Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pastéis de Nata) – Gluten Free
The most INCREDIBLE Gluten Free Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pastéis de Nata). Rich, authentically-flavoured custard encased in crisp and flaky gluten free puff pastry. They taste just like the ‘normal’ ones from the traditional Padaria in Lisbon, so no one will EVER guess they’re wheat free!
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Authentic Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pastéis de Nata) but Gluten Free
I am BEYOND EXCITED to be sharing my recipe for gluten free Portuguese Custard Tarts with you. When I took my first bite, I was literally dancing around the kitchen… So incredible is the flavour of the rich, lemon and cinnamon-infused custard and the texture of the shatteringly crisp pastry. Pastéis de Nata! They are as close to authentic as you will ever get from a gluten free home kitchen. And that’s a promise!
What are Pastéis de Nata?
Portuguese Custard Tarts or Pastéis de Nata (with Pastel de Nata being the term for a singular tart) are one and the same thing. Crisp, flaky, laminated pastry baskets filled with a unique creamy lemon and cinnamon egg custard… The custard tarts are baked at high temperature until set and lightly caramelised with dark patches.
Undeniably, they are one of the pastry experiences on the MUST TRY bucket list. And being gluten free in my world is never an obstacle to a ‘must try’.
Originating pre-18th Century, Pastéis de Nata were first created by the Catholic monks of the Jerónimos Monastery in the parish of Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon. With large amounts of egg white used for starching clothes at the monastery, the yolks were left for baking… And with this came the creation of the Portuguese Custard Tart.
Following the liberal revolution in 1820 and the subsequent dissolution of religious orders, the monastery was closed in 1834 and the recipe was sold to the local sugar refinery… Thank goodness… Because this most delicious and iconic of tarts remains in our world.
The journey to achieving my gluten free Portuguese Custard Tarts
These tarts have been a while in the creation. As you know, I’m very pedantic. And when it comes to traditional, national recipes, I have to achieve a gluten free version that is as close, if not exactly the same as the real thing. And if that means months of testing, so be it. I never do ‘style over substance’ and I’m very very stubborn.
The pastry…
First and probably most important to making traditional Pastéis de Nata is the pastry. And achieving my ‘just like wheat’ Gluten Free Puff Pastry gave me the magic key to make this iconic patisserie…
To be clear… The characteristic shattering and crunch of flaky pastry in the mouth is critical to the authentic experience of eating each and every Portuguese Custard Tart. Substituting with either basic shortcrust pastry or packet gluten free puff pastry will NOT suffice. Shortcrust has completely the wrong, uniform texture. And packet gluten free puff pastry lacks the required consistency of crispness! I have no doubt that both common alternatives make a nice ‘custard tart’… But Pastéis de Nata it is not! So take the plunge on this one… And make a batch of Gluten Free Alchemist Puff Pastry. It’s honestly very easy and you’ll never look back.
The custard…
Then there’s the custard., which has a very particular flavour and provides a unique eating experience. It’s not something I’ve tasted anywhere other than in a Pastel de Nata! It’s rich and yellow, infused with the freshness of lemon and a hint of exotic cinnamon.
I’ll be honest… The pastry was the easy bit! I had a few fails with the custard texture, which tended to become grainy when baked. But after testing several methods used in authentic standard Portuguese Custard Tart recipes, I settled on a process which is not only the most simple, but the most reliable…
For flavour and richness, my recipe is a combination of ratios from many local Portuguese recipes, deglutened and rolled into one.
The photos in the post are from varying batches, tested, retested and baked for different times along the way… But all of them were phenomenal!
Ingredients to make Portuguese Custard Tarts
The ingredients needed to make Portuguese Custard Tarts are pretty simple… I’ve mentioned the PUFF pastry above… However, while I’ve included the recipe card at the bottom of the post (after the recipe for Pastéis de Nata), I advise heading over to my separate blog post for Gluten Free Puff Pastry for full information and tips.
For the custard, you need:
- Milk – Full fat for the creamiest texture.
- Corn Starch (UK standard Cornflour) – This helps to thicken the custard.
- Sugar – Golden caster is best for its caramel undertones, ease of dissolving and lightly yellow colour.
- Egg Yolks – I use UK large. Bear in mind that the yolks from different chickens vary in their depth of yellowness (both due to breed and what they have been fed). This in turn impacts the colour of the custard. Regardless, free-range eggs that are as fresh as possible are best!
