This vegan chocolate tart in a gluten free almond flour crust gets a flavor boost from sesame tahini, flaky salt, and a swirl of coconut whipped cream, all drizzled with vegan caramel sauce. A decadent vegan & gluten-free chocolate dessert everyone can enjoy! {Thanks to Bob's Red Mill for sponsoring this post!}
Baking with Gluten Free Flour
I grew up on weird flours, my health nut mama always stashing bags of buckwheat and whole wheat in the freezer so they wouldn't spoil in the hot SoCal climate. I wasn't a fan at the time, but fast forward a couple of decades to when I published an entire cookbook all about wacky gluten free flours.
If you ask any cookbook author about their book making experience, you'll see their eyes shift. Staring off into the middle distance, a haggard look will overtake their face, shellshocked like a battle-scarred war veteran or parent of a newborn. I'm no different. I became an absolute crazy person while working on Alternative Baker. To stay on schedule, I had to develop and shoot 3 recipes per week in addition to other work. Gluten free baking recipes with uncommon flours often required four or five recipe tests. Add to that grocery shopping, dish washing, writing, sending the recipes out for testing by a kind army of volunteers, and hand weighing each flour to ensure accuracy, and I barely had time to be a person.
While making my book, I prioritized my life like so:
- Work
- Exercise
- Friends and family in need (i.e. anyone going through a traumatic divorce, suffering from debilitating anxiety, grieving the loss of a loved one, sick, etc.)
If you didn't fit into those three categories, I didn't see you for that year of my life.
Halfway through maniacally testing recipes for my book, it dawned on me that different flour brands grind their flours in different ways, and this affects the outcomes of recipes in a big way. I decided to standardize the recipes and test all that I could with Bob's Red Mill flours. This would have been a great point at which to ask my publisher for an extension as I had to go back and reformulate a handful of recipes I'd developed with random bulk-bin flours. But instead I soldiered on down the road to becoming a zombie shell of a person, albeit a well-fed one.
Though the process was grueling, I never lost my love for baking (though I did lose my sweet tooth for a good few months there). And while I don't know if or when I'll be ready to make another book, for now I'm thrilled to partner with Bob's Red Mill. This year I'll be bringing you a series of gluten free recipes featuring their gluten free flours and my favorite ways to use them.
Blanched Almond Flour
During this process, I got to know Bob's Red Mill flours very well. One of my favorites is their blanched almond flour, which is fairly finely ground with a bit of nubby texture. If you're wondering about the difference between almond meal and almond flour, in the case of Bob's, almond meal is made from almonds with their skins still on while the almond flour is made from blanched, skinless almonds. I generally prefer using blanched almond flour to meal, as its ivory hue makes for prettier baked goods but the two can usually be used interchangeably.
Since almond flour is naturally high in fat and protein, it produces tender baked goods that hold together well. I use Bob's blanched almond flour in many different gluten free baking recipes, including:
- gluten free financiers aka individual brown butter cakes (kumquat black sesame, poppyseed pluot)
- gluten free madeleines (get the recipe in Alternative Baker!)
- gluten free polvorones
- gluten free cheesecake crust
- gluten free fruit crisp topping
- gluten free sweet tart crusts (citrus ricotta, ginger fig, poached pear, raspberry mascarpone, lemon pomegranate)
The Easiest Gluten Free Almond Flour Tart Crust
Almond flour helps to create an easy, press-in tart crust that tastes like shortbread cookies. When combined with sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, and a third flour – oat flour for a vanilla crust or, here, cocoa powder for a chocolate crust – along with sugar, salt, vanilla, and butter, it forms a crumbly dough. Just press this into a lightly greased tart pan, chill briefly, bake, and press down with the back of a spoon, and you have a no-fuss tart crust. While most traditional tart crust recipes have you soften the butter only to chill the dough, then roll it out and shape it, then chill again, then bake with pie weights, this crust comes together with much more ease.
