Almonds, cashews, maple, and coconut form the base for this über-lemony tart topped with coconut cream and summer berries. Naturally vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.
Today, June 10th, is a special day – my mom’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! I wish I could serve you up a big slice of this tart, because I know you’ll love it. A classy lady needs a classy dessert on her birthday. You’re the one who introduced me to the wonders of healthy desserts 15 years ago – who knew I’d be making them in lieu of traditional butter-flour-sugary desserts years later? They are every bit as delicious – creamy, decadent, and just sweet enough. Thanks for teaching me so much about health and wellness. I’m lucky to have a mom like you.
I’ve been on a cashew kick lately, whipping up all manner of yummy things from the soaked nuts, which puree into creamy oblivion in a few minutes. (And to make things even better, I have a shiny new fancy blender to make them in.) I’ve been appreciating the little tropical nuts even more after seeing this photo by my friend living in Mexico – amazing!
This tart was inspired by these no-bake matcha mint grashopper pies which I enjoyed with Emma when she came over to make spring rolls a couple months ago, an armful of meyer lemons from her tree in tow. Around that time, Dana posted these tantalizing lemon bars, and the whole thing left me with a crazy craving for creamy, lemon goodness.
Additionally, I needed redemption.
Several weeks ago, Sarah and I styled a lemon tart for NYT, a classic recipe by Amanda Hesser. The tart must have been cursed. First, I made the whole thing and managed to leave out 5 whole eggs from the recipe (#professional). The resulting tart was thin, incredibly tart, but oddly enough still edible. We made the tart again and this time it was perfect. We spent ages cutting and arranging slices just so and setting it up for its beauty shot…
only to drop a piece of equipment on it mid-shoot!
Determined to make a non-cursed lemon tart, I pulsed almonds with coconut and maple syrup and pressed the mixture into a tart pan to form a stupid-easy crust that’s chewy like a macaroon. Soaked cashews get blended with maple syrup, loads of zest and juice from floral meyer lemons, coconut oil, and a bit of ground chia seed to thicken it up like a lemon curd.
After a good chill in the fridge to firm it up, on go a smear of whipped coconut cream and a mess of fresh berries. Any berry will do – just raspberries, or a mix of ALL the berries, or anything in between.
The resulting tart has a nubby crust, silky soft filling that sings with citrus, and lots of fresh berries for a bright finish. The juicy berries set off the creamy filling just so. Though in winter months, this could be simply adorned with candied lemon slices or a shower of toasted coconut shreds. I’m also dreaming of a chocolate version topped with roasted cherries…
I will certainly be serving up one of these in a few weeks when my family comes together to celebrate Mom’s birthday properly. So happy, happy birthday, Mom! Here’s to a fun and delicious year ahead. Love you.
Thanks for reading! If you make this, I’d love to see. Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #BojonGourmet.
No-Bake Lemon Berry Coconut Cream Tart {vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free}
Print Recipe / Pin RecipeIngredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups sliced almonds (160 g) (or 1 1/8 cups whole almonds)
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (40 g)
- pinch fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (30 ml)
Filling:
- 1 ¾ cups raw cashews, soaked in cool water for 4-12 hours (or covered in boiling water and soaked 1-2 hours) (230 g)
- 2 tablespoons finely ground white chia seed (10 g)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons light maple syrup (preferably grade A amber) (145 ml)
- zest from 3 large lemons (preferably meyer; 2 tablespoons lightly packed)
- ¾ cup meyer lemon juice (from 3-5 large meyer lemons)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional, for color)
- pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ cup cool water (60 ml)
- ¾ cup melted and cooled extra-virgin coconut oil (180)
Topping:
- 2 small cans unsweetened coconut cream, chilled at least 2 hours (5.4 ounce / 160 ml each)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (10 ml)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups mixed summer berries, large berries halved or quartered
Instructions
Crust:
- In the bowl of a food processor, process the almonds, coconut, and salt until finely ground. Drizzle in the maple syrup and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Use moistened fingers to press the crust into the sides, then the bottom, of a 9” tart pan with a loose bottom. Chill.
