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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Joined Holland & Barrett: Apr 2019
Masters Degree in Toxicology and BSc Hons in Medical Biochemistry
Bhupesh started his career as a Clinical Toxicologist for Public Health England, advising healthcare professionals all around the country on how to manage clinical cases of adverse exposure to supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, industrial chemicals and agricultural products.
After 7 years in this role and a further year working as a drug safety officer in the pharmaceutical industry, Bhupesh joined Holland & Barrett as a Senior Regulatory Affairs Associate in 2019.