Pastéis de Nata: How To Make Portuguese Custard Tarts at Home

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In the Summer of 2018 we had a special opportunity to visit friends and get a taste of a wonderful place – Portugal! No list of “top foods to try in Portugal” is complete without the glorious little Portuguese custard tart known as Pastel de Nata!

Our first Pastéis de Nata came from Portela Cafe on Rua da Graça in Lisbon. It was a short stroll from our airbnb and we wanted to get our Portugal trip off to a good start with cafe and pastries for breakfast! 😉

From there we enjoyed Pastéis de Nata just about everywhere we went – Lisbon, up the Silver Coast, Porto, and even the airport lounge on the way home.

Welcome to your comprehensive guide to pastéis de nata from frequently asked questions about the history of the pastry to how you can easily bake them at home!

So what exactly is a pastel de nata?

Pastéis de Nata are a delightful little treat consisting of a flaky crust filled with custard.

Most people enjoy their Pastéis de Nata with a sprinkle cinnamon (and sometimes powdered sugar) on top! Some prefer just cinnamon or just powdered sugar while others enjoy a Pastel de Nata as is.

How do you eat a pastéis de nata?

Easy. Just pick up this Portuguese pastry with your hands and go for it – take a bite for optimal enjoyment of the creamy custard together with the crispy crust.

There is a segment of society, however, who prefer to use a spoon to eat the custard first and then eat the crust. Posh. ;p

One thing is for sure, though: No matter how you eat your pastel de nata, it’s going to be delicious!

History of the pastel de nata pastry

The popular origin story of the Pastel de Nata goes back over 300 years ago to Jerónimos Monastery in Belém. The nuns and monks used egg whites to starch the clothing, leaving a huge amount of egg yolks needing used up. To prevent waste and simultaneously generate income to support the monetary, the custard tart was born. The recipe was later sold when the monastery closed in 1833. Today you can try the original Portuguese custard tart at Pastéis de Belém.

Wait. I’m confused. Is it pastéis de nata, pastel de nata, or pastéis de belem?

Great question. Let’s break it down so you can be an expert!

Pastel de Nata – one Portuguese custard tart
Pastéis de Nata – multiple Portuguese custard tarts
Pastéis de Belém – Portuguese custard tarts made from the original secret recipe.
The original Pastéis de Belém is only available at Fábrica Pastéis de Belém

It makes me think of how some people say Kleenex any time they mean “tissue” whether it’s Kleenex brand or not. Technically, a Kleenex is a tissue, but all tissues are not Kleenex. So all Pastéis de Belém are Pastéis de Nata (albiet branded with the perception of superiority), but not all Pastéis de Nata are Pastéis de Belém.

Hope I got that right and hope it makes more sense now!

One last pastel de nata in Porto, Portugal

Flash Forward to December 2018 and we were already deep in withdrawal! On a weekend trip to Toronto we looked up Carousel Bakery in St. Lawrence Market so we could re-live the Portuguese custard tart experience.

Flash Forward to summer 2019 when family brought back some Pastéis de Nata after attending the Love Never Fails International Convention in Lisbon! And later when we sought out Azores Cafe in Pittsburgh so we could have some more of these delicious creamy, flaky pastry treats.

Basically, it was high time for us to try making the beloved pastel de nata at home

A Pastel de Nata has two main elements to master:

Flaky Crust
Creamy Custard

Which begs the question….

Can you make pastéis de nata with frozen puff pastry?

The answer is yes!

If you don’t want to go through the effort of making your own puff pastry, you can definitely take the short cut and use frozen puff pastry. I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets and it worked like a dream people, like a dream.

In the future, I would like to do it 100% from scratch, but it’s nice to lower the barrier of entry by using the pre-made puff pastry sheets. With that in mind, anyone can make this treat!

Make Pastéis de Nata at Home

Ingredients

puff pastry
flour
milk
granulated sugar
cinnamon stick
vanilla
eggs

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here is how to make the pastel de nata custard, step by step.

Whisk 3 tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup of milk until smooth
Bring 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, and 2/3 cup of water to boil. Do not stir this, but let it boil until 220F or 100C
Scald 1 cup of milk (237ml) in a separate small sauce pan. Whisk scalded milk into the milk/flour mixture
Take the cinnamon stick out from the syrup and pour it into the milk/flour mixture, whisking the whole time. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
Whisk the yolks from 6 large eggs in a bowl. Then whisk them into the milk/flour/syrup mixture.
Strain this thin mixture into a bowl.
Enjoy!

I followed LeitesCulinaria’s recipe found here

How long will pastéis de nata uncooked custard mixture last?

Uncooked custard mixture can last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days according to LeitesCulinaria.

At what temperature does milk scald? And why do you scald milk?

Milk scalds once it is heated above 180F or 83C.

Scalding milk can kill bacteria and enzymes that may interfere with thickening in recipes. (sources here and here)

Tips for using frozen puff pastry to make pastéis de nata

You will want to take the pastry out of the freezer well in advance.

How long does it take for frozen puff pastry to defrost/thaw from frozen?

In general, thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

It’s important to let the pastry thaw or else you will break it when you try unroll it from the package.

Once the pastry is thawed, you are going to lay it flat on your work space (I used this large cutting board) and then roll it tightly into a log.

Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to assembly your Portuguese custard tarts!

See this CupcakeJemma video below for the technique:

Assembling Pastéis de Nata

Take the puff pastry log out of the refrigerator and slice it into pieces around 3/4 inches or 18mm.
I used what looks like a vintage mini muffin tin and sprayed with oil to prevent sticking. Place a piece of dough into the pan and use your thumb to press the dough flat into the bottom of the muffin pan and then up around the sides
Fill each about 3/4 full of the custard mixture.
Bake 8-9 minutes for mini muffin tins at as high as you can get your oven. The recipe recommended 550F or 290C, but our convection oven only goes to 480.

The final product was quite adorable and delicious! This one has a very light dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon on top.

I also tried to make them in normal sized cupcake tins, but I filled them up too high, causing the custard to run down the side and caramelize way before the pastry was fully cooked.

You can tell below that the pastry at the bottom is still soft. I definitely recommend taking seriously the recommendation to fill just 3/4 full!

When do you eat pastéis de nata?

According to Eater, “locals eat Pastéis de Nata at breakfast, in the midmorning, after lunch, or in the evening — any time they’re craving a snack”

Should you eat Portuguese custard tarts hot or cold?

There’s no wrong way! Some people love them warm, others like the texture of the custard better when it is at room temperature. Still others like them cold! The only way to decide is to try them all three ways, don’t you agree? 😉

Do pastéis de nata need to be refrigerated?

In most instances, there won’t be any left over since they are so tasty!

But on the off chance that you do have leftovers it is recommended that you store them in the fridge.

How do you reheat pastéis de nata?

Reheating a pastry like this is best done in an oven or toaster oven over a microwave, for sure, as a microwave will cause the pastry to go soggy.

350F around 7 minutes should do the job!

How long do pastéis de nata last?

In an airtight box they may last up to 2 days. If refrigerated around 5 days. But seriously, just eat them today. 🙂

Is there lemon in pastéis de nata?

Although this particular recipe did not call for it, many recipes do infuse lemon flavor into the simple syrup by adding lemon rind to the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick.

This can add a refreshing tangy touch to offset the rich creamy custard. I will definitely try this next time because I love a bit of lemon in a custard.