If you're looking for a light and refreshing tart that's bursting with fresh summer flavors, look no further, this Pineapple Coconut Panna Cotta Tart has got you covered! The tropical piña colada flavors will whisk you away on an instant virtual sun holiday.
The layers consist of a buttery coconut shortbread base (we had to get those tropical vibes in there!), creamy rum-infused coconut panna cotta, and sweet pineapple curd jelly. The rum extract can be swapped for actual rum, or just left out altogether if that isn't your thing. Oh and if you're more of a classic dessert kinda person then be sure to check out my Vegan Panna Cotta served with strawberry coulis!
What to expect from this recipe
- Fresh and light
- Tropical and sweet
- Easy to make
- Vegan-friendly
- Nut-free
- Easily adapted as gluten-free
- Perfect for summer
Ingredients needed
Coconut flour and all-purpose flour: to give this vegan panna cotta tart recipe an extra tropical flavor kick I've used coconut flour in addition to all-purpose flour. If you would like to keep this recipe gluten-free, just make sure you go for gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Coconut sugar: I love using coconut sugar for its "caramelized" flavor, but feel free to go for regular granulated sugar or caster sugar in its place if you'd prefer.
Sea salt: as always, a pinch of salt enhances and balances the flavors of this recipe.
Ground flaxseed: flaxseed acts as the binding agent for the shortbread crust. Adding flax ensures that the base doesn't become too crumbly and holds its form well when baked.
Vegan butter: the key to a nice buttery shortbread crust is vegan butter. You can use coconut oil (in its solid form) in its place if you find it difficult to get your hands on vegan butter.
Coconut cream: thick full-fat coconut cream forms the base for the coconut panna cotta layer of this tart recipe. You can use tinned coconut milk as well, just make sure it's the full-fat kind, refrigerate it overnight, and use ONLY the thick part from the top of the can.
Rum extract: this adds that piña colada flavor to the panna cotta, you can swap it out for real dark or white rum if you have them to hand. Or just leave this part out if you don't do alcohol.
Vanilla extract: every panna cotta recipe (and in fact dessert if you ask me) needs a little vanilla to bring out those sweet and subtle flavors!
Caster sugar: so originally I did try making the panna cotta layer with maple syrup to keep it refined sugar-free, but the color became a caramel color and the flavor of the maple syrup really came through. So I decided to go back to regular sugar to help the color stay neutral and allow the coconut flavor to shine through.
Cornstarch: known as cornflour in Ireland and the UK, this is what thickens up the custard.
Agar-agar powder: this is the setting agent which will jellify the filling making sure it doesn’t ooze out everywhere once you cut into the tart.
Coconut drinking milk/plant-based milk: I like to use coconut milk to keep in line with the piña colada theme of this recipe but feel free to use another plant-based milk of your choice.
Lemon juice: I'd highly recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice, the bottled stuff just doesn't have the same flavor.
How to make pineapple coconut pina colada tart
(Full recipe and instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post)
Crust
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease the base and sides of a 9.5" tart tin with some oil or vegan butter.
Add all of the crust ingredients to your food processor and blitz until the ingredients stick together to form a dough.
Evenly press the dough into the base and sides of the tart tin and use a fork to prick several holes into the base. Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes until slightly browned, then allow to cool (do not remove the tart from the tin).
Panna cotta filling
To create the panna cotta filling I went with the base recipe of the Strawberry Vanilla Panna Cotta Tart from my book No-Bake Vegan Desserts. As mentioned above, however, I opted for caster sugar instead of maple syrup in order to maintain the color and flavor of the coconut milk.
Add the coconut cream, rum extract, vanilla extract, caster sugar, and salt to a saucepan on medium heat and gently stir until the ingredients have melted together. This should only take a minute or two.
In a small bowl, combine the cornflour, agar powder, and coconut milk. Whisk well to form a paste. Add the paste to the pan with the other ingredients and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly for 3-5 minutes.
