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This French-inspired leek tart features a buttery and flaky shortcrust pastry filled with tender caramelized leeks and cashew cream. It’s savory, rich, and so hearty! Serve it warm as a main with a green salad or chilled as an appetizer!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Leeks never tasted so good. If you often wonder what to cook with leeks, we have no doubt you will love this tart! It has a hint of sweetness thanks to the caramelization of the leeks, a rich and creamy texture, and a crispy crust! We particularly love how the leeks almost give the filling a meaty texture!
- Simple to make with minimal ingredients. You will need only 9 simple ingredients and about 1 hour to make this recipe. The main process consists of cooking the leeks in a pan, tossing them with the cream, and pouring the filling into a shortcrust pastry. Then, all you have to do is bake it until golden brown.
- Comforting and hearty. There is nothing quite like this leek tart to warm you up on those rainy or chilly days. It’s savory, nicely seasoned, and so rustic!
📘 What is Leek Tart
Leek tart (Tarte aux poireaux) is a popular savory French dish that consists of sautéed leeks combined with cream, eggs, and seasonings and baked in a shortcrust pastry. Some versions may include cheese, bacon, or salmon as add-ins.
This plant-based version skips the cream and eggs for homemade cashew cream that gives the filling a hint of sweetness and nuttiness without overpowering the flavor of the leeks.
🧄 Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients that you will need:
- Leeks – Use fresh leeks that are crisp and firm. We used 5 medium leeks to make the filling. If you are using large leeks, you might only need 4. You can refer to the gram measurements in the recipe card to make sure.
- Butter – To sauté the leeks and infuse them with a delicate buttery aroma. You can use store-bought vegan butter or homemade vegan butter. Alternatively, you can use olive oil, if you don’t have vegan butter on hand.
- Cashews – Raw cashews make the base of the cream. It brings richness and creaminess to the filling.
- Nutritional yeast – For a hint of cheesiness.
- Vinegar – To make the cashew cream slightly tangy. It’s optional but I believe it helps a little bit balancing out the flavors.
- Salt and pepper – To season.
- Shortcrust pastry – You can use store-bought vegan crust (do not use the sweet one) or homemade vegan pie crust. To make things easier, we added the recipe for the pie crust to the recipe card as well.
🥣 How to Make It
1. Make the cashew cream
- Blend the cashews. Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a high-speed blender. Pour in the water and add the nutritional yeast and white vinegar. Blend for 30-45 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.
2. Cook the leeks
- Slice the leeks. Start by slicing each leek in half lengthwise. Rinse them well under cold water to remove any dirt. Pat them dry and slice each leek crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Sauté. Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the leeks and season with a pinch of salt. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Note: stir regularly to prevent the leeks from sticking to the bottom and burning. You just want them to brown slightly.
- Cook until caramelized. Once the leeks are tender, cook them for another 2-3 minutes or until they start to brown and caramelize. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Pour in the cashew cream. Pour the cashew cream into the skillet and toss to coat the leeks with the cream. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. At this point, taste the filling and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
3. Fill and bake the tart
- Press the pie crust into a tart pan. Press the flattened pie dough into a lightly greased 8-inch tart pan. Trim off the edges.
- Prick the dough. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the dough evenly. This will prevent the crust from puffing up during baking.
- Spread the filling. Transfer the leek filling to the pie crust and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake. Finally, bake the tart for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
📔 Tips
- Caramelize the leeks. Our secret to getting the most flavor out of the leeks is to sauté them until they are completely tender and start to caramelize. This will bring a delicate sweetness to the filling that really elevates its overall flavor.
- Double the recipe. If you want to make this tart into an 11-inch pan, double the amounts for the filling and the pie crust.
- Bake on the lower rack of your oven. To prevent the bottom of the crust from being uncooked and soggy, place the tart on the lower rack of your oven. Doing this will allow the crust to cook evenly and be crispy at the bottom as well.
