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    Home » Desserts

    Apple Tart

    Published: Oct 16, 2022 · by Nico

    Jump to Recipe

    This apple tart is full of sliced fresh apples tossed in a cinnamon-sugar coating and baked in a flaky easy-to-make, no-knead, no-roll pastry dough.

    It's a delicious yet simple dessert you can make with 8 pantry staples. It's an excellent crowd-pleaser for special occasions and holiday celebrations with family and friends.

    Apple tart with fresh apples and pie crust
    On this page:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • Questions
    • More apple recipes
    • More easy desserts
    • Recipe

    Check out our best plant-based dessert recipes!

    You have our word; this apple tart is not only beautiful to look at. It's also mouth-watering delicious, and super easy to make (no need for a food processor or rolling pin).

    A flaky melt-in-your-mouth crust, a crunchy texture on the sides, and a sweet and cozy apple filling make this autumn-winter dessert hard to beat.

    Serve it still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and you'll be transported straight to tart heaven.

    And the best thing? This apple tart is easy to make. First, you can make our pastry dough with flour, sugar, oil, water, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and a little baking powder.

    There's no need to knead the dough; it just needs to be compacted together, then transferred into your tart pan and flattened with your hands (no need to roll either).

    Then, peel and chop the apples, toss them in sugar and cinnamon, and arrange them in the tart.

    After baking, you can glaze the top of the apple tart with melted apricot jam for that beautiful shiny look.

    That's it; in a little more than an hour and with minimal effort, you can enjoy this delicious and beautiful apple dessert.

    apple tart with vanilla ice cream

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for tart with fresh apples

    Apples

    You'll need about five medium to large apples and can use most apple varieties.

    If you like your apple tart to be on the sweet side, then the best apples for baking are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, and Gala apples.

    If you like a tarter dessert, try Granny Smith apples, Winesap, or Cortland apples.

    Other varieties that you can use are Braeburn, Melrose, and Jonagold.

    Cinnamon and vanilla

    Mix sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract with the apples. They taste delicious this way.

    You can add vanilla extract to the crust to make it more aromatic.

    Sugar

    You can use regular white granulated sugar. It makes the edge nice and crunchy. Any sugar in the granular form will do well; brown sugar, coconut sugar, palm sugar, and so on.

    Flour

    All-purpose flour is excellent, but you can also use most other types of flour for this apple tart.

    For example, if you want a more rustic and wholesome tart, you can go for oat flour, spelt flour, or half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour. Although, if you do so, you might need to add a little more water; 1 to 2 tablespoons should suffice.

    You can also use 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blends to make a gluten-free apple tart.

    Baking powder

    Baking powder is the secret ingredient in most tarts on this blog because when you mix a little of it with the flour, it makes the crust soft and crumbly. It's excellent for crust without eggs.

    Oil

    You can opt for a neutral-flavored vegetable oil such as canola oil or sunflower oil, melted butter, or dairy-free butter.

    Our recommendation is to use sunflower or canola oil. It produces a tremendous crumbly crust, and it's easier to manipulate.

    Salt

    A pinch of salt makes the other flavors pop.

    Lemon

    Add a small amount of lemon zest to the dough mixture for a pleasant citrusy flavor that goes very well with the apples.

    Use lemon juice to prevent the apples from turning brown.

    Apricot jam

    Melt the jam with a bit of water and brush it on top of the tart to make it look shiny and beautiful. It also adds some extra sweetness.

    Apple tart with cake knife

    Instructions

    Make the pastry dough.

    Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Brush your tart pan with oil and lightly dust it with flour.

    Tip: If you use a pie dish (instead of a tart pan with removable bottom) oil it, then place two long and wide strips of parchment paper in a cross position into the pie dish under the dough, coming out slightly from the edges.

