The strawberry pastry cream without eggs is a reinterpretation of the classic pastry cream. It is fruit-forward and, as noted, contains no eggs. Very easy to make, it has an intense strawberry flavor and a vivid color perfect for filling cakes, pastries and profiteroles.
Delicious and aromatic, it has a very pleasant but slightly pudding-like texture (compared to the classic pastry cream) due to the absence of eggs.
The ingredients required are very few: besides the starches, milk and sugar you will need strawberry purée, which you can obtain by blending and straining fresh strawberries or by purchasing a ready-made purée. To prepare the purée use sweet, ripe strawberries — that intense color comes from fully ripe fruit. My cream contains no artificial coloring.
To thicken creams I always use starches, which are much more pleasant than flour: they cook at a considerably lower temperature giving a better flavor and texture, and being gluten-free they can also be used by people with celiac disease.
Fruit-based creams are extremely versatile: ideal on their own, they can be used as a filling and lightened with whipped cream.
Try these other creams as well:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: for 12 oz of cream
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Microwave
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, Winter
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup strawberries (as purée, blended and strained (about 4.4 oz / 125 g))
- 1/2 cup milk ((about 4.2 fl oz / 125 g))
- 2.1 oz granulated sugar ((about 60 g))
- 1 3/4 tsp rice starch ((about 5 g))
- 1 1/3 tbsp cornstarch ((about 11 g))
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Saucepan
Procedure
Wash the strawberries, remove the leaves and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Cut them into pieces and blend them in the food processor until you obtain a purée; strain it through a fine-mesh sieve — you need 3/4 cup (about 125 g / 4.4 oz).
In a bowl place the sifted starches and the sugar. Add the milk little by little, whisking to avoid lumps forming. Add the strawberry purée and mix again.
Transfer the mixture to the saucepan, place over medium heat and let it thicken; you should obtain the same consistency as pastry cream (it is sufficient to bring it to 185°F).
Pour the cream into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface, wait 15 minutes and place it in the refrigerator to cool completely.
The strawberry pastry cream without eggs is ready. Before using it, whisk it well to make it creamy and glossy again.
Tips
Storage
The strawberry pastry cream without eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for 4–5 days in airtight containers at 39°F.
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