Egg Tarts (Hong Kong Style)
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These Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts are an absolute treat! They’re so buttery, flaky, and the smooth and silky custard filling is undeniably luscious. This is perfection in a dessert!
Egg Tarts
Every time we go to an Asian market, I always love to buy some egg tarts. I love their simplicity and I love how such a little treat packs so much flavor. Here’s my version of these egg tarts complete with a homemade pastry and a sweet and delicious egg custard.
These little egg tarts are small, round, and about 3″ in diameter. They consist of a pastry that is crispy and flaky then filled with a slightly sweet, but not too sweet, and wonderfully creamy custard filling. The pastry is made with powdered sugar because it yields a more tender crust with an unbeatable melt-in-your-mouth texture, while using granulated sugar can make it more crumbly. You’ll love these little morsels.
Ingredients Notes
Pastry
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour. You can use a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour as well.
- Sugar – Use powdered sugar (also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar) which results in a more tender crust with a great texture.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter. The butter is needed to make this crust super flaky.
- Egg – An egg provides moisture for the dough. and adds colour and richness to the pastry.
Egg Custard
- Sugar – I used plain white granulated sugar, to add a little touch of sweetness to the custard.
- Milk – Use your preference of any % MF milk.
- Eggs – Any eggs work here and are the star of the dish! You’ll want these to be at room temperature.
- Vanilla – Often used in baking to provide great flavor.
How To Make Egg Tarts (Hong Kong Style)
Pastry
- Mix the Ingredients: To a food processor, add all the pastry ingredients. Pulse just until all the ingredients form into a dough. Do not over mix because it will make the pastry tough.
- Form and Refrigerate the Dough: Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the dough is firm.
Egg Custard
- Make a Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan add the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Let the simple syrup cool then whisk in the milk.
- Whisk in the Eggs and Vanilla: Whisk in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
- Strain the Filling and Chill: Strain the filling through a sieve and chill in the refrigerator while forming the pastry into tart shells.
Assemble and Bake
- Prep the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roll and Cut the Dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out so that it’s a ¼ of an inch in thickness. Using a cookie cutter that’s the same size in diameter as the top of your egg tart molds, cut into 12 rounds.
- Press Dough in Tart Molds: Press each round into the tart mold using your fingers, making sure the pastry is uniform in thickness for both the bottom and up the sides. Repeat with remaining rounds of pastry.
- Pour the Custard in Shells: Place the tart molds on a baking sheet that large enough for all of them. Pour the egg custard into the shells until it’s about ¾ full.
- Bake the Tarts: Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tart rim turns golden brown and the egg custard is cooked through. To tell if the custard is cooked through, a toothpick should stand in the egg tart.
- Cool and Serve: Cool the egg tarts for 10 minutes then remove them from the tart molds. Serve while still warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are egg tarts?
These Egg Tarts were introduced to Hong Kong in the 1940’s, and initially could only be found in higher-end Western-style restaurants. This makes sense since they were inspired by the English custard tart. Although originally designed to attract the local expatriate community, they quickly became a favorite with the Chinese. Egg custard in a baked pastry shell is a dim sum staple throughout Hong Kong.
What is the difference between Chinese egg tarts and Portuguese egg tarts?
Unlike the short crust casing favoured by the Hong Kong egg tarts, Macau’s Portuguese egg tarts are made with puff pastry. The Macanese egg tarts are sweeter than the Hong Kong ones and the tops are caramelized.
Do egg tarts taste eggy?
The filling of a good egg tart will look smooth and shiny and will be creamy and moist on the tongue. Both will complement the filling, combining a sweet, eggy and buttery flavor.
Can egg tarts be eaten cold?
Egg tarts are at their most delicious when served warm: if they’re cold, reheat them for about five minutes in the oven. The microwave is not recommended.
Some Tips For Making Egg Tarts
- When pressing the pastry into the tart mold, press it gently and bring it up over the top of the mold a bit. Try and make its thickness as even as possible all through the pastry.
- You can always roll out the pastry dough and use a 3 inch cookie cutter to cut out circles, then place them in the egg tart molds.
- Do not fill the tart all the way with the filling, only about 3/4 up. This will prevent any spilling to happen during baking.
- If you notice a custard filling starting to puff up a bit too much, your oven is usually a little too hot. Catch it early, and they will settle back down again with no cracking mark.
Leftovers
You can refrigerate egg tarts in an airtight container after they have completely cooled. The tarts can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Freezing
Freezing is not recommended because custard has the tendency to separate as it defrosts and the liquid that weeps out will be absorbed by the pastry, making it soggy. However, you can make the pastry dough ahead of time and freeze for a few months.
More Great Recipes to Try
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Egg Tarts (Hong Kong Style)
Ingredients
Pastry
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 egg (beaten)
Egg Custard
- 3 tablespoons sugar (granulated)
- ⅔ cup water
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Pastry
- Mix the Ingredients: To a food processor, add all the pastry ingredients. Pulse just until all the ingredients form into a dough. Do not over mix because it will make the pastry tough.
- Form and Refrigerate the Dough: Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the dough is firm.
Egg Custard
- Make a Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan add the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Let the simple syrup cool then whisk in the milk.
- Whisk in the Eggs and Vanilla: Whisk in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
- Strain the Filling and Chill: Strain the filling through a sieve and chill in the refrigerator while forming the pastry into tart shells.
Assemble and Bake
- Prep the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roll and Cut the Dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out so that it's a ¼ of an inch in thickness. Using a cookie cutter that's the same size in diameter as the top of your egg tart molds, cut into 12 rounds.
- Press Dough in Tart Molds: Press each round into the tart mold using your fingers, making sure the pastry is uniform in thickness for both the bottom and up the sides. Repeat with remaining rounds of pastry.
- Pour the Custard in Shells: Place the tart molds on a baking sheet that large enough for all of them. Pour the egg custard into the shells until it's about ¾ full.
- Bake the Tarts: Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tart rim turns golden brown and the egg custard is cooked through. To tell if the custard is cooked through, a toothpick should stand in the egg tart.
- Cool and Serve: Cool the egg tarts for 10 minutes then remove them from the tart molds. Serve while still warm.
Notes
- When pressing the pastry into the tart mold, press it gently and bring it up over the top of the mold a bit. Try and make its thickness as even as possible all through the pastry.
- You can always roll out the pastry dough and use a 3 inch cookie cutter to cut out circles, then place them in the egg tart molds.
- Do not fill the tart all the way with the filling, only about 3/4 up. This will prevent any spilling to happen during baking.
- If you notice a custard filling starting to puff up a bit too much, your oven is usually a little too hot. Catch it early, and they will settle back down again with no cracking mark.
- You can refrigerate egg tarts in an airtight container after they have completely cooled. The tarts can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Freezing is not recommended because custard has the tendency to separate as it defrosts and the liquid that weeps out will be absorbed by the pastry, making it soggy. However, you can make the pastry dough ahead of time and freeze for a few months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
