custard

noun

cus·​tard ˈkə-stərd 

plural custards

: a cooked mixture made of eggs and milk or cream and usually having a thick, creamy consistency

By the eighteenth century it had become the dessert we know today: a layered treat of sponge cake, custard, fruit, jam, whipped cream and spirits.

—Bon Appétit

We toss a laurel wreath to the chefs for their … pastitsio and moussaka, both of which sported a savory custard topping.

—Greg Morago et al.

Smooth and creamy, custard lends itself to a range of both sweet and savory dishes.

—Gabrielle Shaughness

custardy

ˈkə-stər-dē 

adjective

Examples of custard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Black cherries, maraschino cherries/Kirsch, lemon custard, orchard fruits, rye spices, and chocolate are featured on the nose. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

This comes in handy when making something like custard, which can curdle or burn if the pan gets hot too fast. —Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 18 Mar. 2025

Sugar, butter, eggs, and your choice of thickening agent (flour or cornmeal or a combo of both), come together to make a luscious custard filling that will please even the pickiest of pie eaters. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2025

These terrines of chocolate get dressed up for Valentine’s Day with an infusion of raspberry liqueur rippling through the custard for celebratory sparkle. —Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, a kind of pie, alteration of crustarde, crustade, probably from Anglo-French *crustade, from cruste crust, from Latin crusta — more at crust

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing custard

• custard apple

Rhymes for custard

• blustered
• bustard
• clustered
• flustered
• mustard
• mustered

Kids Definition

custard

noun

cus·​tard ˈkəs-tərd 

: a sweetened mixture of milk and eggs baked, boiled, or frozen