June 24, 2018 61 Comments

Easy Vegan Butter Tarts

Name: Easy Vegan Butter Tarts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 38 min
Ingredients: 1 recipe Easy Vegan Pie Crust ((or 8 store-bought vegan tart shells)g); 1/2 cup raisins; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup vegan butter; 3 tablespoons plant-based milk ((such as soy or almond)); 2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (*see instructions); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, (whole or chopped (optional))

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If you are new to butter tarts, then you are likely not Canadian as butter tarts make an appearance at pretty much every holiday, every bake sale, and in every bakery in Canada. This recipe has been requested of me for a long time, so it was due time for me to release my Easy Vegan Butter Tarts into the world. And oooeee am I glad I did!

Traditionally butter tarts are made with dairy and eggs, so it took several attempts to veganize them to perfection, but oh did I veganize them, and oh are they perfect! Rave reviews from all who sampled these beauties (non-vegans included).

In my easy vegan butter tarts, the tart shells are filled with raisins (trust me on this, this is traditional), and a mixture of vegan butter, sugar, and cornstarch (which replaces the eggs). Once baked the mixture turns into a gorgeous sweet caramel, sticky, drippy, amazing goo, and the raisins melt right into that sweet goodness.

For my vegan butter tarts, I give you the option of having a runnier or thicker filling as many have a preference one way or the other, and you can optionally top the tarts with pecans or walnuts if you desire.

Not a raisin fan? Even though raisins are traditional in butter tarts, (and in my opinion are WAY better than they sound), there are some who prefer raisin-free tarts. You can replace the raisins with ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans.

To Make Easy Vegan Butter Tarts:

You can either simply use store-bought vegan tart shells (some brands are accidentally vegan so check the ingredients. Or you can may my Easy Vegan Pie Crust and make your own tart shells from scratch.

If using homemade pastry, roll out the pastry nice and thin and cut 8 circles about 5 ½" diameter, re-rolling the pastry scraps if needed. I had a latte mug that was the perfect size so I used that to cut my pastry. Fit the pastry circles into 8 wells a muffin pan, wobbly edges are totally ok and are authentic for butter tarts.

Add 1 tablespoon of raisins to the bottom of each tart shell.

In a medium bowl, beat together the brown sugar, vegan butter, plant-based milk, cornstarch and vanilla until smooth and creamy. For a slightly runnier filling use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and for a thicker filling use 2 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch.

Divide the butter-sugar mixture among each tart shell covering the raisins, about 1 ½ tablespoons of liquid per tart. The tarts will be about ⅔rd full which is perfect. Optionally, you can top the tarts with pecans or walnuts. I did half with pecans and half without.

Bake for about 23 minutes, the filling will be bubbly and foamy. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving. You may need to run a knife around the edges of the tarts to help release them from the pan.

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4.98 from 43 votes