Filling:
- Rinse and drain the cashews and place them in the bowl of a blender with the ground chia, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, turmeric, and salt. Blend on low, gradually increasing to high, gradually adding the water. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes until silky-smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. Add the melted coconut oil and blend until just combined; don't over process or the mixture could become grainy. Pour the filling into the chilled crust, and chill until firm, about 4 hours (or cover and chill overnight).
Topping:
- Without tilting or shaking the cans, remove the coconut cream from the refrigerator, open the cans, and scrape the firm top part into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, discarding the liquid. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and whip until the mixture holds soft peaks. When the tart filling is firm, remove from the refrigerator and top with the coconut cream and berries. Optionally chill again to firm the coconut cream, 30 minutes or up to several hours.
- Carefully remove the sides of the tart pan and place the tart on a platter or cutting board. Use a large, sharp chef’s knife to slice the tart into slender wedges, wiping the knife clean between cuts. The tart keeps well, refrigerated airtight, for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Um, this is amazing. I will absolutely be making it! Thank you for your beautiful inspiration, as always :)
I will definitely be making this for my family when I visit them this summer! It has all the things I love and I’m a big fan of lemony desserts, specially when they are healthier! Beautiful photos Alanna and wow, didn’t know that about cashews, imagine how much fruit they need to get a large quantity of cashews!!
Love the pictures! This is so perfect for any summer celebration.
What a lovely dedication to mom. Happy Bday! I’m glad she taught you about healthy desserts too because then I can learn and do the same :) What I love so much about this tart is how customizeable it is. I imagine you could turn this into an orange tart as well using the cashew base. I love your idea for crust! It eliminates the need for oil. This is just superb. Thank you. I’ll make it next week :)
This is one gorgeous tart! I need to try a no bake tart and this one sounds super delicious with all the ingredients in it! Stunning pics as always and I recognize the heathware :D Looking forward to meeting you this weekend!
Happy birthday, Alanna’s mom!
This tart looks soo uncursedly beautiful. I love the mess of fruit on top–I have been all about fresh berries lately. Awesome to see them glorified in their natural state like this!
I really love that one blue-ish plate with the brown edge. Those colors: <3
I’m going to the store right now and making this for an end of school hallelujah….and using leftover almond pulp. Always looking for uses for my almond pulp! This looks beautiful. I’ll let you know if the almond pulp experiment fails…
What a beauty, I’m so smitten with the coconut cream + fresh berry topping!
That is one perfect looking tart!! Happy birthday Mom!!! :)
This is hands down – STUNNING!! And happiest birthday to the mama!
What would you suggest to use instead of almonds? I’m allergic :(
Any nuts will work. Pistachios are nice too.
Happy belated Birthday to your Mom! This is such a gorgeous way to celebrate.
Happiest Birthday to your mom! What a lovely dessert for celebrating. Excellent use of all that lemon juice and zest!!
This tart is so gorgeous and coconut cream, yummmm!!! I hope your mom had a great birthday!
Aw, thank you Stephanie!
Made this for father’s day! Everyone in my Mexican very antivegan family loved it! Wonderful recipe! Thank you Bojon Gourmet!
Yay!!! I’m so glad you all loved it! :D
STUNNINGGGGGGG. Love!
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe, I am making this tomorrow for my mums birthday :). Can I sub anything for white chia seeds? I only have regular greyish black. Will the shade of the filling be off if I use them?
Yay! I’m making one for my mom’s belated birthday party, too! I haven’t tried the tart with dark chia seeds, so I’m not sure how they will look in the finished product. They should thicken it just fine, though! Please let me know how it goes. :)
This sounds delicious! Couple of questions: is coconut cream the solids inside a can of coconut milk or something entirely different? I am assuming the shredded coconut in the crust in unsweetened? I’m looking for dairy free too so this sounds perfect! Going to make this for my contribution to July 4th potluck so would love to hear back soon! Thanks!
