A low carb vegan cranberry tart with a chocolate almond flour crust is a colourful and delicious holiday dessert. Crisp and refreshing, a slice of this cranberry tart is a great end to a meal.
The gluten free crust is baked but the smooth filling is a blend of sweetened cranberries with coconut milk and set using agar agar. The slight sweet flavour of the chocolate crust pairs well with the sharpness of the cranberries.
How to make vegan cranberry tart
This is an easy tart recipe and does not involve any rolling of pastry. The tart pastry dough is pressed into the case.
There are two stages in making this low carb vegan dessert.
- Make the Tart Case - We decided to bake this blind rather than a no bake as we needed a firm case to hold the filling. A flax egg is used to help bind the ingredients and keep the almond flour tart case firm. The flax egg was made with one tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixture with water into a paste. It is left to sit for 10 minutes to firm before use.
- Make the Cranberry Filling - Cranberries are cooked and blended for a smooth filling. Coconut milk is added along with the setting agent agar agar.
For the tart case we used a 8 inch case with a removable bottom. The completed tart was fairly easy to remove without and cracking disasters.
What is Agar Agar?
The filling for this low carb vegan dessert needs to be set like a jelly. Gelatin is not usable because it made from an animal product. The vegetarian alternative to gelatin is agar agar. This is a natural jelling agent that is made from a red algae. It is colourless, tasteless and is sold in flakes or powdered form.
The only nutritional value of agar agar is the fiber. It has no carbs or calories either. Use it as a natural thickening for soups, sauces and desserts.
How to store a cranberry tart
Keep this tart chilled in the refrigerator. We covered ours with cling film to keep it away from other odours in the refrigerator. If you have a large enough air tight container, keep the tart in there.
The cranberry tart should last up to 5 days, stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tips
We used a brown low carb sweetener with the cranberries but you could use a white granular or powdered sweetener. Taste test when adding this to the cranberry mixture as you may prefer it sharper or sweeter than ours.
Add other low carb berries such as raspberries or blackberries for a richer berry flavour.
This keto vegan tart is best made the day before you want to serve it. It needs to set overnight to ensure it's firm enough to slice.
More low carb vegan dessert recipes
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Low Carb Vegan Cranberry Tart
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup cocoa unsweetened
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup sugar free
- 1 tablespoon flax egg (flax mixed in water)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 12 oz cranberries fresh or frozen
- ¾ cup brown monkfruit sweetener or other low carb sweetener
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons agar agar
Instructions
Make the Tart Crust
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees. Thoroughly grease/oil a 8 inch tart tin. Preferable one with a removable base.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the almond flour, salt and cocoa. Mix until even in colour.
- Add the coconut oil, flax egg and maple syrup and mix into a dough. If the mixture is too crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of water to bind the dough.
- Place the dough into the centre of the tart case and with clean damp hands, press the mixture into the tart case and along the edges to form the crust.
- Place the tart case on a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until firm.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool whilst you make the filling.
Make the Cranberry Filling
- Place the cranberries in a medium sauce and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the berries have popped.
- Remove the pan from the heat and blend the cranberries until smooth. Either with a hand blender or put the mixture in a blender. Just be careful of the hot mixture when blending.
- Return the blended cranberry mixture to the saucepan and add the sweetener and coconut milk. Taste test and adjust the sweetener if required.
- Sprinkle the agar agar on top of the mixture and stir in.
- Simmer on a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, occasionally stirring until the agar agar has dissolved and the mixture starts to thicken.
- Pour the cranberry filling into the tart case and place in the refrigerator to set overnight.
Notes
YOUR OWN NOTES
