Ahh, Pastel de Nata 🥧✨—those iconic Portuguese custard tarts with flaky pastry and creamy, lightly caramelized custard. Crispy outside, silky inside… absolute perfection.
Here’s a home-friendly version that still tastes authentic.
Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)
Makes: 12 tarts
Prep time: 25 min
Bake time: 15–18 min
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
Custard Filling
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick or ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare pastry
- Roll puff pastry tightly into a log.
- Cut into 12 equal slices.
- Place each slice cut-side down in a muffin tin.
- Press from center outward to line the cups.
- Chill while making custard.
- Make custard
- Whisk flour with a little milk until smooth.
- Heat remaining milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until hot (not boiling).
- Whisk hot milk into flour mixture.
- Remove cinnamon stick.
- Stir in egg yolks and vanilla.
- Fill & bake
- Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) or as hot as your oven goes.
- Fill pastry shells about ¾ full.
- Bake 15–18 minutes until tops are blistered and caramelized.
- Cool & serve
- Let cool 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or cinnamon.
🔥 Pro Tips
- High heat is key for that signature burnt-spot top
- Use egg yolks only for ultra-creamy texture
- Don’t overfill—custard rises fast
- Best eaten the same day, still warm
🇵🇹 Authentic Touch
- Dust lightly with powdered sugar + cinnamon
- Serve with strong coffee or espresso
If you want, I can give you a shortcut 15-minute version, a no-cream version, or a mini air-fryer pastel de nata recipe 😍
