 oz cornflour/ starch
20 gr/ 0.7 oz sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 vanilla pod

Vegan Vanilla Sauce Recipe

In a little bowl, combine the cornstarch with 4 tablespoon of the vegan milk. Mix until you achieve a smooth paste without any lumps.
Place the remaining milk and sugar into a saucepan.
Slice the vanilla pod open vertically and scrape out the vanilla bean (affiliate link) pulp. Add both to the milk mixture. Alternatively, mix in the vanilla extract (affiliate link) or sugar.
Bring the milk mixture to boil for a minute and then remove from the heat.
If you want to give your vanilla pudding a yellow tint, add a pinch of turmeric (this should not affect the taste).

How to make my Vanilla Sauce more yellow?

The sauce will not be as yellow as you expect from instant vanilla sauce mixes. This is because we are using all-natural ingredients.

The egg yolks give the vanilla sauce a slight yellow tinge. For some reason, I find the egg yolks in Germany a lot more yellow than in the UK (do not ask me why).

What to eat with Vanilla Sauce?

The possibilities are endless. There are a lot of German desserts with vanilla sauce. In Germany, they tend to use vanilla sauce instead of whipped cream. I tried to create a list of my favourite desserts.

German dumplings with vanilla sauce (Dampfnudeln mit Vanillesoße or Germknödel)
Apple Strudel
Rote Grütze
Rice Pudding
Bread Pudding
German Waffles with Fresh Fruit and Vanilla Soße
Apple Cake
Baked Apple (Bratapfel mit Vanillesoße)

Storage Instructions

How long does homemade vanilla sauce stay good?

If you have some vanilla sauce leftover, pour it in a jar or airtight container. Store in the fridge. It should stay good for up to two days.

Recipe