Old Fashioned Egg Custard Tarts
Old Fashioned Egg Custard Tarts (or egg custards) are a classic British pastry that are simply a homemade, flaky pastry filled with egg, custard, a sprinkling of nutmeg and then baked.
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A wonderful home baked treat that is a great use for any eggs that may be expiring, eggs you just need to use up or your eggs came home broken from grocery shopping.
Interestingly, I recently learned that these tarts are also popular in China and Portugal. There is an age old debate as to who invented them first. But being British, of course, I like to say the Brits came up with this delicious treat because they’ve been around since the medieval times and that’s good enough for me!
Different Custard Types
Custard comes in two types: baked and stirred. Baked custards turn out firmer than stirred ones. You bake them in the oven, and heat sets them. Common baked custards include crème caramel (flan), crème brûlée, cheesecake, bread pudding, pot de crème, quiche, and savory flans.
Stirred custards, such as the one I use in Rhubarb and Custard Spring Orange Custard and Hot English Custard Over Frozen Berries are typically soft and most often have a pourable consistency; however, depending on the ingredients used, they can also be quite thick (tart filling). Once made, stirred custards are also often combined with other ingredients to form a variety of other desserts.
All custards contain the same basic ingredients: eggs and/or egg yolks, a liquid and flavorings. Depending on the type of custard, some may also require a starch.
Over time, bakeries and grocery stores across the UK have made them a popular grab-and-go dessert.
This recipe is a traditional, family recipe from my childhood in England when my mum would make a Sunday afternoon tea of finger sandwiches and these must-have pastries.
Vanilla in Custard
Custard flavors can be customized by adding citrus or extract. Vanilla being the most popular flavor to add to custards, you will see that I list it as optional in the recipe as I don’t normally add it to this recipe as the nutmeg is the dominant flavor. You can add vanilla if you like.
Custard is a very popular dessert in the British isles and not only comes in the form of tarts. But, it is also served as a hot sauce called ‘English Custard’ which is served over sweet pies, puddings and another classic, Rhubarb and Custard.
A popular modern way is to serve the baked custard in small ramekins without the pastry. This modern twist is popular and easy. It’s also the perfect low-carb or keto-friendly treat.
I choose to make these in individual sizes because I love the crust edge. But this recipe is customizable because you can also make it into a larger 9-inch (23 cm) tart. Bake at 400°F/200°C for 20 minutes then turn the oven down to 350°F/176°C. If you see it browning too soon, turn the heat down.
The mini tart pans/molds that I used are fluted. This gives them a pretty presentation and measure 2 ¾-inch (7cm) wide by ¾-inch (2cm) high. Note: If your molds are deeper than the ones specified, you may run out of filling. This recipe yields exactly enough for the suggested size.
How Long Do Custard Tarts Keep?
They will keep up to 3 days refrigerated in a sealed container.
Can you Freeze Custard Tarts?
You can freeze them, individually wrapped. The custard may separate and the moisture may make the pastry a little soggy.
Old Fashioned Egg Custard Tarts
Video
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) all-purpose/plain flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 (120 grams) tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
For the custard:
- 1 ½ cups (350 ml) whole/full fat milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (45 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
Make the pastry:
- To a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and butter. Rub the butter between your fingers, incorporating the dough until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, egg and 2 teaspoons water. Mix until the dough comes together and holds together, you may need a little more water. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
Make the custard:
- Add the milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Just heat until it starts to lightly simmer, do not boil. Turn off the heat.
- To a mixing bowl, vigorously whisk (or use a hand blender) the egg yolks and sugar until pale and bubbly. Remove the milk from the heat and very slowly drizzle into the egg yolks while whisking. Whisk in the vanilla if using. Transfer the mix to a container with a spout.
- Rub softened butter inside 12, 2 ¾-inch (7cm) fluted tart molds and place onto a large baking sheet.
- When the dough is chilled, roll out to a thickness of ⅛ inch (3mm) on a floured surface. Use a round, fluted cookie cutter and cut circles. Place each circle in the molds and press to fit. Carefully fill each tart shell with the custard and add a light sprinkling of grated nutmeg over each.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350°F/180°C for further 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them the first 10 minutes. You will see the filling start to rise, if it starts to rise up too much, turn down the heat. If not, they will rise too much and the custard will deflate and sink when cooled.
If baking 1 large tart:
- Bake at 400°F/200°C for 20 minutes then turn the oven down to 350°F/176°C (if you see it browning too soon, turn it down sooner) then bake for a further 10 minutes until the pasty is browned and the custard is set but will still have a slight wobble in the center. This will firm when it is cool. Times are estimated and will depend on your oven.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
Could i use puff pastry for the cases?
You can use puff pastry for the tarts, but I have not tried it so I can’t advise on the oven temperature or baking time.
