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Pastéis de Nata Recipe

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★★★★★

4.5 from 101 reviews

Pastéis de Nata are traditional Portuguese egg custard tarts with a crispy puff pastry crust and a creamy, caramelized custard filling. This recipe delivers the perfect balance of sweet and aromatic flavors with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon zest, baked to golden perfection for an authentic dessert experience.

Ingredients

Scale

Custard and Syrup

  • 280 grams (1 1/3 cup) white sugar
  • 80 milliliters (1/3 cup) water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 lemon peel, cut into strips
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 355 milliliters (1 1/2 cups) whole milk
  • 43 grams (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 large egg yolks

Pastry

  • One 250 gram (8.5 oz) sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

For Serving (Optional)

  • Ground cinnamon, for dusting
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 290°C (550°F). Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin to ensure the tarts don’t stick during baking.
  2. Make Sugar Syrup: Combine sugar, water, vanilla extract, lemon peel, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Bring to a boil without stirring and cook until the mixture reaches 100°C (220°F) on a thermometer, then remove from heat.
  3. Prepare Milk Mixture: In a separate pan, whisk together milk, flour, and salt thoroughly. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  4. Combine Custard Ingredients: Once cooled, whisk the egg yolks into the milk mixture, then remove the cinnamon stick from the syrup and pour the syrup into the milk mixture. Mix well and strain the custard into a measuring jug for a smooth texture.
  5. Prepare Pastry Shells: Cut the puff pastry sheet in half lengthwise, stack, and roll tightly into a log from the short end. Slice into 12 equal pieces. Place each piece into the muffin tin cups and press down with a thumb dipped in cold water to form a well, ensuring the dough edges slightly overlap the top of the cups.
  6. Fill and Bake: Fill each pastry shell about 3/4 full with the custard filling. Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes or until the custard begins to caramelize and blister, and the pastry crust is golden brown.
  7. Serve: Remove from oven and serve warm. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar and ground cinnamon for extra flavor and presentation.

Notes

  • Using pre-rolled puff pastry saves time but ensure it’s of good quality for the best texture.
  • Be careful not to overfill the tart shells to prevent spillover during baking.
  • The high baking temperature helps achieve the characteristic blistered and caramelized custard top.
  • Allow tarts to cool slightly before removing from the muffin tin to avoid breakage.
  • These tarts are best enjoyed fresh and warm but can be refrigerated and gently reheated.

Keywords: Pastéis de Nata, Portuguese custard tarts, egg custard tart, puff pastry dessert, traditional Portuguese recipe, baked custard tart

Find it online: https://todayfoodrecipe.com/pasteis-de-nata-recipe/