Gluten-Free Tart Crust

This gluten-free tart crust combines millet, almond, and tapioca flours for a tender, buttery texture and an easy-to-make, easy-to-work-with dough. Versatile enough for baked custard tarts and no-bake fillings, it can be partially or fully baked as needed. It is lightly sweetened with allulose, keeping it sugar-free, although powdered sugar can be used instead. This recipe makes enough dough for an 8-inch (20-centimeter) tart; double the quantities for a 10- to 12-inch (25- to 30-centimeter) tart.

A Versatile Gluten-Free Tart Crust for an Elegant Dessert

This is my go-to gluten-free tart crust whenever I want to make a French-inspired dessert. I use it for baked fruit-and-custard tarts, including cherry and plum, or bake it fully for fillings that only need refrigeration, such as chocolate avocado topped with blueberries. Once you have a reliable tart crust, there are so many ways to use it. I haven’t tested a savory version yet, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work — simply omit the sweetener.

The crust can also be prepared in advance, frozen raw in the tart pan, and baked directly from the freezer. This makes it especially convenient when preparing dessert for a special occasion, and you want to prepare some things one day ahead.

The dough is simple to make, easy to handle, and surprisingly sturdy for a gluten-free pastry. If it develops cracks or breaks slightly while being transferred to the pan, it can be patched easily with your fingers. Once prebaked, the crust holds its shape and releases cleanly from the pan. For the best results, I recommend using a non-stick tart pan with a removable bottom.

What You’ll Need

One reason I love this recipe is that it requires only a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients. Millet and almond flour form the base of the gluten-free flour mix, with just a small amount of tapioca flour to improve the texture.

For a touch of sweetness, I use 20 grams of allulose, my preferred sweetener. The allulose I use has a fine texture, almost like powdered sugar. If sugar is part of your diet, you can replace it with the same amount of powdered sugar.

Good-quality, unsalted French-style butter gives the crust its rich, buttery flavor, while a small amount of beaten egg brings the dough together. Because the butter is unsalted, I also add a pinch of salt. If I only have salted butter on hand, I simply use that and omit the added salt.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Tart Crust

Make the tart dough

In a mixing bowl, combine the millet flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, sweetener, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Add the beaten egg and mix gently until the dough comes together, but don’t over knead the dough. If the dough feels too soft, you may add a little more millet flour, but keep in mind that it will firm up in the refrigerator.

Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper lightly dusted with millet flour, forming a circle approximately 9 inches (23 centimeters) in diameter—large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper, then use the remaining sheet to lift and invert the dough over an 8-inch (20-centimeter) tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently peel away the parchment paper and fit the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. If the dough breaks around the edges, simply patch it with your fingers, making sure the sides are covered evenly.

Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

For a partially prebaked crust

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and place a sheet pan on the middle rack. 

Transfer the frozen crust directly to the sheet pan and bake for 12 minutes, until set and beginning to turn golden. Let it cool before adding a custard or another filling that will continue baking in the crust. 

For a fully baked crust

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and place a sheet pan on the middle rack. 

Transfer the frozen crust directly to the sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until deeply golden and cooked through. Let it cool completely before adding a filling that does not require baking and only needs refrigeration.

How to Use This Gluten-Free Tart Crust

This gluten-free tart crust is a useful starting point for all kinds of elegant desserts. For a classic fruit-and-custard tart, partially prebake the crust, add the filling, and return the assembled tart to the oven.

For fillings that don’t require additional baking, bake the crust fully and let it cool completely before filling. I used this method for the chocolate avocado tart topped with blueberries. Other familiar options include:

• Chocolate ganache tart
• Lemon curd tart
• Fresh fruit tart with vanilla pastry cream
• No-bake cheesecake tart
• Mascarpone cream tart with seasonal fruit

Enjoy!

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