Easy Gluten-Free Fruit Tart
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This easy nut-free Gluten-Free Fruit Tart recipe boasts a luscious mascarpone cream filling, infused with zesty lemon and vanilla flavour, resting on a buttery, easy-to-make gluten-free pastry crust (no almond flour needed). Piled high with a colourful assortment of fresh seasonal fruit.
This tart looks impressive but actually it’s an incredibly simple dessert.
Even if you have never tackled a gluten-free pastry before I assure you this gluten-free pie crust is foolproof and needs no almond flour so is totally nut-free. You need to whisk together 3 different flours (no xanthan gum needed) and then after that you’ll make the pastry the way you would for a regular pie crust.
This recipe is a little different to your classic fruit tart as here there is no fancy vanilla pastry cream filling which requires a little skilled cooking and concentration. Instead our filling is just as delicious but is so easy that anyone can make it and takes way less time.
This gorgeous mascarpone cream filling is no-bake and takes 10 minutes at most to measure out the ingredients, mix together and spoon into the cooled pie crust. Then all you need to do is scatter the fruit on top and sprinkle over a little icing sugar to make it look fancy.
Despite its ease I’m going to break this gluten-free tart down even further for you by taking you step-by-step through each stage of this dessert recipe, including:
- How to choose the right flours for your pastry (and why an all-purpose blend isn’t the best choice).
- How you can adjust the fruits depending on the season so you can make this tart from Summer through to Winter.
Whether it's a family gathering, dinner party, special occasion, or a weekend treat, this fruit tart fits well into any celebration, so allow me to help you make it perfectly with no fuss!
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Fruit Tart
- Delicious and Impressive Dessert with Little Effort: It is a beautiful dessert which makes a great table centrepiece and no-one will have a clue how simple it was to make.
- Easy-to-Make Pastry Crust (with no xanthan gum): This tart dough is just as easy to make as regular pastry, making it accessible to both experienced bakers and those new to baking. (I never use xanthan gum in my recipes and here’s why).
- No-Bake Quick Cream Filling. Simple ingredients and one-bowl method means this cream filling takes no more than 10 minutes to make and fill your tart.
- Light and Refreshing: Made with double cream, mascarpone, zesty lemon and a little vanilla this cream filling is a much lighter option than a traditional pastry cream.
- Not Overly Sweet. The pastry cream only has a smattering of icing sugar which you can reduce if you prefer. Most of the sweetness comes from the choice of fruits in the topping.
- Showcases Seasonal Fruits: By using your favourite variety of fruits you can highlight the best of the season. Having fun decorating your tart with your chosen type of fruit is the best part of this recipe, you can be as artistic or as casual you like in the assembly - it will look great even if you have no artistic skill whatsoever!
Watch to see how to make it
Sometimes it helps to see a visual of what I'm talking about. So watch the video to see what it looks like to make your Gluten-Free Fruit Tart.
Which flours do you need for the gluten-free crust?
I don’t recommend using a branded all-purpose gluten-free flour for making this tart shell. It sounds easier but actually they are much more difficult to work with and require you to add xanthan gum to get the texture and elasticity correct.
If you blend these 3 single origin flours together then you will achieve much better results and you will find the pastry is more forgiving, will roll out well, is strong but also allows for easy patching should it break a little when transferring it to the baking tin.
- Sweet rice flour. aka. glutinous rice flour. Not to be confused with regular rice flour. (starchy flour) This is the important flour to use. It gives the pastry excellent structure. It’s unique binding properties give the pastry elasticity so it’s easy and forgiving to roll. Also it’s quite neutral in taste so will go with everything. READ MORE >> Baking with Sweet Rice Flour.
- Sorghum flour. (wholegrain flour) Adds a crisp bite to the pastry and a lovely earthy flavour. READ MORE >> Baking with Sorghum Flour.
- Tapioca flour. (starchy flour) Smooth soft flour which also helps bind the ingredients but also gives a lovely golden colour and crust when baked. READ MORE >> Baking with Tapioca Flour.
Gluten-Free Flour Cheatsheet
The Gluten-Free Flour Cheatsheet makes choosing the right flour easy, breaking down every option from sorghum to cassava into four simple categories. With nutritional info, flavour pairings, and a printable reference section, this guide cuts through the confusion so you can navigate gluten-free baking with clear flour choices.
Complete list of ingredients
Pastry Crust
- Sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour).
- Sorghum flour.
- Tapioca starch (tapioca flour).
- Icing sugar. (powdered sugar).
- Butter. Unsalted is the best choice here. Make sure it is at room temperature. It needs to be cold from the fridge for the flakiest shortcrust pastry.
- Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
Mascarpone Cream Filling
- Fresh Fruit. I used a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and kiwi fruit for a lovely medley of flavour.
- Mascarpone. It’s the mascarpone that gives it such lovely tangy soft flavour but you can substitute for cream cheese if you can’t get hold of it.
