Name: How To Freeze Custard Tarts
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 piece custard tart

Table of Contents

When it comes to custard tarts, it’s easy to get eyes bigger than your stomach.

Or sometimes it’s just cheaper to buy a pack… so you have no choice, right? (Right?!).

The problem comes when you realize you don’t have long enough to eat all the tarts before they go off, but can you freeze them?

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve experimented with several methods to

find the best way to freeze and thaw custard tarts, so nothing goes to waste.

Can you freeze custard tarts?

Yes, you can freeze custard tarts, but there’s always a risk that the custard will split and leave the pastry soggy. The tart will still be tasty if this happens, but the texture won’t be the same. To freeze custard tarts, wrap each one in plastic wrap and put them in a heavy-duty freezer bag.

Can you freeze custard tarts? Yes.

How long do custard tarts last in the freezer? 3 months.

Do custard tarts freeze well? There’s a risk of them splitting.

Can you refreeze custard tarts? I don’t recommend it.

A note on my experiment

To see how well custard tarts freeze, I did the only sensible thing – I bought a big boxful of custard tarts from my local bakery (ate a few) and froze the rest.

Using the frozen tarts, I performed various tests to answer the following questions:

How well do custard tarts stand up to freezing (is it even possible?)
What’s the best way to thaw frozen custard tarts?
Can you refreeze custard tarts?

Related: Can You Freeze Cereal?

Do custard tarts freeze well?

Freezing custard tarts is risky because the custard can split. If the custard breaks, the liquid will separate from the fat and seep out into the pastry, leaving you with soggy pastry and grainy custard. You can minimize the risk of this happening by thawing the tarts slowly in the fridge.

There’s no way of fixing the custard if it splits because it’s already in the tart, but heating the custard tart in the oven can help crisp up the pastry slightly (avoid the microwave, because this makes the soggy pastry worse).

The good news is that split custard isn’t guaranteed! I managed to freeze and thaw (some of) my custard tarts with no splitting.

How to freeze custard tarts

Wrap each individual tart tightly in plastic wrap or foil.
Place the wrapped tarts in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Squeeze as much air out of the freezer bag as possible (I use a straw to suck the air out, but vacuum sealing is even better!).
Label the freezer bag with the contents and date.
Put the egg tarts in the freezer and consume them within 3 months.

The plastic wrap serves two purposes here.

It provides an extra layer of protection to the custard tarts, making them less susceptible to freezer burn. And it stops them from sticking together as they freeze so you can take one out at a time.

If you want to avoid plastic, you have a few options.

The first is to use wax paper instead of plastic wrap.

Or you can skip the wrap altogether and instead flash freeze the custard tarts before.

Flash freezing is simple, spread the custard tarts out on a sheet pan and put them in the freezer for a few hours until they’re frozen solid. Then transfer them to your freezer bag, ready for long-term freezing.

Both these options leave your custard tarts slightly more susceptible to freezer burn, so it’s best to eat the tarts within a month rather than 3 months.

To prolong the life of your custard tarts past 3 months, it’s best to vacuum seal them.

Flash freeze the tarts (to stop them from getting squished in the sealing process), then put them in a vacuum bag and seal them.

Vacuum sealed custard tarts will last 6-9 months.

Related: Can You Freeze Eclairs

How to thaw custard tarts

The best way to thaw custard tarts is overnight in the fridge. It’s a slow option but minimizes the risk of the custard splitting. Keep the custard tart wrapped in its plastic wrap in the fridge to prevent moisture loss from the pastry. A quicker option is to heat the frozen tarts in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and heat the frozen tarts for 5-10 minutes until they’re warmed through.

Because custard tarts are so delicate, how you thaw them is important, and I didn’t want to give bad (untested) advice.

So, I conducted a small experiment and tested four different ways of thawing custard tarts:

At room temperature → the custard split, and the pastry was soggy.
In the fridge → the best option, custard didn’t split, and the pastry was flaky.
In the microwave → bad, really soggy, and split custard.
In the oven → second best, quick with flaky pastry.

The best results came from thawing the tarts in the fridge, which is why I recommend it above.

The custard didn’t split, and the pastry was still flaky (even more so if you warmed it for 5 minutes in the oven before eating).

The next best option was the oven. The oven was quick, the custard was smooth, and the pastry was as flaky as the first day I got them.

Top tip: preheat a baking tray before putting the frozen custard tart on it. This ensures the bottom crisps up.

Thawing the custard tarts at room temperature caused the custard to split, and the pastry was soft.

The microwave was even worse! The custard was grainy, and the pastry was wet. Avoid.

Tips for freezing custard tarts

Here are a few quick tips to ensure you have a stress-free freezing experience.

Label the container

It’s easy to lose track of how long things have been in the freezer. I often find random packets of stuff from 5 years ago!!

To avoid this, always label your containers with a best before date so you know when to eat the contents.

Reheat the tarts before eating them

Custard tarts (in my opinion) taste best when they’re warm. Once the tarts have thawed, reheat them in the oven for 5 minutes at 350°F (180°C).

Also, heating the custard tarts will help mask any split custard.

Vacuum seal the custard tarts if you can

Vacuum sealing prolongs the life of frozen food by 2-3 times the suggested best before date. It completely removes any air and doesn’t allow any air to seep in over time.

There is no risk of freezer burn with no air, which means you can leave the custard tarts in the freezer for much longer than usual (around 6-9 months).

How long do custard tarts last?

Method	Time
Pantry	1-2 days
Fridge	5 days
Freezer	3 months
Vacuum sealed	6-9 months

Although custard is made from eggs and milk, the tarts can be left out at room temperature for up to 2 days because of the high sugar content.

If you live in a warm climate, I would only leave the custard tarts out for 24 hours before refrigerating them.

Do custard tarts go bad?

Yes, custard tarts can go bad since they contain eggs and milk, both of which are perishable. You’ll be able to tell the tarts have gone bad because they’ll have a funky smell, similar to gone-off milk. Custard tarts last for two days at room temperature and up to five days in the fridge.

How To Freeze Custard Tarts

When it comes to custard tarts, it’s easy to get eyes bigger than your stomach.

The problem comes when you realize you don’t have time to eat all the tarts before they go off, but can you freeze them?

You’ve come to the right place.

I’ve experimented to find the best way to freeze and thaw custard tarts, so nothing has to go to waste.

4.86 from 7 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Portuguese

Keyword: custart tart, freeze custard tart

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 5

Servings: person

Calories: 298kcal

Equipment

Plastic wrap
Heavy Duty Freezer Bag

Ingredients

1 piece custard tart

Instructions

Wrap each individual tart tightly in plastic wrap or foil.
Place the wrapped tarts in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Squeeze as much air out of the freezer bag as possible (I use a straw to suck the air out, but vacuum sealing is even better!).
Label the freezer bag with the contents and date.
Put the egg tarts in the freezer and consume them within 3 months.

Notes