Natillas, or Spanish custard, is one of the many desserts that my grandmother used to make us. That´s why it reminds me of my childhood whenever I eat it!

I remember when we used to go to my grandmother’s house for Sunday lunch. I was very happy visiting my grandmother. First, I loved enjoying quality time with her. Also, I knew what dessert was going to be served after every Sunday meal: natillas!

She always made this dessert for us because she knew how much we liked it.

When I started making natillas for the first time, I realised that it was easier than I thought. It was delicious, almost as much as my grandmother’s homemade custard.

It is a very easy dessert to make since it is made of basic ingredients such as milk and eggs. You can give your own touch by flavouring it to your taste, with either just a cinnamon stick, or two lemon peels or one lemon peel and one orange peel. In Spain we like to give it a citrus aroma.

By the way, remember to peel the lemon and orange peels without the white part.

How To Make Homemade Spanish Custard (Natillas)

1. In a large saucepan, pour 3 cups of whole milk and add in one cinnamon stick over medium-high heat ( level 7 on glass-ceramic ) until boiling.

2. In a glass or a saucepan, pour 1 cup of whole milk and add in two tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir until dissolved.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together 8 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons (or 1/3 cup) of granulated sugar, and the milk with cornstarch with an electric mixer. Continue beating until well combined.

4. When the flavoured milk starts to boil, remove it from the heat.

5. Pour the warm milk through a strainer into the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. And stir with a fork until well integrated.

6. Pour the mixture in a saucepan and cook over low heat. With the help of a wooden spoon, stir continuously to keep the mixture from boiling and the yolks from curdling.

7. You will see foam coming out, keep stirring constantly until it disappears. When the foam is gone, the custard is done. Remove from heat.

8. Strain the custard through a sieve into a deep bowl and put it to chill in the refrigerator for two hours. Et voilà! You have made delicious natillas for dessert!

More Custard Dessert Recipes

You can also try these other traditional custard recipes.

• Crema Catalana: This traditional Spanish burnt cream is made with a custard base topped with burnt sugar.
• Crème Brûlée: This traditional French dessert literally means burnt cream, but it is flavored with vanilla instead.
• Spanish Flan: This traditional flan was a famous dessert in the time of the Roman Empire until today!
• Pastry Cream: This creamy custard is usually piped into many desserts, especially those made of puff pastry

If you liked this natillas recipe, and you want to take it a step further, I challenge you to try this floating island recipe on spanish custard.