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Ginger pastry cream is a cozy twist on classic vanilla pastry cream, delivering a subtle warmth from fresh ginger and a hint of cinnamon.

It’s perfect for eclairs, cream puffs, or layered desserts, especially during the cooler months when you crave that extra touch of comfort.

Recipe Info

This recipe:

Is simple. The ginger pastry cream is a slight variation on vanilla pastry cream. To create its distinctive flavor, we infuse the milk with ginger and add a touch of cinnamon.
Comes together quickly. You’ll spend about 15 to 20 minutes actively making the cream, plus another 20 minutes steeping the ginger in hot milk.
Captures the warmth of fall. The ginger and cinnamon combination is ideal for the fall and winter months when warm, cozy desserts truly shine.

Making ginger pastry cream for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Extra Learning

Before we jump in, here’s a few handy resources to help you nail this recipe:

How to Temper Eggs. My quick guide to tempering eggs—a handy technique you’ll use when making this pastry cream. If you’ve never heard of or tried it before, be sure to give this a read.
How to Make Pastry Cream. Your go-to guide for everything pastry cream. Learn the methods, uses, tips, and more. New to pastry creams? Start here.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Milk: Whole milk works best, but skim milk should work fine, too.
Ginger: Our main source of flavor.
Cinnamon: A bit of cinnamon helps balance out the ginger.
Egg yolks.
Cornstarch: Main thickener. You could also use potato starch (half the amount), but it’s a bit trickier. Check out my article on cornstarch versus potato starch if you want to use potato starch.
White sugar: White granulated sugar is the default and my go-to. Experiment with other options (say, brown sugar) if you like.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavor, but it’s optional.
Unsalted butter: Plain unsalted butter for extra creaminess.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Ginger Pastry Cream

Prep ginger. Peel the ginger using a small knife or a teaspoon, then cut it into thin slices. Slices work better in an infusion than a whole piece.

Cutting the ginger — Peel and slice ginger thinly

Infuse the milk. Heat the milk in a pot until it’s just shy of boiling. Remove it from the heat, add the sliced ginger, whisk well, and let it steep for 20 to 25 minutes.

Heating the milk — Heat milk, add ginger, whisk, and steep for 20-25 minutes.

Strain and top up the milk. Strain the milk, squeezing the ginger to get all the flavor. Measure the strained milk and add more to reach the original amount (2 cups if you’re not scaling the recipe).
Boil the milk mixture. In a clean pot, mix the infused milk with vanilla extract and sugar, whisking until smooth. Heat the mixture, bringing it to a gentle boil, and stir occasionally.

Straining the milk — Strain and top up the milk. Mix in vanilla

Topping up the milk — Strain and top up the milk. Mix in vanilla

Prep the yolks. While the milk heats, whisk the yolks, cornstarch, cinnamon, and about 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture (while it’s still lukewarm) in a large bowl. The milk mixture loosens the yolks and cornstarch, so exact measurements aren’t critical here. Set the bowl aside.

Prepping the yolks — Whisk the yolks, cornstarch, cinnamon

Whisking the yolk mixture — Whisk the yolks, cornstarch, cinnamon

Temper the eggs. When the milk starts bubbling, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour a few tablespoons of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times until you incorporate most or all of the milk, whisking continuously.

Tempering the eggs — Gradually add hot milk to the yolk

Cook until thick and bubbly. Return the combined mixture to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens noticeably and begins to bubble. This typically takes 2 to 4 minutes, depending on your heat. Don’t rush, and keep stirring at all times.

Returning the mixture — Return and cook the mixture over

Cooking until thick — Return and cook the mixture over

Take it off the heat and whisk. Once thickened, remove the pot from the heat and continue whisking the cream for about a minute to ensure it’s smooth and doesn’t curdle.
Stir in the butter. Add the butter and stir until it’s fully melted and incorporated.

Adding the butter — Add butter and stir until

Stirring in the butter — Add butter and stir until

Taste test. Carefully taste the cream while it’s hot and adjust with more sugar or cinnamon if needed.
Strain if needed. For a silky-smooth finish or to remove any bits of cooked egg, press the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.
Cover and chill. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent skin from forming. Let it cool at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Covering with plastic — Cover with plastic wrap and chill

Whisk and use. After chilling, the pastry cream will be firm, almost like pudding. Break it up with a fork, then whisk until smooth. It’s now ready to pipe or spread.

Freshly whisked ginger pastry cream — Break it up with a fork, then whisk until smooth

Tips

Weigh ginger for accuracy. Measuring fresh ginger by length isn’t particularly accurate as it varies in thickness. If you don’t want to bust out a kitchen scale, use a slightly shorter piece if your ginger is on the wider side, and vice versa.
Adjust flavor. You can add up to double the amount of ginger if you love the spice. Or follow the exact recipe and adjust the ginger amount next time. If the ginger flavor is too intense, stir in more cinnamon to balance it out.
Chill on a plate. To cool the cream faster, spread it onto a large plate or bowl (or a couple). A larger surface area speeds up chilling. Cover with plastic wrap to avoid a crust forming.
Make it in advance. This pastry cream keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, so you can easily prepare it ahead of time. I usually make all my pastry creams the day before assembling the desserts.

Delicious ginger pastry cream in the whisk

Keep whisking. Once you start working with hot yolks, you need to keep whisking until the cream is off the heat and then for an extra minute after that. This prevents curdling. Think of it as your arm workout for the day.
Make it lighter. This cream is delicious but might be a bit rich if used in large quantities, like when filling cream puffs. To lighten it, fold in whipped cream and stabilize it with gelatin. This setup is called diplomat cream, and I got a big guide on making diplomat cream.
Make it richer and sturdier. While this pastry cream pipes nicely, it’s not nearly as sturdy as buttercream. If you need a richer, more stable version that holds its shape well, and you don’t want to work with gelatin, turn it into cream mousseline. The linked article explains the whole process.

Storage

You can store ginger pastry cream in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the container is tightly sealed so it doesn’t absorb any smells.

Similar Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Check out the following recipes:

Pastry cream flavors. Want to test out other pastry creams? Here’s a list of 12+ flavors I already covered.