- Double cream. You can substitute for heavy cream.
- Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nielsen Massey.
- Icing sugar. (powdered sugar). You can substitute for honey or maple syrup but both will impart a slightly different flavour to the cream.
- Lemon. Make sure it is unwaxed and organic otherwise you need to scrub off the wax.
Step-by-step instructions
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post
Pastry Crust
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together gluten-free flours and salt.
- Add thinly sliced butter and rub it into the flour mixture until roughly combined.
- Whisk whole egg and extra egg white in a small bowl, then pour into the flour mixture.
- Bring the dough together using your hands, knead for 2 minutes until smooth, then flatten into a disc and chill in the fridge for 1 hour (or freezer for 15 minutes).
- Roll out the chilled pastry between two floured parchment sheets to about 13 inches, then fit it into a baking tin and chill again.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / gas mark 5.
- Place the baking tin onto a baking sheet then bake the pastry with baking beans for 15 minutes, remove beans, and bake for another 12 minutes with holes pricked at the bottom until golden brown. Allow to cool before filling.
Mascarpone Cream Filling
- In a mixing bowl, combine mascarpone, cream, vanilla, icing sugar, and lemon zest.
- Use a whisk or hand mixer to blend until smooth and slightly floppy.
- Spoon the mascarpone cream into the cooled pie crust and spread evenly using an offset spatula.
- Arrange fruits and berries on top, and optionally sprinkle extra icing sugar for decoration.
Expert Tips
Don't forget to place baking parchment between your baking beans and pastry. I made this mistake the first time I blind baked a pie crust and safe to say I never did it again, but still it's always worth a reminder!!
Chilled Ingredients: Ensure that the mascarpone cheese, double cream, and butter for the pastry crust are well chilled before use. This helps maintain the right consistency and texture in both the filling and the crust.
Proper Mixing: When preparing the mascarpone cream filling avoid overmixing, as it may result in a dense and heavy filling. I recommend mixing until it is just floppy and finish it off by hand using a silicone spatula. The cream will firm up the more you handle it so by the time you are smoothing it into the tart it will firm up even more.
Zest Wisely: While adding lemon zest to the mascarpone cream, grate only the outermost yellow layer of the lemon peel. Avoid the white pith beneath, as it can add bitterness to the cream.
Softening the Mascarpone: If the mascarpone cheese is too firm, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before mixing it with the other ingredients. This makes it easier to incorporate and results in a smoother filling.
Cooling Time: Allow the baked pastry crust to cool completely before filling it with the mascarpone cream. This prevents the cream from melting and ensures a neat presentation.
How to choose which fruit to use
The choice of fruits for the tart is versatile, and you can use a variety of fresh seasonal berries or fruits based on your favourites and those in season. These work really well:
- Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. Fresh berries give this tart a gorgeous colour and flavour burst.
- Stone Fruits: Peaches, nectarines, plums. Make sure you only use fruit that’s perfectly ripe and that way their soft texture will complement the creamy filling.
- Citrus: Oranges, mandarins, or grapefruit segments. The refreshing and tangy citrus flavour balances beautifully with the richness of the mascarpone cream.
- Kiwi: With its vibrant green colour and unique taste, kiwi is a lovely choice here and goes with any of these other fruits.
- Grapes: Seedless grapes, whether green, red, or black, are a pretty convenient option and add lovely juiciness.
- Mango: When in season, mangoes offer a their lovely tropical sweetness and bright colour that is totally irresistible.
Variation: Lemon Curd Fruit Tart
Look, I'm just going to put this out there as it's only fair to tell you that you can happily add a few tablespoons of Homemade Lemon Curd to this already amazing fresh fruit tart. Just omit the lemon zest and instead stir in 3-4 tablespoons of lemon curd. It gives it even more lemony zing.
How to garnish your tart to make it look fancy
Really the fruits do all the hard work for you so it will be pretty hard not to serve up a stunning tart, as long as your fruit is fresh and ripe.
However, to really push the boat out for no extra effort then you can garnish your tart with some sprigs of fresh mint and a dusting of icing sugar.
FAQs
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour instead of gluten-free flours if you don't have any dietary restrictions. The pastry crust will still turn out delicious.
While mascarpone cheese is preferred for its creamy and rich texture, you can experiment with other soft cheeses like cream cheese or ricotta. However, the flavour and texture may differ slightly.
The fruit tart is best enjoyed on the day it's assembled to maintain the freshness and texture of the fruits. However, if you have leftovers, store the tart in the refrigerator, and it should be consumed within 1-2 days.
Yes, you can prepare the pastry crust and filling ahead of time. Store the pastry dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage. The mascarpone cream can also be refrigerated for a day before assembling the tart.
Fresh fruits are recommended for this recipe as they provide a vibrant and juicy flavour. However, if fresh fruits are unavailable, you can use thawed and well-drained frozen fruits. Keep in mind that frozen fruits may release more moisture, affecting the texture of the tart slightly.
