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Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Tart Recipe

This chocolate “caramel” tart started as an attempt to redeem a baking flop. It was Passover, and I’d spotted tender pink rhubarb at the market. I couldn’t stop thinking about a rhubarb tart, so I tried an almond flour crust and improvised—butter, sugar, a pinch of salt, and an egg yolk to bind. The crust looked great and the tart, finished with a pretty rhubarb lattice, was beautiful. When I tried to release it from the tin, though, it refused to come out; the egg yolk had basically welded it to the pan. I could have let it go and resumed my usual tart routine after Passover, but I wanted redemption.

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I didn’t have time to rework a lattice, so I decided on a simpler route: a chocolate tart with a ganache. This time I followed an actual recipe for an almond flour crust (I adapted one I found while searching for a chocolate tart). A plain ganache felt like too much chocolate, though, and during my crust research I discovered a vegan “caramel” made from dates. That reminded me of cacao-caramel bites I’d made from Donna Hay’s Modern Baking: sticky dates blended with nut butter, coconut oil, and raw cacao powder. Those bites were surprisingly popular with friends, so I thought the idea might translate into a tart.

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Since the crust would be gluten- and dairy-free thanks to almond flour and coconut oil, I went all in. The vegan, gluten-free tart that followed was a small triumph: sweet and satisfying without being cloying. The only refined sugar comes from the dark chocolate used in the ganache. Best of all, the tart released easily from the tin this time. It’s also one of the quickest tarts I’ve made. A note of honesty: the date-based filling is more wholesome than traditional caramel—so the tart tastes “healthy” in the best sense—but the thick chocolate ganache delivers an indulgent finish even without dairy. I used high-quality chocolate here; it does make a difference.

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vegan gluten-free chocolate caramel tart
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Vegan, Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Tart

The “caramel” in this dairy-free, gluten-free tart is a smooth blend of soft dates with almond butter, coconut oil, and cacao powder. A vegan chocolate ganache tops the tart for richness. The date filling draws inspiration from Donna Hay’s Modern Baking, and the crust is adapted from a popular almond-flour tart recipe.

Servings 1 9-inch tart

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2
    c. / 200 g
    almond flour
  • 1/4
    c. /23 g
    raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
  • pinch
    salt
  • 3
    tbsp
    maple syrup
  • 1/4
    c.
    coconut oil,
    melted (plus more for greasing tin)

Date Caramel Filling

  • 500
    g
    soft Medjool dates
    pitted
  • 75
    g
    almond butter
  • 1.5
    tsp
    vanilla paste or vanilla extract
  • 5
    tsp
    coconut oil,
    melted
  • 21
    g
    raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
  • pinch
    salt

Vegan Chocolate Ganache

  • 224
    g / 8 oz
    dark chocolate (60% to 70%)
    chopped (I used Valrhona Manjari 64% bittersweet)
  • 3/4
    c.
    full-fat coconut milk

To finish:

  • raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)

Instructions

Make the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  1. Grease a 9-inch tart pan generously with melted coconut oil.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cacao powder, and salt. Add the melted coconut oil and maple syrup and mix with a sturdy spoon or silicone spatula until evenly combined.

  3. Press the crust mixture into the prepared tart pan, using the back of a measuring cup or your fingers to distribute it evenly across the bottom and up the sides.

  4. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, or until it looks dry and set. Remove and let cool.

Make the date caramel filling:

  1. When the crust has cooled slightly, combine the pitted dates, vanilla, cacao powder, melted coconut oil, a pinch of salt, and almond butter in a large-capacity food processor. Blend until very smooth and cohesive.

  2. Spread the date caramel evenly into the cooled crust, pressing gently with a spatula to create a uniform layer.

Make the chocolate ganache:

  1. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.

  2. Heat the coconut milk in the microwave or on the stove until it begins to simmer. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds to a minute to soften the chocolate.

  3. Whisk the chocolate and coconut milk together until smooth. Immediately pour the ganache over the date layer and spread with an offset spatula into an even layer.

  4. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least one to two hours, preferably overnight, until the ganache is firm.

Decorate the tart:

  1. Dust the chilled tart lightly with raw cacao or cocoa powder. Use a stencil if you want a decorative pattern.

Recipe Notes

Choose the softest, stickiest dates you can find for the best texture—Medjool dates are a reliable option. Very soft Persian dates work beautifully where available.

You’ll need a full-size food processor with a robust motor to blend the filling smoothly. A small or weak processor may struggle.

For neat slices, heat a large sharp knife by running it under hot water or holding the blade briefly near a heat source, then dry it before cutting.

Allowing the tart to come to room temperature for a short while before serving softens the filling and reduces chewiness.

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vegan gluten-free chocolate caramel tart