Name: The Absolute Best & Simplest Tart Crust Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup 57 grams sugar; 1/2 cup 113 grams unsalted butter at room temperature; 1/8 tsp of salt; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 large egg yolk (at room temperature); 1 1/4 cups 150 grams all purpose flour

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Have you ever wanted to make a tart crust like those delicious tarts that you find in the pastry case? Well, have I got the recipe for you!

Using this sweet tart crust recipe, you will make the most perfect tart crust ever! Sweet tarts need a delicious and tender crust and you’ll be able to make one with this recipe!

My tender tart recipe is a good recipe. It is the perfect base for pretty much any tart you would want to make. Use this tart recipe with chocolate tarts or fruit tarts and you can bake fillings too!

I have even used this tart recipe for savory tarts! Either way, your unbaked crust will come out of the oven tender with a golden brown crust of goodness!

Golden brown tart crust filled with custard and cranberries

Go ahead and eat the whole thing by yourself! The crust is that tender!

The first time I made this tender tart crust, I was super nervous! I shouldn’t have been because it was easy breezy!

I made mini tarts. You will see in the photos that my tart is a little darker than I like. Don’t make a rookie mistake and leave yours in the oven a few minutes too long like I did because I watching football!

Make a quiche in a tart pan if you want but I used my flaky pie crust for this vs this tender tart crust recipe.

Feel free to share pictures of your tart on social media! Remember to tag me so I see it!

Hardware

Stand mixer with paddle attachment

Large mixing bowl or medium bowl

Pastry blender or pastry cutter

Flat work surface (make sure it is a smooth surface)

Dry beans, uncooked rice or pie weights

Baking sheet or baking tray

Tart pan or a tart shell with a removable bottom

Airtight container

One sheet of parchment paper

6-inch disk

Plastic wrap

A rolling pin

A fork

Ingredients

1/4 cup (57 grams) sugar

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/8 tsp of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

At room temperature, 1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups (150 grams) all purpose flour

Here’s what you do

Line your tart tin(s) with some type of cooking spray oil. I use spray avocado oil because it is the healthiest in my opinion.

In the medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Using your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix sugar, butter, salt and vanilla extract on low speed until smooth.

Add the egg yolk. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times if you need.

Red stand mixer bowl with flour and butter mixing

Slowly mix in the flour mixture until you get a dough that comes together.

Divide the dough into enough pieces to fill the number of pans you have. Form dough in the shape of your pan. For best results, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

This recipe can make one 9″ tart, two 6″ tarts or four 4″ tarts.

Raw tart dough shaped in a disc wrapped in plastic wrap.

Take your rolling pin and gently roll out the dough to the thickness of a nickel on a lightly floured surface. Be certain to lightly flour the entire surface.

Flour your hands a bit, transfer dough to the pan and then evenly and gently press the dough into the sides of the pan(s).

Blind Baking Is Your Friend

Tender tart crust with pricks in it from a fork.

This crust needs to blind bake. Take a fork and prick the dough then refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Using the dry beans, uncooked rice or pie weights, weight the crust down

9″ tart shells bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is the color that you would like. Bake 6″ tart shells for 10-15 minutes. Bake 4″ tart shells for 8-12 minutes.

Remove the pie weights and put the tart shells back in the oven.

Bake 9″ tart shells for an additional 12-15 minutes or until the crust is the color that you would like to see. Make sure the crust is baked through. 6″ tart shells bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Bake 4″ tart shells for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Take the tart shells out of the oven and let them cool completely before you fill them.

Pro Tips

Salted butter is fine. Just don’t add anymore salt if you do!

It’s ok to use the bowl of a food processor. Be certain to scrape the bowl down.

This recipe can also be used as a pie crust or a pastry crust, if you are looking for a tender crust vs a flaky crust.

It’s a good idea to roll the pin over the edge of the tart pan to get a beautiful tart edge on the bottom crust. The heel of your hand works great too.

Tart dough with edges pressed against the tart pan

Use the excess dough for hand pies. Try not to rework the piece of dough too much. Remember, this is tender tart dough. Keep this in mind when you’re picking the filling of your choice.

The step-by-step photos should make the whole process easier. You should not have a hard time with anything at all.

With pastry dough, a tart pastry or a buttery pastry shell, you need things to be cold so that you get a flaky crust or a tender crust. Cold is a good thing anytime you are dealing with pastry or pie dough.

For a tender crust, you should not see large clumps of butter in your large ball of dough. If you do, you’re going to have a flaky crust and not a tender crust.