Learn How to Make The Perfect Eggless Tart Crust that is buttery and flaky, but not so crumbly that it makes it difficult to cut or eat with a fork, just as good as a tart crust should be. The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Egg & Nut Free Tart Crust Recipe Highlights
This is my favorite Eggless Sweet Tart Crust (Pastry Crust) recipe. It goes well with any sweet filling of your choice.
It’s buttery and flaky but not so crumbly that it makes it difficult to cut or eat with a fork, just as good as a tart crust should be.
The dough is extremely easy to make and to work with! Plus, it tastes so good that it is hard not to eat it by itself.
Most of the traditional recipes call for ground almonds, but for obvious reasons (nut allergy), I did not use almonds in this recipe. But if, by chance, you do not have nuts restrictions, you can add some (read the baking tips section) for an extra layer of flavor.
In short, it’s a master recipe that will serve you well for all your eggless tart making.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Amounts are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down). You’ll need:
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Evaporated milk: You don’t have evaporated milk? No problem!! Check out my post about How to Make Evaporated Milk at home
- Heavy cream: Make sure it’s cold and has at least 35% of fat content.
- Vanilla extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract!
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
1 – Mix Dry Ingredients
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, stand mixer, or in a medium mixing bowl; pulse to combine.
2 – Add Butter
Add the chopped butter and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal or fine breadcrumbs.
3 – Add the Wet Ingredients
With the motor running, add the evaporated milk, cream, and vanilla, and process/mix/stir until the dough comes together into a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
4 – Refrigerate
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Bring the dough together and flatten it into a dish shape. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5 – Roll the Dough Out
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8-in (3 mm).
Press the dough gently into the tart pan(s). Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6 – Prepare Blind Baking
Line chilled tart crust with a double layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Fill the pie with pie weights (or dried beans, uncooked rice, pennies, etc.). Make sure they are evenly distributed over the entire surface.
Bake at 400º F (200º C) for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the edges are set and just beginning to turn golden. CAREFULLY, remove the tart crust from the oven and remove the weights.
7 – Finish the Baking
At this point, you should follow the specific tart recipe instructions you are making. Usually, if the tart requires more baking after adding the filling, you most likely will need to just partially bake the crust. However, if you are making a no-bake tart, you will need to fully bake the crust.
- To partially bake the crust: After removing the weights, bake for 5 minutes longer. You’ll now need to proceed with your tart recipe, add the filling, and finish baking.
- To fully bake the crust: Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes longer, or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Recipe Tips
Don’t overwork your dough! For example, Over-kneading the dough will develop the gluten, making the dough shrink when baking.
Use your fingers to drape it in and gently pat the dough onto the bottom and sides of the tart pan evenly instead of pulling or stretching it.
If the crust slightly bubbles up during baking, you can use a stainless-steel measuring cup to press it down gently. Please do this as soon as you remove the crust from the oven while it is warm.
Make sure your tart crust is well chilled before baking. Otherwise, the butter will make too fast, and the tart will lose its shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
1 – Line chilled tart crust with a double layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2 – Fill the crust with pie weights (or dried beans, uncooked rice, pennies, etc.). Make sure they are evenly distributed over the entire surface.
3 – Bake at 400º F (200º C) for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the edges are set and just beginning to turn golden.
Carefully remove the crust from the oven. Remove weights and paper and return the crust to the oven to continue baking. Bake for 5 more minutes for partially baked crust, or 10 -12 more minutes for golden and crisp fully bake.
The difference between partially baked vs. fully baked tart crust is the extra time you bake the curst after blind baking it. Usually, if the tart you are making requires more baking after adding the filling, you most likely will need to just partially bake the crust. However, if you are making a no-bake tart, you will need to fully bake the crust.
Yes, mix dry ingredients in a big bowl. Then, use a pastry cutter or two knives, and cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal. And then, add wet ingredients and mix with a fork just until the dough comes together.
This recipe will be enough to make a 9- or 9.5-inch round tart crust. I recommend this 9.5-inch anodized aluminum tart pan. I also have a non-stick tart pan. I have used both, and honestly, I don’t notice any difference in the final result.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store
- Unbaked: Cover well and keep chilled for up to 3 days. Leave it out on the counter for 20 – 30 min (or longer if required) to soften slightly so you can roll it out easily.
