Gluten-Free Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Tart
This Strawberry Chocolate Tart is filled with vegan chocolate ganache and topped with fresh strawberries, all in a chocolate crust. Slice into this easy and delicious gluten-free, Paleo, and vegan dessert.
**2018 Update**
This post was originally published on March 28th, 2016. I thought it deserved an update, so I reshot the photos and made a few small changes to the recipe to make it simpler, more delicious, and much more luscious. This Strawberry Chocolate Tart is rich, with an epic chocolate ganache filling, all tucked into a simple chocolate crust. It’s easy to make, but impressive enough to serve to company.
As I tend to do, I left the original post text the same (even though it’s now kind of irrelevant). I feel bad deleting the words I once wrote, so I don’t. I keep them for nostalgia’s sake, to remind me of what I was doing at different times in my life. Skip down to the recipe if you’re not interested in reading about my trip to Costa Rica two years ago :) thanks for being here, my beautiful friends. I hope you have a great day! xoxo
Oh, Monday. Mondays after a holiday are always worse than the usual Monday, don’t you think? I spent the past week in Costa Rica with my whole mom’s side of the family, soaking in sun on the beach and chasing around monkeys and iguanas.
We had an incredible time, traveling first to Rio Perdido – an eco-friendly resort with the most incredible thermal river. The river (the resort’s namesake) is one of the few thermal rivers in the world. My sister, aunt, mom and I spent hours lounging in the 95-degree water, sitting with our backs against the rapids and letting nature give us a warm massage.
We went zip lining through canyons, tubing down a river, and spent lots of time admiring the monkeys jumping around the trees. Then we headed to the coast to Playa Conchal to meet up with the rest of my mom’s side of the family and spent our days in the sweltering sun, relaxing, and eating our weight in the most delicious fresh fruit.
We went snorkeling, made two-day trips to Tamarindo to explore the town, and ventured to the top of a hill via dirt road for massages and beautiful ocean views.
It was a magical week! After a long 8-day vacation, I’m ready to curl up in bed. But first:
Who wants a slice of this Chocolate Strawberry Tart?
Thankfully, if anything can get me excited today, it’s some chocolate and strawberries. Recently, I’ve been all about chocolate strawberry e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g lately. These chocolate strawberry brownies ignited the recent obsession. I made it acceptable for breakfast with this scrumptious and filling chocolate strawberry oatmeal. And now, we’re heading back to dessert territory with a strawberry chocolate tart!
Tarts are one of my favorite things to make. They’re simpler and faster to make than pies (no rolling out crust!) and always look so darn pretty – especially when fresh fruit is the star. This strawberry chocolate tart checks both those boxes, and has the added bonus of lots of chocolate!
We start with a chocolate crust. Then, we pile in some vegan chocolate ganache and top it off with strawberries. The whole thing is gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan! Three cheers for that.
The chocolate ganache is smooth and rich. The strawberries provide the much-needed burst of fruity flavor to cut through the chocolate. If your strawberries are super sweet on their own, you can skip the maple syrup. I loved this tart, and I hope you will too! Enjoy.
Gluten-Free Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Tart
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Strawberry Chocolate Tart is filled with vegan chocolate ganache and topped with fresh strawberries, all piled in a chocolate crust. Slice into this easy and delicious gluten-free, Paleo, and vegan dessert.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1¾ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
For the filling
- 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, I used 80%
- 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
For the topping
- 1½ cups fresh strawberries sliced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, cacao powder, and salt. Stir in the melted coconut oil and maple syrup and mix until fully combined.
- Transfer dough to a greased 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a measuring cup or your fingers, evenly press dough in bottom and up sides of pan.
- Bake in center of oven until golden and firm, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the chocolate ganache
- Place the dark chocolate in a bowl. Microwave the canned coconut milk for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until steaming (you can also do this over the stove). Pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and let stand for a few minutes. Stir until fully melted and combined. Pour into the cooled crust and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- In a separate bowl, combine the strawberries and maple syrup. Let macerate.
- Top with the strawberries, arranging however you desire. Serve immediately. This tart can also be made a a day or two ahead of time. If you’re planning on making it more than a few hours before needed, wait to add the berries until just before serving.
Notes
For the dark chocolate, I like to use Santa Barbara Chocolate’s Coconut Sugar Sweetened Chocolate. It’s both paleo and vegan! You can use the code BAKERITA for $10 off. If you want it darker, you can add some unsweetened chocolate too.
Sounds like you had such a fun vacation, Rachel! This strawberry tart looks like the perfect treat to share after your trip. Love this gorgeous deliciousness going on here. I think I would devour this ALL myself!
