The Instant Pot has quickly become a staple in many homes across the country. It’s not a wonder either, because there are so many different recipes you can make in it. In fact, you can even make dessert. This Instant Pot Custard is the perfect testament to how fantastic this appliance truly is.
This recipe is a delicious nod to the traditional egg custard your mom used to make, but so much easier with the instant pot. Taking only a few minutes of prep time and 7 minutes to cook, custard is probably easier to make for your family than it has ever been.
Instant Pot Custard
This instant pot custard is a delicious treat any night of the week. Not only does it have the perfect texture with a hint of nutmeg, but it is also not overly sweet. If you want it to be sweeter, you can easily adjust the amount of sugar you add. This recipe is perfect for a delicious treat that doesn’t take an abundance of time to create.
How to Make Instant Pot Custard
- To make Instant Pot Custard, you are going to require baking, souffle dishes or large ramekins. Make sure that your custard vessel fits inside the instant pot. 1 or 1 ½ quart dishes fit well, but it depends on the size of your instant pot.
- Always make sure to spray your dish with non-stick cooking spray or butter it lightly. This will prevent your custard from sticking to the sides.
- Do not forget to add the water to the instant pot. For this recipe you will have to add approximately 1 to 1 ½ cups of water. Again, this depends on the size of your instant pot.
- When making custard in your instant pot, make sure to use a trivet or ring of aluminum foil. Trivets are used to keep the ramekins from resting directly on the bottom of the instant pot.
- When filling your ramekins or dishes, make sure to leave at least ½ an inch of space from the top.
- Once you have put your custard in the instant pot, close the lid and turn the valve to ensure it remains sealed.
- This recipe is cooked on the manual setting for 7 minutes.
- When finished, allow custard to cool for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.
- Instant Pot Custard can be served chilled, warm or at room temperature.
Instant Pot Custard Recipe
Instant Pot Custard
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and milk; mix well.
- Pour into a lightly buttered (or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) 1 or 1 ½ quart baking or souffle dish, or large ramekins which will fit in the instant pot, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Loosely cover the ramekins with aluminum foil.
- Add 1 to 1 ½ cups of water to the inner pot and place a trivet or ring of aluminum foil in the instant pot.
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to sealed. Cook on the manual high setting for 7 minutes. When time is up perform a quick release or pressure.
- Top with your favorite topping such as caramel and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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If you are looking for another delicious and quick meal check out this Instant Pot Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice or Instant Pot Cashew Chicken!
Didn’t set for me. Eggy milk is all o got. I have instant pot 8 quart. Is the milk supposed to be room temperature? That’s the only thing I can think of.
Hi Jamie, the eggs should not be cold from the fridge for this recipe. You can place them in a glass of warm water for a couple of minutes or run them under warm water to warm them up. I hope that helps!
Great custard in my new Instant Pot. Works better with quick release, otherwise the custard develops holes! I used skimmed milk with great results.
We are so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Margaret!
Terrible recipe. Water evaporated and it became scrambled eggs.
Sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you, Cristina!
Worked great tastes great
I want to make this but wanted to know what kind of milk ? Have you tried it with non dairy milks ?
I have only tried this with 2% milk Debbie. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Amazing!!! I never thought I’d get custard just like my grandmother used to make!
Tastes exactly like the custard my Nana used to make. Super quick to make too!
I made this in my instant pot mini. It fit beautifully in a small 6 inch cake pan. I caramelized sugar on the stove first and put it in the pan before the egg mixture. 7 minutes was perfect!
i cannot get the custard to thicken! i have tried several recipes, and all i get is an eggy milk.
This is one of my go-to favourites for the perfect simple dessert!
Love this recipe! I use the fat free lactose free Fairlife milk and it turns out fabulous. Thick custard with less calories and fat. 🙂
I discovered how to bake custard in a pressure cooker 50 years ago. That pot is long gone so i recently bought a small instant pot. The smaller baking dish requires reducing the recipe to 2 eggs, 1/12 cups milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 tsp vanilla, a shake of nutmeg and cinnamon on top. Follow your cooking directions. Hint: to remove a baking dish from the hot cooker when finished use an aluminum foil sling to lower and raise the bowl – it remains in the cooker while steaming.
