These vegan custard tarts are so creamy, delicious, and probably too darn pretty to eat. They’re a combination of light and crisp crust, filled with a lush filling and topped with beautiful berries. It definitely looks and tastes like the ones you would get a patisserie. Now you too, can channel your inner French baker and show these babies off to your friends and family. It’s the perfect dessert for any occasion! It's your turn to make these vegan custard tarts!
Now, I know that custard tarts aren’t necessarily a holiday treat, but in my family it is. It’s one of my mom’s favorite pies and she would always buy a lovely custard pie to top off our holiday dinners. And yes, custard pies aren’t tarts, but I specifically wanted to make tarts. Besides, tarts are basically fancy mini pies, am I right? I love custard pie as much as my mom does, but I wanted to challenge myself to make a custard tart instead. I also wanted to channel my inner pâtissière and prove to myself that I could make lovely vegan custard tarts. (Even though I believe custard tarts are probably one of the easiest tarts out there but don’t tell anyone that.)
How to get a perfect tart shell?
Compared to a pie crust, tart shells are more delicate and almost cookie like. They’re light, airy, and crisp and hold together without the help of a pie plate. The one thing you have to keep in mind when making tart shells, or any kind of flakey pastry dough is to keep the butter and dough cold. This is where the food processor comes in, and I know that it’s not traditionally how tart shells are made, but I wanted to make this easier for those who are home bakers or new to baking. The food processor will keep all the ingredients cold, so you don’t need to worry about using your hands and risk getting the butter warm. Plus, it’s so much faster than using your hands.
Tips to get a perfect vegan custard tart:
- Use a food processor. As I mentioned, using a food processor is not only easier, but it’s also faster. It keeps all the ingredients cold, so you don’t need to worry about the warmth of your hands melting the butter.
- Shape the tart shell dough into a log. When cut into the log, you’ll have perfectly round discs of dough ready to roll out.
- Having a thick crust. Tart shells are a bit delicate, so to keep the filling from breaking through you need to have the crust pretty thick. I roll my crusts about ¼ - inch thick.
- Use a rolling pin to cut the excess dough. What do I mean by this? Well, you’re definitely going to have extra dough overhanging the tart mold. So, instead of cutting it with scissors, simply fold the excess dough over the edge. Use your rolling pin to roll it over the mold and it’ll “cut” excess dough and you’ll have a perfectly even edge.
- Chilling the tart shells before baking. This will prevent the dough from shrinking when you bake. This is a critical step, so do not skip this!
- Dock your tart shells before baking. What does docking mean? It basically means adding air holes to the bottom of your tart shell. This will allow air to flow through and prevent the tart shell from puffing up. You can do this by using a fork to dock the bottom.
- Use a baking pan as a vessel. Since tartlet molds are small, you don’t want to bring them individually to the oven. The easiest way is to use a baking pan to place the tartlet molds over and bring them together in the oven.
- Allow the tart shells to cool completely. Before you add any filling, you want the tart shells to cool completely. The tarts will be soggy and that might cause the filling to breakthrough.
- Let the custard filling completely set in the fridge. The custard fillings need time to completely cool and set before serving it. So, they need time to chill in the fridge!
If you’re a visual person and need help with forming your tart shells, I found this video from The Boy Who Bakes, where he goes through step-by-step on how to do this. So click the link to check out that video. https://youtu.be/vXXOgmSfYh8?t=849
If you’d tried this recipe out let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe and don’t forget to tag me when you create my recipes! Happy Holidays!
If you enjoyed this recipe, check these out:
- Vegan Molten Lava Cakes
- Matcha Shortbread Cookies
- Vanilla Bean Scones
- Chocolate Cardamom Bread Knots
📖 Recipe
Vegan Custard Tarts
Equipment
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling Pin
- Tart molds
- Paring knife
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
- Whisk
- Medium saucepan
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cup
Ingredients
Tart Shell
- 200 grams all-purpose flour, leveled and sifted
- 24 grams almond four, leveled and sifted
- 35 grams powdered sugar, leveled and sifted
- 140 grams vegan butter, cold and cubed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons ice water
Custard
- 200 grams full-fat coconut milk (do not use light)
- 200 grams soy milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (sifted)
- 2 teaspoon unflavored agar-agar powder (not flakes)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean p (vanilla extract)
- A tiny pinch of turmeric for color
Toppings
- Berries
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
The Tart Shell:
- First thing, remove the butter from the fridge and cut them into ½ inch cubes. Place them on a plate and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- When you are ready, add in the all-purpose flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to combine.