No matter how exciting the filling is on any given tart that I make, the crust always gets the most comments! It's slightly sweet with a good dose of salt. The texture melts in your mouth just like a shortbread cookie. The chocolate version has a deep, dark cocoa flavor, perfect for chocolate lovers
Gluten Free + Vegan Tart Crust
To make my gluten free almond flour crust vegan, I simply swap in vegan butter in place of dairy butter. I especially love Miyoko's cultured vegan butter, which is made from coconut and cashews. The culturing process gives it a rich, tangy flavor.
Is Almond Flour Gluten-Free?
Bob's is! Almonds don't contain gluten, but at other processing plants, the nuts could be processed on equipment that also processes wheat. But you can rest assured that Bob's almond flour is always 100% gluten-free, and so are many of their other flours including their sweet rice and tapioca flours used here.
Almond Flour Nutrition
Aside from being DELICIOUS, this gluten free flour is high in nutrients such as:
- protein
- vitamins B and E
- minerals, particularly calcium in levels nearly as high as in milk
- fiber
- healthy fats
Tahini Vegan Chocolate Truffle Filling
This tart filling is essentially a bittersweet chocolate truffle or vegan chocolate ganache. Hot coconut milk melts chopped chocolate, thickened with sesame tahini and sweetened with a touch of maple syrup. You can either pour the warm filling into the waiting crust for a smooth top, or let it cool until firm enough to hold a shape and swirl it into the crust for a bit of texture.
Vegan Caramel Sauce
This tart is topped with a luscious vegan caramel sauce made extra thick from a spoonful of tahini. I've adapted the base recipe from Glow Pops by Liz Moody, which I previously used in these delicious vegan chocolate popsicles. Just combine coconut sugar and coconut milk, simmer until thick and darkened in color, and stir in tahini and vegan butter. You'll want to take a bath in the resulting vegan caramel sauce!
Coconut Whipped Cream
The icing on this, er, tart is a billow of whipped coconut cream. Be sure to chill the can overnight so the solids separate from the liquid, then whip the coconut cream with a touch of powdered sugar and vanilla until it holds firm peaks.
Vegan Chocolate Pie vs. Tart
I like to make this dessert in a tart pan with a loose bottom, which makes the tart easy to slice and plate. But if you don't have one, turn this into a vegan chocolate pie by simply forming the crust in a pie pan and proceeding with the recipe. It may be a bit messier to remove the first few pieces from the pan, but it will still work beautifully!
Looking for more chocolate? Here are a few other vegan & gluten free chocolate desserts to love.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Desserts:
- gluten free red velvet cake (all-natural with beets!)
- gluten free chocolate bundt cake
- coconut flour banana cake with chocolate rum ganache {gluten-free, dairy-free}
- teff brownies with salted tahini frosting {gluten-free}
- roasted cherry ice cream sandwiches with salted double chocolate buckwheat cookies {gluten-free}
- chocolate chestnut cream cake with coffee + rum {gluten-free}
- bergamot chocolate truffles
- soft and chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookies
- stovetop pots de crème with olive oil and flaky salt
- flourless chocolate cupcakes from Foolproof Living
- dark chocolate honey fig walnut truffles from Snixy Kitchen
- gluten free chocolate crepe cake from Heartbeet Kitchen
- milk chocolate yogurt pots from Naturally Ella
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Desserts:
- gluten-free vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with tahini
- vegan salted caramel & chocolate swirl popsicles {refined sugar-free}
- chocolate pudding {vegan option}
- no-bake chocolate cream tart {vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free}
- chocolate cream tart {vegan, gluten-free}
- creamy vegan chocolate mint popsicles
- no-bake hazelnut ganache brownies {gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free}
- superfood chocolate crispy treats {gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free}
- raw chocolate + pistachio butter cups
- (raw, vegan) chocolate cheesecakes
- (vegan) chocolate chile coconut milk truffles
- vegan chocolate pudding with tahini and maple (paleo)
- mexican chocolate nice cream bowls from Vanilla and Bean
- chocolate coconut oat porridge (aka dessert for breakfast!) from Kitchen Confidante
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten free vegan chocolate tart, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Tart with Tahini & Caramel
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Crust:
- 1/2 cup (80 g) Bob’s Red Mill sweet white rice flour (or cassava flour)
