Egg custard tart in crisp puff pastry, dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar, eaten fresh from the oven at Porto shops such as Manteigaria and Castro.

The pastel de nata grew out of the pastéis de Belém, created before the 18th century by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. After the monastery closed in 1834 the recipe went to a nearby sugar refinery, whose owners opened the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém in 1837. In Porto, Manteigaria has shops at Bolhão, Clérigos, Santa Catarina and Largo São Domingos, Castro runs an atelier, and Fábrica da Nata and Nata Lisboa also have shops.

Where to eat Pastel de Nata in Porto

4 editor picks for Pastel de Nata in Porto, ranked by editorial score. All Porto signature dishes · Pastel de Nata across every city.

  • Manteigaria

    • ★ 4.6

    Order Pastel de nata

    Manteigaria, at Rua de Alexandre Braga 24 in Porto, is a pastel de nata factory where the pastéis de nata are made fresh, in full view of everyone.

    DetailsDirections

  • Castro Atelier de Pasteis de Nata

    • ★ 4.3

    Order Pastel de nata, with a light and crisp pastry and a lightly sweet filling with citrus notes.

    Castro Atelier de Pasteis de Nata, at Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira 61, 4050-420 Porto, lets you taste pastéis de nata as you follow their artisanal making.

    DetailsDirections

  • Fabrica da Nata

    • ★ 4.2

    Order Pastel de nata

    Fabrica da Nata on Rua de Santa Catarina in Porto bakes its pastéis de nata daily in full view of guests, from 08:00 to 22:00, sold singly or in boxes of six.

    DetailsDirections

  • Nata Lisboa

    • ★ 3.8

    Order Pastel de Nata

    Nata Lisboa is a bakery at Rua de Santa Catarina 506, 4000-452 Porto, part of the NATA Lisboa chain of pastel de nata coffee shops, with a NATA&GO takeaway.

    DetailsDirections

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Make it at home

Serves 122 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry, 320g
  • 500ml whole milk
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Zest of 1 lemon, in long strips
  • 1 vanilla pod, split (or 1 tsp vanilla paste)
  • 60g plain flour
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 150ml water
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • Ground cinnamon and icing sugar, to finish

Method

  1. Unroll the puff pastry. Roll up tightly into a tight log along the long edge. Cut into 12 equal discs.
  2. With a thumb dipped in water, press each disc into a 12-hole metal cupcake tin, working the pastry up the sides above the rim. Refrigerate while you make the custard.
  3. Warm milk with cinnamon stick, lemon zest, and vanilla in a pan over low heat for 5 minutes. Strain.
  4. Whisk flour with a splash of the warm milk into a smooth slurry, then whisk back into the rest of the warm milk. Cook gently 4 minutes until the texture thickens to a custard base.
  5. In a separate pan, dissolve sugar in water and boil hard for 4 minutes until you have a clear syrup (110C on a sugar thermometer).
  6. Pour the hot syrup into the milk mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly.
  7. Whisk yolks and salt in a bowl. Pour the warm milk-syrup over the yolks while whisking. Strain.
  8. Heat oven to its maximum, ideally 280C. Pour custard into the pastry shells to 90 percent full. Bake 9 to 12 minutes until the tops have black scorched bubbles. Cool 5 minutes, dust with cinnamon and icing sugar. Eat warm.

Editor tip. The oven must hit at least 250C for the proper scorch top; if your oven caps at 220C, switch to grill mode for the last 90 seconds to get the dark bubble pattern.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg.