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
The inside came out mush is that how it should be?
Yes, it is very creamy and soft inside especially warm out of the oven. It thickens as it cools.
Hi! Can i use corn starch instead of flour?
I have not tried corn starch instead of flour so I can’t tell you for sure.
The recipe is easy – the batter was so liquid I was surprised that it even baked into a tart. They really are milk tarts! Although I needed to bake it longer than the recipe stated they came out well. I found using silicon cupcake moulds helped a lot when getting them ready to serve.
Can these be baked in silicone muffin cups? Should the milk or eggs be room temperature before you mix it in?
I would not recommend baking them in silicone. The edges should be crispy. The temperature of the milk or eggs do not matter according to my mother.
Love how they came out!!! I didnt sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top cos there was already too much sugar in the batter and family is cutting down on sugar but it tastes amazing!!! Family loved it
They look great and simple to make. I must try them out.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! My husband is Portuguese and I love trying Portuguese Recipes to make him feel more “at home”. It was easy to follow and it is an excellent alternative for a “quick” dessert.
Do you think (or have you tried) replacing 1 3/4 of the milk with Rum Chata might change the consistency?
Thanks!
Haven’t tried it but sounds amazing!!!!
Can this recipe be made with 2% or 1% milk instead of whole milk?
My mother always stresses that it has to be whole milk. I am not sure if it’s for taste or consistency. If you try it please let me know.
Suzana,
Did you try the 2%?
I just made these today! The only thing I noticed was that the butter started to clump a little after I added the cold milk so I think next time I would warm the milk slightly so the butter doesn’t solidify.. it still came out great! Also, I used 2% milk as that’s all I had (I called my mom to confirm that it was ok and she said yes LOL) and they came out great! You can definitely try this with 2% if it’s what you have in hand.
Thanks for the update, Sara. I haven’t tried the recipe yet.
I’ve used both 2% and 1% and they are still delicious.
Thank you very much. Your recipe is excellent 🙂 I made sure they were cool before I put them in a container, but my tarts became very soggy the following day. Any suggestions??
How did you store them? They are best the same day.
Hi Melinda
I was wondering if I could make these with less sugar. We are trying to cut down on our sugar intake.
You can try but I’m not sure if they will hold up. Let me know if they do please.
Hi Melinda, I made these with half the sugar and low fat milk and they were fabulous. Just set with crispy edges. Will definitely be making these again.
Didn’t last till they cooled, got gobbled down while they were hot 😁
Thanks for sharing Lyn!
Can this recipe be made with buttermilk in place of whole milk?
I would not recommend that. 🙁
These are sooooo good! Thank you for sharing! I discovered the hard way that these tarts release from the pan MUCH easier if they’re well browned around the edges.
Good day, just wondering can I prepare the batter ahead of time before dinner and bake after dinner? Can I store the batter overnight? Thanks
Yes you can but the cooking time will vary depending on the temperature of the batter. Give the batter a good stir and let it sit out for 20 mins to bring it to room temp.
I used 1.5 cups of sugar and .5 cups of stevia. It was really sweet. I’m a dummy when it comes to cooking anything. I had a hard time getting it out in 1 piece out of the muffin tin. Have you tried making it with less milk and less sugar?
I made these with wheat flour and baked in a silicone muffin tin. The 1st time i followed the recipe and they were a tad runny. The 2nd time I did 1/2 c less milk and they turned out perfect. Edges weren’t as crisp as a metal tin but equally as delicious.
Any way these could be made with vegan butter and cashew milk? I can’t imagine they’d fair well if tried non dairy.
I’ve never tried a non dairy version if these so I can’t say how they would turn out. The milk is a pretty big part of this recipe so I hesitate to say they would work without trying it myself.
Hi, could I use Condensed milk and maybe cut down on the Sugar? How much sugar would I then use?
I have not tried it with condensed milk so I cannot give you an answer with certainty.
How many tarts does this recipe make?
24 of them
So good! Very simple recipe but surprisingly delicious!
I used cane sugar. I’d probably reduce the entire sugar by 1/2” cup next time. Recommend!
Turned out perfectly! Delicious warm or cooled!! My 15 month old loved these
What kind of flour is used for this? Self rising flour or all purpose flour?
All purpose flour
i followed this recipe exactly and they’re awesome. sooo creamy and delicious!! they’re very easy to make and the recipe makes a lot of tarts. cut recipe in half if you only need a small amount. thank you so much.
This was easy and delicious!
I made a half recipe and they were very tasty! they remind me of a classic Southern chess pie without a pie crust. it was a bit of a challenge getting them out of the pan, but worth it. Since the batter is so liquid, I don’t suppose you could use a spray on the pan to get them to release easier?
When you remove them from the oven, you should use a butter knife to loosen the sides. Let them cool for a few minutes. They should still be very warm when removing. That is key. Do not let them cool too long in the pan.
Good afternoon
I’m from Cape Town , south africa…
Just tried your milk tart recipes and it came
Out delicious… thank you very much!
That’s great Ruth! Cape Town is such a beautiful place!
Mine came out flat, why do you think?
Karie can you explain what you mean by flat, so I can figure out how to help. They do not rise. They are a custard type of dessert.
These are amazing!!!
Made the first batch as written, they went over very well. Great replacement for the shortcake if you’re having strawberry shortcake.
Second time I made a half batch with 2 teaspoons rootbeer extract for my friend’s birthday, and now they’re begging for more!
I love this recipe, it’s going to be a staple dessert from now on.
While they tasted ok. They burned in 20 minutes. I think next time I’ll set the oven to 350 instead.
Is there a substitute for egg? I’m a vegetarian and I don’t eat egg. I’d like to know what I can replace the egg with.
I’m not familiar with egg substitute. What do you normally sub out for egg?
Easy and delicious!!! Thanks
Hi there, can we substitute the butter with oil or margarine?
You can use margarine but I’m not sure about oil.
So I used oil instead and it came out perfect
Hi, could I use paper muffin cups instead?
You cannot bake them directly in the paper muffin cups. Silicone cups may work.