Beautiful, sophisticated, and subtly spicy…is that you or this recipe?! It’s definitely both. This gingery pear tart is the show-stopping fall dessert you’ve been waiting for, and it’s way easier than it looks!
Just 10 ingredients required for this elegant vegan and gluten-free masterpiece! It’s a unique treat perfect for your holiday table, and it wouldn’t say no to a scoop of ice cream. Let’s bake, friends!
This STUNNER begins with the crust. You’ll cut vegan butter into a blend of gluten-free flours and ground chia seeds. The sorghum flour provides a sweet and neutral taste, brown rice flour adds structure, tapioca flour keeps it light, and ground chia seeds provide binding.
Then, we add a little water, turning it into a moldable dough. It’s ready for a quick chill in the refrigerator to maximize the flakiness of the crust.
While the dough is chilling, we prepare the pears by thinly slicing each quarter and keeping the slices together in groups (to make it pretty!).
Once the dough has chilled, we roll it out, transfer to a tart pan, and sprinkle with brown sugar and ground ginger. This forms the groundwork for a sweet and spicy sauce!
Next, it’s time to unleash your inner artist and start arranging the pears. There’s no set way to arrange them, but try not to leave any gaps. Once your pear artistry is complete, you’ll drizzle with lemon juice, add the remaining ginger and brown sugar, and top with slices of vegan butter.
The oven will do the rest of the work! While in the oven, the pears will become tender, caramelized, and coated in saucy sweetness. And the crust? Flaky, golden brown perfection!
We hope you love this pear tart! It’s:
Caramelized
Subtly gingery
Perfectly sweet
Surprisingly easy
& SO stunning!
Serve it on its own or top with vegan vanilla ice cream (our fave!) or coconut whipped cream.
More Delicious Pear Recipes
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Gingery Pear Tart (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 cup sorghum flour*
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
- 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds*
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 10 Tbsp cold vegan butter, cut into cubes (we used Miyoko’s)
- 4-6 Tbsp water
FILLING
- 3 medium pears (ripe but still slightly firm)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 ½ tsp ground ginger powder
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice (1 medium lemon yields ~3 Tbsp or 45 ml)
- 2 Tbsp cold vegan butter, thinly sliced (we used Miyoko’s)
FOR SERVING optional
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, ground chia seeds, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Next, add the cubed vegan butter and break the butter down into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, fork, or clean hands. The texture should look sandy, with no lumps of butter larger than a pea. Add the lesser amount of water and stir. At this point the dough should hold together when squeezed — if it’s not, add more water 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment or wax paper and shape into a flat disk. Place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your pears by quartering them, removing the cores, and then slicing uniformly lengthwise in very thin slices (1/16”-1/8”). Try to keep each quarter's slices gathered together so when you finish slicing it still looks like a uniform quarter (see photo). This will be helpful when arranging your pears.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and ginger powder. Set aside.
- After chilling the dough, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Prepare a 9-10 inch tart pan by lightly greasing the pan with vegan butter (or use a non-stick springform pan for ease). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle a clean work surface with sorghum or brown rice flour. Roll out the dough into an even circle (about 12 inches in diameter), working quickly. To transfer your crust, gently roll it up onto your rolling pin and unroll in the tart pan, or quickly (and confidently!) flip it into the pan. Press the dough into the sides of the tart pan and patch any holes or cracks with your fingers. Trim any excess dough with a paring knife.
- To the bottom of the prepared tart shell add about 2/3 of the brown sugar and ginger mixture, reserving the rest for the top of the tart. Use your hands to disperse the sugar and spice evenly. Next, place each sliced pear quarter on top of the crust, fanning them out so they spread slightly. Repeat with the remaining pear quarters. There is no set way to do this, just go with the shape of the pear and try not to leave any gaps. You can definitely overlap them! Drizzle the lemon juice over the pears, sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar and ginger, and top with 2 Tbsp of sliced vegan butter.
- Cover the tart with foil, place on a baking sheet (just in case, to catch any drips) and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 28-35 minutes, until the crust is dark golden brown and the pears are extremely tender when tested with a knife.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 25 minutes before serving to let the juices set up. Carefully remove the tart, slice, and enjoy! Delicious topped with vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream.
- Leftovers keep covered at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Not freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
*The closest sub for sorghum flour would be oat flour, but we haven’t tested it in this recipe.
*We find ground chia is a little more absorbent and better at binding than ground flax, but flaxseed meal might work in place of ground chia seeds in this recipe. Let us know in the comments if you try it!
*Coconut sugar works okay in place of brown sugar, but it’s less caramelly and slightly sour.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Loosely adapted from Epicurious.
Liza says
I have made this several times and I really love all the flavor combinations as well as the pastry. I found the pastry so easy to make as far as GF recipes go and very tasty. Would this pastry go well with a French Canadian Tourtiere? I’d love to know what you might use for that.
Amazing! Thank you for the lovely review, Liza! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe. We’ve never had a French Canadian Tourtiere, but looking at photos of it, the crust looks a bit more light and flaky, which is tricky with gluten-free! Our gluten-free pie crust might work better, but we don’t think the texture of that is quite right either, unfortunately!
Madison says
This was so yummy! Planning to make it for thanksgiving but afraid the crowd I’m baking for won’t be a huge fan of so much ginger. Do you have a recommendation of spice ratios/amounts for a cinnamon spice blend?