It was amazing, thanks Gayle!! I definitely devoured a lot of it myself ;)
Chocolate and strawberry is DEFINITELY one of the best combinations! And I am SO jealous of all of your travels! Here I am still stuck in the cold :( I think I’m going to need one of these to cheer me up ;)
Thank you Ashley!! :)
That trip sounds fantastic and I love the thought of seeing jumping monkeys from your window! Chocolate and strawberry is one of my favorite combos. I love the creativity of this vegan tart!
I tried this recipe but the filling did not firm up and was quite liquid, even after prolonged refrigeration Can you help me troubleshoot? I used ingredients as directed except I had to use dairy free and gluten free chocolate due to allergy issues.
Hi Jill, what kind of coconut milk did you use? If you had a dud can of coconut milk that was too liquidy or used a low-fat can, that could impact the filling firming up. Using dairy-free chocolate shouldn’t make a difference!
This looks stunning Rachel! I am all about strawberries right now and this is such a perfect way to use them up! Pinning!
The tart looks delicious. I have one question. The ingredient list states 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut and om the directions it refers to coconut sugar. Which is correct? I have both and am dying to try this recipe. Thanks.
Hi Debbie. That’s what happens when I proofread at 1:45am – haha! The recipe is updated. It’s unsweetened coconut. Enjoy!
This tart is stunning! I am so excited to get home so I can start to incorporate all those spring strawberries into EVERYTHING :) Pinning!
Your trip sounds amazing!! Sometimes do you need another holiday to recover from your holiday. Nap away!!
This tart looks so tasty!
It sounds like the BEST time!!! :) I am so ready for nice warm Summer weather! I am glad you were able to have a nice relaxing vacation! And this tart – oh my!!! :)
Michael loves anything/everything strawberry+chocolate and I know he’d ADORE this tart!
You can never go wrong with strawberries and chocolate! So so beautiful!! This tart would be perfect to serve/ bring to a party or gathering!
Thanks Erin! :D
Costa Rica sounded wonderful, Rachel — definitely the trip of a lifetime! This tart looks wonderful, too — strawberries and chocolate are one of the best combinations, and I love that this is healthier!
Sounds like a wonderful vacation Rachel! But I understand needing a vacation from your vacation, lol, at least one day to just veg out and get back into the flow. This Strawberry Chocolate Tart is perfect motivation, strawberries and chocolate is always a winning combo and ganache is one of my all time favorites! Take care.
Haha it gets tiring!! Thanks so much, Stacey.
Daaang Rachel.. so much here. First, your trip! I’d love to hear about your snorkel adventure, what you saw and more about the birds. What an amazing adventure and experience. The thermal river.. I had no idea. Nature is so incredible. Do you still have your head in vacation fog? It usually takes me at least a week to get going again! ha! Two, this tart! That ganache is heaven (you wont believe what I’m posting tomorrow!)… I mean, lick the bowl, eat nothing else heaven! What a great idea too.. Absolutely gorgeous and perfect for berry season! Thank you for this, Rachel!
Ganache is seriously the best, and yes I’m totally still in vacation fog, haha. And I’m really missing the breakfast buffet piled with freshly cut tropical fruits! The thermal river was UNREAL – one of the cooler things I’ve ever experience in nature. I wish we had seen more while snorkeling, but we saw lots of fishies, a sting ray (!!) and a turtle! Thank you so much Traci!
Your vacation sounds like it was incredible!! And this tart! I was just thinking the other day about how it’s been so long since I’ve made ganache (issues with heavy cream) – I so need to make this!
It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation! Sometimes you need a vacation after your vacation though, if you know what I mean..haha
I’m loving all the strawberry and chocolate dessert recipes that you have been posting so keep them coming.
Will a cheesecake pan suffice?
As long as it’s similar size, it should be fine. Enjoy!
Made this as my first ever vegan dessert and my vegan guests were definitely impressed! I did have to triple the quantities as I used a 10″ pan to spread a 1cm crust… and same, adjusted the filling to a satisfactory ratio. How thick is the base in your recipe?
Best regards,
Aaron
Glad to hear you enjoyed the tart, Aaron! I’d say the crust when I made it was a bit thicker than traditional pie crust. Thanks for your feedback!
I do not care for coconut. Can I substitute something for the coconut cream? I guess I can try and tolerate the coconut in the crust or do you have a substitution for that also. I am so excited to make this for a girls night!
Hi Peg, you could use about 3/4-1 cup of almond milk instead of the coconut cream. For the crust, you can sub the shredded coconut with more almond flour and use refined coconut oil so you don’t get any coconut flavor. Hope you enjoy it!
This looks delish! Would love to try this weekend. Could I make the crust and ganache in advance and assemble before serving or would it be ok to assemble and sit for a day? Thanks!
