No special flour blends are needed for this easy gluten free chocolate ganache tart. The 4-ingredient crust is made from ground nuts, butter, and sugar!
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I'm constantly looking for easy gluten free desserts to make, because when I want it, I want it. And I don't want to have to hunt down a big collection of special flours and starches to satisfy our cravings.
The great thing about the crust for this chocolate ganache tart is that it is made from ground nuts so it's naturally gluten free, and it comes together in just a couple of minutes.
We'll use rich, dark chocolate for the ganache filling in the tart, which will give us a simmilar texture to chocolate custard, but without any baking. Finally, we'll top it with a little flaky sea salt because chocolate + sea salt = yum.
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This gluten free chocolate ganache tart is simple, super chocolaty, and so pretty!
- Just 8 ingredients total!
- Nuts, butter, and sugar are the only ingredients in the gluten free tart crust.
- Simple press-in method to make the crust for quick and easy prep.
- You only need a food processor and a bowl to make it!
- Dark chocolate makes a creamy ganache with deep flavor.
Ingredients you'll need
For the gluten free tart crust:
- Raw pistachios and almonds: We'll grind the nuts to make our gluten free crust. Use raw nuts, not roasted, because they're going to cook in the oven.
- Sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
For the chocolate ganache filling:
- Dark chocolate (bittersweet): Now let's talk about the chocolate. You've gotta use the good stuff here. We want a dark chocolate, because the crust is pretty sweet, so you need to balance it out. I used Guittard chocolate baking wafers for the tart pictured, I also tested the recipe with Guittard dark chocolate chips, and both worked very well.
- Heavy cream
- Unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt: Add just before serving after it has chilled. I like Maldon Sea Salt flakes, they are so pretty and have a mild saltiness.
How to make a gluten free chocolate ganache tart
Adapted from Bon Appétit.
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare the tart pan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
You'll need a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom.
Butter the tart pan bottom and sides. You can add a round of buttered parchment on the bottom if you want, but I used my Wilton non-stick tart pan, and found that it wasn't necessary.
Step 2: Make the gluten free tart crust
Place the almonds and pistachios in a food processor.
Pulse until finely chopped. Add the sugar and salt and pulse again.
Add the melted butter and pulse until the crust clumps together and resembles chunky sand.
Press the crust into the tart pan with your hands.
Press the crust mixture up the sides of the pan's fluted edge. It doesn't have to be perfect. The crust is going to be very crumbly once baked and will look rustic.
Step 3: Blind bake the crust
Bake the crust for about 25-30 minutes until it's golden brown around the edges.
Set aside to cool. Once the crust has cooled completely, make the ganache.
Step 4: How to make the chocolate ganache
Place a bowl over a simmering pot of water and add the chocolate and cream.
Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl and that it is not boiling, only simmering.
Stir over the simmering water until the chocolate is completely melted.
Add butter to the chocolate mixture and stir until completely incorporated.
Step 5: Pour chocolate ganache into the crust and chill
Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart crust, making sure to scrape all of the chocolate mixture out of the bowl with a silicone spatula. It's okay if the chocolate comes all the way to the top of the crust.
Place in the fridge to chill for at least one hour so the ganache can set up.
Top the tart with flaky sea salt - I like to use Maldon sea salt - slice and serve.
Tips for the best gluten free chocolate ganache tart
- I'm using pistachios and almonds for the gluten free crust, but you can substitute walnuts, blanched hazelnuts, or do a mix of a few different kinds of nuts.
- It's important to weigh the chocolate so you know exactly how much you're getting. You can chop it yourself, or get baking discs, or chocolate chips, but a different amount of each of those is going to fit into a measuring cup. I use my Escali Digital Scale. It's not expensive, and it comes in loads of different colors to match your kitchen!
- I say the darker the chocolate the better the chocolate ganache tart! I use at least 60% cacao chocolate and have used up to 72%. A darker chocolate means more cocoa which means more structure in the ganache. The gluten free tart crust is also fairly sweet, so the bittersweet chocolate ganache is a better pairing.
