Vanilla Sauce Recipe – Vanillesoße – the Perfect Dessert Topping!

Vanillesoße is the little black dress of sauces. Honestly, it just goes with every dessert or Nachtisch… it softens the tartness of Rote Gruetze, gives an added dimension to Apfelstrudel, and it magically transforms boring chocolate pudding to a fancy dessert. My Oma always kept packets of instant Vanillesoße in her “packet drawer” (you know the one… it had packets of instant pudding and Knorr Soup Mixes). But those packets get sort of expensive when you are paying to have them imported. Fortunately, making Vanilla Sauce from scratch is almost as easy as opening a packet. Follow my simple Vanilla Sauce recipe… and you won’t have to stuff your luggage full of little packets again!

Serve with Rote Grütze

Vanilla Sauce Recipe

The recipe takes only around 5 to 10 minutes, and once the mixture starts to boil, you don’t have time to fool around. Have your egg yolks ready in one bowl, and your cornstarch milk mixture ready in another bowl…both near the stove.

And don’t think you can skip the step where you warm the egg yolks with some of the hot milk. You will end up with scrambled eggs. And while, yes, scrambled eggs can be delicious, in Vanillasoße, it’s a little off putting.

Serve with Bratäpfel

Vanilla Sauce Recipe - Vanillesoße - the Perfect Dessert Topping!

My Oma served Vanillesoße or Vanilla Sauce alongside so many desserts. The smooth sweetness makes every Nachtisch seem much more "fancy". It's a sweet balance to tart Rote Grütze, and it adds a creamy flavor to Bratäpfel. And it's fabulous on Schokoladenpudding (Chocolate Pudding)

Best of all, it's fairly easy to make, so you don't have to reach for the packaged mix.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Cuisine German

Servings 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  

• 2 1/4 cups Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Egg YOLKS

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the Milk with the cornstarch. Whisk until smooth, set aside.
• Separate the eggs, put the yolks in a bowl. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the rest of the milk, the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to boil.
• Whisk in the cornstarch/milk mixture. While continuing to whisk, let it all return to a boil. Let it boil for 30 more seconds, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Use a ladle to scoop approximately 1/3 cup of the hot milk over the egg yolk. Quickly whisk the eggs and milk together.... then pour the egg mixture into the milk still in the saucepan. Keep whisking for another minute so that it gets combined completely.
• Set aside and let cool.
• (It may form a skin... just pull that off. And if you want to insure that the sauce is extra smooth, pour it through a sieve)
• If you want it extra smooth, pour the sauce through a sieve to catch any "scrambled eggs" that might have happened.
• Can be served warm or cold.

Notes

Make sure you have all of your ingredients measured out and near the stove. Once things start to happen, you won't have time to crack eggs or measure cornstarch.

You can find the recipe for Rote Grütze in my  Easy German Cookbook.

Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made Simple

Step by Step Vanilla Sauce Recipe

Separate the eggs, and place the yolks in a bowl. You won’t need the whites… save them for something else.
Measure out the cornstarch, add 1/4 cut of the milk. Mix completely. Set near the stove

Bring the milk, sugar, vanilla extract and salt to a boil in a small saucepan

Once it comes to a boil, whisk in the cornstarch mixture, bring back to a boil, and let thicken.

When the milk feels thicker, scoop out some with a ladle, and add to the egg yolks. QUICKLY whisk the yolks and the milk together.
Then pour it back into the pot. Continue to cook for a bit, then remove from the stove to cool.