In Sintra, just outside Lisbon, people have been baking queijadas for several hundred years: small, round cakes with a paper-thin, crisp shell and a dense filling of fresh cheese, egg, sugar and cinnamon. My queijadas build on the same idea, but they are baked in the air fryer, where small silicone moulds fit right into the basket.
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The Portuguese fresh cheese requeijão is hard to find in Denmark, so I use drained ricotta instead. The result is a small cake that is neither a cheesecake nor a tart, but something in between: crisp at the edge, dense and creamy in the middle, with a lightly golden top. The recipe makes 12 small queijadas, so there is plenty for everyone around the coffee table.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love queijadas in the air fryer
Queijadas are small, but they demand precise heat: the shell has to turn crisp before the filling has a chance to dry out. That is exactly where the air fryer shines. The circulating hot air surrounds the small moulds, so the thin dough bakes crisp all the way round, while the cheese filling sets at a gentle pace. I avoid heating up a big oven for a dozen small cakes, and it is easy to pull out the basket and check on the tops along the way.
Queijadas or pastéis de nata?
Many people mix up the two Portuguese classics, but they are very different. Pastéis de nata have a soft egg custard in puff pastry and are baked until the top gets dark, caramelised spots. Queijadas, by contrast, have a cheese filling in a thin, crisp dough of flour, water and butter, and the filling should only take on a light golden colour.
My kitchen test of queijadas
I tested the queijadas in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has one basket with heating elements both above and below. At 170 °C for 16 minutes per batch, the edge of the dough got a crisp crown, and the heat from below gave the shell a firm, crisp base, so it did not go soft under the filling. The filling set dense and got a lightly golden top. With 6 moulds in the basket at a time, I bake the 12 in two batches, while a large air fryer can handle them all at once.
The whole recipe takes 97 minutes, but a large part of that is waiting time: 35 minutes of preparation, 30 minutes of resting time for the dough and 32 minutes in the air fryer, split into two batches of 16 minutes each. My most important tip from the test is to check on the cakes after 10 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, I turn the temperature down to 160 °C for the rest of the time.
Let the edge of the dough stand a little above the mould in small folds. In the air fryer it turns into the crisp, golden crown that queijadas are known for.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is skipping the draining of the cheese. Ricotta contains a good deal of whey, and if it stays in the cheese, the filling ends up wet and never really sets. Place the cheese in a sieve lined with kitchen paper for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight in the fridge, and press it lightly at the end. The second mistake is a dough that is too thick. Queijadas need a paper-thin shell, so give the dough its resting time until it relaxes, and then roll it out to about 1 mm. You should almost be able to see the table through it. The third mistake is shaking the basket, as you would otherwise do with fries. The filling is liquid until it has set, so leave the basket alone, and let the cakes cool in the moulds for 10 minutes before you take them out.
How to serve queijadas
Queijadas taste best warm or at room temperature, and the filling is at its firmest once they have cooled completely. Here are my suggestions:
- For afternoon coffee, with a strong espresso
- With a light sprinkle of cinnamon just before serving
- With the finely grated zest of half an organic lemon in the filling for a fresh lift
- On the cake table alongside pastéis de nata, so your guests can taste the difference
- With fresh berries on the side as a light dessert
Storage and reheating
Queijadas can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The shell becomes a little softer in the fridge, but it regains its crispness when you reheat the cakes in the air fryer at 160 °C for 3-5 minutes. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, and then reheat them in the same way.
Queijadas are a little piece of Sintra that you can bake in your own kitchen: crisp little cakes with a dense, golden filling and a good excuse to put the coffee on.
FAQ
Queijadas have a dense filling of fresh cheese, egg, sugar and cinnamon in a thin, crisp dough of flour, water and butter. Pastéis de nata, by contrast, have a soft egg custard in puff pastry.
Ricotta contains whey, which makes the filling wet so that it does not set properly. Let the cheese drain in a sieve with kitchen paper for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight in the fridge.
Yes, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, and reheat them in the air fryer at 160 °C for 3-5 minutes.
Recipe
Queijadas in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 12 Muffin pans - Silicone, approx. 7 cm in diameter
- 1 Sieve - Fine-mesh
- 1 Paper towel
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Round cutter - Approx. 12 cm – or a small saucer as a template
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Cooling rack
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Place 250 g ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve lined with kitchen paper, and set the sieve over a bowl. Let the cheese drain for at least 30 minutes – preferably overnight in the fridge – and press it lightly with a spoon at the end so the last of the whey runs off. The cheese needs to be well drained, otherwise the filling will be wet.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. This lets the dough relax and makes it easier to roll paper-thin.
- Pour the whey out of the bowl, and put the drained ricotta in the bowl. Whisk it together with 125 g sugar until the mixture is smooth. Beat in 2 eggs one at a time, and finally stir in 2 tbsp flour and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. The filling should be thick and creamy.
Shaping
- Grease 12 silicone muffin moulds thinly with 10 g butter (softened).
- Roll the dough out on a work surface dusted with 2 tbsp flour – as thinly as possible, preferably about 1 mm, so you can almost see the work surface through the dough. Cut out 12 rounds of about 12 cm with a round cutter, or cut around a small saucer. Gather the trimmings and roll them out again if you need more rounds.
- Line the moulds with the dough rounds, and press the dough firmly into the bottom and sides. Let the edge stand a little above the mould in small folds – it becomes the crisp crown that queijadas are known for.
- Fill the moulds about three quarters full with the cheese filling, about 2 tbsp in each. The filling rises slightly during baking and sinks again as it cools.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 170 °C fan.
- Place 6 moulds in the basket in a single layer, and bake the queijadas at 170 °C for 16 minutes, until the filling has set and is firm and lightly golden on top, and the pastry edge is crisp. Don’t shake the basket – the filling is liquid until it has set. Check on them after 10 minutes; if the top browns too quickly, turn the temperature down to 160 °C for the rest of the time.
- Let the queijadas cool in the moulds for 10 minutes so the filling sets completely. Then carefully remove them and let them cool further on a wire rack.
- Bake the last 6 queijadas in the same way at 170 °C for 16 minutes.
Serving
- Serve the queijadas warm or at room temperature with coffee. The filling is at its firmest and easiest to eat once they have cooled completely.
Our notes for the recipe
Drain the ricotta thoroughly – preferably overnight in the fridge. Wet cheese gives a watery filling that does not set properly. Roll the dough out as thinly as you possibly can; the thinner it is, the crisper the shell will be in the air fryer. About queijadas:
These queijadas are inspired by the ones from Sintra in Portugal, where the filling is made with fresh cheese such as requeijão. Drained ricotta is the easiest substitute outside Portugal. Where pastéis de nata have an egg custard in puff pastry, queijadas have a dense cheese filling in a thin, crisp pastry shell. Variation:
Add the finely grated zest of half an organic lemon to the filling for a fresh lift, or sprinkle with a little cinnamon just before serving. Serving:
The recipe makes 12 small queijadas – 3 per serving. Serve them warm or at room temperature with coffee. Portion size:
Most air fryers have room for 6 moulds at a time, so bake in two batches. If you have a large air fryer, you can bake all 12 at once.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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