Custard creams are one of Britain’s best-loved biscuits cheap, cheerful, and often hard to stop at just one. But if you’re tracking your intake or trying to make better food choices, it’s worth knowing how many calories are in a custard cream and what you’re actually getting with each bite. The answer might surprise you.

Calorie Count Per Custard Cream Biscuit

A standard custard cream contains around 60 to 65 calories per biscuit, depending on the brand and exact size. While that might not sound like much, the calories can add up quickly, a few biscuits with your tea can easily turn into 200 to 300 calories without much effort, especially if you eat mindlessly or go back for seconds.

Cheaper supermarket versions sometimes contain slightly more fat and sugar than branded options, pushing them closer to 70 calories per biscuit.

What’s in a Custard Cream?

A custard cream is made from two shortbread-style biscuits sandwiched together with a vanilla-flavoured cream filling. The biscuit dough is typically made with white flour, vegetable oil or palm fat, sugar, and flavourings. The filling is a sweetened fat-based cream that gives the biscuit its classic taste and texture.

There’s little in the way of fibre, protein or micronutrients custard creams are made to be sweet and satisfying, not nutritionally balanced. That said, they’re free from artificial colourings in most modern recipes and are suitable for vegetarians.

Nutritional Breakdown

Each biscuit contains around 3 grams of fat, including 1.5 grams of saturated fat, along with 5 to 6 grams of carbohydrates, most of which come from sugar. There’s only a trace of protein and fibre. They’re high in refined flour and added sugar, which gives them a high energy density but low nutritional value. That means they deliver a lot of calories for a small portion, without offering lasting satiety.

How Custard Creams Fit Into Your Diet

In moderation, a custard cream can be part of an enjoyable diet, especially if you’re accounting for it in your daily intake. However, it’s easy to underestimate how many you’ve eaten, and that can lead to a calorie surplus, particularly if snacking on autopilot throughout the day. Since they’re low in fibre and protein, they don’t provide much lasting energy or fullness, making them a frequent cause of mindless overconsumption.

If you’re trying to lose weight or control blood sugar, custard creams are best kept as occasional treats, rather than a daily habit. Pairing one or two biscuits with a piece of fruit or a high-protein drink can help control portion size and reduce the temptation to keep dipping into the pack.

Glycaemic Index and Blood Sugar Response

Custard creams have a high glycaemic index, due to the refined flour and sugar in both the biscuit and the cream filling. They can cause a quick rise in blood sugar, especially if eaten on an empty stomach. This rapid spike is often followed by a crash in energy, which can lead to more cravings or dips in focus. If you’re watching your glycaemic load, it’s worth limiting high-sugar processed biscuits like these.

Healthier Alternatives

If you’re looking for a sweet snack with fewer calories or more nutritional value, there are options that satisfy without as much impact. Lower-calorie biscuits made with oats, whole grains, or reduced sugar can offer a lighter alternative. Protein bars, Greek yoghurt with honey, or a couple of dark chocolate squares with almonds can all hit the sweet spot while providing more lasting energy.

Alternatively, homemade versions of custard creams using oat flour, natural sweeteners, and Greek yoghurt or coconut cream as filling can give you the same flavours with far fewer processed ingredients and less sugar.

Serving Size Is a Hidden Trap

Most people eat custard creams by the handful, rarely just one. The packaging often lists nutrition per biscuit, but never realistically reflects how many people eat in one sitting. A small serving of four biscuits can hit 250+ calories, roughly equivalent to a slice of pizza or a chocolate bar. Because they’re small, light, and easy to snack on, it’s easy to underestimate their impact, especially when eaten alongside tea or coffee.

Low-Calorie Doesn’t Mean Low-Risk

Some versions of custard creams market themselves as “lighter” or “reduced-fat”, but that doesn’t always mean a significantly lower calorie count. Manufacturers often replace fat with extra sugar or processed fillers to maintain the same texture and sweetness. So, while the fat content might be reduced, the total calorie difference can be minimal, sometimes only 5–10 calories less per biscuit. Unless you're reading the label closely, you could be misled into eating more.

Custard Creams Trigger Cravings by Design

These biscuits are deliberately formulated to hit what’s known as the “bliss point” the perfect balance of sugar, fat and salt that makes food irresistible. This is why it’s so hard to stop at one or two. The soft, creamy centre and crunchy biscuit shell create a contrast that’s psychologically and physically satisfying, which can override normal hunger and fullness signals. This makes custard creams more likely to cause unplanned overeating than simpler snacks like fruit or nuts.

Biscuits vs Balanced Snacks: What You Get for 200 Calories

If you’re comparing snacks on a calorie-for-calorie basis, custard creams fall short on nutrient density. For example, three custard creams deliver about 195 calories, but hardly any fibre, protein or vitamins. For the same calorie count, you could have a boiled egg and a banana, or Greek yoghurt with berries options that offer protein, fibre, and a more lasting energy boost. This comparison helps show that it’s not just about calories it’s about what those calories are made of.

Tea + Biscuit = Double Trouble

The classic combo of custard creams and tea might seem harmless, but there’s a catch. Many people add sugar to their tea and when combined with the biscuit’s sugar, that small snack break can quickly become a 100–150 calorie bump. If you repeat the habit daily, it can add an extra 1,000 calories or more per week, which matters if you're trying to manage weight. Switching to herbal tea or cutting sugar from your drink is a good way to balance the indulgence.

Factory-Made vs Homemade Versions

Commercially produced custard creams often use palm oil, artificial flavourings and preservatives to extend shelf life and reduce costs. While they’re consistent in taste, they’re also ultra-processed, which affects how they’re digested and how quickly they affect your blood sugar. Homemade versions using real butter, vanilla and flour may actually be slightly higher in calories per unit, but they’re often more satisfying and free from industrial additives, making it easier to stop at one or two.

Summary

A standard custard cream biscuit contains around 60–65 calories, with most of that coming from refined carbs and fat. While they’re enjoyable in small doses, they’re not filling and can lead to excess calorie intake if not eaten mindfully. For those looking to manage their diet, custard creams are best seen as an occasional treat and there are plenty of smarter swaps for everyday snacking that won’t compromise on flavour or satisfaction.

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