You don’t need dairy products to make a show-stopping dessert. Fact. And the proof is in this vegan chocolate tart pudding. If you like your puds ooey-gooey and oozing with chocolatey decadence, this vegan tart recipe is the one for you.
In this post, along with a simple recipe we also share a few reasons why you can have a clearer wellness conscience when baking a vegan tart.
Best vegan chocolate tart recipe
Suitable for: Vegans
Difficulty rating: Moderate
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook / Set time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Serves: 10-12
Cooking equipment needed: Food processor, mixing bowl, tart tin
Ingredients
- 270g oats
- 100g ground almonds
- 100ml maple syrup
- 100ml melted coconut oil
- 600ml coconut milk (1 & 1/2 tins)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 6 tbsp cacao powder
- 90g fresh raspberries
- 160g vegan chocolate
To decorate:
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Flaked coconut
Method
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees and place half a tin of coconut milk in the fridge to chill.
- Blitz the oats in a food processor until a flour consistency is formed.
- Combine the oat flour, ground almonds, maple syrup and melted coconut oil in a bowl and stir well until a dough is formed. Press the mixture firmly down in your tart tin and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile place 1 tin of coconut milk, 3 tbsp of maple syrup and the fresh raspberries into a food processor and blitz until they have combined into a pink mixture.
- Take the pastry base out of the oven and allow to completely cool. Once cooled, pour the raspberry and coconut mix on top and freeze for 1 hour.
- For the chocolate layer, first melt the chocolate over a boiling pan of water. Then pour the chilled coconut milk (half a tin) into a saucepan over a medium heat to simmer. Add the melted chocolate and maple syrup to the milk and stir.
- Allow the chocolate mixture to cool for 10 minutes then pour over the tart. Place the tart into the fridge for 2 hours to set.
- Once set, decorate with fresh berries and flaked coconut. Enjoy.
What vegan substitutes does this recipe use?
So, what exactly is a vegan tart? Simply speaking, it’s a sweet dessert made without any animal products. This means you need to replace the eggs, butter and dairy liberally used in most traditional baking recipes. In this vegan chocolate raspberry tart recipe, we used coconut milk, coconut oil, non-dairy chocolate and cacao powder as vegan alternatives. We also substituted refined sugar with maple syrup.
Summary
- Coconut oil can be a substitute for butter in vegan baking
- Coconut milk offers a non-dairy alternative to milk
- Vegan chocolate and cacao powder add a rich, chocolate taste without dairy
What vegan substitutes can I serve with this tart?
A dollop of cream, a glug of custard or a boule of ice cream – most dessert accompaniments are the furthest things from plant-based you can imagine. Fortunately, finding vegan alternatives isn’t as impossible as you might think.
For example, there are some great recipes for vegan custard (take a look at this one) and ready-made soya-based custard alternatives are widely available. There are also numerous dairy-free and egg-free ice-creams you can try. Or have you considered experimenting with sorbets?
But for this vegan chocolate tart, we’ll be trying a whipped cream recipe using coconut cream.
Summary
- Ready-made vegan custards, ice-creams and cream alternatives are available
- You can also make your own using non-dairy ingredients such as coconut cream
- Sorbets can be a great accompaniment for vegan desserts
Are vegan desserts healthier?
Now, the main attraction of most regular, non-vegan desserts is the taste. Think sticky toffee pudding, apple crumble and your favourite cheesecake. Your mouth is probably watering and this is largely down to the rich texture and sweet flavour created by the high butter and refined sugar content of these sweets. Consequently, most traditional desserts have minimal nutritional value. However, by baking a vegan tart like the one in this post, you can treat your tastebuds but at the same time get a good dose of some important nutrients.
By removing butter and eggs from the ingredients list, you take away two dense sources of fat and cholesterol. In addition, vegan baking is also usually free from processed ingredients. You’ll typically find recipes rely on whole foods like fruit and nuts for adding flavour. And refined sugar alternatives, such as maple syrup and honey are often used to add sweetness.
Nevertheless, a dessert is a treat, and even vegan ones can be high in calories. So, although plant-based baking may be healthier than your standard sticky toffee pud, willpower is still recommended.
Summary
- Vegan desserts often have more nutritional value than normal puds
- Using wholefood ingredients that have more nutritional value (such as fruit and nuts) means fewer empty calories
- Removing butter and eggs, takes away two sources of fat and cholesterol
- Natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup often replace refined sugar
And if you like this vegan baking recipe…
Starting out with vegan baking can feel daunting but once you get your head around the various alternatives to butter and eggs, you’ll realise there are more ways than you thought to create plant-based puddings. Why not give this Vegan Chocolate & Chia dessert recipe a go next?
Last updated: 27 April 2021