- Add the frozen butter to the food processor and pulse until you get about pea-size pieces of butter mixed into the flour mixture.
- Start out by adding 1 tablespoon of ice water to the dough and pulse until it slightly clumps and holds its shape as you press it together. If it's still too dry add in 1 more tablespoon of ice water.
- Transfer the dough to a work surface and lightly knead it until it is a cohesive dough. Then shape it into a 7-inch log. Wrap it in a plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Once the dough is chilled, equally cut the dough log into 6 discs. Freeze the other pieces of dough if they start to get too soft.
- Flour the work surface and work with one disc at a time. Flatten out the dough with a rolling pin, about a ½-inch bigger than the tart tin and ¼-inch thick. You need the dough to be thick, otherwise, the filling will break through.
- Gently place the dough into the tart mold and lightly press it into the bottom and into the sides of the mold.
- Press the excess dough over the edges of the tart mold, and use the rolling pin to roll over the tart mold and it will cut the excess dough off. Lightly press the dough against the mold again and use a paring knife to cut off any excess dough leftover. Repeat for the rest of the dough.
- Place the tart molds into the freezer to chill the dough for 30 minutes. While you wait, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- When the dough is cold, prick the bottom of the tart shell with a fork, and place them onto a baking sheet. (This will be an easy way to bring them into the oven.) Then bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow the tart shells to cool in the molds for 10 minutes. Remove the tart shells from the mold and allow them to fully cool over a wire cooling rack.
Making the custard filling:
- In a medium bowl, add in the coconut milk, soy milk, sugar, sifted cornstarch, agar-agar powder, and vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract). Whisk to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan, and place it over medium heat.
- Stir the mixture constantly until it becomes thick, it’ll take about 4-5 minutes.
- Then pour the mixture into a measuring cup with a spout, cover with some plastic wrap, and allow it to cool slightly for about 5-8 minutes.
- Stir the mixture up a bit, and fill up each tartlet. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature. Then transfer them into the fridge to set completely, about 3-4 hours.
- When ready to serve, top them off with some berries and some powdered sugar, and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a food processor. Using a food processor is not only easier, but it’s also faster. It keeps all the ingredients cold, so you don’t need to worry about the warmth of your hands melting the butter. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a pastry blender or your hands. But if you are using your hands, you have to work quickly.
- Having a thick crust. Tart shells are a bit delicate, so to keep the filling from breaking through you need to have the crust pretty thick. I roll my crusts about ¼ - inch thick.
- Use a rolling pin to cut the excess dough. What do I mean by this? Well, you’re definitely going to have extra dough overhanging the tart mold. So, instead of cutting it with scissors, simply fold the excess dough over the edge. Use your rolling pin to roll it over the mold and it’ll “cut” excess dough and you’ll have a perfectly even edge.
- Chilling the tart shells before baking. This will prevent the dough from shrinking when you bake. This is a critical step, so do not skip this!
- Dock your tart shells before baking. What does docking mean? It basically means adding air holes to the bottom of your tart shell. This will allow air to flow through and prevent the tart shell from puffing up. You can do this by using a fork to dock the bottom.
- Use a baking pan as a vessel. Since tartlet molds are small, you don’t want to bring them individually to the oven. The easiest way is to use a baking pan to place the tartlet molds over and bring them together in the oven.
- Allow the tart shells to cool completely. Before you add any filling, you want the tart shells to cool completely. The tarts will be soggy and that might cause the filling to break through.
- Let the custard filling completely set in the fridge. The custard fillings need time to completely cool and set before serving it. So, they need time to chill in the fridge!
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