Dairy Free Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream

Total time3 hr 40 min

Prep time45 min

Cook time25 min

A crisp, buttery-style tart shell forms the base here, filled with a silky, chilled custard built from egg yolks, cornstarch, and vanilla until it sets into that classic sliceable pastry cream texture. The whole thing gets piled high with a vibrant mix of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, and mandarin segments, arranged in rings from the edge inward for that bakery-case look. A quick brush of warmed apricot jam glazes the fruit to a glossy shine and helps everything hold its shape once sliced. Each wedge delivers that satisfying contrast of flaky crust, cool creamy filling, and juicy fresh fruit in one bite. It's an impressive make-ahead dessert that chills into clean, tidy slices, and it's a solid pick for a dairy free spread since the components can be built to fit right in. Bright, fresh, and genuinely elegant — the kind of tart that looks like it came from a patisserie window.

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the crust

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
King Arthur Baking Company Unbleached All-Purpose Flour Gold Medal Flour All-Purpose Unbleached - 5 Lb Bob's Red Mill Organic All Purpose Unbleached White Flour - 5 Lb Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Unbleached White Flour - 5 Lb Pillsbury Best Flour All Purpose - 5 Lb
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2 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
Chef's tip
Use a stick or block-style dairy-free butter - not a soft tub spread - and swap one-for-one.
2–3 tbsp ice water

For the pastry cream

2 cups whole milk
Chef's tip
Use plain, unsweetened soy milk, measured 1:1. It's one of the most reliable milk swaps and works in sauces, custards, and baked goods. For hot or acidic drinks, a barista-style soy milk resists curdling.
½ cup granulated sugar
4 pasteurized egg yolks
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Chef's tip
Use a stick or block-style dairy-free butter - not a soft tub spread - and swap one-for-one.
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the topping

3–4 cups mixed fresh fruit (such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi slices, and mandarin segments), prepared and sliced as needed
3 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp water

Instructions

1
Make the crust: Whisk together the flour, 2 tbsp sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Drizzle in ice water 1 tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough just holds together when pressed — stop as soon as it coheres, using 2 to 3 tbsp total. Shape into a flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into an 11-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Drape it over the rolling pin and transfer it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing it gently into the fluted sides without stretching. Trim any overhang flush with the top edge of the pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, then freeze for 15 minutes.

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