Puerto Rican Breakfast Custard

It is even tastier and creamier if you add 1 egg yolk, whipped separately in a cup with some sugar until it turns fluffy and light-yellow in color. Then add to the egg mixture, 1 tsp. of vanilla and 1 tsp. of cinnamon, mixing well. Add some of the milk (can also use evaporated milk instead of whole milk) to the egg mixture, mixing well. To the egg and milk mixture, add your cornstarch mixing well and making sure all lumps are dissolved before pouring into your sauce pan. Then pour the remaining milk and sugar into your sauce pan stirring constantly. Salt is not necessary and should be optional.

We (Chicagoans from Puerto Rico) call this Maizena. Really good breakfast; like eating hot cereal.

This is sooo good. I added 3 eggs and enough milk to make the 2 cups of liquid. Took less time to thicken also. I had day old cornbread which I popped in the micro with butter and served with the custard. Wonderful!

Thank you for posting this recipe. I grew up on this and want to make it for my kids. I never got it right till now! I actually cried because it reminded me so much of my grandma that I miss dearly! Thank you!

Glad I found this recipe - I was clearly adding too much cornstarch to mine. This recipe is really good and almost exactly what I grew up with in my Puerto Rican household. A couple of additions/substitutions that makes this Maizena (as my family calls it) exactly what I remember - about a tablespoon of butter which will add to the creaminess, and instead of 2 cups of milk, add 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of coconut milk. The light taste of the coconut milk really puts this over the top and exactly as I remember growing up! Delicious!!!

I'm not Puerto Rican, but this is the same recipe I grew up on from my grandmother in Nebraska. The only difference is after thickening, we would add a little butter to make it a little richer, then serve it over toast and sprinkle with the cinnamon. The best breakfast in all the world!! Talk about your "comfort food".

very good, i didn't change anything, will make this again soon, turned out great

My 4 year old daughter just loved this recipe, she couldn't get enough. We added raisins once the custard was served to add a little more texture. This was a very easy dish to make, and will be used again and again!

simple and delicous. also used an egg as part of the two cups of liquid, and added 1/2 tsp vanilla

AWESOME THANKS !!! I LOVE MAIZENA MOM GRANDMA AND EVERY PUERTO RICAN MAKES IT FOR BREAKFAST!!!! I CANT WAIT TO MAKE IT AGAIN!!! YUM YUM!!!

I'm from PR and I make this all the time, especially now for my little munchkin and he loves it! The only difference is that I've always used evaporated milk and add vanilla extract.

I made this exactly by the recipe and it turned out perfect! I was happy to find this recipe and it was easy. My Rican husband loved it! I'm keeping this for future use. Thanks for the great recipe!

Tasty & different. Yummy with equal parts white & brown sugar too. Will share recipe with others / make it again. I'd consider adding: 1 egg or 2 to increase protein, and perhaps some cut up seasonal fruit before or after cooking.

Just like Abuelita used to make! The secret is to make sure you have it over the heat until it's thick, otherwise you'll have a soupy result!

Great Recipe! In order to make sure you don't have lumpy custard when putting your cornstarch in, put your cornstarch in a separate little bowl, add some milk in it, and whisk with a fork until combined and no lumps... Makes perfect smooth custard every time. I added cut up Granny Apples and some oatmeal... very good!

I make this using the microwave method in the Hasty Chocolate Pudding recipe here on Allrecipes. This is a really tasty breakfast. A tsp or so of butter added at the end keeps it smooth.

This is a tasty custard. I didn't use egg yolks, as some reviewers suggested, made a recipe as is, just used less sugar. Simple and tasty breakfast idea.

This tasted like my grandmother used to make. I don’t like avena so she tried this and I’m 45 now and still can’t get enough. I’ve been searching for years and I finally found it. Thank you!

Really good recipe and delicious. mmmmm =D

this was great my kids 2, 4, and 6 have never really had custard. they loved it and it was so easy to make.

My grandmother used to make this for me when I was little girl. I remember eating it on hot summer mornings in her covered portch with my father when we visited Puerto Rico. My father died when I was a teenager so I never got a chance to get his recipes. I've thought about this custard on and off for years and was delighted when I found it on allrecipes. I just made it with my 5-year-old daughter and we both loved it! I enjoy hot cereals but she turns her nose up to them so I was pleasantly surprised when she asked if we can make it tomorrow morning. Recipe is perfect! I wouldn't recommend changing a thing.

Everytime my grandmother comes to visit us from P.R., she makes this for us. Funny how I never bothered to ask her for the recipe, but this one is just like it. Delicious!! Simple. Will make again.

The recipe turned out great it only took about 10 minutes or so for it to thicken. This recipe reminded me of when my grandma use to make this for my brother and I; which in Puerto Rico we call it Maizena.

