Egg Custard: 20g Protein
Egg Custard: 20g Protein
It’s the dessert that feels like a hug in a ramekin.
Silky smooth, gently sweet, warm from the oven with a cloud of fresh nutmeg. And if you add two ingredients that disappear into the custard completely, it hits 20g of protein per serving.
This is the dessert that works double-time as breakfast.
New here? Protein First Recipes leads every recipe with its honest protein number. Subscribe free and a new recipe lands every week.
📊 The Macros
🥩 PROTEIN: 20g
Calories 240 · Carbs 18g · Fat 9g · Fiber 0g Protein density: 8.3g protein per 100 calories Serves 4 · about 45 min (including bake time) · serves warm or chilled
Dessert with 20g of protein per serving is not a compromise. It’s a strategy.
Traditional egg custard sits around 7g of protein. A cup of cottage cheese blended smooth plus two extra eggs push it to 20g, and you absolutely cannot tell either one is in there.
🍳 The Recipe
Egg Custard. Serves 4. Baked in a water bath for that perfectly silky set.
The water bath is the secret to custard that’s smooth all the way through rather than rubbery at the edges. It’s worth the one extra step.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs (base 4 plus 2 extra for the boost; 36g protein total)
- 1 cup plain cottage cheese, blended smooth (24g protein, completely invisible)
- 1 cup whole milk
- One 12 oz can evaporated milk (13g protein)
- ⅔ cup Splenda or sweetener of choice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Freshly grated nutmeg, generous
Method
- Heat oven to 325°F. Place 4 ramekins in a large roasting pan and set aside.
- Blend cottage cheese until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
- In a blender, combine the smooth cottage cheese, eggs, milk, evaporated milk, Splenda, and vanilla. Pulse 3 to 4 times until everything is combined and silky.
- Pour evenly into the 4 ramekins. Grate a generous amount of fresh nutmeg over each one.
- Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the custard is set at the edges but still has a slight jiggle in the center.
- Remove from the water bath carefully and cool on a towel. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve chilled.
Make-ahead: these keep beautifully refrigerated for 4 days. The flavor deepens overnight.
Making these for the first time? Reply and let me know if you served them warm or waited for them to chill. I never wait.
🔄 The Swap
Add 1 cup of cottage cheese (blended smooth) and 2 extra eggs to the blending step.
The cottage cheese has zero custard flavor. It blends so completely into the egg and milk base that there is no texture or taste difference in the finished product. What it brings is 24g of protein and a slightly richer, more substantial set.
The two extra eggs contribute another 12g and make the custard slightly firmer, which is actually ideal when you’re serving it as individual portions.
🔬 The Science
Why does egg custard, of all things, make such a strong protein vehicle?
Eggs are one of the most complete proteins you can eat. Egg protein contains all nine essential amino acids in proportions close to what the human body needs. The leucine content in particular is important for triggering muscle protein synthesis.
Cottage cheese is mostly casein protein. Casein digests slowly and provides a sustained amino acid release for hours. Blended smooth into custard, it acts like a time-release protein supplement tucked inside a dessert.
Custard is a surprisingly ideal delivery vehicle. The texture is gentle, the flavor is neutral enough to hide boosters completely, and it’s satisfying in smaller portions than most desserts. For anyone managing blood sugar or working on protein goals, custard with protein hits that sweet spot.
Most desserts add calories without contributing anything useful. This one adds 20g of protein. Same pleasure, completely different outcome.
[QUOTABLE]
💡 The Takeaway
Silky, warm, lightly sweet, and 20g of protein in every ramekin.
Make four on Sunday and you have dessert for the week that also functions as a protein-forward breakfast. Try doing that with cheesecake.
Send this to someone who wants something sweet in the evenings but is trying to eat more protein. This is the answer she didn’t know existed.
Want a full week of meals and desserts hitting 120g of protein per day?
Download the free 7-Day 120g-Protein Meal Plan → Seven days of meals and snacks, every day hitting 120g, with a grocery list and honest macros on every plate.
A new recipe lands every week. Subscribe free so the next one finds you.
Written by Annette. Real food, honest macros, not medical advice.