For this recipe, you'll need a 9-inch round baking tin with a removable bottom or loose base. It's suitable for the measurements and provides enough space for the crust, mascarpone cream, and fruit topping.
Baking beans are used to weigh down the pastry during blind baking to prevent it from puffing up. If you don't have baking beans, you can use rice or dried beans as a substitute.
It's not recommended to freeze the fully assembled fruit tart with the mascarpone cream and fruits as the texture may change upon thawing. However, you can freeze the baked and cooled pastry crust separately for up to a month. When ready to serve, simply fill the crust with fresh mascarpone cream and fruits.
Yes, you can make a dairy-free version of this tart by using dairy-free substitutes for the mascarpone, cream, and butter in the crust. Look for plant-based alternatives like this easy cashew cream, coconut cream, almond cream cheese, or vegan butter.
More gluten-free tarts and pies you'll love
This Gluten-Free Apple Tart is simply made with spiced vanilla apple slices nestled on a buttery crisp cinnamon puff pastry.
This deliciously simple Gluten-Free Frangipane Tart features a classic pastry cream filling made from ground almonds baked and sprinkled with flaked almonds.
You'll adore this easy No-Bake Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Cheesecake Recipe. It is so quick and simple to make (just factor in the chilling time) and doesn’t need any setting agents. The creamy cheesecake filling has just a few ingredients: cream cheese, sour cream, double cream, tangy lemon curd and a touch of sugar.
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Easy Gluten-Free Fruit Tart
Equipment
- Equipment: 23cm / 9 inch loose bottomed tart tin
Ingredients
Pastry Crust
- 120 g sweet rice flour - glutinous rice flour
- 110 g sorghum flour
- 60 g tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar
- 200 g unsalted butter - cold from the fridge
- 1 egg + 1 egg white - medium sized - see notes
Mascarpone Cream Filling
- 500 g fresh fruit
- 250 g mascarpone
- 400 ml double cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1 lemon - zested
Instructions
Pastry Crust
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the gluten-free flours and icing sugar.
- Slice the butter very thinly directly from the fridge and add to the flour.
- Rub the mixture between fingertips until roughly shorn. It’s okay that the butter is still in largish pieces.
- Whisk the whole egg and the extra egg white together in a small bowl.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the whisked eggs.
- Bring the dough together using your hands.
- Turn the pastry out on to a floured work surface and knead for about two minutes until the dough comes together into a smooth ball which is no longer sticky.
- Flatten the ball slightly to make a thick round disc. Wrap in baking parchment and place in the fridge for 1 hour (or freezer for 15 minutes) to chill before rolling out.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / gas mark 5.
- Cut two large pieces of baking parchment, 2½ inches wider than the size you need to roll the pastry out to. Sprinkle flour on the inside of the parchment and place the chilled pastry disc between the parchment sheets.
- Using a long rolling pin roll out the pastry into a round until it measures about 13 inches.
- Peel away the baking parchment and use the rolling pin to lift the pastry over the baking tin.
- Fit the pastry into the baking tin, patching up any cracking with excess pastry. Roll the rolling pin across the top of the baking tin to remove the excess pastry. Then you can see which parts of the pastry case look a bit thin so you can do further patching if necessary.
- Place the baking tin in the for fridge for 1 hour (or freezer for 10 minutes) to chill.
- Remove and place a sheet of baking parchment over the pastry and fill with baking beans.
- Place the baking tin on a large baking tray to help get it in and out of the oven.
- Place the baking tray with the tin in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and discard the parchment and baking beans.
- Prick a few holes into the bottom of the crust and bake for a further 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven, allow to rest in the tin for 15 minutes before carefully removing the pastry crust from baking tin and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before filling with the mascarpone cream and fruit.
Mascarpone Cream Filling
- In a mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone with the cream, vanilla, icing sugar and lemon zest. Use a whisk or a hand mixer to blend them together until smooth and a little floppy, although it should hold its shape when you lift the whisk. Be careful if you are using an electric mixer to not overmix, you do not want a firm mixture.
- Spoon the mascarpone cream into the pie crust and smooth out evenly with a palette knife or silicone spatula.
- Arrange the fruit and berries on top of the mascarpone cream and sprinkle over extra icing sugar for decoration if you wish.
Video
Notes
- You can make the pie crust up to 2 days in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- You can make the mascarpone cream in advance and store it in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the flavours to meld and the cream to set.
- The tart is best eaten on the day it is assembled but you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
This was a lovely recipe, thank you!
(Just a note that the pastry crust recipe doesn't say how much salt is needed, and the 1st step doesn't say to mix in the sugar.)
Thank you Dory - that was a typo in the first line of the pastry crust recipe - I said salt but I meant sugar! Thank you for pointing it out and I'm happy you enjoyed the tart!!
Looks delicious thank you