This vegan Christmas chocolate tart packs in all the festive flavors while being easy to make.
Like my vegan gingerbread cheesecake, it's topped with homemade vegan gingerbread men and pomegranate seeds for a gorgeous festive feel!
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this dairy-free gingerbread tart:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Vegan Unsalted Butter: This recipe calls for vegan block butter, not spreadable margarine from a tub.
- Cane Molasses: Use unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap molasses). This is added to the crust and filling to add a classic gingerbread flavor. For a more subtle flavor in the crust, swap half (or all) of the molasses for maple syrup or treacle.
- Gingerbread Spices: You'll need ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and allspice.
- Orange Zest: Gingerbread works so well with fresh orange (like in this orange ginger cake). Although optional, orange zest takes this tart to the next level!
- Pure Maple Syrup: Dark chocolate isn't overly sweet, so a little maple syrup adds sweetness to the chocolate tart.
- Coconut Cream: You can substitute this for full-fat coconut milk, chill it overnight, and use only the thick part from the top of the can.
- Dark Chocolate: I recommend using good-quality bittersweet chocolate with 70% cocoa or higher.
🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing how to make this vegan gingerbread tart. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1: Add the flour, butter, molasses, gingerbread spices, and salt to a food processor. Blitz for a few seconds until the ingredients are mixed and form a loose dough.
Step 2: Press the dough into a ball and flatten it into a disc. Wrap in clingfilm or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and carefully lift it into the tart tin with your rolling pin. Use a knife to cut around the edges and prick holes into the base with a fork.
Step 4: Cut a sheet of parchment paper larger than the circumference of the tart. Rest it on top of the gingerbread crust and fill it with baking beads. Parbake in the oven for 12 minutes, then remove the baking beads and bake for another 10-12 minutes.
Step 5: Finely chop the dark chocolate for the ganache filling and add it to a heat-resistant bowl. Add the coconut milk to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer (do not boil).
Step 6: Pour the hot coconut milk on top of the chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture until smooth.
Step 7: Add the maple syrup, molasses, ginger, and salt and stir the chocolate mixture until evenly combined.
Step 8: Pour the chocolate filling into the baked tart crust and gently tap the tin on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring the tart to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
You can garnish the tart however you fancy, my favorite toppings include gingerbread biscuits, star anise, pomegranate jewels, and fresh rosemary sprigs.
💭 Recipe Tips
Blind bake the gingerbread base to keep the pastry light and crisp. If you don't have time to chill and blind bake, you can press the crust directly from the food processor into the lined tart case and bake. Just expect the crust to be thicker and less crisp.
Use a sharp knife to slice the tart, and wipe it clean with a kitchen towel or paper towel between slices for beautiful clean cuts.
For a no bake chocolate tart, use the ginger cookie crust from this key lime pie recipe.
💬 FAQs
Absolutely! Just swap out the all-purpose flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour in the crust and try Rainbow Nourishment's gluten-free gingerbread cookies for the topping.
Yes, this is a nut-free chocolate tart recipe, as always, you’ll need to make sure that you use a nut-free vegan butter and double-check the labels of the products you’re using as processes and ingredients for individual products may vary worldwide.
Place the chocolate tart in an airtight container, or place it on a plate and wrap well with cling film and refrigerate. This tart will store well for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Slice the tart into individual servings and individually wrap each portion in cling film, or place it into an airtight container. Freeze for up to 4-6 weeks and defrost for 1-2 hours before serving.
🎄 More Vegan Gingerbread Recipes
📖 Recipe
Description
Ingredients
Crust
- 150 g (1 ¼ cups) plain flour, use GF all-purpose flour if required
- 100 g (3.5 oz) vegan butter, block style, *see note 1
- 60 g (3 tablespoons) molasses, *see note 2
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon orange zest, optional
Filling
- 250 g (8.8 oz) dark chocolate, OR 170g for a soft filling *see note 3
- 350 g (12.4 oz) coconut cream, *see note 4
- 60 g (3 tablespoons) pure maple syrup
- 20 g (1 tablespoon) molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch sea salt
Toppings
- ¼ batch vegan gingerbread cookies
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, optional
Instructions
- Note: I have updated the baking method for the crust so that it bakes beautifully thin and crisp. For a quicker version that doesn't require a rolling pin or baking beads, see recipe note 5.
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C/320°F or conventional 180°C/356°F. Lightly grease the base and sides of a round 9" tart tin with oil or vegan butter and lightly dust with flour. If desired, you can also line the base with parchment paper.
- Mix and chill the dough: Add the flour, vegan butter, molasses, spices, and salt to a food processor. Blitz for a few seconds until the ingredients are mixed and form a loose dough. Press the dough into a ball and flatten it into a disc. Wrap in clingfilm or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough: Roll out the chilled dough so that it is an inch or so larger than the circumference of the tart tin. Carefully lift the pastry over the tin and use your fingers to ease the pastry into the tin gently. Use a knife to cut around the edges, allowing it to rise slightly higher than the sides of the pan. Pierce the dough several times using a fork.
- Bake: Take a sheet of parchment paper and cut it into a circle slightly larger than the tart. Rest it on top of the pastry and fill the base with dried beans, rice, lentils, or baking beads. Parbake in the oven for 12 minutes. Then carefully remove the beans/baking beads from the tart.
- Return the tart shell to the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes until crisp.
- Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and add it to a heat-resistant bowl.
- Add the coconut milk to a saucepan and bring to a simmer (do not boil).
- Pour the hot coconut milk on top of the chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then add in the maple syrup, molasses, ginger, and salt and stir well until evenly combined.
- Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart tin and gently tap the tin on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring the tart to the fridge to set for 4 hours (or overnight).
- Make the vegan gingerbread cookies, if using them.
- Garnish: Once set, remove the tart from the tart tin and place it on a serving dish. Top with vegan gingerbread cookies, pomegranate, and fresh rosemary.
Notes
- Vegan Butter: Use nut-free brand if required, I use Violife here.
- Molasses: Swap this fully or half with maple syrup for a more subtle flavor.
- Dark Chocolate: 250g will give a more set yet still creamy consistency (pictured), and 170g will give a softer consistency almost mousse-like.
- Coconut Cream: Swap this for chilled full-fat coconut milk, using the thick cream from the top of the cans - 350g in total.
- Quick Crust Method: Using your fingers, evenly press the dough (straight from the food processor) into the base and sides of the tart tin, use a fork to prick several holes into the base. Bake the crust for 12-16 minutes until slightly browned, then allow to cool.
Nutrition
© addictedtodates.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. If you want to share this recipe, please do so using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or republish the recipe or content in full. instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.