- Cinnamon Stick – This is immersed in the custard as it cooks (removed after) to infuse a subtle sweetly-spiced flavour.
- Lemon Peel – Like the cinnamon, lemon peel is infused in the custard while cooking. Use a vegetable peeler (I use a Y peeler) to make long strips of peel that are easy to remove.
- Vanilla – While this is optional, vanilla adds a deliciously exotic depth of flavour to the custard. I use vanilla paste as it offers the best aromatics and intensity. However, this can be substituted for natural vanilla powder or liquid extract as preferred.
Making Pastéis de Nata gluten free and safe for Coeliacs
Deglutening Portuguese Custard Tarts to make them safe for people with Coeliac Disease (Celiac) required two basic recipe changes… a) Switching the standard wheat pastry for gluten free puff pastry and b) using cornflour (corn starch) in place of wheat flour. Other than this, the ingredients should be safe, provided the usual label checks are undertaken to confirm there is no hidden gluten or risk of cross-contamination.
Do I need a special tart tin to make this recipe?
No. Although you can get dedicated tins to make Pastéis de Nata, they are expensive to buy of a decent quality and are not necessary unless you plan to make them often. I use a standard 12-hole muffin tin, greased with butter.
Tips for making gluten free Portuguese Custard Tarts at home
While I may have found this recipe tricky to develop, it’s largely because I’m a perfectionist for texture and flavour… In reality, the recipe is pretty easy! Here are my top tips to achieve equal perfection:
Making and shaping the gluten free puff pastry dough
For all tips and advice on making the base pastry, head over to my separate dedicated post for Gluten Free Puff Pastry. Once the pastry is made:
- Follow the recipe card instructions to roll, cut and shape the pastry.
- The dough is rolled flat before being rolled up like a Swiss Roll into a sausage shape.
- Brush off excess flour before rolling up. Use the rolling pin to help lift and flip the pastry and brush the underside.
- Roll tightly and dampen the last edge so it sticks to the sausage and doesn’t unravel.
- Wrap and chill the pastry sausage to make it easier to cut accurately and preserve the lamination.
- Cut off the rough ends from the ‘sausage’ and keep them to patch up any thin bits or breaks in the pastry.
- Each Pastel de Nata uses around 22 grams of pastry. A little more is fine, but try to avoid less if possible. Divide the rolled pastry evenly by marking it with an indent before cutting. Then weigh the first cut slice to check sizing.
- Moulding the pastry into the tart tins is a knack. But you get the hang of it after a couple of goes.
- Use wet fingers to mould the pastry. It’s much like pottery classes at school!
- Place the pastry pieces in the tins spiral-side facing upwards.
- Start with a central dip… Then gently and patiently shape the pastry outwards and up the sides of the tin. Be careful not to press the top rim of the pastry case (work from the bottom) to maintain lamination.
- If the bases get thin or the side walls have a gap, don’t panic! Take a small piece of reserved pastry trimmings and with a damp finger, patch, press and smooth.
‘How to’ Photos
Making Pastéis de Nata custard
The method used for making the custard is straightforward and consistent. Top tips:
- Mix the cornflour (corn starch) with a little of the milk to make a smooth, loose paste before adding it to the pan.
- To prevent lumps from forming, gently stir the ingredients together in the pan both before and during cooking. For best results, use a hand-held balloon whisk for this. If the pan is non-stick, make sure the whisk is silicone-coated to avoid damage to the pan. We have one of these Zeal double-headed whisks and it’s brilliant!
- Cook the custard over a LOW heat and be patient! Stir gently but CONTINUOUSLY until the custard thickens to keep the custard smooth.
- Continue to stir the custard intermittently but frequently after removing from the heat… a) to prevent a skin forming and b) to help it cool more quickly. The custard can also be cooled faster by transferring from the hot pan to a room-temperature bowl or jug (still stirring!).
Filling and baking the tarts
- Chill the pastry cases before filling and baking to ensure the best puff.
- Make sure the custard is at room temperature before filling so the butter in the pastry dough doesn’t melt.
- Do not over-fill the pastry cases.
- Make sure the oven is fully preheated. Portuguese Custard Tarts are baked at a very high temperature. If your oven does not have a setting at the temperature stated, then use the highest it goes.
- For best results, cook the tarts without a fan.
- Bake until the pastry is puffed and the custard is developing darkened caramelised areas for the perfect finish and texture.