As a Brit living in the U.S., I’ve often found myself thinking about the wonderful custard tarts I loved as a child. I’ve tried so many recipes over the years hoping to recreate that memory, but nothing ever quite matched it — until now.
One bite instantly took me home. The flavor was exactly as I remembered — comforting, nostalgic, and simply perfect. This recipe is now my forever go-to. Thank you for bringing back such a beautiful memory!
Oh Rosemarie, this has made my day! I love when my food makes people happy. Thank you for the feedback.
Easy recipe to follow with amazing result
Thank you so much for the feedback, I’m glad you enjoyed them.
I followed this recipe exactly but once I poured the custard into the pastry cases it drained all the way through, what did I do wrong?
I’m so sorry the tarts didn’t work out for you. Did it happen to all of them? It could be that the pastry was too thin, or there were cracks.
I won’t lie, I was a bit sceptical if this was going to set at all, but this custard turned out wonderfully! I used your custard recipe but scaled up a little bit for a very large tart (6 cups whole milk, 12 whole eggs because I didn’t have enough yolks, 1 cup sugar, etc), and it still turned out great!
If anyone else doesn’t have enough egg yolks like me 😂, using whole eggs & straining the egg mixture still worked great + was still very smooth and silky! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the feedback and tips 😊
How thin should you roll out the dough?
Thanks
⅛ inch (3 mm) thick
Hey lovely, can I make the base, cook it and add the custard mixture the next day and bake it again? Or does it not work that way? I’m so excited to make this ♥️
You could bake them entirely, then wrap well and keep overnight refrigerated. The next day you could reheat in a low oven to warm them up. I hope this helps, enjoy!
Can u premake the custard mixture and use a couple of days later?
I’m travelling and need them in a few days, and time poor
Yes, you can make the custard mix a couple of days before and refrigerate. I would allow it to come to room temperature before adding the pastry so you’re not baking cold custard as they will take longer to bake. Enjoy.
Terrific Recipe. Will make the custard tarts again. I used ground nutmeg & salted butter as that’s what I had. A round cutter & a 12 medium sized muffin tin was fine too. Recipe was a great way to use left over yolks when I made a pavlova day before. A great success!
Thank you so much
Can you make these in a muffin tin or should I put the cases in the tin.
You can, just grease the muffin tin and add the pastry. No need to put the cases in the tin.
Can you use shortcrust pastry for these tarts?
Yes, the recipe for the pastry included is a shortcrust pastry.
my pastry didn’t turn out how I wanted it to but that was user error, I’m suspicious about the lack of vanilla but excited about trying them!
I make this all the time and thought it was time to leave a review. Please do use creamy Irish butter and irish cheddar, they make all the difference
I’m not sure about adding cheddar to a sweet tart.
Sweetie, we don’t use cheddar in custard tarts 😊
Nothing wrong with wanting to make a savory tart, it’s quite popular in other countries.
Any suggestions/tips on the pastry? It didn’t really keep the nice krinkle shape of the side of the tart pan. I did refrigerate the dough!
I’m not sure why. Did you press the edges of the pastry firmly into the flutes of the tart pan?
I realized now your pastry cutter had flutted edges and mine was just a circle. I think this greatly enhances the look. Will get a new cutter for the pastry! Tasted delicious regardless. Highly recommend grating your own fresh nutmeg, which I did at the recommendation of my Brit co-worker. Game. Changer. Thanks for the recipe!
Freshly grated nutmeg really is the best.
After baking, how long should you let it cool before refrigerating ?
Cool them just to room temperature. Enjoy.
My niece broke about a dozen eggs, luckily the yolks were salvageable but I needed to immediately use them. Came across your recipe, tried it, and even with my limited baking skills and a 2 year-old helper, the tarts came out perfect! I will definitely make again.
That sounds like a happy accident 😄 I’m glad you enjoyed them.
My English grandad loved a good custard tart. We also used to have baked custard as a desert that my English Mum made , like u say with no pastry, just in a large baking dish…it was so yum . Want to try your recipe. TY.
Thank you for sharing your stories. I hope you enjoy the tarts.
How long will they keep in an airtight container and will they freeze. Thank you
The tarts will stay fresh in a sealed container, refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can freeze them, but the custard may separate and make the pastry soggy.
How much time do I have to heat the milk? it doesn’t say.
I’ve edited the text to make it read better, I hope this helps. Enjoy 🙂
Can’t wait to try these
I can’t wait for you to try them as well 🙂
So good! Creamy and delicate with the right amount of sweetness and the pastry is easy to make and lovely and flaky. Will make again.
Wonderful! Thank you for the feedback.
Does the cooking time different with one large tart? Thank you.
I haven’t tested the recipe in a larger form, but I would say it may only take a little longer. You can watch it and you will know it is ready if you give it a slight shake and it has a slight wobble. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions, enjoy.
So good. I made them for family dinner and they didn’t last long. Think I’ll make them for the holidays
I’m so glad, they’re perfect for the holidays.