Vegan Fruit Tart

This vegan fruit tart is fun to make, beautiful to look at, and such a treat to eat! Made with a simple press-in crust, cashew cream cheese filling, and fresh fruit toppings, it’s a delicious dessert that’s perfect for entertaining.

Summer may be winding down, but this girl isn’t ready to give up on those fruity summer treats just yet. After all, vegan summer desserts are the best desserts.

This vegan fruit tart might just be the ultimate summer dessert. It’s really easy to make, so yummy, and bursting with fresh fruit. You can use all kinds of fruit for this one too!

It’s also really easy. This tart is made with a pastry crust, but there’s no rolling involved. You’ll just be mixing up a simple dough, pressing it into your pan, and baking it. The filling is very similar to my vegan cheesecake filling, but instead of a tall hunk of cheesecake, this tart uses just a thin layer of this decadent filling, allowing all those juicy bits of fresh fruit take the spotlight.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

Flour. The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, which you may also know as wheat flour or white flour. Could other types of flour be used? Possibly! I haven’t tested the recipe with any other varieties, but I think an all-purpose gluten-free blend or whole wheat pastry flour would work.
Sugar. Use organic granulated sugar, which is processed without animal ingredients. Conventional sugar isn’t always vegan.
Salt.
Vegan butter. You can find this near the regular butter in most grocery stores. Earth Balance, Miyoko’s, and Melt are a few brands you’ll probably see.
Almond extract.
Raw cashews. These will be the base for our filling. Raw cashews blend up super smooth and creamy! Make sure they’re raw, and not roasted.
Coconut oil. There are no substitutions here. Coconut oil solidifies when chilled, so it will help our filling to set.
Non-dairy milk. Use something unsweetened and unflavored. Aside from that, pretty much any variety will work. I used almond milk, but you can read my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help navigating the other options, like soy, oat, and cashew milk.
Maple syrup. Another liquid sweetener such as agave or coconut nectar could be substituted, if needed.
Lemon juice.
Lemon zest.
Vanilla extract.
Salt.
Fresh fruit. This is where you can have some fun and get creative! I’m using a mix of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and mandarin slices. But don’t feel limited! Go with your favorites, as long as they keep well and don’t turn brown when sliced (skip the bananas!).
Jam. Use apricot or peach jam, or some other variety that’s pale in color. You’ll be using it as a glaze to seal in the fruit and give it some sheen, so something dark like blueberry jam wouldn’t be a great choice. Also, stick with jams rather than preserves, which can contain big chunks of fruit.

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Tart dough in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

To make the filling, first stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then add melted vegan butter and some almond extract. Stir everything up just until a dough forms.

Now press that dough into a tart pan, covering the entire bottom, then pressing it up the sides. Pop the pan into the oven and bake the crust until it starts to brown.

Ingredients for cashew cheese filling in a blender.

Place your filling ingredients into a blender or food processor bowl: soaked raw cashews, melted coconut oil, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest. vanilla, and salt.

Cashew cheese tart filling in a blender.

Blend everything up until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Be patient, as this can take a few minutes if you’re not using a high-powered blending device. Also be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the pitcher or bowl occasionally.

Tart crust filled with cashew cream cheese filling.

Pour the filling into the crust, smooth it out, and pop the crust into the fridge to chill. It will take a few hours for the filling to set.

Hand brushing jam on top of a vegan fruit tart.

Arrange fresh fruit pieces over your set filling, making a pretty design if you’d like. Slightly warm up some jam, just to loosen it up, then brush it over the fruit. Chill the tart again to set the jam.

Vegan Fruit Tart with a blue napkin and fresh berries in the background.

Your vegan fruit tart is ready to enjoy! Slice it up and serve it. It’s great on it’s own or with a dollop of vegan whipped topping.

Leftovers & Storage

Vegan fruit tart will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about three days. Keep an eye on it though! Some types of fruit don’t last as long as others. If you’re making it a few days before serving, maybe skip the raspberries.

More Fruity Vegan Desserts

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Chill + Soak Time 10

Total Time 6 50

Ingredients

For the Crust

1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup organic granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
½ teaspoon almond extract

For the Filling

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours, drained and rinsed
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
¼ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt

For Topping

3 cups fresh fruit of choice (Note 1)
¼ cup apricot or peach jam

Instructions

Make the Crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Stir the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and almond extract. Stir just until combined.
Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 ½ inch tart pan with a removable bottom (Note 2).
Bake the crust for about 20 minutes, until the edges darken slightly. Remove it from the oven and place it on a cooling rack when done.

Assemble the Tart

Pour the filing into the crust, smoothing it out with a spatula if needed. Place the tart into the fridge until the filling is set, about four hours.
Prepare your fruit by washing it, the slicing or dicing it if it’s a larger variety.
Arrange the fruit over the filling, gently pressing each piece in so it stays in place.
Warm the jam up slightly. Place it in a microwave safe container and zap it for ten seconds at a time, stirring in between, just until it loosens up a bit.
Brush the jam evenly over the fruit topping.
Chill the tart until jam glaze over the topping is set.
Slice and serve.

Notes

You can use just about any type of fruit, but I recommend avoiding varieties that turn brown after cutting, like apples and bananas. I’m using a mix of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, mandarin slices, and raspberries. Cherries, grapes, kiwi slices, mango slices, and diced pineapple are also great options.
If you have a tart pan that’s slightly larger or smaller than this, use it. If it’s smaller you might end up with some extra filling, and if it’s larger the tart will just have a lower profile.
This recipe works best using a medium or smaller blending device. It it’s too large the ingredients will likely spatter on the walls and never get fully blended. If all you have is a large device, consider doubling the recipe. You can freeze one of the tarts before adding toppings.
Adapted from Delish’s Fruit Tart.

Nutrition

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