A beautiful, light and creamy, no-bake vegan fruit tart that will put you in a summer mindset without the hassle of baking a pie. It's sweet, but not too sweet. With the addition of almond extract, it has a slight almond flavor that is a lovely complement to the fresh fruit.
This beauty is a lighter, healthier (and easier) version of a classic French tart. It happens to be dairy-free, gluten-free, and it doesn't require any baking!
My vegan fruit tart uses simple ingredients, makes a beautifully stunning presentation, and is easily customizable (use your favorite fresh fruit)!
Making pies can be a bit of a pain, so this is a great alternative for a summery vegan tart without the hassle of making pie crust and turning on the oven. Just refrigerate until ready to serve!
For more vegan dessert recipes, try my blueberry cobbler, peach crisp, peanut butter pie, and s'mores bars!
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⭐ Why This Fruit Tart is the Best
- Chewy crust with a thick and creamy vanilla custard filling, and topped with fresh berries
- Simple vegan tart recipe that's no-bake and easy enough for beginners
- Makes a beautiful presentation for a special occasion or in the heat of summer
- Healthy dairy free tart that's gluten free, protein-rich, contains healthy fats, and is low in carbs
- Customizable vegan berry tart with variations for your favorite fruit or individual mini tarts
- Make in advance instructions provided
🍓 Ingredient Notes
- Whole medjool dates - They provide natural sweetness to our crust and overall tart, like in my avocado chocolate mousse. I recommend soaking your dates in warm water (try to use pitted if possible) for around 10 minute to soften them up before using.
- Toasted almonds - Gives a nutty crunch to our crust and adds protein and healthy fats. Using toasted almonds (rather than raw) gives the crust a deeper, richer flavor. If you use salted almonds, you don't need to add additional salt here.
- Cornstarch - This helps to thicken our pastry cream/custard filling
- Almond extract - I love the flavor of almond extract, especially when making desserts with almonds. This adds just a hint of almond flavor, but you can leave it out if you prefer.
- Strawberries - If you have strawberries to spare, try my strawberry cornmeal cake.
- Apricot jam (optional) - We use apricot jam to cover our fruit and give it a beautiful polished look (and prevent browning). However, if you plan on serving your tart immediately, this step isn't necessary.
📝 Tart Variations & Substitutions
- Plant-based milk. You can substitute another dairy-free milk (soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk etc.) for similar results.
- Make individual tarts using mini-tart pans. This recipe should make 8 mini-tarts.
- Fresh fruit. Use any fruit that's in season.
🔪 How To Make Vegan Fruit Tart
(See recipe card below for printable instructions)
Make the Crust:
In a food processor, pulse the almonds, dates, and salt (if using unsalted nuts) until coarsely chopped. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together.
Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan, pressing the mixture all the way up the sides of the pan. Chill the crust until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Make the Vegan Pastry Cream/Custard:
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of almond milk, cornstarch, and sugar. Mix until well incorporated.
In a medium saucepan, gently heat 2 cups of almond milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.
Pour in the cornstarch slurry and whisk vigorously.
Return to the stovetop and continue to cook over medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes, until mixture starts to thicken and bubbles form. Whisk in vegan butter until completely melted.
Set aside to cool for 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. The mixture will continue to thicken as it sets up.
Assemble Vegan Fruit Tart:
Pour pastry cream onto chilled crust and spread evenly using the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
Arrange sliced fruit in desired pattern on top of pastry cream. If using apricot jam, use a pastry brush to lightly brush on top of fruit. Serve cold.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Make in advance instructions: Make the filling and crust up to 2 days in advance. Store them separately (covered) in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- How to store: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the crust. I don't recommend freezing this tart simply because the texture of the pastry cream will get a bit wonky when thawed. However, you could freeze the date-nut crust and use it a later date. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight.
- Keep an eye on your pastry cream/custard mixture. It will start to thicken fairly quickly and you want to whisk it continuously while cooking.
- Use fresh fruit. I don't recommend using frozen fruit for this vegan fruit tart recipe due to the high water content.
- Brush fruit with a thin layer of apricot jam to preserve their bright colors and give them a beautiful glossy finish. It helps to thin it out with a small amount of water before using.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Classic French fruit tarts typically have three components: a sweet shortbread crust, creamy vanilla custard, and lots of fruit on top. They are usually made with with a fair amount of butter and sugar, but are easy to make vegan. In this recipe, we use almond milk and vegan butter to make a healthy, light and creamy fruit tart that is reminiscent of the classic dessert.
Traditional tart crusts can become soggy, but par-baking the crust can help with this. For this dairy free fruit tart recipe, we make a protein-rich crust using almonds and dates. Because it's a heartier crust, it doesn't become soggy.
Fruit tarts are typically made with pastry cream or custard filling consisting of milk, eggs, vanilla, corn starch, and butter. However, it is easy to make vegan using plant-based milk and butter (and omitting the eggs).
🥧 Related Recipes
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Vegan Fruit Tart Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9" tart pan
- 1 Food processor or blender
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 10-12 whole medjool dates, pitted (if dry, soak in warm water for 10 minutes and drain)
- 2 cups toasted almonds (½ lb.)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 Tablespoons water
For the Vegan Pastry Cream:
- 2 Tablespoons almond milk
- 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups almond milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
- pinch of salt
For the Tart Topping:
- 1 kiwi, sliced
- 5 strawberries, sliced
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 1 Tablespoon apricot jam (thinned out with a bit of water) (optional)
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the almonds, dates, and salt (if using unsalted nuts) until coarsely chopped. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together.
- Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan, pressing the mixture all the way up the sides of the pan. Chill the crust until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Make the Vegan Pastry Cream:
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of almond milk, cornstarch, and sugar. Mix until well incorporated.
- In a medium saucepan, gently heat 2 cups of almond milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.
- Pour in the cornstarch slurry and whisk vigorously.
- Return to the stovetop and continue to cook over medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes, until mixture starts to thicken and bubbles form. Whisk in vegan butter until completely melted.
- Set aside to cool for 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. The mixture will continue to thicken as it sets up.
Assemble Vegan Tart:
- Pour pastry cream onto chilled crust and spread evenly using the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Arrange sliced fruit in desired pattern on top of pastry cream. If using apricot jam, use a pastry brush to lightly brush on top of fruit. Serve cold.
Notes
- Make ahead: Make the filling and crust up to two days in advance. Store them separately (covered) in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- How to store: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the crust. I don't recommend freezing this tart simply because the texture of the pastry cream will get a bit wonky when thawed. However, you could freeze the date-nut crust and use it a later date. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in fridge overnight.
- Keep an eye on your pastry cream mixture. It will start to thicken fairly quickly and you want to whisk it continuously while cooking.
- Use fresh fruit. I don't recommend using frozen fruit for this recipe due to the high water content.
- Brush fruit with a thin layer of apricot jam to preserve their bright colors and give them a beautiful glossy finish. It helps to thin it out with a small amount of water before using.
Carmen
This looks awesome! I'm not a huge fan of dates. Do you think I could use dried figs instead for the crust?
Gastronotherapy
Thanks for your question, Carmen! You could totally use dried figs, but because they're not as sweet as dates, I would use 50% more. Let me know if you give it a try! 🙂