This simple milk tart (melktert in Afrikaans) is a classic South African dessert. The creamy milk-based custard is cooked on the stovetop, poured into a cookie crust, and then dusted with cinnamon.
This traditional sweet pie with simple ingredients is easy to make, and you don't have to turn the oven on!
Milk tart is a South African dessert consisting of a sweet pastry crust and a creamy, custard-like filling made of milk, eggs, sugar, and flour.
It's believed that milk tarts such as this one may have originated amongst settlers at the Dutch Cape Colony in the 17th Century.
All recipes vary, but the common denominator is a rich, creamy filling cooked either inside or outside the crust, baked or cooked on the stove.
It's like eating pudding in a cookie crust, so what's not to love? It's effectively the South African version of Greek milk pie and sugar cream pie, both the Hoosier and my homeland's favorite one - krempita.
For more no-bake sweet treats, be sure to check out my 6 Ingredient No Bake Sand Cake and No-Bake Tiramisu Cheesecake.
Why you'll love this Milk Tart:
- No-bake: This melktert comes together easily and quickly and frees up your oven.
- Make ahead: This is a great option for a make-ahead dessert and is perfect if you are entertaining. It can be made days ahead of time.
- Easy to make gluten-free: Although this recipe has gluten in the base, it is easy to adapt to make it gluten-free, perfect if you or someone in your family has an intolerance.
- When you dust a little cinnamon or cinnamon sugar over a stencil or paper doily on top, it gives it a slightly bolder, more Instagram-worthy aesthetic!
- You can turn it into a boozy liquid dessert with this easy milk tart cocktail recipe!
๐ Ingredients and Notes
- Bakers Tennis Biscuits: Much-loved in South Africa, buttery coconut biscuits might be hard to find locally. You can use digestive biscuits, graham cracker crumbs, or ready crust.
- Full-fat milk: Using full-fat dairy here is important because the consistency may change otherwise. Lower fat milk will also be less flavourful and creamy, so the tart may taste a little bland and watery.
- Cinnamon: Some versions cook the milk with cinnamon sticks to infuse it, but ground cinnamon will suffice.
None of the ingredients are rare - in fact, most of them are relatively essential baking ingredients!
The only thing you might struggle to find is the tennis biscuits, but you can use one of the substitutions that I recommended below!
๐ช Instructions
For the crust:
- Blend the tennis or digestive biscuits with cinnamon and melted butter until well-combined.
- Transfer to a tart pan. Place the pan in the fridge so that the crust can set while you make the filling.
For the filling:
- Mix flour, cornstarch, ½ cup milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
- In a large saucepan, bring the rest of the milk and butter to a boil.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the hot milk, constantly whisking until thickened and thoroughly cooked.
- Pour into the prepared crust and sprinkle with cinnamon.
And there you have it - a whole tart in 6 instructions - start-to-finish! I promise this one is s keeper, and once you've made it, you'll never stop loving it!
Milk Tart Variations:
This rich and delicious Afrikaner outydse (old-fashioned) dessert has many varieties.
Some versions use condensed milk and are baked in the oven with or without the crust. Others only require the crust to be baked.
The crusts also vary from easy press-on shortcrust pastry to flaky pie crusts (like homemade puff pastry) to tennis biscuit or cookie base.
You can also use a store-bought pie pastry or leave the crust completely out and bake the filling in a greased pan!
- You can pack the biscuits in a single layer on the bottom of the tart pan instead of crushing them into crumbs.
- Make the crust ahead of time; leave it in the fridge in the tart pan.
- Adding a cinnamon stick to the saucepan with milk will infuse the filling with a hint of cinnamon. Remove the stick before pouring filling over the crust.
- Stovetop custard is ready when it's thick enough to coat a whisk or a spoon well or if you're able to run a spoon through it and the line holds its shape.
- Decorate your tart by dusting ground cinnamon over a stencil, paper cut-out, or doily gently placed on top of the pie. Lift carefully.
- You can mix up the flavor a bit by using nutmeg and cinnamon instead of just cinnamon.
โ Frequently Asked Questions
Tennis biscuits are square, crispy tea biscuits made with a little maple syrup and coconut.
If you can't find tennis biscuits, you can use Digestive Biscuits, Graham Crackers, or Marie biscuits; however, it'll alter the recipe's authenticity and flavor. It will still be delicious, though!
Once your milk tart has set, cover it with plastic wrap or foil and keep it refrigerated. It will keep well for up to 4 days if it lasts that long, ha!
