You are here: Home / Egg Recipes / Portuguese Egg Custard Tarts Recipe – Homemade Portuguese Egg Tarts
Portuguese egg tarts are an absolute delight to bake and eat. My ex-manager, Joao, is Portuguese and from the day he came to know that I love baking, he’s been asking me to bake some Portuguese egg tarts. It sounded daunting but to be fair, I didn’t even do a search for Portuguese egg tarts before deciding that in my mind. As he continued telling me how delicious they are and couldn’t be more different fromChinese Egg Tarts, I said I would try baking the Portuguese version if he could bring some for me from Portugal. He agreed.
You may also like these spinach feta muffins, very easy to bake and super delicious!
And then he went and made it happen. A few months after this conversation, he actually brought some egg tarts from back home and I tried them. They were custardy, sweet, and true to his word, delicious.
I had no more excuses to not bake some Portuguese egg tarts and the best opportunity came up when a bunch of were going to visit Joao and Ruth’s baby, Luke.
Imagine baking Portuguese egg tarts for the first time for a Portuguese. Go ahead, imagine that. Jitterville!
I did it and I got a huge thumbs up from Joao. He even said a lot of people in Singapore would be willing to pay for these. Hmmm…
Portuguese Egg Custard Tarts
Adapted from Not Quite Nigella
Makes 12
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar (I would use slightly lesser than this next time)
2 tbsp cornflour
400ml full cream milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 block of puff pastry sheet
How to Make Portuguese Egg Tarts
1. Grease a muffin tray and pre heat oven to 200C.
2. Place the egg yolks, sugar, and cornflour in a pan and whisk together until well combined. Slowly add in the milk and mix well with no lumps.
3. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Let it simmer for 2-3 mins, then remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.
4. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover, and let it cool.
5. Thaw the puff pastry sheet and roll to about 1/2″ thickness on a floured surface. Roll it from the width-side tightly and cut into small discs. Roll each disc (flouring the surface sufficiently) to the rough size of the muffin tray.
6. Lay each rolled out disc into the muffin tray, pour the cooled custard to about 3/4 level and bake for about 25 mins.
The custard will bubble up during baking, don’t worry! The top of the egg tart should have brownish black patches for that authentic Portuguese egg tart look!
Sprinkle the egg tarts with cinnamon powder and serve warm.
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Comments
These little guys were excellent. I received so many comments on them. Will be making them again!
Hi, you can make it more looking like Portuguese egg tart by using patty cake tin, don't use muffin tin because muffin tin won't make your puff pastry spring enough 🙂
Hi,
Did you use a puff pastry block or puff pastry sheet? The pastry part didn't turn out as flaky when i used the puff pastry sheet and rolled it up, etc, as per your instructions (which were very clear, thank you!). My aunt suggested that this is probably because puff pastry sheets were prepared to be immediately cut, while puff pastry BLOCKS are the ones that need the process illustrated above in order to give them layers.
Thank you.
yes you're right, these are the blocks and not the sheets. sorry for the confusion!
I love these–I've been to Lisbon twice and both times made sure to take a trip to the shop that is famous for these. I've never tried to make them on my own but I really should. Your photos are a great illustration of the process.
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FAQs
British tarts use the less flavoursome shortcrust pastry, which doesn't provide as much textural contrast with the smooth custard. They are also topped with nutmeg, which fails to bring the custard alive as Portugal's cinnamon does.
What is the original egg tart in Portugal? ›
Pastéis de Belém is the original place that started selling Portuguese egg tarts, dating back to 1837. What I loved about the egg tarts at Pastéis de Belém is that the crust was layered and extremely crispy and flaky, while the egg tart in the middle was creamy and rich.
What is the difference between HK egg tart and Portuguese egg tart? ›
Portugal's tart has a flaky crust that is like the Hong Kong version. The two taste somewhat similar, but the pastel de nata has a caramelised surface, while the daan tat top is smooth and glossy.
What is the famous Portuguese tart? ›
Pasteis de nata, or Portuguese custard tarts, with their signature flaky crust and sweet custard filling are world-famous, and incredibly delicious.
