Portuguese Milk Tarts {Queijadas de Leite}
Portuguese Milk Tarts, Queijadas de Leite, are a sweet, creamy, traditional Portuguese dessert recipe made with simple ingredients.
With the holidays quickly approaching I wanted to share a traditional Portuguese dessert that you’ll find at every family gathering. Queijadas de Leite, or Portuguese Milk Tarts. These sweet treats are made with a few simple ingredients, eggs, milk, butter, flour and sugar, and they bake up into creamy little tarts that practically melt in your mouth.
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What are Queijadas de Leite?
Queijadas de Leite translates to “Milk Tarts” and they are a traditional Portuguese dessert that you will find at every celebration. Portuguese Milk Tarts are made with milk, eggs, butter, flour, and a little cinnamon sugar for flavor. That’s it. Super simple, and totally delicious.
How to Make Portuguese Milk Tarts {Queijadas de Leite}
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine sugar and flour.
- Whisk in beaten eggs, then add melted butter, continuing to whisk, and then milk.
- Pour mixture into a greased muffin tin, filling each cup to a little more than ¾ full.
- Bake on the center rack for 30 mins or until sides and top are golden.
- Remove the tarts from muffin tin while hot by running a knife around the sides and lifting them out.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Can Queijadas de Leite Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes! Since Portuguese Milk Tarts are served at room temperature they can be made 1 day ahead. Once you have made them let them cool completely then place in an airtight container and store in a cool place. Before serving take them out and let them come to room temperature. TIP: Place your Queijadas de Leite in cupcake liners after they have baked and cooled. That makes it easier to move them around.
As the Queijadas de Leite bake in the muffin tin the outer edges crisp up and form a crust. The inside is this sweet, soft filling that melts in your mouth. Add a little sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top and you have a classic Portuguese dessert that is sure to impress your friends and family.
Want more Portuguese dessert recipes?
- Arroz Doce – Portuguese Rice Pudding
- Bolo de Bolacha – Portuguese Biscuit Cake
- Salame de Chocolate – Chocolate Salami
PORTUGUESE MILK TARTS {QUEIJADAS DE LEITE}
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Portuguese Milk Tarts {Queijadas de Leite}
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Flour
- 4 Eggs, beaten
- ½ cup Butter, melted
- 3 ¾ cups Whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine 2 cups of sugar and flour.
- Whisk in beaten eggs, then add melted butter, continuing to whisk, and then milk.
- Pour mixture into greased muffin tin, filling them to a little more than ¾ full.
- Bake on center rack for 30 mins or until sides and top are golden.
- Remove the tarts from muffin tin while hot by running a sharp knife around the sides and lifting them out.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the tarts as a topping.
- Serve the same day or store in cool place until ready to serve. Can be made 1 day ahead and served at room temperature.
Nutrition
We have these at every family gathering!
Be prepared, the default recipe makes about 36 of these.
Kate, I am not sure how you made 36 cups with this recipe. I have been making this for years and it always makes 24. Maybe your cupcake pans are smaller? Or you are filling it halfway.
I’m with Kate. I filled 3/4 full, some more… And it made about 36. I used the silicone cupcake liners which are a little larger than paper ones. Turned out really well.
Can you line the pan with cupcake liners before baking?
No, the edges get crisp and I think the liner would prevent that from happening. The liners are only for the ease of serving them.
They fall apart when they’re hot taking them out of the tin…need to set!
They should not fall apart. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Very delicious. Can I use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
I called my mom for an expert opinion. She says, you can but they will be less dense and not taste as flavorful.
Can you tell me a little about the history of this dish?
I am unaware of any history. They are traditional Portuguese pastries that you find in Portugal and American Portuguese gatherings. I assume they are made often because they are so easy to make with staple ingredients, and delicious 🙂
Hi, do you have any special tips for making this recipe?
Just transfer them out of the muffin tin within a few minutes or they will stick to the pan. Do not use cupcake liners to bake them in. Liners are only used to serve them if you like.
What is the history of this recipe?
I am unaware of any history. They are traditional Portuguese pastries that you find in Portugal and American Portuguese gatherings. I assume they are made often because they are so easy to make with staple ingredients, and delicious 🙂 I will ask some of the older generations to see if they know of any history behind them.
I really wanted to make these but needed them to be gluten-free, so I used 1 cup of gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill), added 1/4 tsp xantham gum, put in 5 eggs instead of 4, and let the batter rest at room temp for 15 minutes before putting into the muffin tins. Just a note in case anyone else ever makes these for a gluten-free audience. They turned out great!
