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Home » Recipes » Vegan Fruit Tart

Vegan Fruit Tart

by Sarah McMinn / Posted: April 16, 2018 / Updated: July 23, 2020 / Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

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A vegan fruit tart made with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust, filled with a sweet cream cheese, and topped with glazed berries for the perfect springtime treat. Bring this refreshing dessert to your next garden party or wedding shower. 
Vegan Fruit Tart with Mixed Berries
A vegan fruit tart made with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust, filled with sweet cream cheese, and topped with glazed berries for the perfect springtime treat. Bring this refreshing dessert to your next garden party or wedding shower. 
A vegan fruit tart made with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust, filled with a sweet cream cheese, and topped with glazed berries for the perfect springtime treat. Bring this refreshing dessert to your next garden party or wedding shower. 

A vegan fruit tart made with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust, filled with sweet cream cheese, and topped with glazed berries for the perfect springtime treat. Bring this refreshing dessert to your next garden party or wedding shower.

Finished dessert on a white plate

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Happy Monday, my friends!

Let's get this week started off in sweet buttery fashion.

How do we do that?

Why, with a vegan fruit tart, of course! Made with a buttery lemon shortbread crust, filled with sweet coconut cream cheese, and topped with assorted fresh berries, this is a fruit tart to get you excited about Monday morning.

Wanna take a closer look? Let's dig in!

Mixed berries, lemon wedges, and cream cheese on a cloth napkin

Table of Contents show
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
How to Make Vegan Fruit Tarts
Serving and Storing
Tips and Tricks
More Summertime Desserts
Vegan Fruit Tart
Shortbread Crust
Cream Cheese Filling
Fruit Topping

Recommended Ingredients & Equipment

The original recipe idea came from my favorite childhood desserts – fruit pizza. Fruit pizza is a decadent springtime dessert that combines a shortbread crust, sweet cream cheese “sauce”, and a beautifully glazed fruit topping.

These are basically the same dessert but in small bite-sized pieces.

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • GO VEGGIE cream cheese
  • Vegan Butter – Look for non-hydrogenated, high-quality non-dairy/vegan butter.
  • Powdered Sugar –Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements.
  • All-Purpose Flour – Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend here if you are looking for a gluten-free dessert. (<<affiliate link)
  • Lemon Zest
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Coconut Milk – This recipe calls for the fatty solids on the top, only. Most coconut milk comes separated but not all. To ensure your coconut milk separates, place it in the fridge, unopened, 24 hours before using it. This will cause the coconut milk to separate so you can scoop out the cream and leave the coconut water.
  • Fresh Fruit – Use a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries

Recommended Equipment

To make fruit pizza, you will need a mini tart pan or 4" tart molds. You will also need measuring cups, a piping bag, and basic kitchen utensils.

It is also very useful to have a stand-up mixer. (<<affiliate links)

Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.

Best Cream Cheese Alternative

For the sweet cream cheese filling, I used Go Veggie’s classic cream cheese.

Go Veggie's cream cheese is made from coconut for a non-GMO, no cholesterol, vegan alternative. I love Go Veggie, a company dedicated to promoting healthier lifestyles by providing delicious plant-based cheese alternatives. Their cheeses have more calcium, equal protein, less fat and fewer calories compared to dairy cheese. Their mission - to help cheese lovers enjoy all their favorite cheesy foods and feel great about it.

And the taste? Well, it's my favorite plant-based cream cheese on the market making it the cream cheese of choice for this vegan fruit tart.

Fresh fruit tarts with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries

How to Make Vegan Fruit Tarts

Step One: Make the Sugar Cookie Crust

To make the crust, beat the vegan butter in a stand-up mixer until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes), scraping the sides as needed. Add powdered sugar and beat again for another 2-3 minutes until well blended. Scrape down the sides and add flour and lemon zest. Mix on low until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix.

Place about 2 tablespoons of dough in each tart mold. Press down evenly on the sides and bottom so that dough is between ⅛-14" thick. If you are using 4" tart shells, roll the dough out on a floured surface to the same thickness. Cut circles slightly larger than molds and place inside greased tart pans, pressing lightly all around to snugly fill the mold.

