Natilla, Cuban vanilla custard
A soft, cool vanilla custard with lemon zest and cinnamon, set in little glasses. Simple and old fashioned.
- Time25 min (plus chilling)
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.31 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
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Method
- 1
Warm 600 ml of the milk with the lemon zest and cinnamon stick over a low heat for 10 minutes. Do not boil. Lift out the zest and stick.
10 min - 2
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and the remaining cold milk in a bowl until smooth.
- 3
Pour the warm milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking all the time.
- 4
Return to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
7 min - 5
Stir in the vanilla. Pour into six small glasses.
- 6
Cool, then chill for 2 hours. Dust with ground cinnamon before serving.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.