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.
The textures if the tart are totally on point. 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)
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 help hydrate the flour. For some scientific reason beyond me, flour doesn’t combine too well with oil by itself.
- 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.
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 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 recipes using Summery fruits:
This post was originally published in March 2015 and was updated in February 2020.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will respond as soon as possible. Rainbow Nourishments receives a high number of questions through social media and email and is unable to respond to each individual query. Comments on this post are more likely to receive a response!
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Vegan Nectarine Tart
Ingredients
Base
- 1 1/4 cup (200g) plain or all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1/3 cup (85mL) light-tasting vegetable oil, such as sunflower or rapeseed
- 2 tbsp (30mL) water, cold
- 1-2 tbsp (25-50mL) any light-coloured liquid sweetener, such as rice malt syrup or maple syrup, to taste
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours then drained
- 1/2 cup (120mL) canned coconut cream*
- 2-4 tbsp (50-100mL) any light-coloured liquid sweetener, such as rice malt syrup or maple syrup, to taste
- Dash of vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (55mL) cacao butter**, melted
- 2-3 ripe white or yellow nectarines, destoned***
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 1/2 cm (1/4 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
- 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
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