Pastel de Nata Recipe

1 Easy Portuguese Custard Tarts – Simpler to Make Than You Think

Updated April 2026

Pastel de nata are Portuguese custard tarts made with flaky puff pastry and a rich egg custard, baked at high heat until the tops blister and caramelise. This recipe uses shop-bought puff pastry rolled into a spiral for authentic layered texture, and includes a chef’s tip for freezing unbaked tarts and cooking them straight from frozen for perfect results every time.

2 Easy Portuguese Custard Tarts – Simpler to Make Than You Think

I recently had the pleasure of spending a week on a Douro River cruise—absolutely magical and highly recommended if you’re looking for your next getaway. One morning, the ship’s executive chef treated us to a cooking demonstration, showing us how to make this traditional Portuguese dessert, the pastel de nata (or Pastéis de Nata in Portuguese plural).

Now, I’ll be honest—I’m not usually one for sweet treats, but these homemade Portuguese tarts are something else entirely. Until that easy pastel de nata demo, making these Portuguese egg tarts at home had never crossed my mind. But one game-changing tip from the chef completely shifted my perspective, and I knew I had to share this simple custard tart recipe with you.

I won’t keep you waiting and here is the revelation: whilst they serve hundreds of these Portuguese custard tarts weekly, they don’t make fresh batches every few days. Instead, they prepare massive batches of around 5,000 tarts every few months. The genius part? They assemble everything up to the baking stage, freeze it, then bake directly from frozen. The results are consistently perfect for this traditional Portuguese dessert.

The chef explained that baking from frozen actually works in your favour—the moisture in the puff pastry creates steam as it heats, pushing upwards and creating that signature crispy, flaky texture. Brilliant, isn’t it?

If you’ve never tried pastel de nata, you’ll find them in most major UK supermarkets these days(Lidl are the best). But once you taste that perfect combination of buttery pastry and silky custard with those gorgeous caramelised spots on top, you’ll definitely want to learn how to make pastel de nata yourself. This easy custard tart recipe will show you exactly how.

Full disclosure: I’m writing this recipe before I’ve actually made them myself (I know, I know!), but I’m absolutely planning to give them a go soon. When you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how you get on—drop me a line and let me know!

3 Tips from a Cruise Ship Chef (and a Few of My Own)

That chef’s freezing tip was the real revelation for me, but here are a few more things I picked up—and some practical advice for getting these right at home.

The Freezer is Your Friend This was the game-changer. Assemble your tarts completely—pastry in the tins, custard poured in—then freeze them unbaked. When you fancy fresh tarts, bake them straight from frozen at 220°C. The moisture in the frozen pastry creates steam as it heats, which pushes the layers upward and gives you that signature flaky, shatteringly crisp texture. Brilliant for batch cooking or having a stash ready for unexpected guests.

Get Your Oven Properly Hot These tarts need fierce heat to get those characteristic blistered, caramelised tops. Preheat your oven thoroughly—don’t be tempted to put them in early. If your oven runs cool, nudge it up to 230°C.

Don’t Overfill the Cases Fill your pastry cases about two-thirds full. The custard puffs up during baking, and if you’ve been too generous, it’ll overflow and glue your tarts to the tin. Trust me, that’s not a mess you want to deal with.

Use Size 6 Tart Tins Standard muffin tins work, but if you want that authentic shape—wider at the top, narrower at the base—invest in proper Portuguese tart tins. They’re inexpensive and make all the difference to the presentation.

The Pastry Roll Trick Rolling your puff pastry into a tight Swiss roll before slicing creates those distinctive spiral layers when you press the rounds into the tins. It’s a small step that gives you a much more authentic result.

Serve Warm, Dust Generously These are best eaten slightly warm with a good dusting of cinnamon. In Portugal, they’d never serve them cold—and once you’ve tried them fresh from the oven, you’ll understand why.

4 Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use shop-bought puff pastry? Absolutely—that’s what this recipe calls for. Life’s too short to make laminated dough from scratch for a weeknight bake. Just make sure it’s all-butter puff pastry if you can find it; it makes a noticeable difference to the flavour.

Why did my custard curdle or go lumpy? This usually happens if the mixture is too hot when you add the egg yolks. Let it cool properly first. If you do get lumps, a quick blitz with a hand blender sorts it out.

How long do they keep? Honestly? They’re best eaten within a few hours of baking. The pastry starts losing its crispness by day two. That said, if you’ve got leftovers, store them at room temperature and give them a quick blast in a hot oven to revive them.

Can I make the custard ahead? Yes—make it the day before and keep it covered in the fridge. Just give it a good stir before using, as it thickens as it sits.

What’s the best supermarket pastel de nata? If you want to try before you bake, Lidl’s are genuinely excellent for the price. But homemade, served warm? No contest.

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5 Recipe-Ingredients & Method