Air Fryer Recipe
Portuguese Custard Tarts
Portuguese custard tarts, or Pastéis de Nata, are a delightful treat with a creamy filling and flaky pastry, perfect for air frying.
Ingredients
- 250g ready-rolled puff pastry
- 6 large egg yolks
- 200g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 300ml whole milk
- 150ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter, for greasing
Method
- Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, add cinnamon stick and lemon zest, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, flour, and a splash of milk to form a paste.
- Heat remaining milk until warm, then whisk into egg yolk mixture.
- Remove cinnamon stick from syrup, incorporate syrup into egg yolk mixture.
- Cook mixture over low heat until thickened, stir in vanilla extract, set aside to cool.
- Roll puff pastry into a log, slice into 2 cm sections, grease muffin tin, press pastry slices into tin to form cups.
- Preheat air fryer to 180°C (356°F), fill pastry cups with custard mixture.
- Air fry for 15 minutes until custard is set and pastry is crisp.
- Allow tarts to cool slightly before removing from tin.
Why this works in an air fryer
The air fryer’s fast convection dries and crisps the exposed puff pastry while the muffin tin shields the sides enough for butter layers to lift rather than slump. A flour-thickened yolk custard sets gently; the sugar syrup raises the setting temperature, helping give a glossy, slightly blistered top without scrambling.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket that fits a 6-hole metal muffin tin or silicone cups with air space around them; in a single-drawer model cook one tin centred and rotate at 10 minutes, while dual-zone drawers usually run less aggressively, so cook smaller batches and expect 2–4 minutes longer.
Common pitfalls
- Custard looks grainy or split before filling? The syrup or milk was added too hot, or the pan heat was too fierce; strain it through a sieve and keep the thickening stage below a simmer next time.
- Pastry bottoms are pale and soft after 15 minutes? The tin is blocking heat from below or the cups are overfilled; cook 3–5 minutes longer at 180°C, and fill only to just below the pastry rim.
- Tops are browned but custard still wobbles like liquid in the centre? The air fryer is running hot at the surface; drop to 160°C and cook another 4–6 minutes so the centre can set without scorching.
- Pastry cups shrink down the tin sides? The pastry was warm or stretched while pressing; chill the formed cups for 10 minutes before filling and press from the centre outwards rather than pulling the edges up.
Variations & substitutions
- Use orange zest instead of lemon for a rounder, sweeter citrus note; it will not change timing but can make the custard taste less sharp.
- Swap the cinnamon stick for a strip of vanilla pod or a pinch of ground nutmeg; ground spices darken the custard slightly and can make browning appear faster than it is.
- Use all-butter puff pastry if available; it browns more deeply and may need checking 2 minutes earlier because butter solids colour quickly in an air fryer.
- Make mini tarts in a mini muffin tin by using thinner pastry slices and less filling; start checking at 9–10 minutes as the custard sets much faster.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooled tarts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 160°C for 4–6 minutes to re-crisp the pastry without overcooking the custard.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
