Vegan cranberry curd tart – this incredible, vibrant tart is perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving. With a buttery gingernut cookie crust and a rich, creamy, tart cranberry curd filling this tart is easy to make but looks so impressive!
There is a cranberry curd tart recipe originally by the New York Times that has been recreated many times on the internet. It is not vegan, as the curd is set with eggs, but it looks so beautiful with it’s festive bright red colour that I just had to have a go at veganising it!
As well as veganising it I made a few adjustments to the original recipe – swapping the hazelnut base for a gingernut cookie crust and adding spices and lemon juice. The result is a wonderful sweet-but-tart, creamy, rich, flavourful cranberry tart that is fit for any Christmas or Thanksgiving table, and it is easy to make too!
Ingredient Details:
Cranberries: Either fresh or frozen ones are fine. If using frozen do not defrost them first.
Oranges + lemons: You will need both finely grated orange zest (for flavour) and orange juice. I use freshly squeezed juice but from a carton is fine too. A little bit of lemon juice helps intensify the cranberry flavour. I use freshly squeezed but from a bottle is ok too.
Cornstarch + soya milk: This combo replaces the eggs to set the curd. You can swap the milk for another kind of non-dairy milk but I don’t recommend using a different starch instead of the cornstarch as some of them (such as arrowroot) can result in a slimy texture.
Sugar: I recommend using either caster or granulated white sugar. Brown sugar or coconut sugar will work but may dull the vibrant colour of the filling. Do not use sweeteners or liquid sugars instead.
Vegan butter: A block variety rather than the spreadable kind in a tub is better to help the curd and base set. I use Naturli vegan block or Flora plant butter.
Cookies: I use ginger nut biscuits (also know as gingersnaps) but another kind of (crunchy) biscuit such as Digestives, Biscoff, Graham crackers, Hobnobs or Oreo’s will also work. Bear in mind that you may need to adjust the quantity of butter depending on the type of cookie that you use, so double check recipes on Google using your desired cookie beforehand.
Spices: I like to add ground cinnamon and allspice, I don’t add very much so that the spices don’t overpower the cranberry flavour but you can add more to taste if you like, or omit the spices. You can also vary them to suit you, ginger, nutmeg and cloves would all work well.
How To Make Vegan Cranberry Curd Tart:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Step 1: Start by crushing the biscuits for the base, you can do this in a food processor or put them in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin.
Step 2: Place the crushed biscuits in a bowl and mix in melted vegan butter. It should resemble damp sand.
Step 3: Press the mixture firmly into a 25cm round tart tin, spreading it across the base and up the sides. Use the base of a glass to really pack it down. Bake the base for 10 minutes then set aside to cool.
Step 4: To make the curd, heat the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and zest, lemon juice and spices in a large pan until simmering. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes until the cranberries have softened and burst.
Step 5: Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until very smooth. Scrape through a fine mesh sieve back into the saucepan.
Step 6: Mix the cornstarch and milk together and whisk into the cranberry mixture. Return the pan to the heat and cook until it comes to the boil and thickens. Once boiling, continue to cook for 30 seconds then remove the pan from the heat.
Step 7: Add the vegan butter and stir until melted and fully combined. The mixture may look split at first but keep stirring and it will come together.
Step 8: Pour the curd into the baked biscuit base and spread it level. Allow to cool slightly then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set.
Top Tips:
All of my recipes are developed using grams, and I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
You can swap the gingernuts for another type of biscuit such as Digestives, Hobnobs, Biscoff, Graham Crackers or Oreo’s. Bear in mind that you may need to adjust the quantity of butter depending on the type of cookie that you use, so double check recipes on Google using your desired cookie beforehand.
Instead of a cookie crust you can use a blind baked pastry case, either home-made or shop bought.
Make sure that you make the tart far enough in advance that the filling has time to set – at least 4 hours.
FAQ’s:
The tart will keep in a covered container in the fridge for around 4-5 days.
Yes, this vegan cranberry curd tart can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. Allow to defrost overnight or for at least several hours in the fridge before serving.
The cranberry curd filling is already gluten-free so all you need to do is use GF cookies for the base to make this vegan cranberry curd tart gluten-free.
More Vegan Tarts And Pies:
- Vegan pumpkin pie
- Vegan pecan pie
- Vegan sweet potato pie
- Vegan chocolate chess pie
- Vegan key lime pie
- Mincemeat frangipane tart
- Chocolate strawberry tart
- Vegan peanut butter pie
- Chocolate pear frangipane tart
- Vegan rhubarb tart
- Caramelised pineapple coconut tart
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Cranberry Curd Tart
Ingredients
Crust:
- 300 g (10 oz) gingernut biscuits
- 100 g (7 Tablespoons) vegan block butter melted
Filling:
- 400 g (14 oz) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 225 g (1 ⅛ cups) caster or granulated sugar
- finely grated zest of 2 large oranges
- 240 ml (1 cup) orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 40 g (4 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 100 ml (⅓ cup + 4 teaspoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy) cold
- 115 g (1 stick) vegan block butter
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
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Place the biscuits in a food processor and blitz until very finely crushed. Alternatively, place them in a sealable freezer bag wrapped in a tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin.
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Tip the crushed biscuits into a bowl and mix in the melted vegan butter. It should resemble damp sand.
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Tip the biscuit mixture into a 23-25cm/9-10in loose bottomed tart tin and press it evenly across the base and up the sides. Use the base of a glass to pack it down really firmly.
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Bake the base for 10 minutes then set aside to cool.
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To make the curd, heat the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and zest, lemon juice and spices in a large pan until simmering. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes until the cranberries have softened and burst.
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Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until very smooth.
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Use a silicone spatula or the back of a spoon to scrape the cranberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve back into the saucepan.
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Mix the cornstarch and milk together and whisk into the cranberry mixture. Return the pan to the heat and cook until it comes to the boil and thickens. Once boiling, continue to cook for 30 seconds then remove the pan from the heat.
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Add the vegan butter and stir until melted and fully combined. The mixture may look split at first but keep stirring and it will come together.
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Pour the curd into the baked biscuit base and spread it level. Allow to cool slightly then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- All of my recipes are developed using grams, and I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- If using frozen cranberries do not defrost them first.
