KO EN Portuguese Dessert⏱ 50 minEdit history

Pastel de Nata (Egg Tart)

Name: Pastel de Nata (Egg Tart)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 1 sheet Frozen puff pastry; 1 cup Milk; 0.5 cup Heavy cream; 80 g Sugar; 3 Egg yolks; 1.5 tbsp Cornstarch; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 1 Lemon peel & cinnamon stick

Portuguese egg tart (pastel de nata) — a crisp puff-pastry shell filled with sweet custard and baked in a screaming-hot oven until the top blisters and caramelizes. Crisp outside, creamy inside, best warm.

Steps

Roll the thawed pastry into a log, slice 1.5cm thick, and press each piece into a muffin tin to form a cup-shaped shell.
⏲ 5 min
Warm the milk, cream, lemon peel, and cinnamon (don't boil). Once infused, remove the lemon and cinnamon.
⏲ 4 min
Whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, then slowly pour in the warm milk while whisking so the yolks don't cook.
⏲ 2 min
Return to low heat, stirring into a thick custard, then add vanilla and let it cool.
⏲ 5 min
Fill each shell about 80% with custard.
⏲ 2 min
Bake in an oven preheated as hot as it goes (230-250C) until the tops blister with brown spots. Cool slightly and eat warm.
⏲ 20 min

Tips & Variations

Variations

Macau/Hong Kong egg tart: Pastry or cookie-dough shell with a smoother yellow custard.
Cinnamon sugar: Dust with cinnamon and sugar after baking.
From-scratch pastry: Laminate your own dough instead of store-bought.
Mini size: Make bite-size tarts.

Tips

An oven as hot as possible is the key — the top should char like caramel. At home, max heat plus top element.
Stir the custard over low heat for a smooth set; high heat curdles it.
Infusing the milk with lemon peel and cinnamon lifts the aroma.
Fill the shells only 80% so they don't overflow as they puff.
Eat warm, fresh from the oven — crisp shell, soft center; they soften over time.