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This simple French Chocolate Tart Recipe features a crisp chocolate pastry filled with a glossy, rich and silky chocolate ganache filling. A stylish vegan dessert that is made without dairy or eggs (but is just as decadent as a traditional version!)
A beautifully easy dessert that is made to impress; this French Chocolate Tart can be kept simple with its smooth and glossy filling, or adorned with fresh berries for a colourful and fresh take. It’s the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers!
The crisp pâte sucrée (sweet pastry) is made using the straightforward all-in-one method; by adding the pastry ingredients to a food processor and blending into a dough. It can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
The glossy chocolate ganache filling is made in less than 5 minutes by melting dairy-free chocolate into warm cream, before being poured into the pre-baked pastry case to set.
This chic vegan chocolate tart (or Tarte au Chocolat as it’s known in France) can be made in advance and stored in the fridge, so it’s a wonderful dinner party dessert for making the day before.
Quick links:
- The written recipe
- Success tips
- Step-by-step instructions with photos
- FAQs
- Other vegan dessert recipes like this one
Success Tips
Here are our top tips for making this vegan French Chocolate Tart recipe:
Keep the pastry cold
When making pastry it’s important to keep the ingredients cold. Use vegan butter straight from the fridge, ice cold water and chill the pastry between steps if you feel it is getting warm.
Don’t overwork the pastry
Try not to handle the pastry too much or overwork the dough by kneading it for more than a few seconds, otherwise it can become tough. Briefly knead the dough and use a light touch to keep your pastry delicate and crisp.
For extra neat pastry
Whilst not essential, if you’d like an extra neat finish, line the unbaked pastry case with parchment paper and then fill it with dried beans, dried rice or pie weights before baking. This will prevent the pastry from puffing up.
Please note that a pastry case that has been filled with weights/dried beans will likely take a few minutes longer to bake than an unfilled pastry case (approximately 5 minutes extra).
Underbaked pastry? Do this.
It can be tricky to tell if pastry is cooked, particularly chocolate pastry as it doesn’t go a golden colour like a plain pastry does. If you notice that the base of your pastry is starting to look a little dark or damp once it is out of the oven, then it is probably underbaked. The pastry should be dry to the touch and an even, light colour.
Don’t panic! If you think you’ve underbaked your pastry, just preheat the oven again and pop the pie crust back in the oven again for a few minutes so that it can finish cooking.
Don’t boil your chocolate ganache mixture
Once you’ve brought the dairy-free cream to a boil turn the heat right down to low before adding the chopped chocolate. If you overheat chocolate it can cause it to split, so keep the heat low and let the chocolate melt gently into the hot cream, creating a silky smooth chocolate tart filling.
Serving suggestion
Bring the tart out of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving for optimal enjoyment. Use a sharp knife to cut the chocolate tart into portions and serve with vegan vanilla ice cream, pouring cream or fresh berries for a beautiful chocolate dessert.
How to make this French Chocolate Tart Recipe
In this section, we’ll explain the ingredients we use to make this chocolate tart without eggs, along with the recommended equipment and step-by-step process (including photographs).
Ingredients
This recipe makes a beautiful chocolate tart without eggs or dairy. Here are the ingredients that you’ll need:
Plain flour – also called all-purpose or pastry flour
Icing sugar – also called powdered sugar
Cocoa powder
Dairy-free butter – use the block variety of butter, not spreadable margarine
Dairy-free cream – we used Alpro soya cream for this recipe due to its neutral flavour and ability to handle heat well (it’s a great alternative to heavy cream)
Vanilla extract – you can use 1/2 a vanilla bean pod if you prefer, just make sure to remove it before pouring the chocolate ganache into the pastry case
70% dark chocolate – you can use 80 or 85% dark chocolate if this is what you have on hand, but you may need to add a little more maple syrup to counteract the bitterness of the chocolate. Taste the ganache before pouring it into the pastry case and add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup if you prefer your ganache to be sweeter.
Milk chocolate – pick any vegan milk chocolate that you like. We used Nomo milk chocolate.
Equipment
You’ll need the following equipment to make this French Chocolate Tart recipe:
20cm / 8” tart pan with a removable bottom – we used a fluted tin but you can use straight instead
Medium or small saucepan
Food processor – this is optional. You can make the pastry by hand by rubbing the dry ingredients into the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water and then bring the mixture into a ball before chilling the dough.
Step-by-step: How to make this French Chocolate Tart recipe
Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe and instructions for making this French Chocolate Tart recipe!
To make the chocolate pastry:
Add the cubed chilled butter and other pastry ingredients (except the water) to a food processor. Blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the water and blitz again briefly until the dough starts to come together.
Wrap the dough in eco plastic wrap (or a reusable wrap) and refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes.
Once chilled, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin. Aim for the dough to be around 2mm thick (1/4 cm or 1/8″).
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased tart tin (20cm/8”) using the rolling pin.
Patch any cracks or holes by lightly pressing excess dough into the damaged area.
Trim off any excess pastry around the edges using a sharp knife.
Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork and then bake until dry to the touch – around 15 minutes at 150°C fan (170°C conventional / 325°F / gas mark 3). Carefully remove the tart crust from the tart tin and place it on a wire rack to cool.