    After baking, let the tart cool down for 30 minutes, then lift it out of the tray by pulling up the parchment strips. If that sounds too risky, you can always serve the tart from the pie dish.

    pie base with removable bottom

    To a mixing bowl, add sugar, oil, water, lemon zest, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

    Mix well with a spatula until the ingredients are well combined.

    wet ingredients in a bowl

    In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder, then add them to the wet mixture.

    Combine the ingredients with a spatula till they turn into dough. Don't overmix.

    mix the pie crust with spatula

    Compact the dough for a few seconds with your hands without kneading it.

    Tip: The pastry dough should not be springy at all. When you push down with your finger, it should not bounce back.

    pastry dough

    Transfer the dough to your tart pan and flatten it with your hands to cover the bottom and sides.

    pie crust in the cake pan

    Prick the bottom and sides of the pan with a fork, then put it in the refrigerator while you prepare the apples.

    pie crust in a tart pan

    Make the filling

    Peel the apples, cut them in half, core them, then cut them into thin slices or wedges.

    Transfer the wedges to a mixing bowl and toss them gently with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

    apple slices with sugar and cinnamon

    Arrange the apple slices in the crust. Don't add lemon juice.

    apple slices on top of pie crust

    Sprinkle the top with sugar.

    sprinkle with sugar on top

    Bake the tart

    Bake at 350°F or 180°C for about 40 to 50 minutes, until the apples are soft and golden brown.

    Let cool down for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

    Apple tart after baking

    In the meantime, melt the apricot jam with water; you can do so in a saucepan or a bowl in the microwave.

    Brush the top of the apple tart with a thin layer of apricot jam. This step is optional, but the apricot jam glaze will make the tart beautiful to look at.

    apple tart just baked

    A delicious way to serve it is still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream (dairy-free ice cream and dairy-free whipped cream).

    apple tart with vanilla ice cream

    Variations

    Crostata with jam

    Crostata with slice

    Our easy crostata is a cozy Italian tart, soft on the bottom, crusty on the edge, and filled with your favorite jam - apricot is a classic.

    It's a straightforward recipe you can make with a few pantry staples and your favorite jam in a little over 30 minutes.

    Check out our easy crostata recipe.

    Blueberry tart

    blueberry tart

    Same crust different filling. If you want to try something other than apples, you can fill your tart with blueberries instead.

    This blueberry tart is incredible, and kids and adults will love it. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream for a great snack or dessert!

    Check out our blueberry tart recipe.

    Strawberry tart

    strawberry tart

    Fresh, springy, and crispy, this strawberry tart is easy to make, and everyone will love it. We make it with our pastry dough, a thin layer of egg-free custard, and fresh strawberries. No one will be able to resist this!

    Check out our strawberry tart recipe.

    Mini Apple Tarts (crostatine)

    mini apple tarts crostatine

    Cute mini-tarts (crostatine) filled with a delicious chopped apple and a cinnamon mix. They taste delicious and are packed with fresh fruit. Perfect as a quick breakfast on the go or as a coffee break with family and friends.

    Check out our crostatine recipe.

    Apricot tart

    apricot tart

    A delicious summer tart is made with the same pastry dough, filled with an irresistible frangipane filling, and topped with fresh apricots.

    Make this when apricots are in season, and you won't regret it. They melt as they bake in the oven and the combo of pastry and frangipane is irresistible.

    Check out our apricot tart recipe.

    Ricotta pie

    ricotta pie

    You can make a rich, creamy, and fabulous Italian pie with ricotta or our dairy-free ricotta. Chocolate chips, cinnamon, citrus zest. It's a crazy recipe you'll want to make every Sunday.

    Check out our ricotta pie recipe.

    Fruit tart with pastry cream

    fruit tart

    A light pastry dough base cooked without any filling, then covered with our dairy-free pastry cream, and topped with fresh seasonal fruit. Think of kiwis, bananas, peaches, grapes, and much more.

    This one is the Queen of all Italian tarts. It's beautiful, fresh, and delicious!

    Check out our fruit tart recipe.