- Baked: store at room temperature or refrigerator for 2 days
Freeze
- Unbaked: Cover well and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to use, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let sit at room temperature for 20 -30 minutes to soften slightly so you can roll it out easily.
- Baked: Cover well and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let sit at room temperature before filling and decorating.
Make Ahead
- The dough can be made 3 days ahead. Keep it well covered in the refrigerator.
- The baked tart crust can be made 2 days ahead and stored well covered at room temperature or refrigerator for 2 days.
How To Use This Tart Crust
Now that I have perfected my tart crust recipe, I promise to add more tart recipes to my collection. But, for now, here are a few ideas:
- Eggless Fruit Tart
- Easy Eggless Chocolate Tart
- Pecan Tart – Partially Bake the tart crust and use my pecan pie filling.
- Coconut Tart – Fully Bake the tart crust and use my coconut pie filling.
More Eggless Baking Basic Tutorials You’ll Love
- How to Make Pie Crust from Scratch
- Easy Graham Cracker Crust
- How to Make Evaporated Milk
- Eggless Meringue
- more tutorials…
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Perfect Eggless Tart Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (175 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (40 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, stand mixer, or in a medium mixing bowl; pulse to combine.
- Add the chopped butter and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal or fine breadcrumbs.
- With the motor running, add the evaporated milk, cream, and vanilla, and process/mix/stir until the dough comes together into a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- By Hand: Mix dry ingredients in a big bowl. Then, use a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal. And then, add wet ingredients and mix with a fork just until the dough comes together.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Bring the dough together and flatten it into a dish shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll Out:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 12-in circle approx. If the dough is too soft, put it back into the refrigerator.
- Transfer the rolled dough to a 9 or 10 inch tart pan (one with a removable base is preferable). To do so, flour the rolling pin, roll the dough loosely around it, and then unroll it into the tart pan.
- Use your fingers to drape it in and gently pat the dough onto the bottom and sides of the tart pan evenly instead of pulling or stretching it. Seal any cracks in the dough, if needed. Trim off excess dough with a sharp knife or with the rolling pin by rolling over the tart pan.
Refrigerate:
- With a fork, gently prick the base several times. Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
Prepare to Blind Bake:
- Preheat oven to 400º F (200º C).
- Line chilled tart crust with a double layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill the crust with pie weights (or dried beans, uncooked rice, pennies, etc.). Make sure they are evenly distributed over the entire surface.
Bake:
- Bake at 400º F (200º C) for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the edges are set, and the paper/foil no longer sticks to the dough. Then, CAREFULLY, remove the tart crust from the oven. Remove weights and paper.
Finish the Baking:
- To partially bake the crust: After removing the weights, bake for 5 minutes longer. You'll now need to proceed with your tart recipe, add the filling, and finish baking. To fully bake the crust: After removing the weights, bake for about 10 – 12 minutes longer, or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Let the tart crust cool before filling; this will help the crust to stay crispy once filled.
- Don’t overwork your dough! Over-kneading the dough will develop the gluten, making the dough shrink when baking.
- If you don’t have a nut allergy, you can add 2 tablespoons of almond meal/ground almonds along with the flour.
- Use your fingers to drape it in and gently pat the dough onto the bottom and sides of the tart pan evenly instead of pulling or stretching it.
- If the crust slightly bubbles up during baking, you can use a stainless-steel measuring cup to press it down gently. Please do this as soon as you remove the crust from the oven while it is warm.
- Make sure your tart crust is well chilled before baking. Otherwise, the butter will make too fast, and the tart will lose its shape.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Originally posted in May 2021, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, with no change to the recipe in August 2022.
I guess my tart pan was larger because the first time I made this it was very thin and burned. Tried again 1.5 times the recipe and it came out perfect. Very easy to make in the processor and nice dough to work with. Great flavor!
Hello Ryan! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
hey…Can you please give me measurements for dough that is enough to cover up a 12 inch tart pan…?
Hello! For a 12-ich pan you might need to double the recipe. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Hi!
Is there something else I can use in the place of evaporated milk? We don’t use it and and I was hoping I could substitute instead of buying a whole tin of evaporated milk.
Hello Janhavi! For best results, I recommend following the recipe exactly. You can make your own evaporated milk at home. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)