- Use a spatula to stir the chocolate ganache, not a whisk. A whisk may add air bubbles, which we don't want. We want a smooth, creamy texture.
- To ensure pretty slices, run a knife under hot water, clean it off and dry it before each slice. (Do this for both sides of the slice.)
FAQ
Chocolate ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream, and sometimes butter. The chocolate is melted down and combined with the other ingredients. As it cools it sets to a firm, but still creamy texture.
You can make the chocolate ganache a few days ahead. Just warm it gently in a glass bowl over simmering water to thin it out again so you can pour it into the crust. You can make the assembled tart up to one day in advance. Cover loosely to preserve the pretty-looking top and store somewhere in the fridge where it won't get bumped around as the crust is delicate.
Storing and freezing
- This gluten free chocolate ganache tart must be kept refrigerated, or the ganache will melt. You can bring it out of the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving to make slicing easier.
- The chocolate ganache will freeze well, but the gluten free tart crust will probably crumble quite a bit, because it's just made of coarsely chopped nuts. You can always enjoy the ganache with the crumbly crust sprinkled on top instead of in traditional tart form! I've definitely frozen leftover slices in freezer wrap and enjoyed it this way!
More gluten free chocolate dessert recipes
These tasty desserts are all gluten free so everyone can enjoy!
- Keep it French and ganache-y with this Flourless Chocolate Torte.
- No one will even know that these Flourless Chocolate Cookies are made without flour!
- These Gluten Free Brownies are almost fudge-like and everyone loves them so they go fast. Store them in the fridge.
- It doesn't get any more classic than Chocolate Mousse.
Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Ganache Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
Gluten Free Tart Crust
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 cup raw pistachios
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 4 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Chocolate Ganache
- 6 oz dark chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
Instructions
Gluten Free Tart Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom. You can add parchment on the bottom if you're not using a nonstick tart pan.
- Put the nuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add sugar and salt and pulse again.
- Add the melted butter to the nut mixture and pulse until the crust clumps together and resembles sand. You'll still have little pieces of nuts, you're not making it as fine as a nut flour.
- Press the crust mixture into the tart pan with your hands. Press up the sides of the pan’s fluted edge. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The crust is going to be very crumbly once baked and will look rustic.
- Bake the crust for about 25-30 minutes until it’s golden brown around the edges. Set aside to cool completely before making the ganache.
Chocolate Ganache and Assembly
- Place a bowl over a simmering pot of water and add the chocolate and cream. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl and that it is not boiling, only simmering. Stir over the simmering water until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Add butter to the chocolate mixture and stir until completely incorporated.
- Pour the ganache into the crust, making sure to scrape all of the chocolate mixture out of the bowl with a silicone spatula. It’s okay if the chocolate comes all the way to the top of the crust. Place in the fridge to chill for at least one hour so the ganache can set up.
- Top the tart with flaky sea salt – I like to use Maldon sea salt – slice and serve.
Notes
- You’ll need a 9″ tart pan with a removable bottom. I used my Wilton non-stick tart pan, and found that it wasn’t necessary to line it with parchment paper.
- Now let’s talk about the chocolate. You’ve gotta use the good stuff here. You want a dark chocolate, because the crust is pretty sweet, so you need to balance it out. I used Guittard chocolate baking wafers for the tart pictured, I also tested the recipe with Guittard dark chocolate chips, and both worked very well.
- It’s important to weigh the chocolate so you know exactly how much you’re getting. You can chop it yourself, or get baking discs, or chocolate chips, but a different amount of each of those is going to fit into a measuring cup.
- I use my Escali Digital Scale to weigh chocolate and lots of other ingredients when I'm cooking. It's also useful when converting ounces to grams. It’s not expensive, and it comes in loads of different colors to match your kitchen!
- It seems like I can never have enough silicone spatulas, and they are especially useful in this recipe to be sure you are scraping out every last bit of chocolate ganache from the bowl.
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