These traditional homemade Portuguese custard tarts are super simple to make! All you need is puff pastry, a delicious sweet egg cream and 25 minutes in the oven!
You don't need to leave home to make delicious homemade and traditional custard tarts! In just 40 minutes you have a crunchy and creamy recipe to serve for breakfast with the whole family!
All you need is a few simple ingredients that you normally have in your pantry and fridge to make one of the most popular traditional Portuguese recipes!
Some traditional Portuguese desserts that you might also like: Portuguese sawdust pudding (serradura), Portuguese vermicelli pudding, Camel's drool, Portuguese rice pudding (Arroz doce) and many more Traditional Portuguese recipes that we have on our website!
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY!
Portuguese custard tarts (Pastéis de nata) is a popular Portuguese specialty. It was created by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery and has certified origin.
The original recipe is called Pastel de Belém, produced exclusively in a Lisbon factory. This recipe is based on ingredients such as egg, milk, sugar, lemon and cinnamon.
The recipe gained several versions in Portugal in other countries and territories, such as Brazil, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, being disseminated globally.
In 2011, Portuguese custard tarts (Pastel de Belém) was elected one of the 7 Wonders of Gastronomy in Portugal. In 2023, the two main versions of the recipe topped the ranking of reviews in the "pastry" section of the TasteAtlas website.
INGREDIENTS FOR PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS
Here you'll find all the ingredients needed to make this recipe:
- Puff pastry - To make the base for the Portuguese custard tarts.
- All-purpose flour and Maizena (corn starch) - To add extra creaminess to the filling.
- Egg yolks - Adds color, flavor and is the main ingredient of the filling.
- Granulated sugar, water, lemon peel and cinnamon stick - To make the sugar syrup.
- Milk - Helps to mix the flour and cornstarch.
- Cinnamon powder - To dust the custard tarts.
Below you’ll find the correct measurement of all ingredients and the step-by-step guide for this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS
Step 1:
For the syrup: In a saucepan, add the sugar, water, lemon peel and the cinnamon stick. Stir well and boil on a medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Step 2:
For the cream: In a saucepan, whisk the corn starch and the flour.
Pour a little milk (about 100 ml) and mix well. Pour the remaining milk and stir.
Heat on medium heat and stir until thickened.
Step 3: Turn off the heat, gradually pour the sugar syrup and whisk. Let it cool.
Step 4: Meanwhile, roll the pastry from one end to the other and cut in round slices with 3 centimeters (1 1/4 inches).
Step 5: Place the slices within the muffin pans and press the center of the pastry with fingers until fill completely the muffin pans, set aside.
Step 6: Add the egg yolks into the cream saucepan and mix well (remove the lemon peel and the cinnamon stick).
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
Step 8: Pour the cream into the muffin pans lined with the puff pastry.
Bake until the Portuguese custard tarts start to turn golden, about 15 minutes.
Step 9: Turn off the oven and let cool. Dust the Portuguese custard tarts with cinnamon powder and serve.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
- Milk muffins
- Sugar and pear pie
- Rice pudding with sweetened condensed milk
- Strawberry cream cake
- French toast
- Homemade muffins
- Portuguese carrot doughnuts
- Flan
- Rice pudding
- Chocolate salami
PIN THIS POST TO MAKE IT LATER
Follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOUTUBE and TWITTER for more tasty recipes!
Portuguese Custard Tarts
These traditional homemade Portuguese custard tarts are super simple to make! All you need is puff pastry, a delicious sweet egg cream and 25 minutes in the oven!
4.56 from 9 reviews
- 650 grams (1 1/2 pounds) puff pastry
- 25 grams (about 2 tablespoons) Maizena (corn starch)
- 25 grams (about 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 6 egg yolks
- 200 ml (1 cup) water to room temperature
- 225 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 300 ml (1 1/3 cups) milk
- Lemon peel
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Cinnamon powder for dusting
- For the syrup:
In a saucepan, add the sugar, water, lemon peel and the cinnamon stick. Stir well and boil on a medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. - For the cream:
In a saucepan, whisk the corn starch and the flour. Pour a little milk (about 100 ml) and mix well. Pour the remaining milk and stir. Heat on medium heat and stir until thickened. - Turn off the heat, gradually pour the sugar syrup and whisk. Let it cool.
- Meanwhile, roll the pastry from one end to the other and cut in round slices with 3 centimeters (1 1/4 inches).
- Place the slices within the muffin pans and press the center of the pastry with fingers until fill completely the muffin pans, set aside.
- Add the egg yolks into the cream saucepan and mix well (remove the lemon peel and the cinnamon stick).
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
- Pour the cream into the muffin pans lined with the puff pastry. Bake until the Portuguese custard tarts start to turn golden, about 15 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and let cool. Dust the Portuguese custard tarts with cinnamon powder and serve.
I love Portuguese egg tart. I buy it from a Portuguese Import Store in Artesia, California. I have a question, do you use frozen puff pastry that contains butter or margarine? Does it matter.
Hi Tami,
Good question Tami. We use frozen puff pastry that contains butter but, we think it doesn’t matter if you use with margarine.