Milk tart - melktert - is the dessert just about every South African grew up on. This is the easy, fridge-set version: a sweet blind-baked crust filled with silky stovetop vanilla custard and set in the fridge, with an iconic dusting of cinnamon on top. The filling is never baked, and there is a fully no-bake biscuit-base option further down.
If you want the traditional oven-baked one - the labor-heavier version with the browned, wrinkled top - that is my baked milk tart. This page is the quick everyday one. Both sit close to the famous Portuguese custard tart, pastéis de nata - same family, but milkier and lighter.
Just about every South African loves milk tart, and it has become a staple of the local table alongside classics like malva pudding, bobotie, biltong, and frikkadels, to name a few.
Jump to:
Watch how to make it
Ingredients
For the pastry crust
- Flour - All-purpose flour or cake flour works best for a sweet pastry crust.
- Butter - Fridge-cold butter, but not frozen.
- Sugar - Use powdered or confectioners' sugar for the best result.
- Egg - Large egg or 50 grams of pasteurized whole egg.
- Baking powder - Optional, but it makes the crust light and perfect for the custard.
For the custard filling
- Milk - Whole milk for a classic milk tart. Below are substitutions for dairy-free versions.
- Vanilla - Traditionally vanilla essence, but if you have fresh vanilla or vanilla paste, use that.
- Cornstarch - Not to be confused with corn flour. Cornstarch is the pure-extracted starch derived from corn. In South Africa, it's sold under the Maizena brand and in the UK, it will be called Cornflour. In the US and elsewhere, look specifically for cornstarch.
- Sugar - Regular granulated white sugar.
- Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon sprinkled on top makes it unique from other custard tarts. It's optional but highly recommended for the classic flavor.
- Eggs - Large eggs or use pasteurized carton eggs.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making the crust
- Preheat your oven to 170 °C (338 °F). Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder with a whisk to make sure they are evenly distributed. Cube the butter and rub it into the mix. Work quickly to avoid the butter from melting.
- The mix should look like a fine sandy texture. Whisk the egg and add it to the mix.
- Bring the mix together without overworking it, which could result in a tough pastry once cooked.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper, then place it into the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
- Once chilled, flour your workbench and roll out the pastry to about three credit card thickness.
- Butter your tart mold of choice and line it with the pastry. Tidy it up and make sure there are no holes or overly uneven parts. Place the pastry dough into the freezer or fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
- Place a piece of parchment onto the pastry and fill it halfway with pastry weights, rice, or beans. Bake for 12 minutes with the weights, then remove and bake 12 more minutes without them until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.
- Carefully remove the pastry shell from the mold and cool it down on a wire rack. You could also cool it down in the mold if you plan to serve it from there instead of transferring to a plate.
Hint: Work quickly to avoid the butter melting, and cool your pastry down before baking. Baking a warm pastry with butter melting out will result in a tough, oily pastry.
If your pastry puffs up after removing the weights, press it down carefully with a spoon or spatula. This is common when using pie dishes, and nothing to worry about.
Making the custard and filling the tart
- Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to combine.
- Cook slowly over medium-low heat and constantly whisk until it just starts to bubble and thicken.
- Pour the custard into your tart case while hot. Fill it to the brim and even out any creases that may form at the top.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to fully set the custard. When ready, slice and serve as is.
Substitutions
- Gluten-free - Make a gluten-free milk tart by using ground almonds or gluten-free flour in the pastry crust instead of regular flour.
- Dairy-free and lactose-free - Replace the milk with coconut milk or any other dairy-free milk, and to make it lactose-free, use lactose-free milk.
Variations
- Liquor - Add a shot of Amarula Cream or Baileys to the custard.
- Cocoa custard - Replace one heaped tablespoon of the flour in the pastry crust with cocoa powder, and add a heaped tablespoon of cocoa powder to the custard ingredients before you cook it. You could also sprinkle it with cocoa instead of cinnamon, though you will lose the authentic milk tart flavor.
- Puff pastry crust - In South Africa, you will often find milk tart sold at bakeries or bakery counters that use puff pastry instead of Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough).
If you decide on this version, you must blind bake the puff pastry as described in the recipe using sweet pastry. You will need extra pie weight or rice to properly weigh it down and increase the cooking time by 5 minutes.
No-bake crust
Another popular version is using a biscuit and butter crust instead of baking a tart case. Precisely the same as you would use for cheesecake. For this, you can use classic Tennis biscuits or Biscoff biscuits.
Crush up the biscuits and mix with melted butter until you have a texture similar to wet sand. Press it into your baking form or pie dish of choice, then chill in the fridge to set. Once set, pour in the hot custard and then return to the refrigerator to set. It takes a good 6 to 8 hours to fully set, but it's better overnight.
Equipment
I used a 24 cm (9.45 inch) in diameter by 3 cm(1.18 inch) tall round ceramic baking dish, but a springform cake tin will also work. If you want to make individual milk tarts, a muffin tin works well.
To roll out the pastry, you need a rolling pin and, optionally, pie weights to blind bake the crust.
When baking, it's best to use metric measurements and weigh everything using culinary scales.
Storage
Store in the fridge in an airtight container or wrap with cling wrap. Consume within 4 days.
Not suitable for freezing.
Pro tips
- Cold - Keep your pastry cold at all times until it goes in the oven. Warm pastry bakes tough and oily.
- Whisk - Heat the custard slowly and whisk it constantly. That is what prevents lumps and setting problems.
- Chill - Let the tart set fully in the fridge before you slice it. Early slices slump.