Hi Tanya, it would be okay to assemble and sit for a day, it just might not look quite as fresh after the strawberries have sat there. For the best look, I’d assemble the day of! Hope you love it :)
This strawberry chocolate tart is so Instagrammable and adorable! I finally got to make this dessert this past weekend and it was such a hit!! Thx for sharing!
Absolutely love your creative idea with strawberry chocolate tart! Never seen something like this! Definitely I will try to make them too! Thx for sharing Rachel!
I hope you love it, thanks for the love Bella! Enjoy :)
Well after 10 minutes of whipping the chocolate (so NOT VEGAN) and coconut cream I gave up and went to credible source to make another VEGAN strawberry cacao flan. Ripped off!
Hi Sandy, actually dark chocolate is inherently vegan as long as you’re using one that is good quality – it’s only crappy brands that add milk products to their dark chocolate. True dark chocolate is just cacao butter, cacao powder, and a sweetener of some sort. Not sure where you went wrong since you didn’t tell me what happened.
Hi Sandy, instead of roasting people online who spend tons of time putting out amazing FREE content, maybe take a breath and think about where YOU went wrong – nothing in the recipe said to WHIP the chocolate and coconut cream together – sometimes the ganache can split if you overheat the cream – and there’s a way to fix it if you look online for more FREE content. Maybe also realize the people behind these sites are REAL people who deserve respect, not rude comments.
You’re the best – thank you Jessica!!! :)
This strawberry chocolate pie looks AMAZING!!
So neat to read through all the sweet comments you gave gotten over the years for this special dessert too! I can see why it, as it all the qualities I look for in a perfect dessert, which certainly included CHOCOLATE, fresh strawberries, and cookies in the crust!
Thanks so much for the love, Rachel!
This tart was amazing!! Very easy to make, not too sweet and beautiful and delicious! You can never go wrong with any one of her recipes!!
Coconut sometimes affects me. Can I substitute another oil? Sugar? Thanks
Hi Camille, because this recipe is baked, you can use a different oil for the crust, or even butter if you’re not dairy-free. For the sugar, I’d recommend date sugar, maple sugar, and raw cane sugar.
Would you have the nutritional breakdown for 1 slice of the tart? (e.g. saturated fat, sugar, carb, etc..)
Hi April, just added it to the post!! :)
Is using a tart pan a must or can I use mini muffin pans to make this recipe for lil desserts?
You can absolutely use a mini muffin pan for mini tarts!
This looks great. Are we using the he entire can of cream with the watery bit or just the white fatty part? Also, why do we microwave it?
Hi Donna, for this recipe you can use the whole can of coconut milk – I shake it up beforehand! You microwave it to heat the cream, which will melt the chocolate. You can do this over the stove if you prefer.
thank you!!
Hello, I was so much excited to make it for my husband’s birthday. But My tart tasted bitter.. pls help.
Hi Neha, the only reasons this tart could taste bitter is if you used rancid almond flour, or dark chocolate that is darker than you prefer the taste of. It’s important to use chocolate you love, as that’s the main flavor of the recipe and the chocolate ganache isn’t sweetened as it just relies on the sweetness of the chocolate. Could either of these have been the issue?
Hello! The crust turned out very soft after 15 min in the oven(( not sure what i did wrong
Hi Ana, without any info it’s hard for me to know…it could be your oven is running at too low of a temp, or something was mismeasured, or so many other reasons! Sometimes it just needs to firm up a bit as it cools, too. If you can provide more info, I’m happy to help figure out where things went wrong.
Looks amazing! Do you think it would be strange to also have mango in the strawberry flower? What brand of coconut milk do you use?
No that would probably be fantastic! I switch coconut milk brands regularly but Thai Kitchen is reliably good :)
Hello Rachel!
I found your previous recipe years ago then I lost the page when I changed phone and moved back to France (mainly French pages were coming up when I searched the recipe)
I just found you again…! So happy!
But I see that the recipe has changed. Do you have the previous one with the jam in the ganache?
I would love to make this tart again exactly like I used to make it back then.
Thanks in advance
Hi Muriel, do you mean the raspberry chocolate tart? That one has jam in the filling. You could adjust to use strawberries, too!
OMG ! Yes that’s the one! I used to make it sometimes with strawberries and others with raspberries! Thanks so much for your reply
Awesome, happy to help! :)
Hi Racheal is blanched almonds just the same as almond flour ? Would it work with almond flour or almond meal ?
Or coconut flour
Excited to try this weekend
Hi Jade, blanched almond flour is the generally the same as almond flour, but almond meal usually still has the skins attached and is a little coarser. Coconut flour isn’t a good substitute since it’s a lot more absorbent. Enjoy!