Crustless Milk Tart Recipe (Korslose Melktert)

Name: Crustless Milk Tart
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 1 litre milk (4 cups); 150 g sugar (¾ cup); 140 g plain flour (all-purpose flour) (1 cup); 25 g custard powder (3 tbsp); 5 ml baking powder (1 tsp); 1 ml salt (¼ tsp); 5 ml vanilla extract (1 tsp); 40 g cinnamon sugar (3 tbsp); 60 g butter; 4 egg, separated; 1 cinnamon stick

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This crustless milk tart (korslose melktert) is the laziest route to a proper South African custard dessert, and I mean that in the best possible way. No pastry. No blind baking. You pour the batter into a dish, bake it for 15 minutes, and end up with something that tastes like it took three times the effort.

Golden crustless milk tart with cinnamon sugar topping in baking dish with serving plate next to it

In South Africa, this is called korslose melktert (literally "crustless milk tart"), and it's one of those recipes that gets passed between families on handwritten cards and WhatsApp messages. Thick creamy custard, a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar, and a texture somewhere between baked custard and a wobbly tart filling. If you've had a South African milk tart before, this is the no-fuss version that skips the pastry entirely.

Jump to:

What is crustless milk tart? (korslose melktert)
Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients you'll need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
The Cape Malay twist
Instructions - how to make crustless milk tart
Tips for the creamiest filling
How to store crustless milk tart
FAQs about this South African crustless milk tart recipe
More South African desserts
What to serve before this crustless milk tart
Crustless Milk Tart

What is crustless milk tart? (korslose melktert)

Crustless milk tart is a South African baked custard dessert made without a pastry crust. The batter combines milk, flour, eggs, sugar and butter into a self-setting custard that bakes in a dish and gets finished with cinnamon sugar. It's the simplified version of the traditional melktert, popular for its minimal effort.

Two baked crustless milk tarts cooling on wooden board with cinnamon topping

Why you'll love this recipe

It's a one-dish situation. No rolling pastry, no blind baking, no faffing about with tart tins. You cook the custard base on the stove, fold in whipped egg whites, pour it into a greased dish and let the oven do the rest.
The ingredient list is mostly pantry staples you probably already have. Milk, flour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla. If you've baked anything in the last month, you're sorted.
It feeds six to eight from one dish, and it actually tastes better once it's cooled completely. Make it hours ahead and forget about it.

Ingredients you'll need

All you need are a few easy-to-find pantry staples for this South African crustless milk tart recipe.

Measured ingredients for crustless milk tart including milk eggs flour and sugar

Milk
Sugar
Plain flour (all-purpose flour)
Custard powder
Baking powder
Salt
Vanilla extract
Butter
Cinnamon stick
Eggs
Cinnamon sugar

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Full-cream milk is best here: Low-fat will work but the custard won't be as rich or silky.
Plain flour (all-purpose flour): The flour and custard powder together are what thicken the filling and help it set without a crust.
Custard powder: If you can't find custard powder, cornflour (cornstarch) works, but you'll lose the yellow tint and some of that vanilla-custard flavour.
The cinnamon stick steeps in the hot milk and gets removed before mixing, so ground cinnamon isn't a straight swap for this step (it would make the custard gritty). You can skip it if you don't have one, since the cinnamon sugar topping carries most of the cinnamon flavour anyway.
Eggs: You'll need to separate the eggs. The yolks go into the custard for richness, and the whites get whipped to stiff peaks and folded in, which is what gives this tart its light, almost souffleed texture.
For the cinnamon sugar topping: You can buy it pre-mixed or make your own with caster sugar (superfine sugar) and ground cinnamon.
- About 2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon.

The Cape Malay twist

In Cape Malay cooking, milk tart often gets a little upgrade with cardamom or a strip of naartjie peel added to the milk with the cinnamon stick. It's a small change, but it makes the flavour warmer and more fragrant.
If you want to try it, just add 2-3 crushed cardamom pods while heating the milk, then remove them with the cinnamon stick. Definitely worth trying this Cape Malay version at least once.

Instructions - how to make crustless milk tart

Greasing two baking dishes evenly with butter before adding custard mixture

Prep: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Grease a 23 cm (9-inch) baking dish with butter, coating the base and sides evenly so the custard doesn't stick.

Whisking flour custard powder sugar and milk into a smooth paste in bowl

Make the paste: Mix the flour, custard powder, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add 250 ml milk and whisk into a smooth paste.

Milk heating in saucepan with cinnamon stick just before reaching a boil

Heat the milk: In a pot, bring 750 ml of the milk with the cinnamon stick to a gentle boil.

