The most indulgent gluten-free chocolate ganache tart that also happens to be dairy-free and easily vegan. With a crisp shortcrust pastry, a layer of strawberry jam, and silky smooth chocolate ganache, this is a simple yet impressive dessert that looks bakery-quality with minimal effort.
Perfect for dinner parties, holidays, or whenever a show-stopping gluten-free dessert, this tart uses just a handful of ingredients and straightforward techniques, even if you’ve never made pastry before. Trust me, these mini tarts are one of the most mouthwatering, indulgent desserts that you won’t want to share. Decadent, dreamy, and completely satisfying.
Although this gluten-free chocolate tart requires some chilling and baking time, the hands-on work is minimal. In fact, you’ll only spend about 10 minutes actively preparing the pastry and ganache. With just 8 simple ingredients, this recipe is far easier than it looks, and guaranteed to impress.
Why You’ll Love These Tarts
If you’re looking for a reliable, allergy-friendly dessert that feels luxurious but is surprisingly easy to make, this recipe ticks every box. I mean, it’s chocolatey gooeyness in individual-sized tarts – no sharing required! Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Gluten-free and dairy-free (with easy vegan option)
- Simple ingredients – just 8 total
- Foolproof ganache (2 ingredients, 5 minutes)
- Perfect make-ahead dessert for entertaining
- Can be made as mini tarts or one large tart
Why Trust This Recipe
With over 19 years of baking experience and a focus on allergy-friendly desserts due to our own families’ intolerances, I’ve tested countless gluten-free pastry variations to create one that is reliable, easy to handle, and delivers a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture every time.
This recipe has been developed specifically for home bakers who want a stress-free dessert that still looks and tastes impressive.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This chocolate tart is made with two simple components: a gluten-free shortcrust pastry and a 2-ingredient chocolate ganache.
For the Pastry
Don’t be intimidated by having to make pastry. Shortcrust is the easiest pastry you will ever make and uses just 5 ingredients. This one is dairy AND gluten free as well, with easy substitutions to fit other dietary requirements.
Butter: My go-to fat for the pastry is unsalted plant-based butter. Not dairy-free? Sub with regular dairy butter. Ensure that your butter is at room temperature before you start making the pastry. It will be quicker to incorporate.
Flour: The star of this recipe is gluten-free flour. My preference is Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 flour substitute. And this isn’t a sponsored post for them. I really do adore their blend, as you don’t need to add anything else to it. Just straight sub in your recipes in place of plain or all-purpose flour. I love easy options like this!
Salt: an integral part of the pastry to balance out the flavours. You could use salted butter if you prefer, but I like to control the amount of salt that I add to my recipes. We are using approximately 1/8 of a tsp.
Icing Sugar: I am using icing sugar to lighten the flour, to add a slight amount of sweetness and also create a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth texture. If you want to cut back on the sweetness, substitute with cornflour, although it really isn’t that sweet of a pastry.
Egg: to bind our ingredients together, I am using 1 beaten egg (at room temperature). I usually use large eggs in my baking, which are equivalent to approximately 50g once removed from their shell. You can also use a medium egg in this recipe. Replace with a flax egg if you are vegan. To make a flax egg, add 1 tablespoon of flax meal (ground flaxseed) to 3 tablespoons of water. Allow to rest for 15 minutes, then use as directed in the recipe.
For the Chocolate Ganache
To say I was excited when I spotted this product in my local store is an understatement. I’ve been waiting (im)patiently for a great dairy-free/vegan whipping cream to become available here in Canada! Ganache is so easy to make. Just 2 ingredients, less than 5 minutes, and you’ll be wanting to use it in everything.
Dairy-Free Whipping Cream: I love that I can finally buy an allergy-safe whipping cream from the store. If you can’t find a similar product, substitute with a can of full-fat coconut milk. I highly recommend popping the can in the fridge overnight before you make the ganache and just using the solidified part of the milk. If you are not vegan or dairy-free, you can use regular whipping cream. For both alternatives, warm in the microwave as per the recipe instructions.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips: If you don’t have chips on hand, cut up your favourite bar of chocolate instead. Not vegan or dairy-free? Use regular dairy chocolate. This is the main flavour component of the recipe, so I highly recommend using good-quality chocolate.
