Vegan Cranberry Custard Tart

For anyone who is still sitting on the fence about a dessert for Thanksgiving, I have today a vegan Cranberry Custard Tart that’s going to make you go, a-ha! This tart is a showstopper. And I’m not trying to take credit here. Cranberries just are so pretty, and they bake up even prettier. They’re especially perfect in tarts and pies, because all that fruit pectin that makes them gel up so nicely in a sauce makes them hold together nice and firm in a pie filling too, with very little help. I love cranberry-based desserts and I’ve shared a number of them on the blog, including this showstopping vegan cranberry upside down cake and this vegan cranberry bread. I’ve already posted a vegan cranberry tart recipe on the blog, but I wanted to make a custard tart because I loved the idea of the creamy sweetness of a custard with the tartness of the cranberries. And it really was a winner. Within moments of taking the pictures, we had polished off most of this tart. You can use a homemade vegan pie crust for this recipe, but if you want to use a store bought crust, go ahead by all means. It’ll make this recipe even quicker. I baked up this tart in a 9-inch tart pan, which was a bit of a tight fit for the filling made with 12 oz of cranberries – the size of the packet they’re usually sold in. As a result, the juices bubbled over the sides of the crust as they were baking, staining it. Not a problem, by any means, but I’ll probably go with a 10-inch pan the next time, or just use a regular pie plate, if you don’t have one. Check to get new recipe updates by email.

Serve the cranberry custard tart with dollops of whipped vegan cream. It tastes exquisite on its own, but the tartness of the cranberry tart paired with the sweetness of the whipped cream is sublime.