The custard was perfect!
I cooked this twice; thought I followed the recipe and instructions but it was soup so put it back in pot and cooked it again …. final product was good
I’m on a special diet, so made this as I usually make custard (eggs, almond milk and monkfruit to sweeten), and I followed all the other instructions, but it didn’t set up at all!. So I grabbed the custard bowls and finished them in a bain marie the oven like I usually do, and it did setup there. I love my IP, so I will try this another time. I love the idea of making custard in 7 minutes! Will definitely try again.
Came out great! Cooked perfectly, but no bubbles from overcooking! The sugar separated out from the custard a little but that is pretty standard for baked custards. Will definitely make again 🙂
Oh don’t you love a recipe when everything is in the store cupboard! This was super easy and tasted wonderful. Keeping it simple love it.
Update: I just got mine out of the IP. Cooked for 7 minutes as directed :)This time my custard was perfect! I always cook it longer (sometimes up to 20 minutes) and it was always watery. This time it looks great, and a knife inserted 1/2 way to the middle comes out clean, so it is cooked! Yay! Thanks for a great blog post.
I never think 7 minutes is going to be long enough. I use 2.5-3 cups milk, do I need to adjust the time for that? I always cook it too long and end up with watery custard LOL so maybe 7 minutes IS long enough. Just wanted to let you know that my google assistant is sending me to your site for “instant pot custard” – yay for you!!! (I will try 7 minutes this time and see if it is right, even for a larger amount 🙂
Liz
Excellent!! Just one question. Could I add more sugar?
Hi Lorrie! We have only tried this recipe as written but if you do try adding more sugar, let us know how it works out!
Love this recipe! Came out great!
Can you use 2% milk for this receipe.
Hi Joanne, we have not tried subbing milk but I think it should work. Leave us a comment if you do try it!
I’d like to make enough for 8 servings. Do you have a recipe for this amount? Thanks Kieta
We have not tried doubling this recipe, but if your Instant Pot is big enough it should work. Otherwise, I would suggest doing 2 batches of custard.
Is the cook time the same for the large soufflé dish as the small ramekins?
Hi Patsy, yes the cooking time is the same for both.
my custard came out liquidy so I put it in a pie crust & baked it. Tasted good though.
I was a little worried at first when these came out of my instant pot super jiggly but after I let them rest it was clear that they did set. For my 8 quart instant pot I was able to fit two 8 ounce ramekins (4.5″ dia. x 2″H) and one 6 ounce ramekin (3.5″ dia. x 1.8″H). I used 1 and 1/2 cups of water for the water bath, and I used whole milk for the actual desert. To grease the ramekins I used unsalted butter. I did make one small change; I used half the amount of required nutmeg and added 1/8 teaspoon of Saigon cinnamon (but I did forget to sprinkle additional nutmeg on top). Upon reviewing the recipe, I realized that you could add more sugar but I enjoyed the recipe as written (they tasted slightly sweet). If I were to make this again I would stick with ramekins that hold 6 ounces or less.
Can I use the egg bites mold to make this custard, rather an a ramekin or Pyrex dish?
Hi Lisa, we have not tried this recipe using egg bite molds but I would suggest using a ramekin or Pyrex dish.
I love custard and this sounds like the recipe my mom use to make. I have a question, can I use glass jars instead of ramekins – I don’t have any ramekins at this time. Would the cook time be the same? Thank you for your assistance.
Hi Margaret, glass jars should work just the same as ramekins and cooking time would remain the same. Let us know how this recipe works out for you!
The custard came out great. I used 5 ramekins and used a second trivet to stack them, otherwise it would have meant 2 batches.
That’s a great idea! I had 6 ramekins and did do two batches. Next time I’ll use another trivet. Thanks for the tip!
Can an alternative milk be used? Soy, almond, etc… Thank you.
Hi Debbie, we have only tried this recipe as written but I think an alternative should work. Let us know how it works out if you try it!