Portuguese Milk Tarts {Queijadas de Leite} (2024)

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published October 30, 2018 — last updated March 13, 2021by Kat141 comments

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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 MakePortuguese 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 yourQueijadas de Leite in cupcake liners after they have baked and cooled. That makes it easier to move them around.

As theQueijadas 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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Servings: 24

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Portuguese Milk Tarts {Queijadas de Leite}

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Portuguese Milk Tarts, Queijadas de Leite, are a sweet, creamy, traditional Portuguese dessert recipe made with simple ingredients.

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4.50 from 96 votes

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.
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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

Serving: 1tart, Calories: 155kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 60mg, Potassium: 66mg, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 220IU, Calcium: 52mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Portuguese

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by Kat on Oct 30, 2018 (updated Mar 13, 2021)

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141 comments on “Portuguese Milk Tarts {Queijadas de Leite}”

Jamie B Haggard — October 10, 2021 @ 7:15 pm Reply
I made some today, these are soo good especially with strawberries. My oy question is, is it supposed to be mushy/gooey on the inside or do I need to bake longer?
- Melinda — October 12, 2021 @ 12:42 pm Reply
  Hi Jamie, yes they are mushy like a custard consistency. The longer they cool the more they firm up a bit.
Kaitlin — January 4, 2022 @ 1:22 pm Reply
A huge crowd pleaser. I made them for the first time in May 2020, and they’ve turned into my go-to dish for housewarmings, family dinners, and (once the pandemic ends) parties. My half-Portuguese father-in-law tasted one, closed his eyes, and said it brought him right back to the Azores. About a dozen people have requested the recipe. It’s just so simple and delightful, and reliably makes 24 nearly-full muffin cups.
As a note, I let my milk warm up to room temp and let the butter cool a little before making the batter – that way there’s no temperature clash and you don’t end up with little flakes of cold butter floating to the top of the mixture.
Thanks so much for a true winner of a recipe!
John Earl Ortiz — January 16, 2022 @ 6:40 pm Reply
Made these last night and they were awesome. They were a tad bit sweet, so I cut the sugar to 1.5 cups . And I have another batch baking right now because the last batch didn’t last very long. So we’ll see how these turn out.

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A Tad Retro — January 17, 2022 @ 6:53 pm Reply
They came out PERFECTLY!! Everyone loved them. I doubled the recipe and served them with a drizzle of cardamom honey. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Dana Ratliff — January 17, 2022 @ 8:42 pm Reply
Do you use all purpose or self rising flour?
- Melinda — January 25, 2022 @ 5:45 pm Reply
  We use all purpose.
KCorri — May 31, 2022 @ 1:07 pm Reply
I made these for the first time yesterday- and what a treat! Half of mine were a bit overdone (I think it was the type of pan I have) but I adjusted the cooking temp and time a bit for the second pan and they were perfect!!! Simple to make, yet decadent! I will definitely be making these again!
Nancy — June 16, 2022 @ 11:57 am Reply
Loved the taste and texture. They were a bear to get out of the muffin tins. First tray just greased, got them out but it was work. Second tray I greased all but on 6 I put a round of parchment on the bottom of the cup and the other 6 I floured the greased pan. Grease and flour is a little messy and an extra step but well worth it. They came out much easier. I will make them again, I liked them and so did my family.
Geetha — June 25, 2022 @ 9:01 am Reply
These are awsome little bites of heaven.
Beverly — July 12, 2022 @ 9:26 am Reply
I made these but used a tart dish instead of muffin tin. It came out very well and more like a custard.
cora greene — December 7, 2022 @ 10:55 am Reply
can i add cocoa to portuguese milk tart for a chocolate tart?
- Melinda — December 7, 2022 @ 1:46 pm Reply
  I have not tried that but any addition to the recipe will change the texture and cook time. Let me know how it turns out.
Cora Greene — December 9, 2022 @ 10:33 am Reply
Add 1/4 c cocoa, does not change texture or cook time…
CindyAnn — February 4, 2023 @ 6:38 pm Reply
Love love love these. Thank you Melinda and Kat for this easy recipe. Simple and wonderful. My husband actually made these for me! Made it exactly as written. No trouble getting these out of the muffin tin at all. We just buttered the muffin tin real good. He did (at my OCD suggestion) allow the milk to come to room temp, but not sure that made any difference. This recipe is a keeper. It is something I plan to make whenever I have to “bring something to share.” The ingredients are always on hand and wow so darn easy. Yet soo rich and ooey gooey. 5-stars!
Pea — July 11, 2023 @ 11:27 pm Reply
YUM! I just made these, and they came out so good! I have an overabundance of milk in my refrigerator and was looking for new recipes to try. I halved the recipe since it’s just two of us. I would definitely make it again!
Daylen Smith — September 23, 2023 @ 4:48 pm Reply
These are amazing!!’ I’ve made them before and lost my original recipe and came across this one. Can’t wait to make it again! Question: can you freeze them?
- Melinda — September 25, 2023 @ 11:10 am Reply
  I wouldn’t recommend it. They are best same day.
Tori Costa — December 4, 2023 @ 4:50 pm Reply
Can you make the batter and refrigerate a day before you bake, or should you make and bake on the same day?
- Melinda — December 11, 2023 @ 10:52 am Reply
  I haven’t tried making the batter before hand but I think it will be fine. It will take longer to bake since the batter will be colder and not room temp. Other than that I’d say you’re go to go!
Eheffern — February 2, 2024 @ 2:53 pm Reply
Just finished making these. Delicious! I added 1 tsp almond extract to the milk for added flavor.
Jennifer Milan — March 3, 2024 @ 3:34 am Reply
Phenomenal taste and flavoring, just the perfect amount of sweet and absolutely love the texture (custard like in the middle with a little crunch around the edges). Make these if you want to bring something different and stand out at a get together. However, word of warning to be sure to very generously grease and maybe even flour your muffin pan, as I had a super hard time getting these out of my non-stick pans. For anyone else who winds up having as much of a problem as I did getting them out in one piece, I would up breaking mine all up into small bite-size pieces and serving with fresh fruit
- Melinda — March 4, 2024 @ 9:37 am Reply
  Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like you really enjoyed the taste and texture of these treats. Your tip about generously greasing and flouring the muffin pan is super helpful for others who might try the recipe. Serving them with fresh fruit sounds like a delicious solution to any mishaps.
Susan Chagnon — March 3, 2024 @ 3:56 pm Reply
I made these for the first time this morning and they came out perfect and delicious. Great recipe!
- Melinda — March 4, 2024 @ 9:31 am Reply
  That’s fantastic to hear! I’m glad the recipe worked out well for you.
Eva — June 1, 2024 @ 10:05 am Reply
I made half a batch of these tarts but they did not look anything like the pictures. It’s more like pancake batter baked in an oven and although I filled the tins only half, they spilled over the tops big time.. Taste is okay but even though I halved the sugar, they are still way too sweet.
- Melinda — June 5, 2024 @ 7:10 pm Reply
  Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! I’m sorry to hear that the tarts didn’t turn out as expected. This is usually an easy recipe, and I’d love to help you get it just right. Here are a few tips that might help. Make the full recipe, some baking recipes don’t adapt well to being halved and can affect the final outcome. I recommend making the full recipe for the best results. Also the batter should have a consistency similar to milk. If it seemed too thick or too thin, adjusting this might help. I really encourage you to give it another try, as these tarts can be truly delightful when they turn out right. Please let me know if you have any other questions or need further assistance. Happy baking!