    Lemon tart

    lemon tart

    A simple lemon custard filling to go in our pie crust. This is essentially a lemon custard crostata that every lemon lover will devour.

    Check out our lemon tart recipe.

    Storage

    Room temperature: store the apple tart under a cake dome at room temperature in a dry corner of your kitchen for up to 2 -3 days; it gets soggy after that.

    Refrigerator: we don't recommend keeping tart in the fridge as it absorbs other food's flavors, and the crust will absorb moisture and get soggy.

    Freezer: you can freeze the apple tart before cooking it or after cooking it. However, we do recommend freezing it before cooking it.

    In both cases, wrap the tart well in foil or plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months.

    If you freeze it raw, preheat the oven and bake it frozen.

    If you freeze it cooked, we recommend cutting it into slices so that you can take out just the right number of slices you are about to serve. Warm up in a preheated oven before serving.

    Questions

    What is the difference between tart and pie?

    The main difference between an apple tart and an apple pie is the top. A pie is generally covered with a layer of pastry dough, while a tart only has a layer of dough at the bottom, and the apple filling is uncovered.

    This apple tart is inspired by the French apple tart and Italian crostata. It has a flaky crust on the bottom, an apple-cinnamon filling, and no pastry on top.

    More apple recipes

    We love making sweet and savory dishes with green and red apples when apples are in season. Get some inspiration with these easy apple-based recipes:

    • Shaved red cabbage salad with crunchy green apples.
    • Quick-prep overnight oats with grated apples.
    • Baked apples with walnuts, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
    • Easiest apple cake with just 7 ingredients - a readers' favorite.
    • Quick apple muffins with 5 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of baking
    • red cabbage slaw with apple and walnuts
      Red Cabbage Slaw
    • vegan apple cake
      Vegan Apple Cake
    • Baked apples with ice cream
      Baked apples
    • authentic bircher muesli
      Bircher Muesli

    More easy desserts

    If you love fruit-packed desserts, take a peek at these. They are all easy to make with simple ingredients:

    • Blueberry muffins: delicious, soft, and moist, packed with fresh (or frozen) blueberries.
    • Vegan carrot cake: honestly? No one will notice it's vegan. Easy to make, soft, moist, and cozy; this is a favorite carrot cake.
    • Pear cake: the most delicious and underrated cake in the blogging universe. This pear cake will wow you.
    • Lemon blueberry pound cake (or lemon blueberry cake): an easy cake batter filled with blueberries and lemon flavor. Minimal effort for maximum deliciousness.
    • blueberry muffins with muffin papers
      Vegan Blueberry Muffins
    • pear cake with pear slices of top
      Pear Cake
    • easy blueberry cake with fresh berries
      Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • vegan carrot cake
      Vegan Carrot Cake

    For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.

    Recipe

    apple tart with fresh apple slices

    Apple Tart

    Author: Nico
    This apple tart is full of sliced fresh apples tossed in a cinnamon-sugar coating and baked in a flaky easy-to-make, no-knead, no-roll pastry dough.
    It's a delicious yet simple dessert you can make with 8 pantry staples. It's an excellent crowd-pleaser for special occasions and holiday celebrations with family and friends.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    5 from 3 votes
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, International
    Servings 12 slices
    Calories 187 kcal

    Equipment

    • Tart pan 9 to 10 inches (24 to 26cm) easiest if with removable bottom. Alternatively pie dish*

    Ingredients
     
     

    PASTRY DOUGH

    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • ¼ cup canola oil or sunflower oil
    • ¼ cup cold water
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1½ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    APPLE FILLING

    • 5 medium apples **
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons apricot jam + 2 teaspoons water

