In the spirit of Christmas and all the excitement leading up to the big feast, I have been creating my own tasting menu. Wait, it’s still a tasting menu if the serving sizes are huge, right? Well, my husband and I have been indulging a bit more than we should’ve in everything savoury, sweet and considerably unhealthy. In all honesty, we have been doing this for months, but please don’t judge! At least we are very prepared for all of the Portuguese desserts we’ll be having by the glittery tree!
My friends and I actually discussed our plans for Christmas and agreed on one thing; we will all become big balls of fluff – proudly too, if I may add! But what good is it to just eat all the goodies without sharing it with you guys?
Since I can’t exactly post a picture every few hours, I figured it would be a great idea to share a few of the recipes we will be using this December.
Disclaimer: These photos are not my own and I have indicated the source under each image.
Are you ready to try some Portuguese desserts?

The queen of Portuguese desserts : Pastéis de natas
This may actually be my favourite Portuguese dessert because of the combination of crunchy, silky, sweet and subtle! I’ve never actually made it myself but with Covid still in the air restricting our freedom, I’m keen to give it a try! I’ll be using this recipe.

Pudim flan (pudding)
Another silky favourite, this one is served in almost every Portuguese household. I personally like to add a little more flavour and thickness so coconut shavings, lemon rinds and less liquid in the base are definitely my preferred option. It’s easy to put together but requires a bit of cooking time, so keep that in mind if you try it. Of course, here’s a recipe for you.

Mousse de maracujá (passion fruit mousse)
My younger sister absolutely loves this one and to be honest, I’ve never seen anyone make it with more passion! See what I did there? It’s another guilty pleasure that shouldn’t be consumed too often if you like your waistline, but definitely one you won’t be able to live without. If you love extra texture to your desserts, feel free to have it with some plain biscuits. You can also swap out the passion fruit with cocoa powder if you’re a chocoholic. Check out the recipe here.

Arroz Doce (Sweet Rice)
This dessert is perfect for cooler nights when you just want something creamy and hearty. It can also be served cold, but it definitely tastes better when warm and with a dash of cinnamon. There are several methods to make it, but I always find that swapping out the plain milk and sugar for condensed milk works best. You can use this recipe if you want to try it out!

Bolo de arroz (rice cake)
This one is nothing like the Japanese rice cakes, it’s actually cake with with rice flour! It’s light and fluffy with a crispy caramel crust and is served in any Portuguese cafe with coffee for breakfast! It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a staple. Try it with this recipe.

Serradura
This one is such a guilty pleasure that I would recommend you save for special occasions. Loaded with cream and biscuits, there is no way you can go wrong! I personally love it because of all of the textures, plus it’s a great alternative to boring old ice cream. It’s also a very quick dessert to whip up (literally) so you can always make it when you’re in a rush. Check out this easy recipe.