Frequently asked questions
This is the fridge-set version - the custard is cooked on the stove, poured into a blind-baked crust, and set in the fridge, so the filling is never baked. For the traditional oven-baked milk tart with a browned top, see my baked milk tart recipe. There is also a fully no-bake biscuit-base option on this page.
At least 6 hours in the fridge, and overnight is better. The custard firms as it chills, so slicing early gives you soft slices that slump. A shallower tart sets faster than a deep one.
You didn't cook out the custard mix enough. Slowly cook on medium-low heat and continue whisking it until it starts to bubble and thicken.
Yes. This is a great way to save time. Bake the crust up to 4 days before you need it, then store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
This is great for convenience, but make sure to use a good-quality version that contains real butter for the best flavor.
No. The set custard weeps as it thaws and the crust softens. Covered in the fridge, it keeps for 4 days, which is the better make-ahead route.
More South African recipes
More baking recipes
If you found this post helpful or have learned something, please comment, subscribe, and follow me on social media for more delicious recipes.
Recipe
Easy South African Fridge Milk Tart
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 100 grams (¾ cups) powdered sugar
- 8 grams (2 teaspoon) baking powder
- 2 grams (⅓ teaspoon) salt
- 125 grams (½ cups) butter
- 1 (1) egg
Custard filling
- 1 liter (4 cups) whole milk
- 150 grams (¾ cups) granulated sugar
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 2 (2 ) large eggs
- 10 grams (2 ½ teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1.5 grams (¼ teaspoon) salt
- 50 grams (6 tablespoon) cornstarch
- 75 grams (⅓ cups) water or milk - for slurry
- ground cinnamon - to garnish
Instructions
Abbreviated steps
- Make your pie crust of choice. Cook the custard and pour into your prepared pie crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Refrigerate to set. Slice and serve.
Pastry
- Preheat your oven to 170 °C (338 °F).
- Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder with a whisk to make sure they are evenly distributed. Cube the butter and rub it into the mix. Work quickly to avoid the butter from melting. The mix should look like a fine sandy texture.250 grams all-purpose flour, 100 grams powdered sugar, 8 grams baking powder, 2 grams salt, 125 grams butter
- Whisk the egg and add it to the mix. Bring it together into a dough, then wrap it in plastic wrap or parchment, before chilling for 15 minutes in the fridge.1 egg
- Flour your workbench and roll out the pastry to about three credit cards thick (3 mm). Butter your baking dish and line the case, trimming any excess pastry. Move it to the fridge to chill before baking.
- Weigh down the pastry with pastry weights or parchment filled with rice. Blind bake for 12 minutes with the weights, then remove and bake for another 12 minutes until golden brown.
- Chill the pastry on a wire rack, or leave it in the baking form if you plan on serving it in its baking form.
Custard and filling tart
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and whisk to combine.1 liter whole milk, 150 grams granulated sugar, 30 grams unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 10 grams vanilla extract, 1.5 grams salt, 50 grams cornstarch, 75 grams water or milk
- Cook slowly over medium-low heat and constantly whisk until it just starts to bubble and thicken.
- Pour the custard into your tart case while hot. Fill it to the brim and even out any creases that may form at the top.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to fully set the custard. When ready, slice and serve as is.ground cinnamon
Video
Notes
- Pie form and alternatives - I used a 24 cm (9.45 inch) in diameter by 3 cm(1.18 inch) tall round ceramic baking dish, but a springform cake tin will also work. If you want to make individual milk tarts, a muffin tin works well.
- Puff pastry - In South Africa, you will often find milk tart sold at bakeries or bakery counters that use puff pastry instead of Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough). If you decide on this version, you must blind bake the puff pastry as described in the recipe using sweet pastry. You will need extra pie weight or rice to properly weigh it down and increase the cooking time by 5 minutes.
- No-bake crust - Another popular version is using a biscuit and butter crust instead of baking a tart case. For this, you can use classic Tennis biscuits or Biscoff biscuits. Crush up the biscuits and mix with melted butter until you have a texture similar to wet sand. Press it into your baking form or pie dish of choice before chilling in the fridge to set. Once set, pour in the hot custard and then return to the refrigerator to set.
- Cinnamon - If you love cinnamon, use a cinnamon stick to infuse the milk before cooking the custard. If you don't fancy cinnamon that much, skip it and sprinkle with cocoa powder or a fresh grating of nutmeg. Note that cinnamon is what gives it its unique South African flavor.
- Storage instructions - Store in the fridge in an airtight container or wrap with cling wrap. Consume within 4 days. Not suitable for freezing.
- Keep your pastry cold at all times until baking it to ensure the best texture.
- Slowly heat and continuously whisk the custard to avoid lumps and setting issues.
- Let the tart cool down completely in the fridge before attempting to slice it.
- To save time, bake the crust up to four days ahead of time and keep sealed airtight at room temperature.
Nutrition
This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a tiny commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. By bookmarking these links you help support the upkeep of this site.
Anonymous says
Excellent, came out so tasty
Jane says
I tried to make this recipe for a fellow colleague from S. Africa. I think I didn’t cook the custard long enough. After being in the fridge overnight, my milk tart is still runny —bummer! Haha! Will try again! Nothing better than experiencing failure right before for success
Gavin says
Came out perfect. Easy to make and my family loved it! The crust is a revelation. Doesn’t get soggy and the texture is much better than puff pastry, which becomes chewy I find. Thanks for the best Melktert ever.