That’s so good to know. Thank you for sharing your results and how you did it!
I’m very excited to try out this gluten free version! Just curious if you had to adjust the bake time at all?
Thanks!!
These were easy to make and very yummy. Everyone who tasted them really liked them. They are best just cooled after baking but also good the next day, warmed to room temperature or straight from the fridge. Will definitely make them again. I added a bit of vanilla to the batter and it was great.
Can i use regular milk instead of whole milk?
What is regular milk? The more fat that is in the milk the tastier they will be. I wouldn’t go below 2% milk.
Can these be frozen?
I have never tried but I don’t think it would work well because these are best when they are crisp.
Made these yesterday and they were delicious. I did add a little splash of vanilla to the batter. Thank you for the recipe.
Melinda, question for you. My former brother in law’s Portuguese mother used to make a meal of roasted chicken and potatoes in a red sauce. I believe one of the ingredients was chili sauce or something along those lines. I was wondering if you know of this recipe and can maybe share it? I’d love to make it again.
Did it have tomatoes in it? The chili sauce is called piri piri and it’s amazing on everything!
I made them in muffin tins not cupcake tins so they were a little bit bigger, i baked them an additional 5 minutes.
They are delicious!!!
They are soooooo, easy to make, wow.
Wanted to try this recipe for two of us so I divided it by 4 and made 6 tarts. Next time I’ll make 12. We both loved them. They were so quick and easy and came out perfect in the 30 minutes.
Thanks for sharing.
Ellie Cabral
I’m very interested in trying this recipe….quick question ….do you use unsalted butter or salted butter ???
thank you….:)
Unsalted butter
Thank you so much !!! 😊😊😊
Good day
Did you use plan (all purpose)or self rising flour?
I always use all purpose flour for this recipe.
Hello first time making this. After adding the 3 3/4 cup milk it became liquidy. Is that how it’s suppose to be?
Yes, it is a very liquidy mixture.
I made these yesterday. Taste good. But the edges got bunt because I kept having to extend the baking time (50+ minutes total) since the center would not bake fully. Next time I’ll add more flour and see if that helps it and maybe an extra egg and some vanilla for richer flavor. Will go a little easy on the sugar too.
What do you think?
Delicious!! Relatively easy to make. I added a little vanilla extract and cinnamon to my batter. Cooked about 34 minutes. This is definitely going to become a rotation dessert in my house.
What a wonderful and easy recipe! I made them an hour ago and they turned out perfectly delicious. Your Portuguese milk tarts will definitely become a staple at our house. Thank you!
These were so yummy! I filled the muffin cups 3/4 of the way as the recipe said. However, I had a ton of leftover mixture. So, I made around 3 dozen. I would love any tips for getting them out of the muffin cup easier. They tended to stick a lot even after slipping a knife around the edges.
You can use muffin liners to help with getting them out of the muffin tins.
I made these but I only added one cup of sugar still really sweet but tasted good
Hi!! I would really love to try this recipe as I love milk! But could anyone help me how to trim down the measurement of the following just for me to make 12 cups or servings? 24 is just too much for my family! Thank you so much ❤️
You can cut the ingredients by half. I have done it and it works as well.
These sound great, I was wondering if you could use coconut milk and vegan butter? My little one is allergic to dairy.
Thanks!
I’m not sure if coconut milk or vegan butter will work. Please let me know if you try it. I would like to add that to the post for people with allergies.
Amazing!
Turned out perfectly 1st time. But tried again in silcone pan and didnt lift out as easily.
Made 30
Anita, Did you say they didn’t turn out using a silicone liner? If so, why?
Thanks!
Miranda
These tarts should have a crispy outer edge. I don’t think silicone allows for that.
Very delicious will definitely make again
These are so good. Very easy to make. These will be a staple dessert in our house. Can’t wait to make them for friends. They will be good to bring to party’s.
I give these 5 start for sure.
Holy moly, these are sooooo good, hot out the oven, I just baked them. I made a half batch and added 1/4 tsp. vanilla. I appreciate the post, thank you. Reminds me of tapioca custard inside without the tapioca. Definitely a keeper here. ❤️
Hi These sound delicious. They are very similar to what we call in Kentucky a chess or buttermilk pie. It is fascinating to see how different cultures are related through food in the United States and around the world.
I couldn’t agree more! I’m southern and Melinda is Portuguese and I find the similarities so interesting!
Should they be fluffy in the middle? Mine seem cooked but like it could cook more. The outside is just right though
No this tart is not fluffy at all. The middle will actually sink as it cools with crispy edges.