Pastéis de Nata in the Air Fryer
Crisp Portuguese puff pastry tarts with a soft, creamy filling of egg yolks, cream and vanilla. The high heat in the air fryer gives the characteristic dark spots you know from the bakeries in Lisbon.
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 12 Muffin pans Small metal tins that fit in the basket
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Vegetable peeler For the lemon peel
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Measuring cup For pouring the custard into the tins
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry About 275 g, cold from the fridge
Egg custard
5 pcs egg yolks
250 ml whipping cream
100 g sugar
1 tbsp cornflour E.g. Maizena
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 pcs cinnamon stick
1 pcs organic lemon Peel only, pared into strips
For serving
1 tsp ground cinnamon For dusting
1 tbsp icing sugar For dusting
Instructions
Preparation
- Shape a tight roll from 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry: unroll the sheet, then roll it up tightly from the short side, removing the baking paper as you go.
- Cut the roll into 12 slices, each about 2 cm thick, with a sharp knife.
- Place a slice in each muffin tin, with the spiral-shaped cut side facing up.
- Press the dough out with a wet thumb: start in the centre and push the dough up the sides until the base is about 2 mm thick and the edge reaches slightly above the tin. Put the tins in the fridge while you make the custard.
Egg custard
- Heat 250 ml whipping cream in a small saucepan with 1 pcs cinnamon stick and the peel from 1 pcs organic lemon until the cream steams. Take the pan off the heat and leave the cream to infuse for 5 minutes.
- Whisk 5 pcs egg yolks, 100 g sugar, 1 tbsp cornflour and 1 tsp vanilla sugar together in a bowl until the mixture is pale and smooth.
- Pour the warm cream through a sieve into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. The sieve catches the cinnamon stick and the lemon peel.
- Heat the custard again in the saucepan over a medium heat, whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes, until it thickens like a light pudding and just begins to bubble. Take the pan off the heat straight away.
- Leave the custard to cool for 5 minutes in a measuring jug, stirring it a couple of times so it does not form a skin.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Fill the cold, dough-lined tins about three-quarters full with the custard – it rises slightly during baking.
- Bake 6 tarts at a time in the basket at 200 °C for 14 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp and the custard has dark, caramelised spots. Do not shake the basket, but turn the tins half a turn with tongs after 7 minutes if your air fryer bakes unevenly. Bake the rest in the same way.
- Once you have lifted the tarts out of the basket with tongs, leave them to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Then loosen them from the tins and leave them to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes more.
Serving
- Dust with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tbsp icing sugar just before serving, and serve the tarts warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Tips for a perfect result:
Use small metal tins – they conduct heat better than silicone and give a crisp base. Press the dough out very thin at the bottom, otherwise it will go soft under the custard. The dark spots on top come from the high heat close to the heating element, so bake at 200 °C and no lower. If your air fryer can go higher than 200 °C, use the highest temperature and check the tarts after 11 minutes. Puff pastry – not shortcrust:
Pastéis de Nata are made with puff pastry that is rolled up and cut into slices. This gives the crisp, spiral-shaped layers in the base. Shortcrust pastry, like the kind used for jam tarts, gives a soft, cake-like shell. Variation:
Swap the cinnamon stick for a split vanilla pod, or use the peel from an orange instead of lemon. Serving:
Serve the tarts warm with cinnamon and icing sugar, as they do in Lisbon – ideally with an espresso or a cup of coffee with milk. They go just as well with your morning coffee as with brunch. Portion size:
The recipe makes 12 tarts, which is 3 per portion. A standard air fryer basket holds about 6 tins at a time, so bake in two batches. If you have a large air fryer or two baskets, you can bake all 12 at once. Leftover egg whites:
Keep the 5 egg whites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and use them for meringue or an omelette.
Use small metal tins – they conduct heat better than silicone and give a crisp base. Press the dough out very thin at the bottom, otherwise it will go soft under the custard. The dark spots on top come from the high heat close to the heating element, so bake at 200 °C and no lower. If your air fryer can go higher than 200 °C, use the highest temperature and check the tarts after 11 minutes. Puff pastry – not shortcrust:
Pastéis de Nata are made with puff pastry that is rolled up and cut into slices. This gives the crisp, spiral-shaped layers in the base. Shortcrust pastry, like the kind used for jam tarts, gives a soft, cake-like shell. Variation:
Swap the cinnamon stick for a split vanilla pod, or use the peel from an orange instead of lemon. Serving:
Serve the tarts warm with cinnamon and icing sugar, as they do in Lisbon – ideally with an espresso or a cup of coffee with milk. They go just as well with your morning coffee as with brunch. Portion size:
The recipe makes 12 tarts, which is 3 per portion. A standard air fryer basket holds about 6 tins at a time, so bake in two batches. If you have a large air fryer or two baskets, you can bake all 12 at once. Leftover egg whites:
Keep the 5 egg whites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and use them for meringue or an omelette.
Nutrition
Calories: 677kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 8gFat: 46gSaturated fat: 25gPolyunsaturated fat: 4gMonounsaturated fat: 15gTrans fat: 1gCholesterol: 328mgSodium: 309mgPotassium: 133mgFiber: 1gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 1300IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 1.7mgNet carbohydrates: 57g