Tip: If the base of your pastry case starts to look dark or damp after you’ve taken it out of the oven, it’s probably underbaked. Preheat the oven again and pop the pastry case back in for a few minutes to finish baking.
To make the chocolate ganache filling:
Now it’s time to make the chocolate filling. Add the cream, vanilla and maple syrup to a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
Roughly chop the chocolate into small pieces, reduce the heat under the saucepan to low and then add the chopped chocolate.
Stir gently with a spoon or whisk until the chocolate has melted and the chocolate mixture is smooth and glossy.
Pour the rich chocolate ganache mixture into the baked tart shell and set it aside at room temperature for around 1 hour to set the chocolate filling.
Note: After this time the tart can be covered in foil and refrigerated (just be careful that the foil does not touch the top of the filling otherwise it may mark that beautiful glossy finish). We recommend serving this tart at room temperature so bring it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
FAQs
I don’t eat nuts, can I omit the ground almonds from the pastry?
We use ground almonds in this French Chocolate Tart recipe to add a crispness to the pastry. They can be omitted if you are dislike or are unable to eat nuts.
Can I make it gluten free?
We have not tested this pastry using gluten-free flour but when we have we will update this blog. Please send us your feedback in the meantime if you try this with gluten free flour, we appreciate all of your thoughts and tips!
Can I make this French Chocolate Tart in advance?
Yes! You can make the whole tart the day before you plan to serve it. Once the chocolate ganache filling has cooled to room temperature in the pastry case, the tart can be covered in foil and refrigerated until the next day.
The pastry dough can be made up to 2 days before it is baked and stored in the fridge. Alternatively, it can be frozen for up to one month, just make sure to defrost it fully in the fridge (around 24 hours) before attempting to roll it out and bake it.
How long does this French Chocolate Tart last?
This dark chocolate ganache tart will be at its best when consumed within 24 hours, but it can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge if you don’t quite finish it!
Loved this French Chocolate Tart recipe? Here are some more delicious vegan desserts to try
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The Written Recipe:
French Chocolate Tart Recipe (Dairy and Egg Free)
Ingredients
For the chocolate pastry:
- 160 g plain flour (or pastry flour or all purpose flour)
- 30 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 10 g ground almonds
- 110 g dairy free butter (cut into cubes, block butter not margarine)
- 1 tbsp water (cold)
For the chocolate ganache filling:
- 210 g dairy free cream
- 20 g maple syrup
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 a vanilla bean pod)
- 140 g 70% dark chocolate (dairy free)
- 70 g vegan milk chocolate
Equipment
Instructions
To make the chocolate pastry:
- Add all of the ingredients, except the water, to a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (approximately 20 seconds).160 g plain flour, 30 g icing sugar, 20 g cocoa powder, 10 g ground almonds, 110 g dairy free butter
- Add 1 tbsp cold water and blitz again briefly (approximately 10 seconds).1 tbsp water
- Take a small handful of the mixture and squeeze it together in your hand - if the mixture comes together into a ball then it’s ready, if not add another tsp of cold water and blend again before testing once more.
- Remove the mixture from the food processor and bring it together into a ball. Press the ball down slightly to form a disc, wrap it in a reusable wrap or eco cling film and refrigerate it for 1 hour (or place it in the freezer for 30 minutes).Note: Chilling the dough before baking helps to prevent the butter from leaking out during baking.
- Spray a light coating of spray oil onto a non stick metal tart pan with a removable base (20cm / 8”). The spray oil helps to prevent the pastry from sticking to the pan and makes it easier to remove once it’s baked.
- Once the pastry has chilled, transfer the dough to a lightly floured smooth surface. Knead the dough briefly for a couple seconds to make it easier to roll out (don’t over-work it).
- Roll the dough out using a rolling pin, until it is around 2mm thick (1/4 cm or 1/8").
- Roll the pastry gently around your rolling pin and transfer it to the tart pan.Note: If you’ve had any mishaps along the way don’t worry, this pastry is forgiving - just patch it up as necessary, pressing spare pastry gently into any holes.
- Lightly prick the base of the pastry case with a fork.
- Bake the pastry case at 150°C fan (170°C conventional / 325°F / gas mark 3) for around 15 minutes, or until the base feels dry to the touch.Tip: For an extra neat finish, line the pastry case with parchment paper and then fill it with dried beans or rice before baking. This will prevent the pastry from puffing up. It will likely take a few minutes longer to bake than an unfilled pastry case.Making the pastry in advance: If you’re not ready to bake your pastry just yet, you can wrap the dough in eco cling film (or a reusable wrap / a sandwich bag) and either pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to a month. If you have frozen your pastry, defrost fully in the fridge for 24 hours before rolling it out and baking it.
To make the chocolate ganache filling:
- Roughly chop the milk and dark chocolate.140 g 70% dark chocolate, 70 g vegan milk chocolate
- Add the cream, maple syrup and vanilla to a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to the boil.210 g dairy free cream, 20 g maple syrup, 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Reduce the heat to low and add the chopped chocolate to the cream mixture in the saucepan. Stir the mixture with a spoon until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is thick and glossy (around 3 minutes).
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the pre-baked tart case and set it aside at room temperature to cool (around 1 hour).Note: After this time the tart can be covered in foil and refrigerated (just be careful that the foil does not touch the top of the filling otherwise it may mark that beautiful glossy finish). We recommend serving this tart at room temperature so bring it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
