Pastéis de Nata - My Gorgeous Recipes (2024)

Pastéis de Nata Recipe ( singular Pastel de Nata), or the famous Portuguese Custard Tarts, some heavenly delicious bites that are super easy to make at home using ready-made puff pastry and homemade egg custard. Beautifully flaky, with a silky filling, these tarts are great for any party or family gathering.

I first discovered these tarts when l was in Portugal and l just loved them. They bring back so many happy memories of my time spent there as an Erasmus student at the University of Porto.

It was my first time away from home, first Christmas and New Year spent without my family, but it was a great experience. Porto is such a beautiful city with a rich history and amazing people. I cannot recommend it enough as a travel destination.

Every time l bake these pretty little custard tarts l remember the beautiful pastélarias ( pastry shops), and although they taste fantastic, somehow it is not the same divine taste they have back in Portugal.

But they are so easy to make, l am sure you will want to give them a try. Who doesn't like custard? Or the delicate vanilla flavour? I certainly do.

You could make the puff pastry yourself, but it's so much easier to just use a ready-made one, especially the ready-rolled puff pastry, which just needs to be cut into circles, and that's your job done.

Ingredients needed

• ready-made puff pastry roll - or a block of puff pastry that you can roll
• milk - full-fat milk is the best
• egg yolks
• a whole egg
• plain flour - no need for self-raising flour
• caster sugar - or granulated sugar
• vanilla pod - or vanilla extract if you don't have a vanilla pod

Step-by-step photos and instructions

The great thing about these tarts is that the puff pastry does not require blind baking, the custard can go straight in, and they will be baked to perfection.

To make the custard:

• whisk together the egg yolks and whole egg
• add the sugar and whisk again
• in go the vanilla seeds ( or vanilla extract) and flour to get a smooth paste
• gradually pour in the milk, whisking continuously to avoid lumps forming

• transfer the mixture to a pan, and simmer on a low heat until it thickens
• remove from the heat, and allow to cool completely before adding it to the pastry

The puff pastry

• cut the puff pastry using a round cookie cutter, and fit them into the muffin holes
• divide the custard evenly, and bake for 30-35 minutes

You will see that when the tarts are ready, the custard looks like it's slightly burnt, but it's actually absolutely fine, that's how they are supposed to look. They are absolutely delicious!

Expert tips

It is important to allow the custard to cool, otherwise the tarts will get the much-dreaded soggy bottom.

You can make the custard in advance and refrigerate it. The custard tastes so much better when it's cold, the vanilla flavour comes through a lot better rather than if you keep them a room temperature.

One batch makes 12 tarts, with about 2 batches you are good to go, your guests will be so impressed. Some shops around here sell these custard tarts for over £1 each.

Looking for more puff pastry desserts? How about my Cremeschnitte Recipe? It's absolutely delicious, and super easy to make too.

If you’ve tried these PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS - PASTEIS DE NATA RECIPE or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW MEonFACEBOOK, andPINTERESTto see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.