How to Make the Chocolate Tart
Before you start making this recipe, gather all of your ingredients and supplies. The butter and egg both need to be at room temperature so I recommend taking them out of the fridge 20 minutes before you start. Make yourself a cup of tea while you wait. You do not need to preheat your oven right away. Let’s start with the pastry first.
To Make the Shortcrust Pastry
Add 200g (1 1/3 cup) gluten free 1-to-1 flour, a pinch of salt and 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted plant based butter to a mixing bowl.
Mix until it has a sand-like texture and resembles breadcrumbs. You could make the pastry by hand if you prefer. By hand, you’ll need to rub in the butter then use a wooden spoon to combine everything.
Add 30g (1/4 cup) icing sugar and 1 beaten egg.
Mix to combine until it starts to clump together,
Scrape down the bowl and turn out onto a floured surface.
Knead a few times into a smooth ball of pastry. This recipe makes 380 grams of pastry which is enough for 4-5 mini tart cases, or one large tart case, depending on how thick you roll it out.
To Make the Tart Cases
On a floured surface, roll out approx 95g of pastry so that it is slightly larger than the tart case.
I always hold the tart case over the pastry to double-check the size. Look at how cute the little tart case is! These are a dream to use.
Lay the pastry over the case and then press down gently so that the pastry fits snuggly into the case. *No need to grease the tart case*.
Cut off any excess pastry with a sharp knife. You can add this back to the batch of pastry to reuse later.
Prick holes in the base with a fork. This will help with airflow when we bake the tart case.
Place the tart case on a baking tray then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. With 5 minutes remaining, preheat your oven to 340°F / 170°C.
Blind Baking
This recipe requires 15 minutes of baking, and that’s just for the pastry stage to ensure that we achieve the perfect base for our filling. Cut an oversized circle of parchment paper and line the tart case.
Add baking beads, ensuring that they are not stacked on top of each other. Let’s just stop a moment and talk about the importance of this step. If you’re a fan of the Great British Bake Off, you’ll know all about soggy bottoms. They are essentially annoying patches of damp pastry where it hasn’t been baked properly, usually when filling is added to raw pastry cases.
By blind baking your pastry first, you will completely avoid this happening. Baking beads (or beans in some countries) are fairly inexpensive to buy and worth every penny to avoid pastry disasters. See the link in the recipe card for the ones I recommend.
Place back onto a baking tray and bake the tart cases for 15 minutes at 340°F / 170°C.
Remove from the oven and carefully remove the baking beads from each case. Use the parchment paper to lift them out and place them in a bowl to cool down. Immediately place the tart cases back in the oven for 5 minutes to finish baking.
Once baked, allow to cool on a cooling rack. Look how pretty it looks already!
Adding the Filling
Once the tart cases are cool, add a few teaspoons of strawberry jam to each base.
I love making my own jam, so if you want to make this a truly homemade dessert, check out my 2 ingredient jam recipe.
How to Make the Ganache
Chocolate ganache might sound fancy, but it’s one of the easiest baking techniques you can learn. This dairy-free chocolate ganache is completely vegan, and works perfectly as a tart filling, frosting or glaze. It’s so good that I even gave it its own post – read more here. With just chocolate and warm cream, you’ll create a smooth, glossy ganache in minutes – no special equipment required.
Add 100g (slightly over 1/2 a cup) chocolate chips to a large bowl. In a small measuring jug, add 100 ml of dairy free whipping cream. Microwave the cream for 1 minute until gently bubbling.
Immediately pour over the chocolate chips. *Do Not Stir* Set your timer for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes whisk the cream and chocolate to create the ganache.
It will have a pouring consistency.
Assembling the Tarts
Pour the finished ganache over the jam in the tart cases, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.
Once the ganache has set, remove the tarts from the cases.
As they are cold, the two parts of the pan will easily come away from the pastry. Hold the tart by the side and push the underneath to remove the side piece.
Next, slide the tart off the base.
To finish the tarts, sprinkle with coarse sea salt. This helps to balance the sweetness from the ganache and adds a bit of a crunch on top as well. Perfection.
Serve immediately.
Time to Dig In!
