Natillas Mexicanas (Mexican Vanilla Custard)
Thick, silky stovetop custard scented with cinnamon, lemon peel and vanilla, served in little glasses with a dusting of cinnamon.
- Time30 mins plus chilling
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.37 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Put 900 ml of the milk in a pan with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Heat until steaming, then take off the heat and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
15 min - 2
Whisk the remaining 100 ml cold milk with the cornflour until smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks and sugar.
- 3
Remove the cinnamon and lemon peel from the warm milk and return it to a gentle heat. Pour it onto the yolk mix in a thin stream, whisking.
- 4
Pour everything back into the pan. Cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, for 6 to 8 minutes, until it thickens and bubbles once.
7 min - 5
Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Pour into 6 glasses.
- 6
Press cling film onto the surface to stop a skin forming. Cool, then chill for 3 hours. Dust with cinnamon to serve.
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.
