Easy Pastel de Nata Recipe
Pastel de nata is a Portuguese custard tart, a puff pastry filled with creamy custard that’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The first time I tried it was in Madeira. Matt already liked them from his time in Lisbon, and before we went to the Portuguese Island of Eternal Spring, he would always tell me: “We have to try them.”
And so we did. On our first-morning walk in Madeira, we went to the local bakery and enjoyed delicious Portuguese custard tarts with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Down bellow you can find 2 recipes of delicious pastel de nata: one with runny filling↴ and the 2 – with soft tender filling↴.
History of pastel de nata.
The story of these incredibly delicious custard tarts is very curious: the Portuguese monks started selling these cakes for the upkeep of the monastery. That is why another name for the Portuguese custard tarts is pastel de Belém. In 1834, the monastery closed and they sold the recipe to the eventual owners of Pastéis de Belém.
This bakery still exists today. Matt actually went there when he was in Lisbon – there was a massive queue because of how popular the place is. Their recipe for the perfect pastel de nata has been kept secret, but many confectioners still try to reproduce it.
How to make pastel de nata
I, too, tried to reproduce it. I tried two different ways of baking them and included slightly different fillings for both.
The first time I made Portuguese custard tarts, they were runny inside. Even though they were very tasty, it was not what I expected them to be. So I decided to try again in a different way. The second time, the filling was not runny, but soft and tender.
I will describe both ways below, so you can try and see which you prefer more.
Ingredients:
Filling 1
- Puff pastry dough 150 g
- All-purpose flour: 40 g
- Salt: 1/4 tsp
- Milk: 175 ml
- Light brown sugar: 100 g
- Water: 40 ml
- Egg yolks: 3
- Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder: 1 tsp plus dusting on top
- Grated lemon zest: 1 tsp
Recipe for filling 1:
1. Pour the sugar into a saucepan, add the lemon zest, water, cinnamon stick, and vanilla extract. Mix well and bring to the boil. It should take 3-4 minutes, then you can remove it from the heat and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
2. Meanwhile, mix the flour and half of the milk with a whisk until no lumps remain. Add a pinch of salt, and the remaining milk and mix well.
3. Put the milk-flour mixture on medium heat and constantly stir as you bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat when the mixture starts to thicken. Let it cool for 30 minutes.
4. While the milk mixture is cooling, prepare pastry shells. For that, roll all the pastry dough into a square shape and cut it in half. Place one half on top of
the other and cut into 6 equal squares.
5.Place the dough into a muffin tin and put it in the fridge.
6. Preheat the oven to 290 degrees. If your oven doesn’t go that hot, set it to the highest possible temperature.
7. By this time, your milk mixture should be cooled. Add the sugar mixture and the 3 egg yolks and mix well.
8. Pour the mixture into the dough cups on the muffin pan.
9. Bake pastel de nata for about 10 minutes or until the top of the creamy filling gets golden brown.
10. Serve warm or cold with powdered sugar and some ground cinnamon on the top.
Easy Pastel de Nata Recipe
Portuguese custard tarts are amazing. If you've been wondering how to make pastel de nata, look no further than this easy pastel de nata recipe with runny filling.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry dough 150 g
- All-purpose flour: 40 g
- Salt: 1/4 tsp
- Milk: 175 ml
- Light brown sugar: 100 g
- Water: 40 ml
- Egg yolks: 3
- Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder: 1 tsp plus dusting on top
- Grated lemon zest: 1 tsp
Instructions
- Pour the sugar into a saucepan, add the lemon zest, water, cinnamon stick, and vanilla extract. Mix well and bring to the boil. It should take 3-4 minutes, then you can remove it from the heat and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Meanwhile, mix the flour and half of the milk with a whisk until no lumps remain. Add a pinch of salt, and the remaining milk and mix well.
- Put the milk-flour mixture on medium heat and constantly stir as you bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat when the mixture starts to thicken. Let it cool for 30 minutes.
- While the milk mixture is cooling, prepare pastry shells. For that, roll all the pastry dough into a square shape and cut it in half. Place one half on top of the other and cut into 6 equal squares.
- Place the dough into a muffin tin and put it in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 290 degrees. If your oven doesn't go that hot, set it to the highest possible temperature.
- By this time, your milk mixture should be cooled. Add the sugar mixture and the 3 egg yolks and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the dough cups on the muffin pan.
- Bake pastel de nata for about 10 minutes or until the top of the creamy filling gets golden brown.
- Serve warm or cold with powdered sugar and some ground cinnamon on the top.
Filling 2
- Puff pastry dough 150 g
- Whole egg: 1
- Egg yolks: 2
- Light brown sugar: 45 g
- Whipping cream: 150 ml
- Milk: 75 ml
Recipe for filling 2:
1. To prepare the filling, whip the whole egg, egg yolks and sugar together. Add whipping cream and milk; stir well.
2. Roll the puff pastry into a roll and cut it into 2cm thick circles, about 12 portions. Put them into the muffin tin, forming dough cups.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the dough cups so that all 12 are about 80% full. Bake at 210 degrees for 23-25 minutes.
4. Enjoy warm with a cup of tea or coffee.
Easy Pastel de Nata Recipe with soft, tender filling
the recipe for Portuguese custard tarts is kept secret. But I tried to find it. So here is another recipe for pastel de nata with a soft, tender filling.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry dough 150 g
- Whole egg: 1
- Egg yolks: 2
- Light brown sugar: 45 g
- Whipping cream: 150 ml
- Milk: 75 ml
Instructions
- To prepare the egg mixture, whip the whole egg, egg yolks and sugar together. Add whipping cream and milk; stir well.
- Roll the puff pastry into a roll and cut it into 2cm thick circles, about 12 portions. Put them into the muffin tin, forming dough cups.
- Pour the egg mixture into the dough cups so that all 12 are about 80% full. Bake at 210 degrees for 23-25 minutes.
Cooking Tips:
- Both types of pastel de nata can be eaten warm, but they are just as yummy cold too. It’s best to eat them on the same day, however, as they will lose their crispiness.
- When forming the pastel de nata, place a small cup of water nearby and wet your finger before working with the sticky dough.
- If you do not have a very strong oven, as is usually required for a Portuguese custard tart recipe, I would recommend you to stick to the second recipe as the temperature for baking is only 210 degrees.
- While you can freeze pastéis de nata, I would not recommend it as they may lose their texture. The custard has a tendency to become grainy if frozen. The dough for pastéis de nata can be frozen though. If wrapped in cling film, the filling can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days.
Enjoy your pastéis de nata
This super simple Portuguese custard tart recipe can result in some mouth-watering desserts. Portuguese food is a delicious way to shake things up in your household or when you’re on the road. Try our Madeiran banana fish recipe for a deliciously unique Portuguese dinner. You can also check our other world recipes for some international inspiration.
If our Portuguese cuisine has motivated you to visit Portugal, make sure you check get one of these Portuguese egg tarts while you’re there!