    Instructions
     

    MAKE THE PASTRY DOUGH

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Brush your tart pan with oil and lightly dust it with flour.
      tart pan with removable bottom
    • To a mixing bowl, add sugar, oil, water, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
      Mix with a spatula until the ingredients are well combined.
      wet ingredients in a bowl
    • In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder, then add them to the wet mixture.
      Combine the ingredients with a spatula till they turn into dough. Don't overmix.
      mix the pie crust with spatula
    • Compact the dough for a few seconds with your hands without kneading it.
      pastry dough
    • Transfer the dough to your tart pan and flatten it with your hands to cover the bottom and sides.
      Prick the bottom and sides of the pan with a fork, then put it in the refrigerator while you prepare the apples.
      tart base with holes

    MAKE THE FILLING

    • Peel the apples, cut them in half, core them, then cut them into thin slices and add them to a bowl.
      Toss them gently with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
      apple slices with sugar and cinnamon
    • Arrange the apple slices in the crust. Don't add lemon juice.
      Sprinkle the top with sugar.
      sprinkle with sugar on top

    BAKE THE TART

    • Bake at 350°F or 180°C for about 40 to 50 minutes, until the apples are soft and golden brown.
      Let cool down for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.
      Apple tart after baking
    • In the meantime, melt the apricot jam with water; you can do so in a saucepan or a bowl in the microwave.
      Brush the top of the apple tart with a thin layer of apricot jam. This step is optional.
      apple tart just baked
    • A delicious way to serve it is still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream (or dairy-free ice cream and dairy-free whipped cream).
      apple tart with vanilla ice cream

    Notes

    Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 slice of apple tart out of 12 slices. 
    *PIE DISH
    If you use a pie dish, oil the bottom, then place two long and wide strips of parchment paper in a cross position into the pie dish under the dough, coming out slightly from the edges.
    After baking, let the tart cool down for 30 minutes, then lift it out of the tray by pulling up the parchment strips.
    If that sounds too risky, you can always serve the tart from the pie dish.
    **APPLES
    If you like your apple tart to be on the sweet side, then the best apples for baking are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, and Gala apples.
    If you like a tarter dessert, try Granny Smith apples, Winesap, or Cortland apples.
    Other varieties that you can use are Braeburn, Melrose, and Jonagold.

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Apple Tart
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 187 Calories from Fat 45
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5g8%
    Saturated Fat 0.5g3%
    Trans Fat 0g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 4g
    Cholesterol 0mg0%
    Potassium 142mg4%
    Carbohydrates 35g12%
    Dietary Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 17g19%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin A 49IU1%
    Vitamin B6 0.04mg2%
    Vitamin C 5mg6%
    Vitamin E 2mg13%
    Vitamin K 2µg2%
    Calcium 25mg3%
    Folate 37µg9%
    Iron 1mg6%
    Manganese 0.2mg10%
    Magnesium 8mg2%
    Zinc 0.2mg1%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?We are not much on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Leave us a comment below instead, it would mean the world to us 🙂

    If you liked this easy apple tart, you might also like:

    • Best fall recipes including lentil and pasta recipes
      28 Best Fall Recipes | Dinner + Lunch
    • Tasty vegetarian meal ideas
      30 Tasty Vegetarian Recipes
    • 43 plant-based desserts including vegan custard and apple cake
      43 Plant-Based Desserts
    • vegan brunch recipes including vegan frittata, french toast and vegan egg salad
      25+ Best Vegan Brunch Recipes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Luis

      November 15, 2022 at 5:31 am

      5 stars
      Hi! I have made many of your recipes and they were all great. However, I think there is something wrong with this one. It was impossible to compact the dough. Can you please check if the ingredients amounts are correct? Other than that, great job!

      Reply
      • Nico

        November 17, 2022 at 3:40 pm

        Hi Luis! Sorry my delayed answer, you are right! We went back and did the recipe once more, and it can take more water (1/4 cup). We updated the recipe and pictures accordingly. Thank you so much for your feedback, it is much appreciated! Have a great day! Cheers, Nico

        Reply

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    Nico and Louise founders of the Plant-Based School.

    Hi, we are Nico and Louise, and we love cooking! Welcome to our blog.

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