How to store Portuguese Custard Tarts
Pastéis de Nata can be eaten warm or cold and are best munched within 24 hours. Nonetheless, they can be stored in an airtight container at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days. Or for longer, pop in the fridge (but bear in mind that the cold will shrink the custard and it might crack). In reality, they will be eaten before then… Every batch I made was devoured before the end of the day!
They are not suitable for home freezing.
Ready to make gluten free Pastéis de Nata?
And thus my recipe for incredible gluten free Portuguese Custard Tarts is shared… The recipes for the tarts and for the pastry are just below. Enjoy lovely people…enjoy!
If anything doesn’t make sense or you have any other questions, just ask. Either leave a comment at the bottom, email me, or message via social media (Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest) and I’ll do my best to help.
Don’t forget to check out my Gluten Free Recipe Index too! There are hundreds of tried and tested recipes to choose from of every kind.
All shared with my love
The recipe for the pastry is included on a separate recipe card below the Portuguese Custard Tart recipe. However, if you haven’t made it before, I advise heading over to the specific post for Gluten Free Puff Pastry which provides additional advice.
Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pastéis de Nata)
Key equipment
- fridge
- 12 hole muffin tin or Pastel de Natal moulds
Ingredients
Puff Pastry – See separate recipe card below
- 300 g gluten free puff pastry
Custard
- 12 g corn starch UK cornflour
- 350 g whole milk (full fat milk)
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste (optional)
- 4 large egg yolks UK Large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 small lemon (peel only) peeled into a long strip
Instructions
Pastry stage 1
- Make the gluten free puff pastry and chill until ready to use.
- Cut a block of about 300g of pastry (just over half of a full batch of Gluten Free Alchemist Puff Pastry as given in the separate recipe card).
- If very hard, allow the pastry block to warm slightly at room temperature (so it is rollable), but do not knead or manipulate as this will destroy the lamination.
- Dust both the work surface and top of the pastry as necessary (to prevent sticking) and roll the pastry into a square about 20 cm x 20 cm (½ cm thick).
- After rolling, use a dry, clean pastry brush to remove any excess flour from the pastry (brush the top and then with the help of the rolling pin, turn the pastry over and brush the underside).
- Tightly roll the pastry (as you would a Swiss roll) into a long, spiralled sausage. To secure the spiral, very lightly wet the back edge and stick it to the pastry to complete the rolling process.
- Wrap and seal the pastry sausage with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Custard (make and allow to cool to room temperature before using to fill the tarts)
- Weigh the cornflour (starch) into a small bowl.
- Weigh the milk into a medium saucepan and then transfer a couple of spoons back to the cornflour bowl.
- Stir the milk and cornflour together until it forms a smooth, loose paste.
- Add the sugar, cornflour paste, vanilla, and egg yolks to the saucepan (still off the heat) and beat together with a hand-held (non-electric) whisk. NOTE: If the pan is non-stick, use a silicone-coated whisk.
- Lastly, add the cinnamon stick and lemon peel.
- Set the pan over a LOW heat and stir gently but CONTINUOUSLY with the whisk, until the custard thickens and just starts to bubble. Then remove from the heat immediately, but continue to stir for a couple of minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel using either tongs or a fork. Make sure ALL fragments of both are taken out of the pan.
- Transfer the custard to either a large jug or a bowl and continue to stir intermittently but frequently until the custard is cooled to room temperature. The act of stirring both helps to cool the custard quickly and (importantly) prevents a skin from forming.
Moulding the Tart Cases
- Lightly grease the holes of a standard muffin tin (or 12 Pastel de Nata tins) with butter.
- Take the pastry sausage out of the fridge and (while still cold and hard) cut off about 1 to 1¼ cm from each end. Set these two trimmed pieces aside to use for ‘patching’ if necessary.
- Cut the rest of the sausage into 12 equal-sized pieces (they should be approx 22g each) and place each one, spiral side facing up in a greased muffin tin hole.
- With a small dish of water close by, use damp fingers to mould the dough into the tin. Start by making a dip in the centre of the spiral and then gradually work the pastry outwards and up the sides of the tin, being very careful not to press or squash the top rim of the pastry case. This will maintain the lamination and puff.
- If any of the pastry case bases look very thin at the bottom or the case walls separate, use a small piece from the reserved pastry trimmings to patch, by joining and smoothing with a damp finger.
- Chill the unfilled cases for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 250 C (480 F) – NO fan. At the same time, place a large baking sheet in the oven (big enough for the muffin tin to sit on), also to preheat.