Poke holes in the bottom of the dough and chill dough in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Shortbread cookie dough and cream cheese filling

Step Two – Make the Cream Cheese Filling

To make the filling, scoop out the solids from the coconut milk (top ½ of the can) into a medium-sized bowl. Add vegan cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and blend with a hand mixer until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Step Three – Assemble the Tarts

Remove dough from the freezer and bake for 15-20 minutes until the dough starts to become golden around the edges. Remove from the oven. Let the tart shells cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Scoop or pipe cream cheese filling into tart shells, about ⅔ full, and spread evenly. Top with fresh berries.

Finished dessert on a wooden platter

Serving and Storing

Serving - These vegan fruit tarts are best eaten the same day. Once they are assembled, the tart shell will start to get soggy.

Make in Advance - If you do want to make them in advance, you can make the crust and cream cheese filling up to two days in advance. Store them separately. The filling should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The tart shells should be covered and stored at room temperature. When ready to eat, just assemble and serve!

Tips and Tricks

  1. Use high-quality non-dairy butter. You want your butter to have a natural buttery taste with a similarly low melting point to dairy butter. I recommend this brand.
  2. Do not over mix the dough. Once you add the flour, mix it until it just starts coming together. At that point, turn it out onto a floured work surface and bring it together with your hands.
  3. Chill your dough. Make sure to chill your dough for at least 15 minutes before baking it. This is so the butter will hold up in the oven and the cookie will keep the shape.
  4. Bake at a lower temperature. For that soft center with a slightly crisp outside, don’t put your oven above 325F.
  5. Do not overbake. Once those edges have just begun browning pull them out. The cookie will continue to harden as it cools.
  6. Get them cooling. Transfer them from the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack as soon as you can (allowing just a few minutes out of the oven to firm up) so that they don’t continue to bake on the baking sheet.

More Summertime Desserts

  • Classic Cherry Cobbler
  • Strawberry Shortcake
  • Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
  • Blackberry Bourbon Crisp

Finished dessert on a wooden platter

Vegan Fruit Tart

A vegan fruit tart made with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust, filled with sweet cream cheese, and topped with glazed berries for the perfect springtime treat. Bring this refreshing dessert to your next garden party or wedding shower. 
5 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Chilling Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 247kcal
Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • zest of ½ lemon

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 8 ounces GO VEGGIE cream cheese
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk, solids skimmed off
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fruit Topping

  • 2 cups mixed berries
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a mini tart pan with oil and set aside. You can also use (4) 4" tart shells.
  • To make the crust, beat the vegan butter with a hand mixer or in a stand-up mixer until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes), scraping the sides as needed. Add powdered sugar and beat again for another 2-3 minutes until well blended. Scrap down the sides and add flour and lemon zest. Mix on low until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
  • Place about 2 tablespoons of dough in each tart mold. Press down evenly on the sides and bottom so that dough is between ⅛-14" thick. If you are using 4" tart shells, roll the dough out on a floured surface to the same thickness. Cut circles slightly larger than molds and place inside greased tart pans, pressing lightly all around to snugly fill the mold.
  • Poke holes in the bottom of the dough and chill dough in the freezer for at least 15 minutes while making the filling. 
  • To make the filling, scoop out the solids from the coconut milk (top ½ of the can) into a medium-sized bowl. Add vegan cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and blend with a hand mixer until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.  
  • Remove dough from the freezer and bake for 15-20 minutes until the dough starts to become golden around the edges. Remove from the oven. Let tart shells cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 
  • Scoop or pipe cream cheese filling into tart shells, about ⅔ full, and spread evenly. 
  • Top with fresh berries and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. These are best made the same day. 

Notes

Serving and Storing - These vegan fruit tarts are best eaten the same day. Once they are assembled, the tart shell will start to get soggy.
Make in Advance - If you do want to make them in advance, you can make the crust and cream cheese filling up to two days in advance. Store them separately. The filling should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The tart shells should be covered and stored at room temperature. When ready to eat, just assemble and serve!
Recipe Tips
  1. Do not over mix the dough. Once you add the flour, mix it until it just starts coming together.  At that point, turn it out onto a floured work surface and bring it together with your hands.
  2. Chill your dough. Make sure to chill your dough for at least 15 minutes before baking it. This is so the butter will hold up in the oven and the cookie will keep the shape.
  3. Bake at a lower temperature.  For that soft center with a slightly crisp outside, don’t put your oven above 325F.
  4. Do not overbake. Once those edges have just begun browning pull them out. The cookie will continue to harden as it cools.
  5. Get them cooling. Transfer them from the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack as soon as you can (allowing just a few minutes out of the oven to firm up) so that they don’t continue to bake on the baking sheet.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 138mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 370IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.8mg

@mydarlingvegan on Instagram
If you give this recipe recipe a try, snap a photo and share it on Instagram. Make sure to tag @mydarlingvegan so I can see your creations!
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Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest and read more about me here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sophie says

    June 30, 2019 at 10:20 am

    This seems to be the simplest vegan tartlets recipe I've found - but can this pastry be used for chocolate tarts? I was wondering because of the lemon in it. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 05, 2019 at 10:29 am

      I would just omit the lemon for making a chocolate tart. It won't do anything to the texture.

