Vegan Apple Frangipane Tart (French Apple Tart)

This vegan apple tart recipe is my version of a French apple frangipane tart. It's probably one of my favorite tart recipes to date! If you love apples, almonds, and pastry I really think you will love this recipe!

French apple tart (or Tarte aux Pommes) can be made in several ways, some popular fillings include pastry cream (a firm custard) or frangipane which is an almond-flavored sweet pastry cream that is often served with a dollop of Chantilly cream (fancy sweet cream).

Jump to:

📖 Recipe Overview
🧾 Ingredients Needed
🥣 How To Make Vegan Apple Tart
🍽 Serving Suggestions + Variations
📝 Recipe Tips
💬 FAQs
🥧 More Vegan Tarts
Vegan Apple Frangipane Tart (French Apple Tart)

📖 Recipe Overview

Easy Vegan Shortcrust Pastry - The base follows my easy vegan pastry recipe that stays crisp when baked and comes together in the food processor.
Homemade Vegan Frangipane Filling - The filling is delicious even on its own, with a hint of almond flavor.
Easily Prepped Ahead - The pastry can be pre-made a couple of days in advance, so you can save time on the day of serving.
Perfect All Year Round - Since fresh apples are pretty much always readily available, this is great any time of year. It's especially good for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Fall.

If you love apple desserts, try my classic American-Style Apple Pie, Tarte Normande Aux Pommes, Easy Apple Crumble, or Fluffy Apple Cake next!

🧾 Ingredients Needed

Here's everything you need to make this delicious vegan apple tart from scratch:

For the shortcrust pastry:

ingredients for making shortcrust pastry.

For the frangipane and apple filling:

Ingredient Notes

All-Purpose Flour - You can go for a gluten-free all-purpose flour if needed, at a 1:1 ratio.
Vegan Butter - I use Flora unsalted plant butter (block butter), but you can use salted vegan butter and omit the extra salt from the crust if preferred.
Caster Sugar - This is also known as "superfine sugar". If you're based in the US or are unsure of the processes used in the country you're in, I'd recommend going for organic sugar or checking if a particular brand is vegan. Non-organic white sugar is often processed with animal bone char in certain parts of the world.
Apple Puree - This is used as a binding agent for the frangipane and works as an egg replacer. You can also use vegan Greek-style yogurt.
Almond Extract - If you don't like that "marzipan" flavor I'd recommend going easy-handed on the almond extract. I love the flavor it brings to the frangipane.
Ground Almonds - One of the main ingredients for frangipane, ground almonds (not super fine almond flour) gives texture and taste.
Baking Powder - Traditional frangipane usually won't have baking powder, however, this recipe uses it as a leavening agent in place of the eggs which is found in the classic version.
Apples - The quality of the apples you use will determine the overall quality of any apple tart so go for ones that you would be happy to eat on their own. If you grow apple trees at home, this is a wonderful way to showcase them!
Apricot Jam - This forms the glaze for both the pastry and apples. I use Bonne Maman apricot conserve.

🥣 How To Make Vegan Apple Tart

Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Vegan shortcrust pastry

This vegan apple tart is made in 3 steps: shortcrust pastry, frangipane, and topping. You can read this comprehensive guide on how to make shortcrust pastry for detailed tips.

Here's an outline of how it's done:

Step 1: In your food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, vegan butter, caster sugar, salt, vanilla, and non-dairy milk until the ingredients stick together to form a ball of dough. Wrap the dough in cling film or place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Using a rolling pin, roll out the chilled dough so that it is an inch or so larger than the circumference of the tart tin. Use the rolling pin to carefully lift the pastry over the tin and use your fingers to gently ease the pastry into the side of the tin. Use a knife to cut around the edges if needed and try to get the sides as even and smooth as possible

Step 3: To par-bake the crust, take a sheet of parchment paper and cut it into a circle slightly larger than the tart. Scrunch it up and place it on top of the pastry. Fill the base with dried beans, rice, lentils, or baking beads. Blind bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans/baking beads and place the tart on a cooling rack to cool.

brushing shortcrust pastry with apricot glaze.

Step 4: Gently heat the apricot jam in a saucepan and using a pastry brush, brush about half of it over the base and sides of the pastry crust. Reserve the other half for coating the apples.

Vegan Frangipane

Step 5: In a large bowl, with an electric whisk beat the vegan butter for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat again until the butter and sugar have creamed together.

Step 6: Slowly add the apple sauce, one tablespoon at a time, whisking to incorporate each one. Then add the almond extract and beat again until incorporated.

Step 7: Fold the ground almonds, baking powder, and flour using a spatula until combined - do not over-mix.

Step 8: Transfer the frangipane to a piping bag and pipe it into the cooled pastry shell in an even layer (You can simply spoon it in if preferred).

Apple Filling

Step 9: Quarter and core the apples and slice them very thinly. If you have a mandolin this is very helpful to get even slices. Arrange the apples in a circular assembly on top of the frangipane layer. Use the remaining apricot jam to glaze the apples with your pastry brush.

Step 10: Bake the apple tart at 180°C (356°F) for 30-40 minutes. Allow the tart to cool completely before removing it from the tin. The tart will rise once baked and deflate slightly once cooled (this is normal)

🍽 Serving Suggestions + Variations

Eggless Custard - This tart would be amazing served up with some ready-made custard or you can make this easy vegan custard from scratch.
Plant-Based Cream - You can whip up some coconut cream with a little maple syrup or vanilla or go for oat or soy-based single cream. Or just top it with some dairy-free ice cream or yogurt.
Puff Pastry - You can also make this French apple tart with puff pastry. These days it's usually possible to find a vegan puff pastry in the chilled or frozen section of larger supermarkets.
Pears - If you have a lot of pears to use up you can swap them in for the apples.
Cinnamon - Toss the apple slices in half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to really bring out those fall flavors.
Vanilla Bean - To level up your vegan frangipane add seeds from half of a scraped vanilla pod.

📝 Recipe Tips

You can prepare the shortcrust pastry in advance if you’re looking to save time. Make the dough ahead and freeze until ready to use, or blind bake and refrigerate the tart shell the day before preparing the other elements of the recipe.

Par-bake the crust. This will help to prevent the crust from becoming soggy and ensures everything is evenly baked. If you're new to this method, thekitchn.com has a great article that explains why and how in further detail.

apple tart with fresh apples and apricot glaze.

💬 FAQs

Does vegan apple tart need to be refrigerated?

Store this apple tart in an airtight container and refrigerate. Consume within 2-3 days for best results.

Can you freeze French apple tart?

Any leftover tart (not that it's likely there will be any left!) can be frozen. Make sure the tart is wrapped or packaged in an airtight container before freezing.

Can you make this apple tart in advance?

Absolutely. There are several ways to prepare ahead, I would recommend getting the shortcrust pastry ready in advance if you're looking to save some time.

You can either make and freeze the shortcrust dough until ready to use or go ahead and blind bake and refrigerate the tart shell the day before preparing the rest of the tart.

Which apples are best for this recipe?

You can pretty much use any apples of your choice here but my favorites are a good sweet-eating apple. Varieties that work well include fuji, gala, pink lady, and Braeburn.

You can also go for granny smiths if you want a little more "tart" flavor, like in my apple crumble and apple pie recipes.