Vegan blueberry frangipane tarts - these delicious little eggless and dairy free blueberry bakewell tarts are a perfect Summer treat! Lovely for dessert or Afternoon tea.
These individual vegan blueberry frangipane tarts are like a blueberry version of a bakewell tart. They consist of crisp shortcrust pastry filled with almond frangipane, blueberry jam, fresh blueberries and flaked almonds.
They make a great dessert, particularly if you serve them with ice cream or custard, are lovely as part of an afternoon tea, or they are perfect just eaten as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.
Vegan Frangipane:
The recipe for this perfect vegan frangipane is adapted from one by the very talented Lazy Cat Kitchen.
The eggs are replaced with the magic ingredient that is aquafaba (the liquid drained from a tin of chickpeas) which works perfectly to create a frangipane that is textured somewhere between a cake and a baked custard.
I use melted vegan block butter in place of the usual dairy butter; during testing I tried using both melted and creamed vegan butter and the melted version had a far superior, less greasy texture, so definitely go with melted.
You can also use melted coconut oil in place of the butter, though butter gives a better, more traditional flavour. I use Naturli vegan block for all of my baking, but Stork block or Vitalite block will also work.
Frangipane doesn't usually contain a raising agent, but I added a teeny bit of baking powder to replace the lift that would usually be provided by the eggs.
How To Make Vegan Blueberry Frangipane Tarts:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
To make the pastry, place plain flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
Add cold, diced vegan block butter and blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, gradually drizzle in a little cold vodka (or water), until the pastry comes together into a ball.
Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap it, and place it in the fridge for half an hour to chill.
Divide the chilled pastry into 6 even pieces (I slice it into triangles with a bench scraper) and roll each one into a ball. Roll each ball out thinly on a floured surface so that it is large enough to line an 8-9cm/3.25-3.5in loose bottomed tart tin.
Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and press it right into the corners and up the sides. Roll over the top with a rolling pin to trim off the excess pastry. Reserve the trimmings.
Repeat with the rest of the balls of pastry then gather together the trimmings, divide in half and roll each into a ball. Roll out as before and line another two tart tins. You should get 8 tarts in total.
Prick the pastry cases all over the base with a fork then place them in the freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Line each of the frozen pastry cases with a square of tin foil, pressing it right into the corners. Fill each one with baking beans or dried rice then bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the tin foil and beans/rice and return the pastry cases to the oven for 5 minutes then remove and set aside.
To make the frangipane, whisk together melted vegan butter and sugar then whisk in flour and cornflour followed by the aquafaba. Finally, mix in the ground almonds, baking powder and almond and vanilla extracts.
Spread a heaped tsp of blueberry jam over the base of each tart shell then spread a couple of heaped Tbsp of the frangipane over the top, making sure that the jam is fully covered. The frangipane will puff up a little in the oven so don't fill them more than ¾ full.
Scatter some fresh blueberries over each one, making sure that they aren't too close to the edge as any juice that seeps out can cause the pastry to stick to the tin if it bubbles over.
Finally, scatter over some flaked almonds then bake the tarts for about 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned.
Variations:
These vegan blueberry frangipane tarts will work with pretty much any kind of fruit you like, just vary the jam to suit you and top with cherries, strawberries, blackberries, currants, sliced apple, pear or apricots.
You can also bake it as one large (approx 25cm) tart instead of mini ones, in which case it will take around 45 minutes to bake.
Tips For Making The Best Vegan Blueberry Frangipane Tarts:
Blueberry jam: You can use either home-made or shop bought blueberry jam. I made my own using this lovely recipe from Camilla at Fab Food 4 All.
Crisp pastry: For the best, crispy pastry, make sure that you don't overwork it or let it get too warm. Freezing the tart shells prior to blind baking them helps to make the pastry crisp and stops it from shrinking too much.
Using a bit of vodka instead of water to bind the pastry also helps to keep it crisp, as vodka has a lower water percentage. You can use water if you don't want to use vodka though (you can't taste it and the alcohol burns off during baking).
Aquafaba: To get aquafaba, just use the liquid drained from a tin of chickpeas or white beans.
Butter: You MUST use the solid block kind of vegan butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking. Some examples of brands are: Naturli vegan block (my favourite), Stork block, Vitalite block, Tomor block, Earth Balance buttery sticks.
How long will they keep?: The tarts will keep for about three days in an airtight container at room temperature. If it is very warm out they may be best stored in the refrigerator.
More Vegan Tarts And Pies:
- Vegan strawberry tart with coconut pastry cream
- Vegan mince pies
- Pentagram topped apple pies
- Mince pie tart
- Blueberry pie with coconut oil crust
If you tried this recipe why not tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
Vegan Blueberry Frangipane Tarts
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 200 g (1 +⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 g (½ cup) ground almonds
- 50 g (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 150 g (5.3 oz / ½ cup + 2 Tbsp) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) cold and diced
- 1 Tbsp cold vodka (or water)
Frangipane:
- 70 g (2.5 oz / scant ⅓ cup) melted vegan block butter (I use Naturli Vegan Block)
- 110 g (½ cup + 1 Tbsp) caster sugar
- 40 g (⅓ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 5 g (½ Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) aquafaba or non dairy milk
- 175 g (1 + ¾ cups) ground almonds
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
To Finish:
- about 8 heaped tsp blueberry jam
- about 110 g (4oz / ¾ cup) fresh blueberries
- large handful flaked almonds
Instructions
- To make the pastry, place the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the diced cold butter and blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, gradually drizzle in the cold vodka (or water), until the pastry comes together into a ball.
- Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap in clingflim (or an environmentally friendly alternative) and place in the fridge for half an hour.
- Divide the chilled pastry into 6 even pieces and roll each one into a ball. Roll each ball out thinly on a floured surface so that it is large enough to line an 8-9cm/3.25-3.5in tart tin.
- Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and press it right into the corners and up the sides. Roll over the top with a rolling pin to trim off the excess pastry. Reserve the trimmings.
- Repeat with the rest of the balls of pastry then gather together the trimmings, divide in half and roll each into a ball. Roll out as before and line another two tart tins. You should get 8 tarts in total.
- Prick the pastry cases all over the base with a fork then place them in the freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Line each of the frozen pastry cases with a square of tin foil, pressing it right into the corners. Fill each one with baking beans or dried rice then bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the tin foil and beans/rice and return the pastry cases to the oven for 5 minutes then remove and set aside.
- To make the frangipane, whisk together the melted vegan butter and the sugar then whisk in the flour and cornflour followed by the aquafaba. Finally, mix in the ground almonds, baking powder and almond and vanilla extracts.
- Spread a heaped tsp of blueberry jam over the base of each tart shell then spread a couple of heaped Tbsp of the frangipane over the top, making sure that the jam is fully covered. The frangipane will puff up a little in the oven so don't fill them more than ¾ full.
- Scatter some fresh blueberries over each one, making sure that they aren't too close to the edge as any juice that seeps out can cause the pastry to stick to the tin if it bubbles over.
- Finally, scatter over some flaked almonds then bake the tarts for about 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned.
- Leave to cool in the tins for 20 minutes before turning out. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Camilla Hawkins
Oh my goodness, your blueberry frangipane tarts look out of this world good and wouldn't look out of place in the window of a Parisienne Patisserie! Thank you so much for sharing my blueberry jam recipe which I know would be ace in these tarts:-)
Jesse-Gabriel
Einfach nur Großartig!!!
Jesse-Gabriel
Danielle
Hi, can the tarts be frozen after baking?
hannahhossack
Hi Danielle, yes they should freeze fine.
Ruth
I love love love these!!! I didn't blind bake the tarts tho, just chilled and baked 35mins and came out perfect! So happy I can now make my favorite tarts 🙂
Ruchika Singla
Hi
I have made this recipe twice now. It is excellent. Everyone just loved the pies! The pastry itself is so crisp and tasty. Awesome recipe! Thank you
Rekha Tara
Hi, do you have an eggless recipe, for profiteroles? Thank you
hannahhossack
Hi Rekha, unfortunately not, choux pastry is one of those things that isn't really possible to replicate well without eggs.
Amanda
I’ve made these twice now (making them for the third time tonight) with raspberries and they are absolutely delicious. My non-vegan family members also love them. I’ve made them as small tarts and also as one big tart and both were lovely. Thanks for the great recipe!
Tina
Can I make this in one large tart tin? If so what size?
hannahhossack
Hi Tina, I would just follow the recipe for my vegan Bakewell tart but swap the raspberry jam for blueberry and the raspberries for blueberries. https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2020/05/28/vegan-bakewell-tart/
Sarah
10 stars. This was absolutely amazing. I baked it as one large tart for an hour instead of minis. The flavor and texture was amazing and just like I remember frangipane. My dad who thinks vegan food is gross was asking for thirds. I was paying $8 for a mini frangipane tart at a Sunday market and this blew it away for not even a fraction of the cost.
Katie
Hello, I was wondering if it would be possible to use flax in place of the aquafaba? Based on how much is in the recipe, I think 25ml flax and 78 ml water mixed together would be the equivalent. Trying to bake this for a vegan friend and have never used egg replacements before, so I don't know how that would fare in this recipe. Thanks 🙂
hannahhossack
Hi Katie, I have never tried using flax eggs to make frangipane so I don't know how that would turn out. I would suggest using non-dairy milk instead of the aquafaba which works just as well.
Isla
Really delicious - however took longer than said on the recipe. Took me like 4 hours because of all the chilling and freezing lol. It was really delicious tho, and defo worth the time once i had tasted it. I made as one big tart and my family loved it.
Andi
Hey y'all! I made this a few times and love it each time, it amazes me that it is vegan and may coworkers are equally impressed. Thank you for blessing me and everyone with this recipe its a staff favorite! <3
Namrata
Hi
Can I use egg instead of Aquafaba if so then how many
Hannah
Hi Namrata, this is designed to be an eggless recipe. You would need to find a non-vegan frangipane recipe if you want to use egg.
Cath
Ohhhhh this was amazing, I made one big one and it took an hour....absolutely scrumptious.
Ronisha
Hello do you have to whip the Aquafaba before using?
Hannah
Hi Ronisha, no you don't need to whip it.
Lizzie
I made a large tart using plum jam and fresh cherries as that's what I had and it was delicious! Super easy and really tasty as always.
Tania Moreira
Love this tarts. I did them already 4 times and one of them I change the blueberries for raspberries, amazing no one noticed they are vegan ☺️
Sarah
I would give this 10 stars if I could. I make it every holiday or get together now and if I show up without it everyone’s disappointed lol I follow the recipe exactly except I put it in one large tin and cook it about an hour and 10 minutes. Absolutely amazing. Domestic gothess is literally my go to for whenever I bake now. Before I never knew how a recipe would turn out without eggs but I trust every single one on here and have never made something that didn’t turn out amazing.