Hi Penny! So I get coconut cream in small cans, but you can also use full-sized cans of coconut milk if you can’t find coconut cream. Just don’t get the “coconut cream” that comes in boxes. Yes, the shredded coconut is unsweetened. I’ll update the recipe – thanks for the questions and let me know how you like the tart!
Why not use the coconut cream in boxes? I love that stuff!
Whenever I’m feeling uninspired, all I need to do is come read your blog. Beautiful, all of it . This tart is speaking to me!
Awwwww, this completely makes my day, Jen. Thank you. <3
i made this tart three times last week, 2x with blueberries mixed in and then yesterday’s version was exactly like this, and all times the tarts were inhaled. SO GOOD.
Yaaayyyyy! Your all blueberry version looks absolutely divine, and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the original as well. Thanks so much for the sweet note!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I’m wondering if it would work to make this in a square pan and serve the pieces as lemon bars at a picnic… Do you think it would travel well?
Yes! Someone made them this way and posted the pic on Instagram, so it should work well! They need to stay chilled, so here’s what I would try: make, chill, and cut them ahead of time, then put each square in a muffin cup and put them in single layers in tupperwares that will fit in a cooler. When you’re ready to serve, top each with a dollop of whipped coconut cream (also stored in a jar in the cooler) and some berries. :)
Thanks, Alanna, that’s what I’ll do! This will be fun.
Hi! I’m Astrid and I am fascinated by this cake, it is so delicious and beautiful!
So I want to make it but I don’t have white kia seed, are needed?
:)
Hi Astrid! The chia seed helps the tart filling gel and set. But you could probably add a bit more coconut oil (maybe 2-4 T??) to help it set. It will have a more dense, cheesecake like texture. :)
Hi Alanna, yesterday in the evening I finished to make the topping. Now I have to shot some photos and to try them with my family.
Thank you for the recipe, I’m getting closer now with vegan way of life and food as well! I’m very happy because I am satisfied to make this cake healthy and amazing!!
Sorry for my bad english!!
:)
Love It!! I like the mix between the cashew , the lemon juice and the coconut, The taste of this pie should be incredible ! thank you for this recipe :)
You continue to inspire. Gorgeous and I love the combo of cashew and coconut! Sounds divine, lady!
Aw, thanks my dear! <3
Hi Alanna, here I am!
I have done the tart!!!
It is so delicious! *-*
this is my version: https://dolceamaradeliziosa.wordpress.com/2016/08/06/no-bake-orange-coconut-cream-tart-vegan-gluten-free-refined-sugar-free/
Next times I’ll have to press in a better way the chia seed and use more coconut cream!!
:)
Yay! It looks beautiful!! Grazie mille!
This is my second time making this delicious dessert. Raves from everyone who tried it and requests to share with others. Thanks for sharing, a new favourite in our family.
I’m so glad to hear it!
I just put the filling in and I’m letting it chill. I don’t have a whip attachment, and am only using hand blenders, will it still work. The filling is so good, I could have ate the whole bowl with a spoon! This is my first time using cashews this way. I am blown away. I couldn’t find any finely ground white chia, so I just pulverized some black chia in a bag with a hammer like the lady I am…ha ha! I also added more maple, the texture still came out very smooth. I’m trying to decide if I want to candy some citrus for the topping, or use the blueberries I got. I also got some edible flowers, and was thinking about candying those and using them as well. I don’t want to over do it, but I’m so excited to have a raw, vegan, and super healthy and sinfully delicious dessert my husband can eat….WE are watching his waste line. :)
waist line lol
I made this today for my son’s 30th birthday. We are vegan but I am not much of a baker. I am pleased to say it turned out perfect! I plan to make it again for my own birthday this summer. I couldn’t find the meyers so used regular lemons with some tangerine mixed in as suggested. Seriously amazing! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
I made this tart for my sister in law’s birthday! The fact that it was no game made it so easy for me!
I am so happy it worked for you Eliza! :D
¡Maravilloso! Eso es hacer arte en la cocina. ♥️
Could the tart be made ahead and frozen until the day of an event?
I haven’t tested this out but I *think* it should work!