Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Tart with Hazelnut Crust (Gluten Free)
This Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Tart is a no-bake gluten-free recipe made with loads of fresh strawberries and lemons. The scrumptious agar-thickened filling plays perfectly with the date-sweetened hazelnut crust.
This recipe makes me so happy and excited to share because it was made with SO much love. Not just by me, but in collaboration with my friend and soul-sister Meghan from the incredible website and Instagram account @nutmegandhoneybee.
If you click through to her site or Instagram, you will see that Meg is beyond talented at not just baking, but decorating. Her baked goods are truly masterpieces, whether it’s the macarons that got her a huge following on Instagram, or the stunning gluten-free and vegan cakes that she’s making more often these days. I’m constantly in awe of her creativity.
Meg and I met last year when she was living in San Diego for a few months and we instantly bonded, not just as bakers but as soul-friends. She moved away but eventually made her way back and I have been so blessed and happy to have her beautiful energy back in my life.
Every time we get together, we say “we need to have a baking day!” and folks, we finally made it happen. The results are more than I could’ve dreamed of! Having her magical decorating touch made the day so much fun and the result of our labors so much more beautiful.
Let’s get to this Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Tart!
When it came to what we should make, Meg wanted to play with agar – a vegan thickener that acts similar to gelatin that I’ve only dabbled in. So we decided to go with a Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Tart where we could thicken a fruity filling with the agar! It worked like a dream. I also have this Strawberry Lemon Tart recipe that’s made with cashews, but this one is a fresher take!
First, let’s chat crust. We kept it simple – just Medjool dates for sweetness and stickiness, hazelnuts, salt, and vanilla. The hazelnuts add a warm flavor that’s a bit unexpected with the fruity filling. I love the way it came out. If you want a more mildly flavored crust, you could absolutely use cashews or almonds instead of the hazelnuts.
For the filling, we kept it fresh and fruity for summer! I constantly have a ton of fresh strawberries in the fridge this time of year, so we blended up strawberries with fresh lemon juice and zest to serve as the filling’s flavors. Is there anything better than strawberry lemonade in the summertime?!
We also blend some tapioca starch into the fruit mixture for thickening power. Meanwhile, to activate the agar, we simmer it with a can of coconut milk. The coconut milk adds a delectable creaminess and helps cut through the some of the tart lemon flavor. Then, the blended strawberry/lemon mixture goes into the pan with the coconut milk. It’s all simmered until thick, and then poured into the crust.
We popped it in the freezer to set and it set SO FAST. Then, decorate as desired. I obviously let Meg take the lead on this part. She whipped out her bag of dried edible flowers and started piping things. Magically, it turned into the stunning beauty you see in front of you. My contribution was cutting some adorable strawberries from the strawberry plant I have growing in my backyard.
This Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Tart with Hazelnut Crust is one of my new faves for summer. I’m looking forward to trying it with all sorts of different berries! And if you didn’t notice – there’s no sweetener in this recipe besides the dates in the crust! But trust me – you won’t even notice. The fruit and crust provide all the sweetness you need.
I hope you adore this recipe as much as Meg and I enjoyed making it! If you try it, be sure to hashtag #Bakerita and tag @nutmegandhoneybee and @bakeritablog in your post so we can see your beautiful creation. Sending lots of love!
Want more healthy lemon desserts?
- No-Bake Lemon Bars
- Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cookies
- The Best Vegan Lemon Cake
Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Tart
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Tart is a no-bake, gluten-free and paleo recipe made with loads of fresh strawberries and lemons. The scrumptious agar-thickened filling plays perfectly with the date-sweetened hazelnut crust.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 3/4 cups Medjool dates, pitted, soak in hot water for 10 minutes if they’re not soft
- 1 1/2 cups roasted hazelnuts, cashews, pecans or almonds would also work
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the filling
- 4 cups chopped fresh strawberries
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 (15 ounces) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons agar powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the crust
- In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients for the crust. Pulse for about 1 minute, or until the nuts and dates are broken up and hold together when pressed between your fingertips.
- Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9” tart pan with a removable bottom. Set aside while preparing the filling.
For the filling
- Add the strawberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a food processor or blender. Blend until fully pureed. Add in the tapioca starch and blend again to incorporate.
- In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk and agar powder. Bring to a simmer and let simmer until thickened. Add the fruit mixture and bring the mixture to a low boil. Let boil until it’s thickened to the consistency of a loose pudding, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. It should be thick and glossy.
- Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla, and pour into your prepared crust.
- Place in the refrigerator or freezer to set, about an hour or two. Once firm, garnish with dried flowers, piped coconut cream, fresh berries, or whatever else your heart desires!
- Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Bos.Kitchen!
This looks so beautiful and so summery! My one question is do you use Arrowroot or tapioca in your filling? Your description talks about tapioca but your ingredient list has arrow root. Also is there any substitute for agar? Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Sejal, I used tapioca flour but either will work! Fixing the recipe now. There is no other vegan alternative for agar that I know of!
If I’m using strawberry puree instead
fresh one how much do I will need? 600gr more or less?
Also, can I use cornstarch instead tapioca starch?
Hi Maria, about 600g of fresh strawberry puree is likely about right, since 1 cup of fresh strawberries weighs about 4 oz, or 160g. You can use tapioca starch instead of cornstarch. Enjoy!
This looks amazing! The write up says tapioca flour but recipe says arrowroot flour; which one did you use?
Oh my bad!! I use tapioca flour. Either will work though!
These flavours sound like a dream! Can’t wait to make this for a summer occasion! x
Shannon | https://shannonmichelle1.blogspot.com
Thanks Shannon, hope you love it!!
When did you add those 2 tsp vanilla? I added near end as all was thickening. I also added some stevia and honey to taste. Now waiting for it to firm up!
Hi Amy, I added the vanilla at the same time as you!! I hope you love the recipe. I’ll add the vanilla – thanks for calling that out.
When did you add those 2 tsp vanilla? I added near end as all was thickening. I also added some stevia and honey to taste. Now waiting for it to firm up!
Update….no room in freezer so left in fridge for a few hours. Taste is fabulous!! Very light and refreshing. Excellent summer dessert!
Can Gelatin be used in place if agar? I have no idea if it’s compliant with my AIP diet. Not sure where I’d find it.
Hi Sara, most health food stores have it, and of course, it’s also on Amazon. Gelatin would likely work, but the amounts can vary (you’d probably want to use 1-2 tablespoons of gelatin) and you wouldn’t want to boil it the way we do with the agar here. I’d recommend looking up the best practices for substituting gelatin for agar to make the substitution. Also, agar is AIP friendly!
Amazing recipe.. thanks for sharing it.
Hi! Would lite coconut milk work in place of full-fat here? It’s what I have on hand right now, and would love to find a use for it!
Hi Molly, yup – that should be totally fine! Enjoy :)
Do you have another crust this would work with?
Love your cookbook!!
Hi J, yes you can use any tart crust on my website for this tart! If you want a simpler more “shortbread” like crust, this one is a great option (you can substitute almond flour for the coconut if you want to avoid coconut flavor). For a no-bake crust, I love this one. Enjoy!
Made this weekend. Loved it, and would recommend, but tailor your expectations. It is not very sweet.
When I first tried the filling (on its own) I felt it was quite sour. The big BUT is: boy does the crust balance that out. You end up with a tart that is neither heavy nor overly sweet.
Observations. I had trouble getting a good set for the filling. Make sure you cook it well, and, perhaps, add more agar agar?
I would tend to make a little more crust mixture as mine was a bit short (not thin).
Perhaps replace the full fat coconut milk with low fat. Not sure what effect that would have.
Encourage enough to try more.
Excelentes recetas para celiacos
Gracias!
Delicious but my crust was floppy…
Also i added maple sirup to the strawberry mix… and used Kuzu instead of agar agar.
Thank you for your work
Hi Eli, do you mean it was soggy? Not sure what you mean by floppy! Did you drain/dry the dates well after soaking? I wonder if extra moisture got into the crust and made it a lot softer.