Vegan Caramelized Onion Tartlets
These elegant little tartlets prove that plant-based entertaining can be every bit as impressive as anything coming out of a classic French kitchen. The filling starts with three large yellow onions cooked low and slow for nearly an hour until they collapse into a deeply golden, jammy mass, finished with fresh thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar for complexity. The real magic is the custard — soaked raw cashews blended smooth with nutritional yeast, cornstarch, and garlic powder — which sets beautifully in the oven without a single egg or drop of cream. Each flaky shell is made from scratch using cold vegan butter and ice water, blind-baked until just golden before the filling goes in, so you get that satisfying short-crust snap in every bite. The whole recipe makes six generous servings, and the tartlets are just as good at room temperature as they are warm, which makes them ideal for a dinner party spread or a make-ahead appetizer. If you've ever felt like rich, custardy tarts were off the table for you, this one is genuinely worth the afternoon.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup vegan butter, cold and cubed
- 3–4 tbsp ice water
For the filling
- 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
For the cashew custard
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours, then drained
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
For serving
- fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the raw cashews in a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for at least 2 hours. Drain and rinse before using.
- 2
Make the crust: combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse twice to mix. Add the cold cubed vegan butter and pulse 8–10 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough just comes together when pressed between your fingers — it should hold without being sticky. Turn the dough out, press into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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