- 1/2 cup (60 g) Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour (or hazelnut flour)
- 1/2 cup (45 g) cocoa powder (preferably dutch-process)
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) organic granulated cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) cold vegan butter (such as Miyoko’s), diced into 1⁄2” cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces (55 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
Filling:
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 65% cacao mass), roughly chopped
- ½ cup (130 g) tahini
- 3 tablespoons (58 g) maple syrup (more or less according to how sweet your chocolate is)
- 1 cup (222 g) well-shaken full-fat coconut milk
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Caramel Sauce:
- Remaining coconut milk from above (¾ cup / 175 ml)
- ¼ cup (35 g) coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- Big pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Whipped Coconut Cream:
- 1 (400 ml) can coconut cream, chilled overnight
- ¼ cup (35) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Flaky salt and chopped chocolate, for sprinkling
Instructions
Crust:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Spray a loose-bottom, 9-inch round tart pan lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sweet rice and almond flours with the cocoa powder, tapioca starch, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and drizzle with the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to medium-low and run until the dough comes together in clumps and the butter is worked through, 3–5 minutes. (It will seem as though the dough won’t come together, but don’t worry – it will!)
- Dump about half of the crumbs into the prepared pan and press evenly into the sides of the pan. Add the remaining crumbs and press evenly into the bottom – it usually takes me about 10 minutes to make it look pretty.
- Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips and bake until slightly puffed and firm to the touch, 20-25 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and, while it’s still hot, press the sides and bottom with the back of a spoon. This will help it hold together when cool. While the crust is still hot, scatter the chocolate in the bottom and let sit a few moments to melt. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread the chocolate over the bottom and sides of the crust. Let cool completely.
Filling:
- Place the chocolate and tahini in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the maple, coconut milk, and salt. Place over medium heat and bring to just below a simmer. Pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and tahini. Stir until melted and smooth. You can either pour the warm filling directly into the baked tart shell. Or chill the filling for about 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until cool enough to hold a shape, then spread evenly into the baked tart shell. Chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Caramel:
- In a small saucepan, combine the remaining coconut milk and coconut sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and darkened in color, 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vegan butter, tahini, salt, and vanilla. Use warm or chill until needed; rewarm to serve.
Whipped Coconut Cream:
- Remove the chilled can from the refrigerator. Open the can from the bottom and pour off all the watery liquid that should had separated. Scoop out the solidified cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high speed until fluffy and thick, 1-2 minutes. Chill if not using right away.
Finish:
- Remove the sides from the tart pan and use a small, offset spatula to release the tart from the bottom of the pan. Place on a serving platter or cutting board. Swirl the whipped coconut cream over the top of the tart and drizzle and swirl with some of the caramel. Top with chopped chocolate and flaky salt, passing more caramel sauce at the table.
- Extra tart will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Notes
- The crust can be frozen airtight (baked or unbaked) for up to 1 month.
- The crust with filling keeps well, refrigerated airtight, for 1-2 days.
- The caramel can be made up to 1 week in advance, refrigerated airtight.
- The whipped coconut cream can be made 1 day in advance, refrigerated airtight.
Nutrition
Aysegul D Sanford says
Tahini + Caramel + Chocolate ... I am drooling.
So SO beautiful and yummy, as always.
Cheers!
Alanna says
Aw thanks!! I wish we lived close enough to share. <3
Kasey Goins says
I'm so in love with this recipe! This tart looks so scrumptious!
Alanna says
Aw thank you!!
Jan says
Thanks for all your beautiful recipes. I’m wondering, in this one, are you using raw tahini or toasted? Also, have you found a packaged organic almond flour that you like? Thanks so much!
