This vegan nectarine tart is summery, light and refreshing! A crispy shortcrust base with a smooth sweet cashew cream, sweetened and topped with nectarines.
All year long, I wait for Summer's bountiful supply of stone fruit, mangoes and berries. And when Summer hits, I make up for lost time and refuse to have any other fruit in sight!
This vegan nectarine tart is super easy to make... despite the slighty over-the-top decorations where I was trying to see how many ways I could cut nectarines haha.
Textures of this vegan nectarine tart
The tart is an explosion of TEXTURE. You will get a:
- Crispy and crumbly shortcrust pastry base
- The smoothest cashew cream, sweetened with a nectarine and your favourite liquid sweetener
- Fresh and juicy nectarines (or your fruit of choice)
Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry base
The base is like a classic shortcrust pastry and includes:
- Plain flour as the foundation of the pastry
- Vegetable oil instead of butter because I know many of you prefer it this way. You can certainly use butter if you prefer!
- Cold water to hydrate the flour. For some scientific reason beyond me, flour doesn't combine too well with oil.
- Liquid sweetener because this is a sweet tart and we need a sweetener in there! You're welcome to use granulated sugar if you prefer.
Making the shortcrust pastry
All you have to do is combine all the ingredients and either:
- Add the dough directly to the tin and press it against the bottom and sides to form a crust OR
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface and transfer it to the tart tin as desired.
There are pros and cons of both methods. The first method is easier when you have a crumbly dough but it's more time-consuming as you have to press against the bottom and sides to form an evenly thick dough.
The benefit of the second method is that rolling your pastry ensures an even thickness but the dough sometimes cracks when you transfer it to the tin! For this recipe, you can't go wrong either way.
The nectarine cashew cream
The filling contains a few simple ingredients including:
- Raw cashews as they a soft nut and can be blended into a smooth cream
- Coconut cream as the main liquid of the filling and to provide some fat which helps the tart set
- Liquid sweetener to give the filling some sweetness. Like the pastry, you're welcome to use granulated sugar if you prefer.
- Coconut oil or cacao butter which is the main setting agent for the filling
- Vanilla extract to add complexity of flavour
- Yellow nectarine so you can taste nectarines in not only the decorations but the filling! The nectarine adds a beautiful yellow hue and subtle sweetness to the cream too.
Unlike raw cheesecakes which have a firm consistency, this tart's filling is more reminiscent of custard or cream due to the higher ratio of liquids.
Check out my other vegan Summer desserts
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Vegan Nectarine Tart
Ingredients
Base
- 1 ⅔ cup (200g) all-purpose plain flour, plus extra for rolling
- ⅓ cup (85g) neutral flavored oil
- 2 teaspoons (30g) water, cold
- 1-2 teaspoons (25-50g) any light-coloured sweetener, such as rice malt syrup or maple syrup, to taste
Filling
- 1 ½ cups (195g) raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours then drained
- ½ cup (120g) thick scoopable canned coconut cream
- 2-4 teaspoons (50-100g) any light-coloured sweetener, such as rice malt syrup or maple syrup, to taste
- Dash of vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (55g) cacao butter, melted (note 1)
- 2-3 ripe white or yellow nectarines, destoned (note 2)
Instructions
- The day before: Soak the raw cashews (for the filling) in enough water to cover and set aside the in fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Line the base of a 25cm (10-inch) tart pan.
- To make the crust: Add all the ingredients to a bowl or food processor and mix until evenly combined and it forms a dough. The dough should be soft but pliable and can be pinched between two fingers without breaking.
- Dust a clean surface with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pastry to about ½ cm (¼ inch) thick. Carefully use a rolling pin to transfer the dough to the tin. Press the dough against the bottom and sides of the tin to form a crust.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until the surface is evenly golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- To make the filling: Drain the cashews and add them to a high-powered blender with the coconut cream, sweetener, vanilla, cacao butter and 1 yellow nectarine (without the stone). Blend until it's as smooth as possible.
- Pour the mixture into the tart tin and smooth the top. Place the tart in an airtight container and set in the fridge for 4 hours.
- Decorate the tart with the remaining nectarines or as desired and enjoy. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- If you cannot source cacao butter, you can use coconut oil (which will make the filling more coconutty) OR vegan white chocolate (which will make the tart sweeter unless you reduce the sweetener accordingly)
- One of the yellow nectarines will be used for the filling of the tart. Make sure this nectarine is very ripe and sweet otherwise it won't make your tart taste very pleasant!
Nutrition
This post was originally published in March 2015 and was updated in February 2020.
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Hi Anthea, I've made this crust twice now, the first time I followed the weight measurements, and the second time I followed the cup measurements. The first time the dough was oily and came together very quickly, the second time it was totally crumbly and I could barely form it into a ball and had to add extra water. Both times the crust cracked in the pan by the time it was done baking. Any idea what is going on? The crack is so frustrating!
Hi Andrea, grams measurements are always more accurate for baking, especially pastry! One tbsp (or ~15g) of flour or liquid can dramatically change the texture of pastry. I used oil instead of butter in this recipe as it's healthier but it naturally leads to a more oily crust. Also, a crust can crack due to the way it's pressed into the tin or if it's a little too dry. In your case, try adding a little more water and/or reduce the baking time!
I made this over the weekend when we had guests over. Just used peaches instead of nectarines. It was a hit! Thank you for the awesome recipe.
What did you sprinkle on top that is in the little jar?
Hi Janice, it's puffed millet!