diff --git a/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/basic.html b/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/basic.html
index 3c64ab2926..f1e734a933 100644
--- a/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/basic.html
+++ b/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/basic.html
@@ -30,67 +30,36 @@
       <p>
         <ion-button onclick="addItems()">Add Items</ion-button>
       </p>
-      <ion-virtual-scroll id="virtual"></ion-virtual-scroll>
+
+      <ion-virtual-scroll id="virtual">
+        <template>
+          <ion-item>
+            <ion-label></ion-label>
+          </ion-item>
+        </template>
+      </ion-virtual-scroll>
+
       <ion-infinite-scroll threshold="100px" id="infinite-scroll">
         <ion-infinite-scroll-content loadingSpinner="bubbles" loadingText="Loading more data...">
         </ion-infinite-scroll-content>
       </ion-infinite-scroll>
+
     </ion-content>
-
-
-
   </ion-app>
 
   <script>
-    const virtual = document.getElementById('virtual');
     const items = Array.from({ length: 100 }, (x, i) => i);
-
-    function addItems(append) {
-      if (!append) {
-        append = Array.from({ length: 10 }, (x, i) => "append" + i);
-      }
-      items.push(...append);
-      virtual.markDirtyTail(append.length)
-    }
-
-    virtual.itemHeight = () => 45;
-    virtual.headerFn = (item, index) => {
-      // if (index % 20 === 0) {
-      //   return 'Header ' + index;
-      // }
-      return null;
-    }
-
-    function renderItem(el, item) {
-      if (!el) {
-        el = document.createElement('ion-item');
-        const text = document.createTextNode(item);
-        el['$content'] = text;
-        el.appendChild(text);
-      } else {
-        el['$content'].nodeValue = item;
-      }
-      return el;
-    }
-
-    function renderHeader(el, item) {
-      if (!el) {
-        el = document.createElement('ion-item-divider');
-        const text = document.createTextNode(item);
-        el['$content'] = text;
-        el.appendChild(text);
-      } else {
-        el['$content'].nodeValue = item;
-      }
-      return el;
-    }
-
-    virtual.nodeRender = (el, cell) => {
-      if (cell.type === 0) return renderItem(el, cell.value);
-      return renderHeader(el, cell.value);
-    };
+    const virtual = document.getElementById('virtual');
+    virtual.itemHeight = () => 44;
     virtual.items = items;
-
+    virtual.nodeRender = (el, cell) => {
+      if (cell.type === 0) {
+        renderItem(el, cell.value);
+      }
+    };
+    function renderItem(el, item) {
+      el.querySelector('ion-label').textContent = item;
+    }
 
 
     const infiniteScroll = document.getElementById('infinite-scroll');
@@ -103,6 +72,14 @@
       console.log('Done');
     });
 
+    function addItems(append) {
+      if (!append) {
+        append = Array.from({ length: 10 }, (x, i) => "append" + i);
+      }
+      items.push(...append);
+      virtual.markDirtyTail(append.length)
+    }
+
     function getAsyncData() {
       return new Promise(resolve => {
         setTimeout(() => {
diff --git a/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/cards.html b/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/cards.html
index e09a68a5eb..831d701a20 100644
--- a/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/cards.html
+++ b/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/test/cards.html
@@ -20,11 +20,20 @@
     </ion-header>
 
     <ion-content>
-      <ion-virtual-scroll id="virtual"></ion-virtual-scroll>
+
+      <ion-virtual-scroll id="virtual">
+        <template>
+          <ion-card>
+            <ion-card-header>
+              <ion-card-title>Card Header</ion-card-title>
+            </ion-card-header>
+            <ion-card-content class="content"></ion-card-content>
+          </ion-card>
+        </template>
+      </ion-virtual-scroll>
+
     </ion-content>
 
-
-
   </ion-app>
 
   <script>
@@ -38,14 +47,7 @@
     }
 
     function renderItem(el, item) {
-      if (!el) {
-        el = document.createElement('ion-card');
-      }
-      el.innerHTML = `
-      <ion-card-header>
-        <ion-card-title>Card Header</ion-card-title>
-      </ion-card-header>
-      <ion-card-content>${item.content}</ion-card-content>`;
+      el.querySelector('.content').textContent = item.content;
       return el;
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/virtual-scroll-utils.ts b/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/virtual-scroll-utils.ts
index fe021447e6..17b0c72079 100644
--- a/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/virtual-scroll-utils.ts
+++ b/core/src/components/virtual-scroll/virtual-scroll-utils.ts
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ export function doRender(
   dom: VirtualNode[],
   updateCellHeight: (cell: Cell, node: HTMLElement) => void
 ) {
-  const children = el.children;
+  const children = Array.from(el.children).filter(n => n.tagName !== 'TEMPLATE');
   const childrenNu = children.length;
   let child: HTMLElement;
   for (let i = 0; i < dom.length; i++) {
@@ -88,9 +88,10 @@ export function doRender(
         child = children[i] as HTMLElement;
         nodeRender(child, cell, i);
       } else {
-        child = nodeRender(null, cell, i);
+        const newChild = createNode(el, cell.type);
+        child = nodeRender(newChild, cell, i) || newChild;
         child.classList.add('virtual-item');
-        el.appendChild(child);
+        el.appendChild(child!);
       }
       (child as any)['$ionCell'] = cell;
     } else {
@@ -121,6 +122,22 @@ export function doRender(
   }
 }
 
+function createNode(el: HTMLElement, type: CellType): HTMLElement | null {
+  const template = getTemplate(el, type);
+  if (template) {
+    return el.ownerDocument.importNode(template.content, true).children[0] as HTMLElement;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+function getTemplate(el: HTMLElement, type: CellType): HTMLTemplateElement | null {
+  switch (type) {
+    case CellType.Item: return el.querySelector('template:not([name])');
+    case CellType.Header: return el.querySelector('template[name=header]');
+    case CellType.Footer: return el.querySelector('template[name=footer]');
+  }
+}
+
 export function getViewport(scrollTop: number, vierportHeight: number, margin: number): Viewport {
   return {
     top: Math.max(scrollTop - margin, 0),