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.
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!
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.
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 1/8-14″ 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.
Step Two – Make the Cream Cheese Filling
To make the filling, scoop out the solids from the coconut milk (top 1/2 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 2/3 full, and spread evenly. Top with fresh berries.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake at a lower temperature. For that soft center with a slightly crisp outside, don’t put your oven above 325F.
- Do not overbake. Once those edges have just begun browning pull them out. The cookie will continue to harden as it cools.
- 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
Vegan Fruit Tart
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- zest of 1/2 lemon
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces GO VEGGIE cream cheese
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk, solids skimmed off
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Fruit Topping
- 2 cups mixed berries
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 1/8-14" 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 1/2 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 2/3 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake at a lower temperature. For that soft center with a slightly crisp outside, don’t put your oven above 325F.
- Do not overbake. Once those edges have just begun browning pull them out. The cookie will continue to harden as it cools.
- 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.
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
Deb Z says
I don’t use coconut milk. Can I make a cream from cashews or what do you suggest as an alternative?
Thanks!
Shriya Swaminathan says
I’d love to add some mango puree to the filling. How may I tweak the recipe to retain consistency for a mango tart?
Thanks 🙂
Hannah P. says
I really want to try this recipe, but I am allergic to coconut. Is there a way to use almond milk instead of coconut milk? Thanks in advance!
Shrithika says
My friends loved it! The dough was easy to make and tasty but it took a while to shape into a tart pan. Great recipe and required a lot fewer ingredients than most vegan tarts.
Safa says
Hi do you know if this recipe enough to fill a 9inch tart pan?
Sarah McMinn says
I think you’d want to increase the recipe by 50%
Martha says
This crust is delicious thank you for sharing! I was looking at other recipes and they require hours of chilling the dough then, I found your recipe and I really glad I tried it. Its so good I am considering just making cookies with it. I didn’t try the filling though I didn’t have coconut milk.
Vanessa says
Hi, should the butter be room temperature or cold before beating?
Sarah McMinn says
That’s preferable but not necessary.
Vanessa says
Room temperature is preferable?
Vanessa says
I made it-it turned out very well. I used softened butter. I did press my crust into a 9” pan and it didn’t go as high as I’d like so next time I’d roll it or make a bit more.
Steph says
This base is absolutely beautiful! The lemon really adds such a freshness! I made it last year for Christmas dessert. I just used Alpro vegan readymade custard as I ran out of time. I also coated the crust with vegan melted chocolate and it was delicious. I am glad I found this recipe again, it was the best! Thank you, it is on the menu by popular demand again 🙂
Lexi says
could I do this in a 24 mini cupcake sheet? thank you!
Sarah says
Yes, that would work.
Ami says
Your recipe looks very nice about to try it. Sorry was not sure what part and how much of coconut milk to use. “To make the filling, scoop out the solids from the coconut milk (top 1/2 of can) into medium-sized bowl. Add vegan cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and blend with a hand mixer until completely smooth. “