Filling and Baking the Custard Tarts
- When the custard is at room temperature (so as not to melt the butter in the pastry), spoon or pour it into the raw tart cases to about ¾ full.
- Make sure the oven is completely preheated and pop the tart tray into the oven on top of the preheated baking sheet. (Do this quickly so the oven doesn’t cool)
- Bake for 14 to 18 minutes until the pastry is puffed around the edges, crisp and dark golden and the custard is spotting with brown areas.
- Leave in the tray for about 10 minutes before gently easing the tarts from the tin. Use a small silicone spatula or flat knife to unstick any bubbled custard from the tin edge.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (Can also be eaten slightly warm).
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Gluten Free Puff Pastry (Rough Puff Method)
Key equipment
- fridge
- fork
- flat knife
- pastry blender optional
- cling film
Ingredients
Flour Blend (See NOTES at the bottom re alternative flour blend C)
- 55 g potato starch
- 60 g tapioca starch
- 35 g Mochiko Flour (also known as glutinous rice flour; sticky rice flour; Asian rice flour; sweet rice flour)
- 40 g sorghum flour (or alternative high protein (no nut) flour
- 35 g brown rice flour
Additional to base flour blend
- 1 tsp xanthan gum (4g) Or sub with guar gum (same amount – TESTED by GFA) or psyllium husk powder (twice the amount)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 50 g cold, cubed butter (to RUB in)
- 130 g cold, cubed (or finely sliced) butter (to ROLL & FOLD)
- 115-120 g very cold water (preferably iced)
Instructions
Combining the puff pastry ingredients
- In a large bowl, weigh and mix together all the flours, xanthan gum and salt.
- Measure the cold water and place it in the fridge to chill.
- Add the first (smaller amount) of COLD CUBED butter to the flour and rub together with fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles the texture of damp sand and the flour grains are evenly coated. TIP: To ensure the butter stays cold, use it straight from the fridge. If you have one, use a pastry blender (rather than warm fingers) to ‘rub’ it into the flour. OR wash hands in cold water first.
- Place the flour bowl in the fridge while you weigh and cut the remaining (larger quantity) of butter into cubes (about 1 to 2 cm).
- Add the butter cubes to the flour bowl and toss with a fork to separate and coat. PLACE THE BOWL IN THE FRIDGE for about 20 minutes OR in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. It is ESSENTIAL that the butter is hard and cold for the next stage.
- Add the cold water to the mixture a little at a time, using A FORK to toss it through so it absorbs into the flour. TIP: Using a fork helps to keep the butter cold and prevent it from melting.
- Continue to add the water until it is all absorbed. The flour should be starting to clump alongside the cubes of butter and all the flour will look damp (not wet).
- Important: If the weather or room is warm, or the butter cubes start to feel soft at any stage, place the bowl back in the fridge to chill and firm them again.
Compress the mixture into dough
- To bring the mixture together to form a dough, use your hands to gradually compress the flour and butter together. Do NOT knead. The action is simply one of pressing the ingredients until they stick. It may take a few minutes, but don’t be tempted to add more liquid and trust in the process. If the butter starts to feel like it’s becoming melty soft, pop the bowl back in the fridge for a few minutes.
- Once you have an uneven ball (it’s fine if there are some cracks), lay down a sheet of clingfilm on the work surface and place the ball in the centre. Gently but firmly squash and shape the dough until it forms a rough, fat rectangle shape.
- Tightly wrap the block of dough in the clingfilm. Then firmly roll a rolling pin over the block so that it smooths and becomes more evenly shaped. It should be marbled in appearance with distinct pieces of butter visible.
- ESSENTIAL: Place the wrapped block of puff pastry dough in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. This will help prevent the butter melting during the rolling-laminating process.
Rolling and laminating gluten free rough puff pastry – See NOTES at bottom for explanation
- If the pastry block has been in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes, it probably needs to sit at room temperature to soften VERY slightly. It needs to be soft enough to roll (with minimal cracking), but not too warm that the butter starts to melt.
- Roll the chilled dough block on a well-floured surface, as the butter will be particularly sticky. And add a dusting of flour on the top.
- Roll into a long rectangle about three times as long as it is wide and about 1 to 1½ cm thick. Check the pastry does not stick underneath and re-dust with flour as necessary. The strip of pastry will probably look a bit ragged at the edges, but that’s fine.
