Portuguese Egg Tart (Pastel de Nata)

You can’t visit Portugal or even research a trip to Lisbon without stumbling over one of the country’s best-known treats: the Portuguese egg tart.

Known by locals as pasteis de nata (the plural form) or pastel de nata (the singular form), these humble-looking custard-filled pastries are anything but. Dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar and typically enjoyed with coffee, it’s a pastry deeply rooted in Portuguese tradition, culture and daily life. And with our made-from-scratch Portuguese egg tart recipe, you can bring a little bit of Lisbon into your kitchen

What are Portuguese egg tarts?

Imagine that the best burnt Basque cheesecake recipe had a baby with classic creme brulee and got wrapped in a buttery, flaky puff pastry blanket. That, my friends, is perhaps the simplest way to describe the magic that is a Portuguese egg tart. If you find yourself in Lisbon, be sure to order your tart under its true name—pastel de nata—which directly translates to “cream pastry.”

Hailing straight from the heart of Lisbon, these warm, custard-filled tarts were invented by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in the 18th century and are truly a gift from the heavens. Subtly spiced with cinnamon and just a whisper of vanilla and lemon, the silky filling paired with the buttery bliss of the pastry is enough to make anyone want to hop on a plane to pick up a freshly made Portuguese egg tart. Thankfully, with our recipe, you don’t have to!

Ingredients for Portuguese Egg Tarts

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• Pastry: The best pastel de nata recipe always starts with a homemade puff pastry crust. To make it, you’ll need all-purpose flour, salt, unsalted butter and cold water. Making it may feel tedious, but it will be so worth it.
• All-purpose flour: We need a bit of all-purpose flour to bind the custard filling together.
• Whole milk: Do not swap the whole milk for another type of milk or cream. Whole milk has just the right amount of fat to make the silky, rich custard filling.
• Granulated sugar: We sweeten the custard with granulated sugar. Do not use brown sugar or you’ll discolor the custard filling.
• Egg yolks: We only need the yolks for our pasteis de nata (six of them), but don’t throw out those leftover egg whites! There are so many things to do with egg whites, like baking meringues, pavlovas or angel food cakes.
• Vanilla extract: To make the yummiest Portuguese custard tarts, splurge on the best vanilla extract or vanilla paste you can afford. Higher-quality ingredients really do make a difference!
• Cinnamon stick: One whole cinnamon stick is infused into the syrup for the custard filling.
• Lemon peels: When you’re peeling the lemon, be sure not to dig too deep into the peel that you’re also grabbing the bitter white pith. We only want the yellow part of the lemon rind.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

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In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand. Gradually add the cold water, tossing with a fork until a soft dough forms.

Step 2: Fold in the butter

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Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a rectangle that’s about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle the frozen, grated butter over the bottom two-thirds of the dough.

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Then, fold the top third down and the bottom third up, as if folding a brochure.

Editor’s Tip: Be sure to keep your grated butter frozen until you use it. Cold butter is the secret to achieving perfectly flaky pastry. If your kitchen runs hot, consider investing in a marble pastry board, which we consider an essential pie and tart-making tool.

Step 3: Fold, rest and repeat

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Turn the folded dough 90 degrees and roll it out into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle again. Repeat, adding the remaining frozen butter to the bottom two-thirds again and folding like a brochure. Tightly wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Repeat the process of rolling, turning and folding the pastry two more times (without adding more butter). Wrap the dough with storage wrap and refrigerate it for another 30 minutes.

Step 4: Start the custard

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While the dough chills, prepare the custard. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 1 cup of milk to a simmer. While the milk heats, whisk together the flour with the remaining 1/4 cup of milk until smooth in a separate large mixing bowl. Add the hot milk to the mixture and whisk until fully combined. Set it aside.

Step 5: Prepare a syrup

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Next, in a separate small saucepan, combine the sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon peel and water and bring to a boil. Without stirring, continue to heat the mixture until a candy thermometer registers 220°F. Remove the pan from the heat, and then discard the cinnamon stick and lemon peel.

Editor’s Tip: Resist the urge to stir the syrup as it heats. This can cause the syrup to form crystals, which can impact the final texture of the custard filling.

