Pastel de nata

A small Portuguese tart with a flaky pastry shell and a creamy egg custard filling, baked until the top is blistered and caramelized.

Pastel de nata: Portuguese custard tarts with blistered caramelized tops and flaky pastry shells, dusted with cinnamon
  • Cakes, cookies, pastries and baked goods
  • Portugal

Also called: pastel de Belém, pastéis de Belém, pastéis de nata

The tarts are linked to the monks of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon, who sold them before the monastery closed in the 1830s. Thin, rolled spiral pastry is pressed into small tins and filled with a custard of egg yolks, milk or cream, sugar, lemon peel and cinnamon.

They bake in a very hot oven, which puffs the pastry and scorches dark spots on top. They are best eaten warm on the day they are baked, often with a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Pastel de Nata, Visit Lisboa (Lisbon tourism board)