Delicious, simple and quick. Just what I wanted to use up some milk.

I love Maizena (the name of this recipe). My Puerto Rican mother would make this for us and eating this as an adult now brings back good memories of my childhood. Thanks for posting this recipe!

Im ecstatic!! Exactly how my Abuelita used to make it.. I actually added an egg with vanilla as suggested by Luz.. It made me so happy !! Thank you..Thank you!

Man, what a recipe! It took me two batches not to burn it, but i still got some chunks :/ . but hey im only 14 years old! NOT easy to make, but when your done its a relief. thx for the recipe girl(;

Maiezena, oh my, I ate this all the time growing up, made it for my girls as well....filling and tasty luv it.

This is a wonderful recipe. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out great with a smooth, creamy texture and delicious flavor. I've tried adding a little vanilla extract sometimes (about 1/8 tsp) and I like it that way too.

mmmmm this was SO good!

This didn't take anywhere near the half-hour cooking time as the poster stated. I turned my heat down down 5 minutes into cooking and then another five and it was off the heat. Added a couple shakes of vanilla to it since I found the taste to subtle. But growing up in FL I got to try this whenever my PR classmates brought some in for a school function. Definitely goes great over oatmeal too.

This is a great recipe but, I did 1 1/2 cups of milk and half cup of coconut milk and wow, it was delish! You may want to cut down on the sugar by 1 tablespoon otherwise, it will be really sweet. . Enjoy. .

Doing it the way they called for over 30 minutes resulted in inedible burnt char. Never again.

Made the recipe with the ingredients you suggested, no eggs required! I grew up in a Puerto Rican household and my newly-wed hubby is white boy who loves spanish food! I'm a terrible cook, but this site has helped me improve! We both enjoyed your Maizena recipe! I only had to whisk it for about 5 minutes and it came out to the consistency that I remembered as a kid. Thanks again :D

This was interesting to me. Pretty good, but maybe to really love it you have to grow up eating it. I did add an egg, tempered with some of the hot custard toward the beginning of cooking. It tasted a little flavorless so I added more cinnamon and some vanilla extract. Reminds me a little of cream of wheat. It was a comforting way to use up some milk.

I made the recipe just as it is written, and it was delicious! I added raisins after serving. Yum!

This was my favorite dish my grandmother used to make for me, but I never knew the actual name because she called it "Superman". She said it would make you as strong as superman. She taught me how to make it and I used to make it for my kids, but I forgot how. This is the recipe except we added the egg yellow. I thought it was egg white, but people here are saying egg yellow. I also used canned milk because you get a higher concentration of calcium for kids that don't like to drink milk. I'm so glad I found this recipe. Gonna make it tomorrow. Can't wait! Thanks

I could not have predicted how CREAMY this turned out. The texture is incredible. I did add an egg as other reviewers suggested. Delicious! I will be making this over and over again!

We are portuguese,and we also ate this as a kid. This tastes exactly how my mom use to make. Next time I'll use just a little less sugar. It was very good!!!

I make this exactly as the recipe calls and it tastes amazing every time! My mom says that it is the perfect combination of ingredients which makes me proud to serve this to my children as this is something we grew up with. Because it does take a while to cook (and I hate to stand there stirring the whole time) I don't make it very frequently in my household. I guess that just makes it more special when I DO make it. All in all it is a great recipe and a very nice change for breakfast. Especially in winter!

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Came out perfect, however, I used a little less sugar. Thank you so much! My husband and I had been craving this for a very long time, now we introduced our kids to it and they love it.

this was great just by following the recipe! it's easy to make and I will definitely make it again!

so easy to make with everyday ingredients, yet still SO yummy!

I liked it, but way too sweet for me. Next time I will use less sugar.

I tried the recipe for two servings but ate the whole entire thing...100? delicioso

My kids love this & they are teenagers now, still requesting this. Friends would stay over hoping I would make this.

This recipe was so simple and easy to follow. I grew up on this and haven't had it in such a long time. Was happy to find it here n for it to turn out just like mom's was even better!

Omg this is so good!! I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. Thanks for an awesome recipe. It reminds me of my childhood my Abuela use to make this. ????????

First time making it and it was a hit! Thank you so much for the recipe. I don't usually have whole milk on hand so I made it with skim (1 1/2 cup) and heavy whipping cream (1/2 cup). Served with buttered toast and it was gone when I turned around. I did add a dash of vanilla as well. Will make it again!

Soooo happy I found this recipe ! As I was trying to fix a vanilla custard gone wrong it was reminding me of breakfast with my Puerto Rican Abuelita. My other grandmother was Cuban and didn't know about it.Or maybe it was" Grandma War Competition" LOL. One thing I can't do is use a real coconut like Abuela included. She had a arm like Derrick Jetter. Thanks Lu and the rest of you for bringing back a little bit of my childhood- G.

