Vegan Asparagus Tart with Herbed Cashew Cream
Fresh asparagus with a herbed cashew cream layer on top of flaky puff pastry, this vegan asparagus tart is so easy to make, and it’s the perfect crowd-pleaser!
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this Spring-time puff pastry tart. It’s an effortless way to use herbs and the beautiful bounty of asparagus in the blossoming season.
Don’t you love recipes that look sophisticated but take next to no effort to make? Well, if you want to add more recipes like that to your repertoire, you’ve come to the right place!
Not only is it easy to make, but it’s also delicious and easily customisable. I’ll go through your options in a minute.
Let’s talk about puff pastry. Is it vegan?
You may be surprised to learn that most store-bought puff pastry is vegan-friendly. I would, however, always double-check the packet to ensure that you haven’t picked up a butter-based puff pastry. That’s typically the only caveat.
Store-bought puff pastry is such an underrated product. It’s my go-to for making delicious baked goods in a hurry. I’ve used it for both sweet and savoury creations. It’s a great product to use when you have a few people over or want to take something that looks fancy to a party.
Read more: 16 Vegan Puff Pastry Recipes (Sweet & Savoury)
This recipe makes one tart, however, you can easily double or triple the recipe. Each tart serves six people.
Tips for making this vegan puff pastry tart
- Defrost/thaw the pastry as per packet instructions, and leave enough time to do so. Thaw it out just enough so that it’s still cold and workable. You want it to be cold when it goes into the oven to puff up nicely.
- The cashew cream can be made up to a couple of days in advance. Just keep it in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Don’t have access to asparagus or want to add something else? You can switch up the veggies. Try sauteed mushrooms, peas, sliced tomatoes, roasted pumpkin, thin strips of zucchini, or caramelised onions.
- You can also swap the herbed cashew cream for my vegan walnut pesto or vegan mozzarella.
- Love herbs? Drizzle it with my green goddess dressing, garlic parsley sauce, or tahini dressing.
Here are a few serving suggestions
If you’d like to make this a complete meal or serve it alongside other dishes, here are a few suggestions.
- Herb Potato Salad (No-Mayo)
- Chargrilled Red Peppers in Garlic Parsley Oil
- Panzanella Salad
- Caprese Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Quick & Simple Lentil Salad
- Stuffed Mushrooms
- Creamy Vegan Potato Gratin
- Roasted Pumpkin, Hazelnut, and Fig Radicchio Cups
- Bruschetta Toppings Done Four Ways
- Potato and Radicchio Salad
- Olivier Salad
- Pomegranate, Crunchy Walnut & Kale Salad
So next time you want an easy vegan puff pastry recipe that highlights the bounty of Spring, give this dairy-free asparagus tart a try!
There’s no need for expensive vegan cheese that may not melt well or have the flavour outcome you like. The herbed cashew cream is easy to make and can be used in many other ways. I used my cashew cream recipe as a base and adjusted it slightly for this tart.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Herby Vegan Tzatziki
- How To Make Vegan Falafel
- 15-Minute Miso Glazed Eggplants (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
- Spiced Roasted Pumpkin with Farro and Hummus
- Cauliflower Lentil Tacos (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
- Spiced Quinoa and Eggplant Rolls (GF)
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Vegan Asparagus Tart with Herbed Cashew Cream
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 tart – 6 serves
Description
An easy and delicious appetiser using Springs finest! This vegan asparagus tart with herbed cashew cream is the perfect way to start any gathering.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet vegan puff pastry* (26x26cm / 10.2×10.2 inches or similar)
Herbed cashew cream
- 1 cup / 140g raw cashews, soaked*
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon French or Dijon mustard
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup fresh herbs, roughly chopped (you can use whatever you have on hand. I used dill, oregano, basil, and chives)
- 1½ bunches asparagus, tough ends trimmed
- Olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius (390 Fahrenheit) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove your sheet of puff pastry from the freezer and place it on the baking sheet to thaw out as per packet instructions and set aside.
- Add all the cashew cream ingredients besides the herbs to a small food processor (or high-speed blender) and process for around 90 seconds to 2 minutes or until you reach a silky smooth consistency. Make sure you’re scraping down the sides as you go.
- Add the fresh herbs and pulse a few times to incorporate.
- Spread the cashew cream over the puff pastry evenly, leaving about an inch / 2.5cm around the edges.
- Wash and trim your asparagus and then layer it over the top of the cashew cream. I like to do the alternating top to tail method and drizzle lightly with some olive oil.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for around 20-25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and crispy.
- Cut into 6 equal portions and serve while warm.
- You can store it in an airtight container for up to 2 days and reheat it in the oven before serving.
Notes
Puff pastry: Most store-bought puff pastry is vegan-friendly. I would, however, still always double-check the packet to make sure that you haven’t picked up a butter-based puff pastry.
Want tartlets? You can easily turn this single tart into four separate tartlets. Simply cut the pastry into four squares before you add the toppings and bake them. Everything else in the instructions will be the same.
- Diet: Vegan
This is soooo delicious, I have been making it for the past two months and can’t get enough of it! Thank you so much! 🙂
I’m so glad you like it, Masha! (Lovely name 😉 ) You’re most welcome, and thank you for the review x
Tasted delicious ,thank you. Followed recipe to a T but tart did have a soggy bottom…..should I have blind baked first?
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the flavors! A soggy bottom with puff pastry tarts usually comes down to a few things possible factors. The cashew cream thickness (did it look thick and spreadable or runny? See photo earlier in the post for consistency), the asparagus was slightly wet when it was added, the pastry wasn’t cold enough when it went into the oven.
Next time you can also try baking it on the lowest rack in your oven so the base gets more direct heat, and if your oven tends to run cool, try nudging the temperature up a little.
As an optional step, you can also pre-bake the pastry base for 5 minutes before adding the toppings if you want extra crispness on the bottom. Hope that helps! 😊
Turned out well and super flavorful with a few additions of my own. I added some shallots before baking for color and punch. After removing from the oven, I topped it with a balsamic reduction for some acidity and dukkah for crunch. Would be okay room temperature if you worry about that kind of thing like I do when I’m hosting or bringing a dish to share at a get-together.