Alanna says
You're very welcome, thanks for the sweet note! I used Artisana raw tahini here, but I usually use Sadaf brand - I'm actually not sure whether it's raw or roasted as it doesn't say on the jar! But I think it will work fine with whatever you have on hand. :) I always use Bob's almond flour which isn't organic, so I'm afraid I can't advise. I do wish it were organic like some of their other products!
Marilyn says
Congratulations on your partnership. Love your blog even though I don't bake or cook.
Alanna says
Aw thanks Marilyn!
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen says
I can confirm that this is just as delicious as it is beautiful!
Alanna says
Aw thanks! Even for a "boring" chocolate dessert? ;)
Madeline Taylor says
Um, is one allowed to make just the caramel sauce and eat it from the pot?
Alanna says
For you, yes! ;)
Madeline Taylor says
^..^_______)
/ / Mwah!
Julia says
I cannot wait to make this tart for my sister who is GF! Looks absolutely amazing!
Alanna says
Aw, what a nice sister! Please let me know if you do. :)
Meghan says
I'm not vegan but I'm still making this (using Spectrum shortening since I am allergic to soy) because everything you create is amazing. I'm still telling everyone about the pancakes I had this morning!
Alanna says
Aw thank you Meghan! I believe Miyoko's vegan butter is soy-free too, just FYI! ;)
bella says
You never cease to amaze me Alanna...yet another beautiful creation <3
Alanna says
Awwww thank you Bella! It's VERY mutual.
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen says
Love these photos! Also this tart is delicious! I tried to eat just a bite but couldn’t stop...
Alanna says
That's how I feel about all your treats. Thanks!! <3
Anita Sabados says
I made this using hazelnut flour as that's what I had and it matches chocolate so nicely. Your recipes are always a cut above. I can always count on something special. Thank you.
Alanna says
Hazelnut flour sounds perfect here! I'm so glad it was a hit. Thanks very much for the kind words!
Julie says
We had this tart at a friend’s house and it was amazing! Just melted in your mouth. Will try to make it myself soon!
Alanna says
Amazing! Thanks for the sweet note, and let me know if you give it a go yourself!
Meghan says
I am so glad that this tart is going on a dessert platter for Teacher Appreciation Week because I could easily polish it off myself over a day or two. Holy smokes, it's good! My husband ate a bite of the sacrificial trial slice and didn't believe me when I said it was vegan. Every part of it is delectable.
Alanna says
Aw! Thank you for trying my recipe - I'm so glad you like it! Hope it's a hit with the teacher appreciation crowd too. :)
Meghan says
I'll admit I'd been putting this off because of all the steps but it was really super simple to put together! The teachers loved it!
Alanna says
So glad to hear that it was worth the effort!
Emily R says
What a deluxe tart. The coconut cream and caramel sauce helped with the intense richness of the ganache. My boyfriend said that this one was "up there" in terms of delicious tarts I've made along with the chocolate olive oil tart from your book. It comes together quite easily. I used 70% chocolate and used between 4-5 tbsp of maple syrup (my hand kind of slipped) and Earth Balance in the crust. Thank you for the recipe and developing vegan recipes. I'm not vegan myself but often cook for people who are, so it's nice to have recipes that are specifically formulated to be vegan. :)
Alanna says
Aw thanks so much for trying this recipe and for the sweet review! I'm so glad you guys loved it. I feel you on cooking for vegans! Always nice to have options that everyone can eat. :)
Debi Simons says
This is FABULOUS. I am not vegan or gluten free, but we had a vegan guest coming to a birthday dinner and I wanted to make something she could eat. I didn't bother with making the crust gluten free since she didn't need that, so just used half almond flour and half AP flour. I used coconut oil throughout, as I don't like buying stuff that pretends to be something else. ("Vegan butter.") The whole thing was a total delight--we've fallen in love lately with the chocolate-tahini combo, and this just solidified that attitude. That caramel sauce was amazing! One note: I hadn't read your directions fully about just using the solids from the coconut cream and shook up the can right before I was going to whip it. (I had followed the directions about refrigerating the can the night before.) So it was pretty runny. But the refrigerated leftovers the next morning were the perfect consistency of whipped cream. So that's what I'm going to do from now on. I may even make a long-term substitution of the coconut cream for regular whipped cream. (Although my son and brother-in-law don't like coconut much.) Anyway, I was just thrilled with this!