I loved this. My mother used to make this for us when we were little kids if we had a tummy ache or just fussy. put us right to sleep. now I know why.

I didnt make any changes, and will definitely be making again. My grandmother always made this when i was a kid and i have been searching for the recipe and it was so delicious just like i remember it always being. how perfect:) thank you!!

I did it exactly as recipe stated the first time. It tasted great, but who has the time to wait 20-30 minutes. Second time did as some suggested and I added the egg and done in about 15. I could live with that. The taste was not that far off from the original. Thank you. It reminded my husband and brother-in-law of when their mother used to make it for them as children on the Island (PR).

I will make it again. Did not stir for 25 minutes. Boiled milk first then whisked in cornstarch until thick few minutes. Used cinnamon water ( cinnamon boiled in water for a few minutes) replaced one cup milk with a cup of coconut creme/milk. Grandma recipe. So gooood!!! No sugar used.

Add a few drops of lemon extract & garnish with orange zest

Almost perfect! A little sweet though and it thickened up quicker than I anticipated (fluke?) I think next time I will use just a small amount of sweetened condensed milk instead.

I loved it but some of my family wasn't sure. Definitely making again though!

four and a half star recipe. added 1 egg yolk, 1 tblsp. butter, and some vanilla. would add either more vanilla or more cinnamon.it set much earlier than 25 minutes that i thought i burned it! it was semi flavorless so add some more vanilla or more cinnamon, but overall a good breakfast recipe. make sure you do not use a nonstick pan or you will wreck the nonstick coating when you are whisking it. may make this again (50% chance).

I make this A LOT. I cut down the sugar to 2 Tbs, though, and I add vanilla or honey, sometimes.

This was like eatable velvet! It was soooooooo creamy. I did make some minor changes: I used baker's sugar instead of regular, lactose free milk, and added a pat of butter to the custard when I served it. Thanks Lu!

I was craving this that my puertorican mom used to make me when I was little and I found it! This was my favorite hot cereal. As I was making it, I could smell my mom cooking it. It brought back memories. Gave it four starts because it was too sweet to taste. Next time I will make it with less sugar and it will be perfect for me.

Love it

The only one that I have done it it turned out just like Abuelita's!!!

Just when the doctor ordered. This made me feel like a kid again.

Great. I will probably try some of the other receipes.

Just like grand mom's except she added a piece of lemon rind to pot she made sure I was the one who got it in my bowl because she knew I loved it.

I love this recipe for Maizena. It’s perfect! Reminds me of when my mom used to make this for me. It tastes exactly the same and I was even able to get it to the right thickness by simmering just an extra minute or so. I like how you can adjust the recipe for the servings. Thank you for posting.

This was delicious. It’s not two servings though. I’ll double the recipe next time.

I ate this as a child growing up and loved it. I added an egg and vanilla extract like others suggested and it was delicious. My kids love it aswell. I also refrigerated the leftovers in small plastic cups and enjoyed it as a cold custard treat.

Loved it

This came out amazing! My husband said it reminded him of his mom. For my taste a little sweet but for him it was perfect! This will be a weekend staple.

It was delicious cooked it for the family loved it??

Taste great just like my mother inlaws does.

Wonderful recipe! Super tasty, I am Puerto Rican however I was born and raised a Floridian! My mother and grandmother would always make a version of this for me and my brother and this recipe is spot on. It dosen’t have much protein on its own so I decided to try scrambling 3 eggs and then filled the rest with milk to equal 2 cups of liquid and I added a dash of vanilla and it came out PERFECT!!!! very filling, not overly sweet and CREAMY! If your on the edge about adding eggs don’t think twice because it adds substance and richness to it. Yumm Yumm

Very easy to make; loved it...

Nice, it brought smiles

It was okay. I cooked it as long as it said, but I think it was a little too long. If I try to make this again, I will either reduce the heat a bit or shorten the cooking time. The flavor was okay, but the consistency was a little odd. It congealed and was almost a bit more like gelatin than a pudding.

Delicious!! It's great just as written but I like to add 1 cup of oatmeal to make it heartier and more of a proper "breakfast" in my opinion. I pulse the oats in my blender first and add an extra 2 cups of liquid, sometimes more so it's a drinkable oatmeal, great for on-the-go! No extra cornstarch is needed, just stir until it thickens slightly. Then shut off heat. It continues to thicken as it cools. I've also added coconut milk and cream of coconut to change the flavor. Extra delicious!! I've also made this with almond milk only and almond milk/coconut milk mix to make it lactose free. Its just as good as with regular milk/evaporated! My family is from Puerto Rico and my mother is quite nostalgic everytime I make this for her. She lost the art of some recipes- this brought her back to her childhood. Thank you!