Name: Lettie's Milk Tart
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 6 large eggs; 2 cups sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1 teaspoon salt; 5 heaped tablespoons flour; 5 heaped tablespoons Maizena (cornflour); 9 cups milk; Ground cinnamon (for topping)

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Old-Fashioned Milk Tart (Lettie’s Milk Tart) with Cinnamon and Cornstarch

The Dreamiest Milk Tart You’ve Never Tried—Straight from Lettie’s Kitchen

an image of a SA Milk tart in a tinfoil dish — Lettie’s Milk Tart

If you’ve never had a South African milk tart before, you’re in for a treat. Lettie’s Milk Tart recipe is smooth, creamy, and packed with cozy vanilla flavor. It’s a no-crust, custard-style dessert that’s easy to make and even easier to love. Just a few pantry staples turn into something special you’ll want to eat straight from the dish.

Why You’ll Want to Make This:

Simple ingredients: Eggs, sugar, milk, and a few basics you already have
Easy prep: No fancy tools, no crust, no stress
Comforting flavor: Warm vanilla and cinnamon in every bite
Perfect for sharing: Big enough for a crowd, or just keep it in the fridge for yourself
Tastes even better the next day: If it lasts that long

This is the kind of dessert that feels like a hug from someone who knows how to cook.

Tastes like pudding but acts like a tart. Lettie’s Milk Tart is magic with just 6 eggs and milk.

Lettie’s Milk Tart

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Author: EsmeSalon
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 servings depending on size 1x
Category: Desserts
Method: Easy
Cuisine: South African

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Description

This Creamy South African Milk Tart Tastes Like Home in Every Bite

Ingredients

Scale

6 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
5 heaped tablespoons flour
5 heaped tablespoons Maizena (cornflour)
9 cups milk
Ground cinnamon (for topping)

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Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
Add the flour and Maizena. Mix until there are no lumps left.
In a big pot, heat the milk.
Before it boils, scoop out 2 cups of the warm milk and slowly stir it into the egg mixture to loosen it up.
Once the milk in the pot starts boiling, lower the heat to medium.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into the hot milk while whisking non-stop.
Keep stirring for 5 minutes as it thickens into a silky custard.
Pour into a dish and smooth it out.
Dust the top with cinnamon. Let it cool and set.

Why You’ll Love It

This milk tart is rich, silky, and not overly sweet. The cinnamon gives it a cozy finish, and it’s made with simple ingredients you probably already have. It’s perfect served cold, and even better the next day.

Let this old-school favorite become a new go-to in your dessert lineup.

Notes

Created, prepared, tried, and tested by Jane Nepgen. My mother-in-law FINALLY gave me this recipe a month before she passed away, after 17 years of refusing to share. I really appreciate that she did!

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9 cups of milk never tasted this good. Lettie’s Milk Tart is the old-school favorite worth making right now

Anyone who loves simple, creamy desserts will enjoy this no-crust milk tart. Lettie’s Milk Tart is made with pantry basics, thickens perfectly, and delivers smooth custard with warm cinnamon on top. Easy to prep, hard to stop eating.

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