ALT TEXT Pouring hot milk into flour mixture while stirring to temper the custard base

Temper the mixture: Gradually add some of the hot milk into the flour mixture, stirring constantly.

Pouring the tempered flour mixture into hot milk in saucepan while stirring

Combine: Pour the flour mixture back into the pot with the hot milk.

Custard mixture cooking on low heat while being stirred continuously

Cook the custard: Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about 8 minutes, until thick and smooth.

Thick custard coating the back of a spoon showing smooth consistency

Check thickness: Dip a spoon into the custard and run your finger through the back, it should hold a clear line without running.

Stirring butter and vanilla into hot custard until melted and combined

Add butter and vanilla: Stir in the butter and vanilla until fully melted and combined. Remove cinnamon stick.

Whisking egg yolks while adding hot milk slowly to warm the mixture

Temper: Lightly beat the egg yolks. Add a little hot custard to the yolks to temper.

Pouring tempered egg yolk mixture back into custard in saucepan

Add egg yolks: Stir the yolks back into the mixture. Do not cook further, allow the custard to cool slightly.

Beating egg whites in bowl until soft peaks form for the korslose melk tert

Beat the egg whites: Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form using a handheld mixer or whisk.

Folding beaten egg whites gently into custard using a metal spoon for the crustless milk tart

Fold in egg whites: Gently fold into the custard using a metal spoon, keeping as much air as possible.

Pouring custard mixture into greased baking dish before baking

Assemble: Pour into the prepared dish and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar.

Sprinkling cinnamon sugar evenly over custard before baking

Bake: Bake for about 15 minutes, until puffed, golden and just set.

Cool: Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly open (I use a metal spoon to keep it open) and allow the tart to cool slowly inside.

Baked crustless milk tarts or korslose melk terte cooling

Finish cooling: Remove from the oven and let it cool completely at room temperature before serving.

Tips for the creamiest filling

Stir constantly when you're cooking the custard base on the stove. It catches on the bottom fast and lumps form quickly if you walk away. A flat-bottomed wooden spoon or silicone spatula works great, because you can scrape the bottom of the pot as you go.
Temper your eggs properly. Adding hot custard to the yolks gradually (not dumping the yolks straight into the pot) prevents scrambled egg bits in your filling.
Fold the egg whites gently. You want to keep the air in them. Use a metal spoon and a slow folding motion, turning the bowl as you go. If you stir too vigorously, the filling loses its lightness and bakes denser.
Don't overbake. The tart should still wobble slightly in the centre when you turn off the oven. It sets further as it cools.

Follow these tips and you'll end up with a perfectly soft, creamy korslose melktert, just the way it's made in South Africa.

How to store crustless milk tart

Cover the dish with cling wrap or a lid and keep it in the fridge once it's cooled to room temperature. It lasts 3-4 days and honestly tastes better cold, the day after you make it.
It doesn't freeze well because the custard goes grainy when it thaws. If you need to make this ahead, bake it the day before and refrigerate overnight.

FAQs about this South African crustless milk tart recipe

Can I make crustless milk tart ahead of time?

Yes, and it actually improves overnight. Bake it, let it cool completely, cover it and refrigerate. The flavours develop and the custard firms up to a better slicing consistency. Make it the morning of, or even the night before.

Why did my crustless milk tart crack on top?

Usually this means the oven was too hot or it cooled too quickly. Letting the tart cool slowly inside the oven with the door cracked open prevents this. A little surface cracking won't affect the taste, though.

Can I use this recipe to make crustless mini milk tarts?

You can pour the batter into greased muffin tins or ramekins instead of a single dish. Reduce the bake time to about 8-10 minutes and watch them closely. They puff up fast at that size.

What's the difference between crustless milk tart and baked custard?

They're close relatives. Crustless milk tart uses flour and custard powder to give the filling more body, plus whipped egg whites for lightness. A plain baked custard is typically just eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla, with a thinner, more delicate set. The cinnamon sugar topping is also distinctly South African.

Is crustless milk tart a South African recipe?

It is. Milk tart (melktert) has been part of South African food culture since the Dutch settlers brought custard tart recipes to the Cape in the 1600s. The crustless version is a more modern shortcut that became popular because it's faster. You'll find it at braais, church bazaars, and family get-togethers all over the country.

If you're getting into South African desserts, this is a solid starting point. Malva pudding is another classic worth trying, and peppermint crisp tart is completely different but just as loved. For more South African recipes on the savoury side, bobotie and bunny chow are two of the best.