Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Tart with a Pastry Crust!

Ali Segersten

Today I am going to share a favorite recipe for the holidays. It is a rich chocolaty tart meant to be shared among many.

It was one of those recipes that came to me in a flash of inspiration around midnight the night before Thanksgiving last year. I was up late baking yummy vegan, gluten-free pumpkin and apple pies, soft molasses cookies, and pumpkin cake to bring to our large Gluten-Free Thanksgiving gathering of friends. I began tossing ingredients for a tart crust together, measuring as I was going, and then whipped up a filling to go with it. It ended up being every one's favorite dessert and I hope you'll like it too!

FYI: This isn’t really a kid-friendly dessert, unless that is, you have an almost 2-year old (or in my case two of them) – who happens to stumble upon chocolate (i.e. crack for children) and grabs the whole slice off the counter (the one on the plate that you are about to take a photo of) and stuffs the whole thing in his mouth as fast as he can before anyone sees him. Not that this happened to me. So who knows you might have a child that likes this rich chocolate tart. My girls won’t touch it. The crust however, they pick off and eat like candy!

The first time I made this crust I did not use any xanthan gum, and it worked. But since then I have made it several times and found that adding 1/2 teaspoon does help with the overall integrity of the crust.

Recipe from our Meal Planner

Dark Chocolate Almond Cranberry Tart

Gluten-Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Tart
Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Tart Crust
Servings
12
Cook Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes

I created this recipe very late the night before one Thanksgiving. It was perfect for our large gathering of 20 plus gluten-free friends. They all enjoyed it and I am sure you will too. You can vary the ingredients in the filling. Try replacing the cranberries with dried cherries and the almonds with hazelnuts or cashews. The filling is dark and rich and not very sweet. If you would like a sweeter filling, then add a few more tablespoons of maple syrup.

Tip

To roast the almonds, place them in a single layer in a baking dish. Roast at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Cool on a plate, and then chop.

Ingredients

Crust

½ cups superfine brown rice flour
½ cups superfine sweet rice flour
½ cups millet flour
½ cups potato starch
¼ cups maple sugar (or organic cane sugar)
½ teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoons xanthan gum
¾ cups organic palm shortening
½ cups non-dairy milk
1 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar

Filling

1 cups raw almonds roasted and coarsely chopped
1 cups dried cranberries
1 cups raw cashews
2 cups water
¼ cups maple syrup
10 ounces dark chocolate bar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions

Crust:

  1. Place the flours, potato starch, sugar, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum (if using) into a bowl and whisk together well.
  2. Cut in the shortening with your fingers or a pastry cutter until some fine, and some pea-sized crumbs are formed.
  3. Mix together the milk and vinegar and then add them to the flour mixture. Quickly mix in using a fork or spoon. If needed, add more hemp milk, a teaspoon at a time, just until the dough holds together. Form dough into a ball and chill for about 20 minutes. Do NOT overwork the dough.
  4. Roll the dough in between two pieces of waxed paper into about a 12 to 13-inch circle. Peel off the top layer of waxed paper and gently lift up the dough and flip onto the tart pan. Peel off the second top layer of waxed paper and gently ease the dough into the pan, pressing it into the edges.
  5. Trim off any remaining dough around the top edges. Prick a few times with a fork. Bake for 30 minutes on a baking sheet. Cool completely before adding your filling.
  6. Roll out any extra dough and sprinkle with cinnamon, bake until slightly crisp around the edges for a treat!

Filling:

  1. Roast (see tip) the almonds, and then coarsely chop. Place the chopped almonds and dried cranberries in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Place the cashews, water, and syrup into a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth and creamy. Pour into a small pot and place over very low heat. Add the chocolate. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is completely melted. Turn off heat and stir in the vanilla.
  3. Sprinkle the almond-cranberry mixture over the bottom of the baked tart shell. Then pour in the chocolate mixture.
  4. Chill for at least 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
  5. Before serving, pop tart out of the pan and place onto a serving platter. Slice into thin wedges and serve!

Use this recipe in our Meal Planner

Take a Tour View Recipe

ALI-2023-PHOTO-VERTICAL-2

About the Author

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 2000 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.

See More

Nourishing Meals Newsletter

Email updates.

Add Comment