Step 6: Finish the custard

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Carefully pour the hot syrup in a thin, steady stream into the milk-and-flour mixture, whisking continuously until no lumps remain. Stir in the vanilla and then quickly whisk in the yolks until the custard is smooth and evenly mixed.

Step 7: Strain and cool the custard

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Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass measuring cup, then cover with storage wrap resting directly on the surface of the custard. Set it aside to cool slightly.

Editor’s Tip: When making custard from scratch, tightly covering it with storage wrap that rests directly on top of the custard helps prevent a skin from developing as it cools. It’s important not to skip this step.

Step 8: Roll and slice the pastry

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Remove the pastry from the fridge and divide it in half. Roll out one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12×8-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. From the short side, tightly roll the pastry up into a log. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12 equal discs. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Step 9: Shape the pastry

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Place a single disc of dough into each well of an ungreased regular-size muffin cup (the spirals should be facing up). Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes at room temp. Once the dough is pliable, start by pressing a wet thumb into the center of each pastry disc to make a deep depression. Then use your index fingers to gently and evenly pull the dough out and up the sides of the muffin tin.

Repeat with all of the pastry discs, then cover the pans with storage wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: The first few may look a bit sloppy, but with practice, you’ll get better. Once baked, you ideally want to still be able to see a subtle swirl pattern on the bottom of each tart.

Step 10: Fill and bake the tarts

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While the pastry chills, preheat the oven to 550°. Divide the custard into the chilled pastry shells; each should be about 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the pastry is deeply golden, and the custard is set with tiny brown spots on top, 10 to 12 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Trust the process; you may fear the tarts are burning, but they should have some darker patches visible on both the pastry and custard. For best results, keep a close eye on them and pull them out shortly after the custard begins to spot.

Step 11: Let the tarts cool

Let the tarts cool in the pan for about five minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon, if desired.

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Recipe Variations

• Swap lemon for orange: If you’re baking this Portuguese egg tart recipe during the winter, swap the lemon peels for orange peels instead. Cinnamon and orange are an amazing winter flavor combo.
• Add a little bit of topping: Pasteis de nata are so perfect just as they are that they only need a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon on top. However, homemade whipped cream or a touch of lemon curd would be excellent on a pastel de nata.

How to Store Portuguese Egg Tarts

If you have leftovers, Portuguese custard tarts may be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. Warm them in a 350° oven on a baking sheet until the pastry is crisp and the custard is heated through. However, keep in mind that egg tarts are best enjoyed fresh the day they are made

Can you freeze Portuguese egg tarts?

Believe it or not, you can freeze a Portuguese egg tart (just like you can freeze cheesecake) for up to one month. Let them defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then warm them on a baking sheet in a 350° oven until the pastry is crisp and the custard is heated through.

While far from traditional, they’re also pretty tasty straight from the freezer. We may or may not be speaking from personal experience.

Can you make Portuguese egg tarts ahead of time?

Yes! After making the custard and covering it with storage wrap, it may be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days before filling and baking the tarts. The rough puff pastry can also be made ahead and refrigerated for up to one month and frozen for up to six months.

Defrost frozen pastry overnight in the refrigerator and allow the thawed, chilled pastry to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before trying to work with it. When you’re ready to get started, shape, fill and bake the tarts as directed starting from Step 8 of the directions.

Portuguese Egg Tarts Tips

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Can I use store-bought puff pastry for egg tarts?

Yes! While nothing beats homemade pastry, this recipe can be made with store-bought puff pastry if you’re short on time. You’ll likely need three to four sheets of frozen puff pastry to yield enough shells for the amount of filling this recipe produces.

What’s the difference between a Portuguese egg tart and a Hong Kong egg tart?

Portuguese custard tarts may seem familiar to you if you’ve ever tried a Hong Kong egg tart. These two pastries are, in fact, related. Portuguese and other European egg tarts served as inspiration for Chinese egg tarts, which were eventually adapted for the Hong Kong market in the 1940s.

The primary difference is that Hong Kong tarts are typically smaller than Portuguese tarts and lack their iconic burnt patches on the custard and crust. Additionally, egg tarts in Hong Kong are often available in other flavors, such as chocolate or green tea.