Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts - Flaky Custard Tart Recipe

There used to be a Chinese bakery near my first apartment that sold egg tarts for a dollar each. I would buy two, eat one on the walk home, and regret nothing. The pastry cracked under my teeth, the custard wobbled, and the whole thing was gone in three bites.

You can make those same tarts in your own oven. The dough comes together in one bowl, the custard takes about five minutes on the stove, and the batch makes 16 tarts about 3 inches across. The dough needs 30 minutes in the fridge, so start there and the rest moves fast.

One thing worth knowing up front. This is a cookie-style pastry, not puff pastry. It is tender and buttery and it stays that way because you handle it as little as possible. If you knead it like bread, you will get a tough shell. So keep your hands light.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix the pastry base

Sift the cake flour, powdered sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the softened butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with no big butter lumps left.

2. Bring the dough together

Add 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg yolk and press the mixture into a ball. Don't knead it. Stop as soon as it holds together. If it's sticky, dust your hands with flour rather than adding more to the bowl.

3. Chill the dough

Wrap the dough in plastic and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until it's firm enough to hold a shape when you squeeze it.

4. Dissolve the sugar

Stir the sugar and salt into the hot water until both disappear. Set it aside to cool to room temperature.

5. Make the custard

Whisk the remaining beaten yolks in a bowl. Pour in the cooled sugar water and the evaporated milk, add the vanilla if you're using it, and stir until it's one even color.

6. Strain and chill

Pour the custard through a fine sieve into a jug or bowl. Cover and refrigerate it while the oven heats.

7. Heat the oven

Preheat to 400 degrees F, which is 200 degrees C. Give it a full 15 minutes so the oven is properly hot when the tarts go in.

8. Shape the shells

Lightly oil 16 tart pans. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, roll each into a ball, and press it into a pan with your fingers. Work from the center outward and keep the thickness even, especially at the bottom.

9. Fill the shells

Pour the custard into each shell until it's about 80 percent full. Don't go higher, because it rises.

10. Bake

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a toothpick stands upright in the center. Start checking at 15.

11. Cool and release

Let the tarts sit for several minutes, then lift them out of the pans. Serve them warm, while the pastry still has its snap.

How to Store Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts

Variations

• Add a quarter teaspoon of almond extract to the custard instead of vanilla for a flavor closer to some bakery versions.
• For a deeper amber top, bake the full 20 minutes. The custard sets firmer and the surface browns more, which some people prefer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts – Flaky Custard Tart Recipe

Flaky pastry shells filled with silky egg custard, baked until the tops turn golden. A home version of the bakery classic, ready in about an hour.

15 minPrep time30 minCook time75 minTotal16Servings

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Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks (beaten, reserve 2 tablespoons for your pastry dough)
• ¾ cup water (hot)
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt (pinch)
• ¼ cup evaporated milk
• vanilla extract (a dash, optional)
• 2 cups cake flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 115 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons egg (beaten)
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• vanilla extract (a dash, optional)

Instructions

1. 1Mix the pastry base — Sift the cake flour, powdered sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the softened butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with no big butter lumps left.
2. 2Bring the dough together — Add 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg yolk and press the mixture into a ball. Don't knead it. Stop as soon as it holds together. If it's sticky, dust your hands with flour rather than adding more to the bowl.
3. 3Chill the dough — Wrap the dough in plastic and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until it's firm enough to hold a shape when you squeeze it.
4. 4Dissolve the sugar — Stir the sugar and salt into the hot water until both disappear. Set it aside to cool to room temperature.
5. 5Make the custard — Whisk the remaining beaten yolks in a bowl. Pour in the cooled sugar water and the evaporated milk, add the vanilla if you're using it, and stir until it's one even color.
6. 6Strain and chill — Pour the custard through a fine sieve into a jug or bowl. Cover and refrigerate it while the oven heats.
7. 7Heat the oven — Preheat to 400 degrees F, which is 200 degrees C. Give it a full 15 minutes so the oven is properly hot when the tarts go in.
8. 8Shape the shells — Lightly oil 16 tart pans. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, roll each into a ball, and press it into a pan with your fingers. Work from the center outward and keep the thickness even, especially at the bottom.
9. 9Fill the shells — Pour the custard into each shell until it's about 80 percent full. Don't go higher, because it rises.
10. 10Bake — Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a toothpick stands upright in the center. Start checking at 15.
11. 11Cool and release — Let the tarts sit for several minutes, then lift them out of the pans. Serve them warm, while the pastry still has its snap.

Cook's note: The dough needs 30 minutes of chilling, so the clock starts there. Work quickly once the shells are filled, because the custard should go into a hot oven.

Servings: 16

Cuisine: Chinese

Course: Dessert

RecipesCooker15 minutes30 minutes75 minutes

Written by Priya Raman
Priya writes about eggs and breakfast casseroles, cookies and bars, and slow cook breakfasts that feed a crowd without fuss. Her angle is flexible, budget-minded cooking: one base recipe that scales for two or for a holiday table, with clear notes on freezing and reheating. She keeps the writing light and story-first, then lands on a tight recipe card.