What is the oldest Portuguese tart? ›
Pastéis de nata were created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Hieronymites Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) in the civil parish of Saint Mary of Bethlehem, in Lisbon.
Are egg tarts Chinese or Portuguese? ›
The egg tart (traditional Chinese: 蛋撻; simplified Chinese: 蛋挞; Cantonese Yale: daahn tāat; pinyin: dàntǎ) is a kind of custard tart found in Chinese cuisine, derived from the English custard tart and Portuguese pastel de nata. The dish consists of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard.
What is the most famous Portuguese egg tart? ›
Pastel de nata is a Portuguese egg tart pastry, common in Portugal. Those found at Pastéis de Belém have become legendary for their super secret recipe. Any day of the week, a line trails out the door waiting to savor one of tens of thousands made daily.
What is the best Portuguese egg tart in the world? ›
Pastéis de Belém made the best Portuguese tarts in the world. I will not miss the chance to try the famous Portuguese tart. I was actually vacationing in Porto, but I took a train to Lisbon and stay there for one night, all of those just for Pastéis de Belém.
Are egg tarts healthy? ›
Egg tarts, Chinese dough fritters and puff pastry contain some of the highest levels of artificial trans fat out of nearly 150 samples tested, Hong Kong's food safety regulator has said ahead of next month's ban on the ingredient that increases the risk of heart disease.
What is the best tart in the world? ›
Traditional Portuguese egg custard tart and a predecessor to the famous pastel de nata is the best dessert and pastry in the world in 2023.
Unlike the short crust casing favoured by the Hong Kong egg tarts, Macau's Portuguese egg tarts are made of puff pastry. The Macanese egg tarts are sweeter than the Hong Kong ones and the tops are carmelised. They use just the egg yolks rather than the whole egg and we don't think they contain evaporated milk.
Are egg tarts from Hong Kong or Portugal? ›
Having its origins in Europe as we saw previously, egg tarts traveled to the Asian continent on the beginning of the 20th century. Introduced in China via Guangzhou in the 1940's, they quickly spread to Hong Kong specially after World War II, especially on “tea houses” called cha chaan tengs.
What is the most popular egg tart? ›
The most popular sweet is Lisbon's pastel de nata, otherwise known as pastéis de nata or pastel de belém (or, as some foreigners simply call them: custard tarts in Lisbon). Indeed, pastéis de nata are custard tarts filled with sweet egg cream and covered in flaky pastry dough. And they fit in the palm of your hand.
What do you drink with Portuguese tarts? ›
While Portuguese tarts are delicious on their own, you can enhance the flavor by adding a sprinkle of cinnamon or powdered sugar on top. Some people also enjoy pairing it with a cup of coffee or a glass of port wine for a delightful combination.
Do you eat Portuguese tarts hot or cold? ›
They can be enjoyed warm or cold. If you've made a batch but don't want to eat them all they will freeze well. Just place a few in a tupperware box and freeze for up to 3 months. You probably won't need to though as they will all disappear pretty sharpish!
What are the 3 types of custard? ›
3 Varieties of Custard
There are three main varieties of custard: baked custard, stirred custard, and steamed custard. The first two are both popular in Western cuisine. Baked custard is typically firmer and made with whole eggs, while stirred custards can be much runnier and often only contain the yolks.
What are the two styles of custards? ›
Custard is a creamy, light dessert or sauce made from boiling or baking an egg-and-milk mixture. Custards are of two types—stirred or baked. They are used as desserts, sauces, bases for other desserts, and some savory dishes, such as a quiche or a frittata.
Are custard tarts Portuguese or Chinese? ›
Custard egg tarts have been a British confectionary since the medieval times andPortuguese pasteis de nata have been around since the 18th century, first made by Catholic monks in Belém,Portugal. Can you get Cantonese-style Hong Kong-style egg tarts (with flaky crust) outside of Hong Kong and/or China?
What is Portugal custard tart called? ›
The most popular sweet is Lisbon's pastel de nata, otherwise known as pastéis de nata or pastel de belém (or, as some foreigners simply call them: custard tarts in Lisbon). Indeed, pastéis de nata are custard tarts filled with sweet egg cream and covered in flaky pastry dough. And they fit in the palm of your hand.
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