How to Make Vegan Tart Shells (Easy Pastry Recipe)
Learn how to make simple vegan tart shells with 4 ingredients. These beautiful, crisp pastry tartlet shells are the perfect base for individual desserts such as vegan jam tarts and mini banoffee pies.
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Serves: 6 tart shells (9cm/3.5")
Calories: 249kcal
Ingredients
- 160 g plain flour (or pastry flour)
- 50 g icing sugar (or powdered sugar)
- 10 g ground almonds
- 100 g dairy free butter (the block kind, cut into cubes)
- 1 tbsp water (ice cold)
Instructions
- Blitz the ingredients. Add all of the ingredients, except the water, into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. This should take approximately 20 seconds.160 g plain flour, 50 g icing sugar, 10 g ground almonds, 100 g dairy free butter
- Add the water. Add 1 tbsp cold water to the mixture and blitz again briefly for approximately 10 seconds. 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 it’s crumbling apart then add another tsp of water and blitz again before testing once more.1 tbsp water
- Chill the pastry. Remove the mixture from the food processor and bring it together into a ball. Press it down to flatten it slightly, wrap it tightly in eco cling film and either refrigerate it for 1 hour or freeze it for 30 minutes.Note: Chilling the pastry before baking prevents the butter from leaking out during baking.Note: Don't freeze the pastry for more than 30 minutes if you plan to use it today. You can transfer it from the freezer to the fridge after 30 minutes if you're not quite ready to roll it out.
- Prepare to roll out the pastry. Once the pastry has been chilled, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough briefly for a couple of seconds to make it easier to roll out.
- Roll out the dough. Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour and then roll the pastry dough out to around 3mm thick (1/4 cm or 1/8"). If you roll the pastry thinner than this then it is more likely to tear, if you roll the pastry thicker than this it may not cook through properly.
- Prepare the baking tins. Spray a light coating of spray oil onto non-stick tartlet tins (with removable bases) to prevent the pastry from sticking and to make it easier to remove the tart shells from the tins once baked.Note: We used six round 9cm (3.5”) tartlet tins with removable bases.
- Transfer the dough. Roughly cut out a piece of pastry dough that is 1-2cm larger than one of your tart tins. Transfer this piece of dough to the tart tin and gently press it down into the tin. Trim off any excess with a sharp knife.Note: If you have any mishaps along the way, don’t worry, this pastry is forgiving - just patch it up as necessary, using spare pastry to fill any holes. Use a small piece of rolled-up pastry to gently press the pastry into the tart tin.
- Repeat. Repeat this process with the remaining tart tins, re-rolling remaining pastry as necessary until it has all been used.
- Chill the pastry. Place all of the tart tins onto a baking tray and then lightly prick the base of the pastry cases with a fork . Place the tray into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes whilst you preheat the oven.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 150°C fan (170°C conventional / 325°F / gas mark 3). Place the pastry cases into the oven to bake for around 15 minutes. Check the pastry cases - if the base feels dry to the touch and the pastry has started to pick up a bit of a golden colour then they are likely ready. If the pastry does not feel dry and is still pale, bake for another 2-3 minutes before checking again.Note: Baking time can vary depending on the oven and the size of the tart tins being used.Note: The pastry can puff up a little in the oven, which isn’t too much of an issue if you plan to fill the tart shells. However, if you would prefer an extra neat finish, line the unbaked pastry cases with parchment paper and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes before removing the parchment and dried beans/rice. Continue baking for 3-5 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden and dry to the touch.
- Cool. Let the pastry cases cool to room temperature in the tins before removing them.
- Storing the pastry. If you’re not ready to bake your pastry just yet, you can wrap the dough up and either pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to a month. Just defrost it fully in the fridge for 24 hours before use.
Notes
Vegan / Dairy Free / Egg Free
Recipe inspired by: France
Please check the allergens on the ingredients you purchase before use. The allergen information provided in this recipe is intended as a guide only and is based on the specific ingredients and brands used at the time of creating the recipe, therefore we cannot guarantee that the same will apply to the ingredients you use.
Prep time excludes any inactive time.
We highly recommend you use the metric and 1x options on this recipe card for the best results. Please note that this recipe has not been tested using US measurements or increasing ingredient quantities to 2x or 3x, therefore results may vary.
Nutrition
Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Net Carbohydrates: 28g
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