Let’s have a close look at that gorgeous chocolate filling, the melt in the mouth pastry crumb and the peek of jam that is just slightly oozing out.
It’s fair to say that this might be the most glorious chocolate dessert you’ll ever make!
If you make this gluten-free chocolate ganache tart, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment to let me know!
Common Questions
Absolutely! Use your favourite tart tin. My pastry recipe makes a 380 grams batch which is enough for an 8-9 inch tart. The ganache recipe is plenty for an 8 inch tart as well but feel free to scale up the recipe if you like a deep tart filling. You can also freeze any leftover ganache for other desserts (see below for suggestions).
The ganache recipe is enough for 3 mini tarts so I recommend making the full batch and storing the rest for another dessert. Scale up the recipe to make more tarts.
Store the tarts uncovered in the fridge for 2-3 days. The ganache does not set hard, but will soften slightly once at room temperature. You do not need to let the tarts come back to room temperature before serving. Dig right in!
Most definitely and in fact, I highly recommend it. This recipe makes an immediately pourable ganache, which is perfect for tarts, drizzling over cupcakes or brownies, or as a dip for churro bites. If you prefer to make a firmer, spreadable ganache for a layer cake filling, set it in the fridge before using it.
Yes – use a flax egg in the pastry for a vegan version. Simply add 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed to 3 tablespoons of water and allow to rest for 15 minutes before using.
More Tart Recipes
If you love tarts, check out these recipes:
- Mini Cherry Bakewell Tarts – the heavenly combination of tart jam and frangipane make this British classic.
- Summer Fruit Sable Breton Tart – a French pastry with fresh fruit and silky cream.
- Maple Butter Tarts – the epitome of Canadian baking.
- Strawberry Whipped Cream Tart – perfect with freshly picked berries.
Gluten Free Chocolate Ganache Tart (Dairy-Free with Vegan Option)
Angela’s Top Tip
Weigh your dry ingredients in grams with a scale for best results!
Ingredients
For the Shortcrust Pastry
- 200 grams Gluten Free 1-to1 Flour (1 1/3 cups – see note)
- Pinch Salt
- 100 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) (7 tbsp)
- 30 grams Icing Sugar (1/4 cup)
- 1 Egg (large – see note)
For the Fillings
- Strawberry Jam
- 100 grams Vegan Chocolate Chips (slightly over 1/2 a cup)
- 100 ml Dairy Free Whipping Cream (see note)
Instructions
Make the Shortcrust Pastry
- Add 200g (1 1/3 cup) Gluten Free 1-to-1 flour, a pinch of salt and 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted plant based butter to a mixing bowl. Mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add 30g (1/4 cup) icing sugar and 1 beaten egg. Mix until the dough starts to clump together.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and gently knead into a smooth dough. This recipe makes 380 grams of pastry, which is enough for 4-5 mini tart cases, depending on how thick you roll it.
Prepare the Tart Cases
- On a floured surface, roll out approx 95g of pastry so that it is slightly larger than the tart case. Lay the pastry over the case and then press down gently so that the pastry fits snuggly in to the case. *No need to grease the tart case*
- Trim excess pastry with a sharp knife and prick the base with a fork. Place the tart cases on a baking tray then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. With 5 minutes remaining, preheat your oven to 340°F / 170°C.
- Cut an oversized circle of parchment paper and line the tart case. Add baking beads, ensuring that they are not stacked on top of each other.
- Bake the tart cases for 15 minutes at 340°F / 170°C. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the baking beads from each case. Use the parchment paper to lift them out and place in a bowl to cool down. Immediately place the tart cases back in the oven for 5 minutes to finish baking. Once baked, cool completely on a cooling rack.
Adding the Jam Layer
- Add a few teaspoons of strawberry jam to the base of each cooled tart.
Make the Ganache
- Add 100g chocolate chips to a large bowl. Heat 100 ml of dairy free whipping cream in a jug in the microwave for 1 minute until gently bubbling. Immediately pour over the chocolate chips. *Do Not Stir*. Let it sit for 3 minutes.
- Whisk the cream and chocolate together to create the ganache. It will have a pouring consistency.
Assemble the Tarts
- Pour the ganache over the jam, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.
- Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve immediately.
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