Vegan Blueberry Custard Bars
This week I’m coming at you with yet another blueberry recipe. This time vegan blueberry custard bars! A delicious buttery base (without the butter) topped with a creamy pastry cream and homemade blueberry compote swirl similar to the one used in the blueberry buns.
You might be reading that, and looking at the pictures, and thinking to yourself this looks kind of heavy. But I can guarantee you it’s not. The biscuit base melts in your mouth, the custard layer is silky, light and almost flan-like, and the blueberries add freshness and brighten up the whole thing. It’s quite the experience.
You might also be thinking this requires quite a bit of work. It might seem that way since there’s 3 separate elements to make, but they’re all easy and fairly quick to whip up. Plus they all just require simple ingredients and there’s no need for special equipment! The bulk of the time goes into waiting for the whole dessert to set so you can cut it and dig in.
How to make these vegan blueberry custard bars
It all starts with the buttery shortbread-like base. I say shortbread-like because it’s not the same recipe as traditional shortbread but it yields a similar texture. You just need flour, sugar, salt, water, oil and lemon zest. That’s it.
You simply mix the sugar, salt, water, oil and lemon zest together, add in the flour and combine until you get a smooth dough. Then you press it into a greased and lined 9×9 pan, use a flat-bottomed cup to evenly compact it, and bake it. That’s one element down and just one bowl dirtied!
While that bakes, you’ll want to prepare the ingredients for the custard and blueberry compote. You can use the same saucepan to make both by starting with the blueberry compote and transferring it to a bowl, then rinsing out the saucepan to make the pastry cream. Or you could just use 2 saucepans.
Or, you can even make the pastry cream in a bowl in the microwave. I discovered that magic while testing this recipe and it’s dangerously easy to do. Custard in just a few minutes? Witchcraft. I’ll outline the method here and on the crème pâtissière blogpost, which also includes all the info you’ll need to make pastry cream if you’re interested.
Regardless, you’ll want your ingredients ready. Once the base is done baking, set it aside to cool and start by making the blueberry compote. Cook all the ingredients together in your saucepan, stirring constantly to minimize sticking. Lightly mash the blueberries with your spatula and cook until the mixture has bubbled and thickened. Then set it aside and move on to making the custard.
The assembly
Once the custard is done, pour it over the baked base and spread it evenly over the surface. Then dollop small spoonfuls of the blueberry compote onto the custard and swirl it using a skewer, toothpick, or small knife. You can use as much or as little of the compote as you’d like, you’ll just have less or more of it to top off each square when you eat them!
And this is where you have to wait to enjoy the fruit of your labour. At least 1 hour or until the filling has fully set. Then you can remove the whole thing from the pan, cut it into 16 portions and enjoy!
Storing the blueberry custard bars
These blueberry custard bars are the kind of thing best eaten the day they’re made. Especially if you want them looking pretty. The base will still be crisp and the blueberry compote will still be cleanly swirled in. But if you have leftovers, they’ll last in the fridge for another 2 days in a closed container. It’s just that the colour of the compote will bleed into the custard and the base will soften.
I don’t recommend freezing these since pastry cream tends to split in the freezer, plus the compote contains a lot of water. Both those things will make for a very unappealing and unpleasant dessert once defrosted. So just stick to eating them fresh!
If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!
Vegan Blueberry Custard Bars
Ingredients
Base
- 64 g neutral oil, (grapeseed, canola, vegetable…)
- 38 g water
- 90 g white granulated sugar
- ½ lemon, zested
- pinch of salt
- 180 g all-purpose flour
Blueberry Compote
- 230 g fresh blueberries, or frozen
- 28 g white granulated sugar
- 9 g cornstarch
- ½ lemon, zested
- ½ tbsp water
- ½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Custard/Pastry Cream
- 500 g plant based milk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 60 g white granulated sugar
- 50 g cornstarch
- ½ tsp nutritional yeast
- pinch of salt
- 120 g vegan butter, I used this one
Instructions
Base
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F and line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment or greased aluminium, leaving some overhang for easy removal at the end.
- Whisk together the oil, water, sugar, lemon and salt. Then add the flour and stir until a smooth dough forms.
- Press the dough into your lined pan starting with your hands then use something with a flat bottom like a glass cup to compact it. I like to go around the edges with a spoon to flatten them too.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden, and prepare the ingredients for the fillings in the meantime. Once the base is baked, set aside to cool while you make the rest.
Blueberry Compote
- In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Let it boil a few minutes until thickened, mashing most of the blueberries with your spatula as you stir.
- If using the same saucepan for the custard, transfer the blueberry compote to a bowl and wash out the saucepan. If not, set aside while you make the custard.
Custard/Pastry Cream
- Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, nutritional yeast and salt.
- Have your butter cubed up and ready.
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla over medium heat until barely simmering.
- Add about 1/4 of the milk to the dry ingredients while whisking. Then pour that mixture back into the saucepan while also whisking.
- Return to the heat and whisk constantly. When it starts to thicken, whisk vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure to get the corners. When you stop for a few seconds, you should see a few big bubbles coming to the surface and popping.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter until completely melted and smooth then pour the cream onto the baked base and even it out.
- In the microwave: In a microwave-safe bowl, Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, nutritional yeast and salt. Add in the vanilla then slowly add in the milk while whisking to prevent lumps. Add in the butter (melted or not) and heat the whole thing in the microwave in 30 second bursts, whisking in between, until it has bubbled, thickened and is completely smooth. Pour it over the baked base and even it out.
Assembly
- Immediately after pouring the custard on the base, dollop as much or as little blueberry compote as you want over it. Using a skewer, toothpick or small knife, swirl it in with the custard. You’ll have some compote leftover, that’s to put on each square once they’re cut. I watered it down a bit so it was more of a coulis!
- Place the pan in the fridge for about 1 hour or until it has completely set and cooled.
- To cut, it’s easiest to heat your knife under hot water, wipe it off and cut your slices, wiping the knife and reheating between each cut. That way you’ll have nice clean squares!
Notes
- *Disclaimer: I have a tiny not-so-great oven, so your bake time may vary from mine.
- I strongly suggest making recipes by weight, if you make them by cups I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
This looks absolutely delicious!!! I want to give this a try soon and I have a question, why did you choose to use oil in the crust instead of vegan butter? and is it possible to use vegan butter instead of the oil+water?
Thank you Dana! Honestly I used oil just because people tend to have that more than vegan butter hanging around, also it saves you the step of melting the butter. But yes you can use vegan butter instead! Just replace the oil with it and keep the water in, make sure the water isn’t cold (just room temp or warm) to avoid solidifying the butter. I hope you’ll like the recipe, let me know how it goes!