- With a DRY pastry brush, brush off any excess flour from the top.
- Lamination fold 1: Fold the top third of the pastry strip down over the central third.
- Brush off any excess flour from the dough.
- Fold the bottom third up over the top, so that there are now three equal layers of dough.
- Lamination fold 2: ROTATE the folded dough block by 90 degrees (a quarter turn) so that the 3 pastry layers are facing towards you.
- Roll the pastry forward again (do NOT roll width-ways) into another long rectangle 3 times as long as it is wide and brush off any excess flour.
- Repeat the letter-folding process – Top third down over the centre – Brush off excess flour – Bottom third up over the top.
- Now wrap the folded block in clingfilm and REFRIGERATE for 30 minutes. Do NOT be tempted to move on to the next stage of the lamination process without chilling the pastry.
Lamination fold 3 (& 4)
- For the best flakiness, I laminate my pastry dough 3 to 4 times in total. After 3 letter folds, I visually check (particularly at the edges) to see whether there are any thick clumps of butter remaining… If there are, I give a 4th roll. If in doubt (or there are very few visible streaks of butter left), STOP at 3 letter folds.
- Again… If the pastry has been chilled for more than 30 minutes, it may need to soften slightly at room temperature before the last rolling.
- When ready, unwrap the pastry block and place it on a well-floured surface with the LAYERS FACING TOWARDS YOU.
- Repeat the process of rolling the pastry into a long rectangle… brushing away the excess flour and (as previously) letter-folding one to two further times.
- Your Gluten Free Rough Puff Pastry is now ready to use. If using straight away, pop the pastry back in the fridge for 15 minutes to re-chill. Or wrap and store it in the fridge until you need it.
Using Gluten Free Rough Puff Pastry
- Gluten Free Rough Puff Pastry can be used in the same way as standard puff pastry. Take it from the fridge and leave it to stand for just a few minutes (IF it’s too cold and hard to roll easily)… Then simply use as instructed for the bake being made.
- IMPORTANT: With Puff and Rough Puff Pastry, it is essential that it is ONLY rolled as layers. Never squish the dough back together and re-roll as this will destroy the lamination and puff. If there are any offcuts, set them aside in a flat pile and roll them together as a continuation of the layering process. They can then be used as leftovers to make cinnamon spirals, cheese straws, etc.
Baking Gluten Free Puff Pastry
- For the most incredible light, flaky, crisp layers, follow two golden rules :– Chill the pastry creations before they go into the oven.– Aim to bake the pastry at around the 200 C (400 F) mark. (see next instruction)
- Pre-heat the oven to 220 C (425 F) and bake at that temperature for about 3 minutes before turning the oven down to 200 C.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Thank you and quick question! Do you reckon I can make these with goat products? Full fat goat milk and goat butter? And I would use almond flour for the pastry part.
Hi Stacy
I don’t see why not. Goat milk and goat butter are fine.
If making puff pastry specifically though, almond flour may be too heavy and too protein rich. If you do give it a try, let me know how you get on.
x
I didn’t think it was possible to find these in a GF version, due to my failed attempts of making puff pastry. But I googled and found your site. I’m eager to try the recipe. But one question about the custard: why milk and not cream? Is it common to use milk in Portugal, even if the name of the cakes means “pasties of cream”?
Hi Casper
So… When I developed my Pastéis de Nata recipe, I tested a lot of different custards and researched a lot of authentic Portuguese recipes. Some used whole milk and some used a combination of milk and cream. Actually, most of them seemed to used milk only. But my main issue was getting a consistent creamy texture on baking (some of the custards became quite grainy). In the end I settled on the specific ingredients and process listed both to ensure that less confident bakers could achieve a great and reliable custard tart that delivered on authentic flavour and texture, without excessive complexity. Nonetheless, if you want to make them with cream, you have the option to switch out a portion of the milk for cream (although I would still stick with a combination of cream + milk).
These Portuguese custard tarts look divine! The creamy filling and crisp pastry are making my mouth water. Thanks for sharing and for joining Fiesta Friday party! We hope to see you again.
Thank you Jhules. They are SO good. Even the pastry has the most perfect texture (wouldn’t be able to tell they’re GF). x
Thanks so much for your awesome post. We have featured your post at Full Plate Thursday, 681. I sure hope you will come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you so much Helen. And thanks for hosting x
These look so delicious! I love custard tarts. I just made something similar for Lunar New Years…delish!
Thank you Tammy. Me too! x