Alanna says
I'm so glad this was a success and that the AP flour and coconut oil subs worked well. That's so helpful to know! I'm also keen to try your coconut whipped cream method, I can imagine how delicious that would be with a little extra moisture! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for the note. :)
Ginny says
Had to bake something for a friend who's currently not eating dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, and gluten. That seriously narrows the field and when I came across this recipe I was absurdly excited! So I subbed chickpea flour instead of almond flour (had to add a little water in the crust to make up for the missing moisture) and coconut oil instead of vegetable butter. It was a huge success and my hardly-eating friend was in awe! I did have a snafu though: I'm used to making regular caramel, so I suspect I cooked the coconut milk + sugar for too long, trying to achieve a brown-ish color. That ended up crystallizing and throwing off the texture. Though not the flavor, so I ended up spreading the caramel atop the ganache and covering everything with the whipped cream, which worked fine. Suggestions on how to get the perfect caramel next time please? Thank you again, this is an amazing recipe and I'll make it again!
Alanna says
Hi Ginny!
I'm so glad this tart was a hit! What a nice friend you are! Smart to use chickpea flour in the crust - I'm glad to know that that works.
I'm sorry to hear that the caramel crystallized! I've had that happen with regular caramel sauce, but not here, so I'm not sure what to recommend. If you think you may have cooked it for too long, that could be culprit? Please let me know if you try making it again with a shorter cooking time! With regular caramel, I like to add a little corn syrup or golden syrup to help prevent crystallization, so that could be something to try too? Let me know! :)
Zahra says
I made this with weight measurement. It's delicious however the crust doesn't hold together. It crumbles up when I take a piece out of the tart pan. What do you recommend?
Alanna says
Hm, did you remember to compress the crust when it came out of the oven? Did you mix the dough until it was clumpy? If yes to both, you could try adding more butter in next time. I wonder if the vegan butter you used was maybe more dry than the one I tested this with?
Zahra says
I used real butter. It's interesting that after sitting on the fridge for couple of days, it holds better than the first day. The taste is divine, I love it! Thanks for the recipe!
Alanna says
Interesting, thanks for letting me know! I'm really glad you enjoyed it despite the crust crumbliness on the first day. :)
Joanna says
Really looking forward to making this for my son's birthday this weekend. Do you think it would work with a very smooth almond butter instead of the tahini? Thanks so much!
Joanna says
This was unbelievable! Your recipes never disappoint. I tried it with runny almond butter (Barney butter bare) and it worked beautifully. My daughter said it was the best dessert she ever had in her life. Thank you!
Alanna says
Aw I'm so glad it was a hit! Almond butter sounds delicious here, I'll have to try that.
sarah davis says
truly divine! love your recipes and love your blog! one of the few where I will actually read the entire post. thank you for sharing!
Alanna says
Aw that means so much to me! Thanks for reading and for trying my recipe! <3
Anya says
I'm really looking forward to trying this recipe! Would the caramel sauce turn out alright if I use demerara sugar instead of coconut sugar?
Alanna says
I *think* that should work. Please let me know if you try!
Sherry says
Can’t wait to make this tart! !
Do you think I can use maple syrup or honey instead of the sugar in the crust?
I know it’s subbing wet ingredients for dry ingredients... but I can’t really eat sugar.
Alanna says
Hi Sherry, could you use a dry unrefined sugar, such as maple or coconut sugar? That would definitely work!
Sherry says
Ok! Thank you. Will give those a try.
Anne says
A quick question: did you use canned coconut milk or fresh coconut milk?
Alanna says
Great question - I used canned coconut milk :)