Did any of the Portuguese desserts make your mouth water?
These look so good and decadent. *Yum* 😍
I’ll definitely try these sometime in future. (Doing a lil pre-holiday diet right now! 🙈)
LOL look at you being all healthy! My holiday season started on December 1st so I’m allowing myself everything bad till the end of the month! lol
haha, I’ve already binged a lot this yeaar. Hence the need for self control. 🙈
Also how do you know so much about Portuguese cuisine? Are you based in Portugal?
Hahaha I hear you! I’m part Angolan part Mozambican~ both ex Portuguese colonies 😉
Wow. I hardly know anything about Angolan and Mozambican culture. Would love to read about them on your blog sometime.
LOL so here’s the thing… besides the food and the music, I don’t know much about both cultures either 🙈 I grew up in many different countries, neither of them were Angola and Mozambique 😂 and now I live in South Africa!
These look and sound amazing!
You should definitely try some! I highly recommend it 😀
It all looked so so so tempting. I love sweets and desserts. Really, me and my friends should be hovering around you next Christmas and spying on your menu and stealing lots of sweets from your fridge. Don’t lock your house 🙂
Omg Rajat you’re too funny! 🤣 I’ll leave one window open for you 😜
We in the Hispanic / Dominican culture we make similar desserts too! The pudding and the rice one… soo yummy. I’m completely obsessed with desserts. Give me some more inspo to make desserts for the holidays💛
Cata http://beautyofcafe205.blog/
I knew there were similarities with Hispanic culture but had no clue about Dominican! What else is popular for you? I might want to try something completely different as well 🙂
We also make a flan/pudding with whiskey.. so deliscious
With whiskey?! 🤣 I HAVE to try that!
Its AMAZING!!
I absolutely love Pastéis de natas. There is a large Portuguese population in the area where I live and we have some really good Portuguese bakeries. I haven’t had them in ages. I must plan a trip to the bakery after Christmas to get some.
Awesome! I am a bit jealous because where I live, you don’t find them too often and when you do, they don’t taste as good. Have one for me and please savour every bite!
Wow…I can’t decide which I want to try sometime, beacuse all look delish ! But we make “arroz doce” or arroz con dulce in Puerto Rico and it’s a family favorite. 😋
Oooh lovely! I wonder how your version differs from ours. Do you also make horchata in Puerto Rico?
Thanks for sharing!! which one is your favorite?
I like the sound of the Sweet Rice. Reminds me of rice cakes 🙂
I hope you try some! My favourite is the creamy goddess – Pastel de nata 🤤
What does it taste like?
Ummm that’s a hard one to describe… imagine a creamy flan with a pie crust… but the middle is way smoother like custard 😅
These all sound so delicious 😍
They really are 🙂
If I were a better baker, I would love to try the Pasteis de natas! You sold me on the “combination of crunchy, silky, sweet and subtle!” Can’t wait to see how they turn out for you!
These sound so delicious! I’m not familiar with Portuguese food but now I want to try these recipes. Thanks for sharing them with us (:
Yay! I’m glad you liked them. If you do try any, please let me know what you think 😊
Oh gosh Shelly! These recipes look incredible! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Happy holidays and blogmas!
Thanks hun! You too 😘
These looks so delicious. Will add to my treats to try list. It’s nice learning about food from other cultures/countries.
Yay! Please let me know when you try them 😁😁 And thanks for stopping by! 💖
My pleasure. I will. 😀
These all look so tasty! Especially the sweet rice!
Wow these look so good! Before this article, I guess I’d never really thought of or knew Portuguese desserts. I didn’t know flan counted as Portuguese.. I’d only thought of it as Spanish/Hispanic but I guess it makes sense that their cuisines overlap since they’re both on the Iberian peninsula.
Yeah I think this season we are figuring out that lots of countries have overlapping meals. I didn’t know any of these was Dominican but apparently they are too!
Love, love, love this✨✨It made me all hungry. Now I am going to go and fix for myself something sweet
😅 glad you liked it! Sweets are a gift from heaven, so don’t hold back! Lol
This looks so delicious. 😍🤗💖
They really are! If you like sweets, you should really try them out 🙂
Yess I love sweets. Sure ☺️
Ooohh I am excited to try the Pastéis de natas and the serradurra for Christmas! I am going to try to make these with G since he is more experienced than I in the kitchen 😁
Perfect! Pictures when you make them please! You can also DHL a serving 😅
Lol! Yes will definitely send pictures 😀 I’ll make sure it’s edible before shipping all the way to you 😁
These look so good! I noticed a few are rice based. Are they sweet?
Oh girl yes! It isn’t a dessert if it isn’t sweet! The rice cake actually tastes like a normal cake but smoother if that makes sense
They all seem so delicious Shelly, hard to pick one 😋
Well then, let me pick for you 🙂 Pasteis de natas!!! hehe
All these desserts look so yummy and worth trying!
So many good ones… I’d also add Pão de Rala and Pão de Ló.
Oooh how could I forget pão de ló! 🤤
Wait.. are you Portuguese?
No, I lived there for a few months (Near Évora).
A feast indeed!