      Reply
  2. Jean says

    June 24, 2019 at 10:11 am

    5 stars
    I have been vegan and GF for several years so was excited to try your tart. Unfortunately I used almond flour and found the dough very soft, so added a bit of namaste flour. When cooking the dough folded in. But in all fairness, it was absolutely delicious, the cream cheese mixture on top with a few berries and my coworkers adored them.

    Reply
  3. Amanda says

    June 07, 2019 at 9:33 pm

    How many ounces of coconut milk?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      June 10, 2019 at 8:41 am

      14 oz.

      Reply
  4. Harriet says

    June 03, 2019 at 1:38 pm

    5 stars
    I only made the crust part for a different filling recipe. Followed the directions exactly, and it was delicious! I rolled it out for one 9 in. pie tin, it made just enough dough for it. Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  5. Amber says

    April 22, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    Would it be possible to make this into a large tart (pie sized) instead of miniature?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 25, 2019 at 10:03 am

      Yes, this recipe should fit into a 9" tart shell

      Reply
  6. Glykeria says

    March 11, 2019 at 9:05 am

    I do not like coconut what other can I use to make the fruit cap recipe?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      March 12, 2019 at 6:17 am

      Try out a non-coconut based vegan cream cheeses such as Tofutti and Daiya.

      Reply
  7. Varsha says

    December 03, 2018 at 11:53 am

    Can we use thid recipe to make number tart cakes - the new trend of tart cakes at the moment
    And what icing can we use for that
    Thanks

    Reply
  8. Noelia Baquero says

    July 29, 2018 at 12:55 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe! Works amazing, just I added the glazed for the fruits! Yumm! Thanks

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 29, 2018 at 9:45 am

      So glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  9. Nicole says

    June 01, 2018 at 8:04 am

    Can I prepare the filling the night before and store in fridge? Or it it best same day?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      June 04, 2018 at 8:01 am

      Yeah, that would be no problem at all!

      Reply
  10. Sarah De la Cruz says

    April 23, 2018 at 10:20 pm

    Ah, Sarah, these are so gorgeous! I love that sweet cream, flakey crust, and those berries! Can't wait to try these!

    Reply
  11. Stephanie says

    April 22, 2018 at 9:24 am

    5 stars
    This recipe couldn't have come at a better time! I Just bought the Miyokos butter for the first time at a vegan market this weekend. Now I know what I'm making with it!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 23, 2018 at 10:57 am

      Yay! Enjoy it!

      Reply
  12. Nicole | What She Ate says

    April 19, 2018 at 3:07 pm

    5 stars
    Are you as excited as I am about berry season being right around the corner?! That close up shot of the basket of berries has me drooling. Sounds like a killer recipe - perfect for enjoying on the patio after dinner.

    Reply
  13. Jasmin | VeeatCookBake says

    April 17, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    5 stars
    What a great idea. To make shortbread cake instead of a biscuit dough 🙂

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 18, 2018 at 12:58 pm

      Thanks Jasmin!

      Reply
  14. Nicole Dawson says

    April 17, 2018 at 10:57 am

    This is such a pretty little treat! It reminded me of cookie pizzas as well...looking forward to trying this.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 18, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      Aren't cookie pizzas the best?!

      Reply
  15. Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says

    April 17, 2018 at 5:53 am

    5 stars
    These look so pretty! I'd love to make these for mother's day for my mom!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 18, 2018 at 12:58 pm

      Thanks Mary Ellen. I hope you do!

      Reply
  16. Brittany Roche says

    April 16, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    5 stars
    A vegan fruit tart with a shortbread crust - this could NOT be more perfect for spring / summer! My husband is going to love this. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 18, 2018 at 12:59 pm

      Thanks Brittany. Enjoy!!

      Reply
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