- Use a metal pan. We recommend using a thin metal pan instead of a glass or ceramic one when baking tarts or pies. Metal is a better conductor of heat and will contribute to a crispier bottom.
🧀 Variations
This tart is versatile, so feel free to customize it to your liking. Here are a few suggestions:
- Add vegan cheese: To make the tart cheesy, incorporate 1/2 cup of grated vegan cheese into the filling. Alternatively, you can simply sprinkle it on top of the tart!
- Add vegan bacon: Cut vegan bacon into thin strips and incorporate them into the filling.
- Season with herbs: Season the filling with dried herbs like oregano, thyme, or rosemary.
- Add extra vegetables: Such as diced mushrooms, red bell peppers, spinach, or onions.
🥗 What to Serve It With
You can serve this leek tart as a main dish with a green salad such as this kale and carrot salad or this shaved Brussels sprout salad. It’s also delicious enjoyed chilled as an appetizer!
❄️ Storing and Freezing
- To store: You can keep this tart for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- To freeze: Wrap the tart either whole or in slices with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To reheat: Wrap in aluminum foil and reheat for 15-20 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven.
💬 FAQ
Yes, you can make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free vegan pie crust.
Sure, this tart keeps and reheats beautifully! You can even keep the filling and pie crust separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Then, all you have to do is assemble it on the day you plan on serving it.
There is no need to par-bake the crust.
The tart is done when the top of the filling and crust are both golden brown. You should be able to lift the tart slightly from the pan and see if the bottom is golden brown too.
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Vegan Leek Tart
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
Leeks
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 5 medium leeks (about 19 ounces / 540g)
- 1/4 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Pie Crust
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup vegan butter at room temperature
- 2-3 tbsp water
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
Cashew Cream
- Blend the cashews. Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a high-speed blender. Pour in the water and add the nutritional yeast and white vinegar. Blend for 30-45 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.
Leeks
- Slice the leeks. Start by slicing each leek in half lengthwise. Rinse them well under cold water to remove any dirt. Pat them dry and slice each leek crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Sauté. Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the leeks and season with a pinch of salt. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Note: stir regularly to prevent the leeks from sticking to the bottom and burning. You just want them to brown slightly.
- Cook until caramelized. Once the leeks are tender, cook them for another 2-3 minutes or until they start to brown and caramelize. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Pour in the cashew cream. Pour the cashew cream into the skillet and toss to coat the leeks with the cream. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. At this point, taste the filling and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Set aside.
Pie Crust
- Preheat the oven to
355 °F (180°C). - Combine all the ingredients. Add the softened vegan butter, flour, salt, and water to a bowl. Knead for about 2 minutes or until it forms a dough. If the dough appears too dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, until it forms a firm but not crumbly dough. Shape it into a ball and flatten it into a thick disc.
- Flatten. Flatten the dough on a floured surface to a ¼-inch thickness. Lightly grease an 8-inch tart pan with butter. Transfer the flattened dough to your tart pan and press it into it. Cut off the excess dough. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork.
- Spread the filling. Transfer the leek filling to the pie crust and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake. Finally, bake the tart for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
- You can keep this tart for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Caramelize the leeks. Our secret to getting the most flavor out of the leeks is to sauté them until they are completely tender and start to caramelize. This will bring a delicate sweetness to the filling that really elevates its overall flavor.
- Double the recipe. If you want to make this tart into an 11-inch pan, double the amounts for the filling and the pie crust.
- Bake on the lower rack of your oven. To prevent the bottom of the crust from being uncooked and soggy, place the tart on the lower rack of your oven. Doing this will allow the crust to cook evenly and be crispy at the bottom as well.
- Use a metal pan. We recommend using a thin metal pan instead of a glass or ceramic one when baking tarts or pies. Metal is a better conductor of heat and will contribute to a crispier bottom.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Leave a Comment
Just tried it. My family loved this recipe. A new taste for all of us. Thank you for sharing.
Do we use the tops (greens) of the leeks or mostly the bottom white area?