Pour the coconut panna cotta into the tart shell and gently tap the tart on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Allow the tart to cool to room temperature for another 15 minutes or so and then chill for 2 hours.
Pineapple curd
We've all heard (and probably tasted) lemon curd, but have you ever tried pineapple curd? The principal is the same, we're just going to swap out some of that lemon juice for fresh pineapple juice, and then add a little agar-agar powder which is the setting agent that jellifies the filling.
Fresh pineapple is key for flavor, so add chopped fresh pineapple to your blender and blitz until smooth. Next, pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps and add the juice to a saucepan to make the curd along with the lemon juice and sugar. Next, you'll want to keep an eye on your pan while it simmers for about ten minutes, reducing and intensifying that pineapple flavor.
In a small bowl, create a paste with cornstarch (cornflour), agar-agar powder, and plant-based milk. Whisk until completely smooth without any lumps and add the paste to the saucepan with the other ingredients. Now make sure you keep whisking the mixture otherwise it WILL burn to the bottom of the saucepan. Simmer on a low heat for another few minutes whilst stirring before taking the pan off of the heat and allowing it to cool slightly.
Pour the pineapple curd into the tart shell and gently tap the tart on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Allow the tart to cool to room temperature for another 15 minutes or so and then chill for another 2 hours. Once completely set, remove the tart from the cake tin and garnish it with toppings of your choice.
Recommended tools
More vegan pies and tarts
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Description
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour, use gluten-free if required
- ½ cup (60 g) coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp (1.25 g) sea salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) ground flaxseed
- 5 tablespoons (75 g) vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
Coconut Panna Cotta
- 3.5 oz (100 g) coconut cream, or canned full fat coconut milk *see notes
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) rum extract, or 1 tbsp dark/white rum
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) caster sugar, or white granulated sugar (see notes)
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) cornstarch, or cornflour
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) agar agar powder
- ½ cup (120 g) coconut milk (drinking not canned), or other plantbased milk of choice
Pineapple Curd
- 2 cups (330 g) fresh pineapple, chopped
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup (50 g) caster sugar (superfine sugar), *see notes
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon (4 g) agar agar powder
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) plantbased milk
Garnish
- toasted coconut flakes, optional
- dehydrated pineapple slices, optional
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease the base and sides of a 9.5" tart tin with some oil or vegan butter.
- Add all of the crust ingredients to your food processor and blitz until the ingredients stick together to form a dough.
- Evenly press the dough into the base and sides of the tart tin and use a fork to prick several holes into the base. Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes until slightly browned, then allow to cool (do not remove the tart from the tin).
Coconut Panna Cotta
- Add the coconut cream, rum extract, vanilla extract, caster sugar, and salt to a saucepan on medium heat. Gently stir until the ingredients have melted together.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch/cornflour, agar agar powder, and coconut milk. Whisk well to form a paste. Add the paste to the pan with the other ingredients and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the coconut panna cotta into the tart shell and gently tap the tart on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Allow the tart to cool to room temperature for another 15 minutes or so and then chill for 2 hours.
Pineapple Curd
- Add the chopped pineapple to your blender and blitz until smooth. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps.
- Add the pineapple juice to a saucepan with the lemon juice and caster sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat, whilst stirring continuously.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, agar agar powder, and plant-based milk. Whisk well to form a paste. Add the paste to the pan with the other ingredients and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the pineapple curd into the tart shell and gently tap the tart on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles. Allow the tart to cool to room temperature for another 15 minutes or so and then chill for another 2 hours.
- Once completely set, remove the tart from the cake tin and garnish it with toppings of your choice.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.
Notes
- Chilled coconut milk: Refrigerate the tin of coconut milk overnight, then only use the thick cream from the top of the can.
- Caster sugar/white granulated sugar: Some countries such as the US use non-vegan processing methods for white sugar, if uncertain opt for an organic sugar as these are vegan-friendly.
Nutrition
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