This homemade vanilla cream sauce is better than whipped cream if you love desserts. This is an old-fashioned sauce for a cake you don’t want to miss! Not only is this sauce a winner on cakes and pies, but it is the perfect vanilla sauce for bread pudding!
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This creamy homemade vanilla sauce is made from scratch in just minutes. I found this recipe years ago in my Grandmother’s recipe box. It is made from simple, wholesome ingredients because fresh is always better than store-bought!
This vanilla cream sauce is so good for desserts. Feel free to drizzle it on some of these Gluten Free Dessert Recipes.
Why we love this creamy homemade vanilla sauce:
- This sauce is versatile, quick, and easy to make.
- It is the classic vanilla cream sauce recipe that my Grandmother used to make.
- This old-fashioned vanilla sauce is so easy to make that I can say it is foolproof.
It’s delicious! I’ve also made it without lemon and using brown sugar instead of white and half and half instead of water which is good on spice cake, gingerbread cake and bread pudding.”
marie, blog comment
Allergen Information:
This homemade vanilla sauce is gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, and oat-free.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Vanilla Beans – Let’s talk vanilla, as it is the most important ingredient for this recipe. Vanilla comes from a pod full of vanilla beans. Each pod has to have the vanilla beans scraped out. Using vanilla beans is the best way to get the pure vanilla flavor to shine in this dessert cream sauce.
- Cornstarch – You can substitute tapioca starch for cornstarch.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. You can use coconut oil if you are dairy-free.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
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Step 1: Add sugar and cornstarch to a small pot. Add a little hot water and whisk to blend the sugar sauce.
Step 2: Add the rest of the hot water, butter, vanilla, and a lemon slice and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Simmer until the vanilla sauce thickens. Use a wire whisk to blend it.
Step 3: Cool and serve. I love that this vanilla cream sauce is made without heavy cream!
You will love serving my easy vanilla sauce over your favorite desserts. Try it on my Grandma’s Homemade Bread Pudding recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions:
This sauce is naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan if you substitute coconut oil instead of butter. It is perfect for those who have food allergies.
Store this vanilla sauce in an airtight container. It will keep fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
This homemade vanilla sauce also makes a great edible gift!
More Gluten Free Dessert Recipes:
- Gluten Free Banana Bread Pudding – The vanilla cream sauce is incredible over this bread pudding!
- Gluten Free Sweet Crepes – These crepes are another great way to use this vanilla sauce.
- Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake – If you haven’t tried vanilla cream drizzled over a cake, it is one of my favorites.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Homemade Vanilla Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch * see note
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 slice of lemon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla beans or one pod
- tiny dash salt
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Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, add 1/2 cup cane sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
- Pour in a little of the hot water and whisk quickly to blend.
- Turn on the stove onto low heat and add the rest of the water, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla beans, and 1 slice of lemon.
- Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.
Notes
- You can use tapioca starch or arrowroot starch instead of corn starch.
- This vanilla sauce will keep up to 6 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it up to 4 months.
- Slather this cream sauce on pie, ice cream, and cakes.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This recipe was updated from an old August 2018 post with more recipe details.
