Vegan Custard Creams

These vegan custard creams are a dairy-free version of the classic British biscuits! They’re surprisingly easy to make and can be rolled and cut with or without a biscuit stamp. Perfect for afternoon snacking with a cup of tea!

If you’re from the UK, you’ll probably know all about the delicious delight that is the Custard Cream biscuit. And you’ll probably also know that they’re made with dairy products! *cries*

I do still enjoy the classic British biscuits. Treats such as Gingernuts, Bourbon Biscuits, Party Rings and Hob Nobs are almost always accidentally vegan. But I miss Custard Creams SO MUCH. I’ve yet to come across an accidentally vegan Custard Cream in the supermarkets so I decided I’d made them myself!

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me enlighten you. Custard Cream biscuits are crunchy, custard-flavoured sandwich biscuits filled with vanilla buttercream. They are also embossed with a signature swirly pattern.

They are quite similar to shortbread in that they’re made up of a basic mix of fat, flour and sugar. But in this case, I replaced some of the flour with custard powder. I also added a little bit of soy milk to help the dough stick together and to make the biscuits a little crunchier. The last change that I made was filling them with a vegan custard buttercream rather than a plain-old vanilla one.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Vegan margarine. I recommend using a spreadable kind of vegan ‘butter’ as this is what I tested the recipe with. Your biscuit dough will be too crumbly otherwise. I used Vitalite.
• Vanilla extract. This helps to add a little bit of extra flavour, combined with the custard powder.
• Caster sugar. Not too much, just the right amount for a touch of sweetness.
• Plain flour. Also known as all-purpose flour.
• Custard powder. The main flavour in this recipe!
• Soy milk. To help the dough come together. You can use any other plant-based milk you like, except probably coconut.
• Icing sugar. To make up the vanilla custard buttercream for the filling.

Vegan custard powder

One of the main ingredients in this recipe is custard powder. Obviously, this is what helps to give the biscuits their well-known flavour.

As you’ll probably know, many custard powders contain milk and/or egg. But Bird’s custard powder is accidentally vegan! This is the one I used in my recipe. It tastes fabulous, is affordable and is available from pretty much every supermarket here. It’s also available on Amazon if you’re outside of the UK.

Just Whole Foods also do a vegan custard powder. I haven’t tested this recipe with their version yet but I imagine that it would work quite similarly.

How do I emboss the biscuits?

To make the classic swirly pattern and text on the biscuits, I used this cutter from Dexam. It comes with 3 other biscuit cutters, so you can make your own Bourbon biscuits, Jammy Dodgers and Party Rings at home too! You can purchase the same cutter from Amazon.

If you don’t want to purchase the biscuit cutter, that’s OK! You can still make vegan Custard Creams. All you’ll need is a ruler or tape measurement to cut out the rectangle shapes- this will ensure that the baking time stays the same as if you were to use the stamp.

Of course, it’ll be quite tricky to draw swirls onto the biscuits with a toothpick but you could use an embossed rolling pin to roll out the dough which will give a similar effect. Alternatively, you can use a toothpick to make dots around the edges of the biscuits for a more elegant look.

How to make vegan custard creams

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens) and line a large tray with baking paper. You can also use a non-stick cookie tray if you prefer.

Step 2:

In a large bowl, cream together 170g of vegan margarine and 100g of caster sugar. Then mix in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Step 3:

Add 300g of plain flour to the bowl, along with 100g of custard powder and 2 tablespoons of soy milk. Use a spoon to mix it in and when it starts to stick, use your hands to press it into a ball of dough.

Step 4:

Cover the ball of dough and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. This will help the biscuits hold their shape as they bake, and will also ensure the pattern stays visible after you press it on.

Step 5:

After chilling, warm the dough up in your hands slightly then roll it out to 1/2 cm thick. Use your Custard Cream stamp or knife to cut out the biscuits. If cutting them with a knife, they should be 2 x 1.5 inches in size. I recommend measuring them with a tape measure so that the baking time stays the same.

Re-roll leftover pieces until all of the dough is used up. You should end up with around 48 in total. Once you’ve cut the shapes, place them back into the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

Step 6:

Place the biscuits onto your baking tray and bake for around 25 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re firm to the touch all over.

Let them cool completely on the tray before removing them.

Vanilla custard buttercream filling

This vegan custard buttercream filling is the ‘cream’ part of the Custard Creams. It’s a simple, dairy-free buttercream with some custard powder added.

Step 1:

To make it, first mix 80g of vegan margarine and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract together in a medium-sized bowl.

Step 2:

Measure out 230g of icing sugar and 2 teaspoons of custard powder. Mix it into the margarine, a little bit at a time, until smooth. Stir in 2 teaspoons soy milk to loosen it.

Step 3:

Pipe or spread a small amount of the custard buttercream onto half of the cooled biscuits. Use the other half to sandwich them together in pairs, leaving a small gap around the edges so the filling doesn’t spill out. You should end up with 24 sandwiched biscuits.

FAQ

I hope you enjoy these dairy-free Custard Creams! Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating below. Happy baking! xo

4.67 from 6 votes

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Vegan Custard Creams

Dairy-free Custard Cream biscuits made with just a few simple ingredients.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan custard creams

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Chilling time 1 hour

Servings 24 sandwiched biscuits

Calories 168 kcal

Ingredients

• 170 g Vegan margarine (soft, spreadable kind)
• 100 g Caster sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 300 g Plain flour
• 100 g Bird's custard powder
• 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened soy milk

For the filling:

• 80 g Vegan margarine
• ½ Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 230 g Icing sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Bird's custard powder
• 2 Teaspoons Soy milk

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, caster sugar and vanilla.

2. Add the flour, custard powder and soy milk. Mix everything together until it begins to stick, then use your hands to press it together into a ball of dough. If it's too crumbly, add a bit more soy milk and if it's too sticky, add some more flour.

3. Cover the ball of dough and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

4. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 180°C (or 160°C for fan oven) and line a large tray with baking paper.

5. Once the dough has chilled, gently warm it up in your hands then roll it out on a floured surface until it's ½ cm thick.

6. Use a Custard Cream stamp (see recipe notes) to cut out your biscuits. Re-roll leftover pieces until all dough is used up. You should end up with around 48 biscuits in total.

7. Place the biscuits onto your lined tray then pop them back in the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

8. After chilling, bake the biscuits for 25 minutes. Let them cool completely before removing them from the tray.

For the filling:

1. Mix the margarine and vanilla extract together in a medium-sized bowl.

2. Add the icing sugar and soy milk, a little bit at a time, until smooth. Stir in the custard powder.

3. Pipe the filling onto half of the cooled biscuits then place the other half on top to make 24 sandwich biscuits.

Recipe Notes

• I used Dexam’s Custard Cream stamp. If you don’t have a stamp, you can cut out 2 x 1.5-inch rectangles using a knife. 
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Custard Creams

Amount Per Serving (1 custard cream (2 sandwiched halves with buttercream))

Calories 168 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Sodium 83mg4%

Carbohydrates 27g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 14g16%

Protein 1g2%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.