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

And in the documentary, the camera goes from that custard stand up to the hospital where Mike had just experienced a heart attack. —Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025

Cook whisking continuously, until the mixture is frothy and begins to thicken to a custard, about 4 minutes. —Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025

My favorite dish was a pandan and coconut custard mochi cake served with coconut sorbet. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2025

Spoon custard mixture over bananas; cover and chill 4 to 48 hours. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 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