Absolutely! Use gluten-free graham cracker crumbs or skip the crust entirely by pouring the custard into a greased tart or cake pan before dusting with cinnamon and chilling.
A staple at church festivals, backyard celebrations, and commonplace in South African supermarkets, melktert can be served chilled or at room temperature or slightly warmed.
Everyone loves a creamy, vanilla custard-like filling paired with a gorgeous cinnamon flavor inside a perfect biscuit crust!
Especially with the texture contrast of the smooth, velvety center compared to the light, crisp crust - it's just incredible!
Liked this recipe? Leave a โญโญโญโญโญ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section. Your feedback is always appreciated! Stay in touch through Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for my email list below too!
South African Milk Tart – Melktert
EQUIPMENT
- 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 package tennis or digestive biscuits (7-9 oz.)
- 1 stick melted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the filling
- โ cup all-purpose flour
- โ cup cornstarch
- A pinch of salt
- 4 ยฝ cups full-fat milk, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons butter
- Ground cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
For the crust:
- In a food processor blend the tennis or digestive biscuits with cinnamon and melted butter until combined and crumbled.
- Transfer to an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and spread over the bottom and up the sides, firmly pressing down. Place the pan in the fridge to harden while you make the filling.
For the filling:
- With an electric mixer or a food processor, mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, ยฝ cup milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
- In a large saucepan, add 4 cups of milk and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat. Be careful not to burn the milk.
- Pour in the prepared tart pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and let cool. When cool, refrigerate until firm enough to slice, at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- You can pack the biscuits in a single layer on the bottom of the tart pan, instead of crushing them into crumbs.
- Make the crust ahead of time; just simply leave it in the fridge in the tart pan.
- Adding a cinnamon stick to the saucepan with milk will infuse the filling with a hint of cinnamon. Remove the stick before pouring the filling over the crust.
- Stove-top custard is ready when it's thick enough to coat a whisk or a spoon well, or if you're able to run a spoon through it and the line holds its shape.
- Decorate your tart by dusting ground cinnamon over a stencil, paper cut-out, or doily gently placed on top of the tart. Lift carefully.
- You can mix up the flavor a bit by using nutmeg and cinnamon instead of just cinnamon.
- See post details for biscuits substitutions and a gluten-free version.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on products used.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in January 2019 and updated in January 2021 with new photos and recipe tips.
Felicity Vestergaard Melbourne Australia says
it is easy to make and delicious
Jas says
Glad you liked it! ๐
Mel says
I (Asian female) made this for my (South African) partnerโs birthday two years ago and he loved it! He has since requested it for every braai and subsequent birthday and Iโve never met a South African friend who didnโt like it. This recipe is bang on, so thank you very much!
Jas says
I'm so happy you and your partner enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the 5-star rating! ๐
Kristina says
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. You mentioned that some people use condensed milk in the custard. How would you make the custard that way? Thanks!
Jas says
Hi, Kristina! Replace 1 cup of milk with condensed milk and omit the sugar.
Gina says
Hello! This looks like a really easy recipe and I want to try making this. A question though: how long does the tart last in room temp? I'm planning to make some and send it for my relatives but as it will travel with the courier for about 5-8 hours, I'm worried it will arrive in bad shape thank you in advance!
Jas says
I haven't tested it myself, but I think it should be fine at room temperature for a day unless you live in a hot climate zone. I would include a few reusable ice packs in your package to be safe.
Elmien says
Hi, I always struggle to figure out which flour is best to use in South Africa when a recipe recommends all purpose flour as we don't get it in our small towns? Cake flour, wheat flour, self raising flour? Please help as I'd love to try this recipe (love the no bake option).
Jas says
It is regular, white wheat flour. All-purpose just means that you can use it for anything: cakes, bread, pancakes, muffins, etc. Hope this helps. ๐
Zena says
I always use cake flour as my all-purpose flour
HelenF says
Something you may already know, but all-purpose flour has a higher protein count than cake flour. All-purpose gives a stronger structure, and cake flour a more tender structure. When you substitute cake flour for all-purpose you need to add two additional tablespoons of cake flour to equal 1 cup of all-purpose. Substituting the other way, all-purpose for cake flour you use 2 tablespoons less of all-purpose to equal 1 cup of cake flour. Happy baking!
Peggy Wolf says
I have a question rather than a comment. I don't have a tart pan. Will a spring-form pan that's used for cheesecake work in this recipe?
Jas says
Hi Peggy, I haven't tried using a springform pan, but I think it should work. Just make sure to press the cookie crust up the sides as instructed and that your filling doesn't overflow the crust. Good luck! ๐