We’re so glad you enjoyed this one, Madison! Thank you for the lovely review! We haven’t tested with cinnamon, but we think it could be nice. We’d recommend starting with 1 tsp cinnamon and adjusting to taste before adding your pears to the tart pan. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
olenka says
I made this and didn’t have any ginger powder on hand. i replaced it with a pumpkin spice blend and my bf and i agreed it was the best pie we’ve ever had! just saw your comment while looking to make it again and hope it helps in time for the holiday :)
Maria says
This tart was divine. I used coconut oil because I didn’t have any butter. The final result was perhaps a bit crumbly but still delicious. Also, I didn’t have brown rice flour so I used white – tasted great. I pricked the base and pre-baked for 5 mins (don’t know if pricking the base is useful?). And I peeled my pears because the skins weren’t that pretty. I went down to 1sp ginger but I should have used the full 2.5 tsps because it wasn’t gingery enough for me. So so so good. Loved how decadent yet healthy it felt. Way too good to share! Thank you. I’ll make it again following the original recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Maria! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
prashanthi aturi says
Can these flours be substituted for gf flour blend in all of your recipes.
Hi, Each recipe will behave a little differently! It might work in some recipes (maybe cookies?), but with recipes that benefit from some lift (cakes, muffins, cupcakes), this blend wouldn’t be a good fit and something with potato starch would be better. We’d suggest checking out our Guide to Gluten-Free Flours to learn more. Hope that helps!
ujwal meka says
Can I sub potato starch plus flaxseed meal for the tapioca
That might work! Let us know if you try it.
prashanthi aturi says
Can this be oil-free
An oil-free tart crust will be tricky. You could try looking up a recipe for one!
mayana says
Hello
I am going to use a store bought crust (frozen). I saw that someone recommended baking it first for 10 minutes. Would the total baking time change with a store bought crust (with foil and then without)?
I also bought fresh blackberries to add. Would that change any of the other ingredients?
Thanks so much.
Hi Mayana, we wouldn’t recommend changing the cook time, but par-baking the crust would be a good idea. Cooking for less time would cause the pears to not soften fully, but you may need to cover with foil for more of the time to prevent the crust from burning. Blackberries sound lovely – you could use slightly less pear to compensate for the additional fruit. Let us know how it goes!
Thea says
I used a store-bought pie shell and blind baked for 10 mins before baking with the filling and this worked perfectly. Based on the size of my crust I wish I had filled with more pears but still good. Based on the comments I used half the amount of ginger, a quarter cinnamon and a quarter nutmeg. Served with coconut whipped cream and it was delicious. Would make again!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing! xo
Sara Lewis says
I tested this recipe to use for a fall yoga retreat that I am catering. I was particularly impressed by the crust–very flaky and tasty! I used Miyoko’s vegan butter and followed your exact directions. The filling was delicious as well. However, the ginger was a little strong. I would like to try using both fresh and powder ginger and add a few other spices such as cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Have you tried other spices? Any suggestions on the amount or should I just play with it? Also, do you mind sharing the brand of your tart pan? I like the high sides.
thank you
Hi Sara, thank you for sharing your experience! We haven’t played with cinnamon or nutmeg in this recipe, but think they would be delicious. Maybe reducing the ginger to 1-1 1/2 tsp and adding 3/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 pinch nutmeg? Let us know how it goes! We aren’t sure of the brand on the tart pan, unfortunately!
Debby says
I made this and the taste is wonderful. This is my first time making a GF crust and and my crust on the bottom turned out mushy. Should I have pre-baked the crust?
Hi Debby, we’re so glad you enjoyed it overall! If your pears are very ripe the crust can become a bit mushy. Next time if you have very juicy pears you can par-bake the crust for 10-15 minutes!
Kate says
Easy to make, but crust was VERY DRY
Hi Kate, so sorry to hear the crust was dry, did you make any modifications or use superfine flours?
Sharmain says
Used regular butter. Fresh ginger over pears in addition to sugar/ginger mix. About 7 TBSP of ice cold water – live at altitude and always seem to need more liquid. Square, removable bottom, tart pan. Otherwise ingredients as listed. Most excellent and delicious. Easy to make, spouse LOVED. Thanks for a beautiful and delicious treat!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Sharmain!
Shelby says
Made this last night. I think I overdid it on the ginger, but otherwise great and looks very impressive. Next time I may do only 2 tsp ginger and a hint of cinnamon. I pressed the pie dough into a pie pan and it turned out great. Very sturdy crust!
Anne says
I made this for a Thanksgiving dinner. I was running late and didn’t have time to make the crust, so I just made the filling. Then I realized I didn’t have any lemons, so I left the sugar out also. I had a lot of pears, so I doubled the recipe. It was delicious, and the guests at the dinner really liked it and a few had second helpings. I will definitely make it again.
Love it! Thanks for the review, Anne!
Jan says
This is my new go-to recipe for crust, my second time making this delicious tart. I added lemon zest to the first crust , replaced water with pure fresh lemon juice on the second. Both were nice but I think the zest was nicer. Thanks so much, we enjoyed this recipe very much at our house.
Ooo yum! Thanks for sharing, Jan!
Cameran says
Made as written for brunch. Everyone loved it, the crust was incredibly flakes, perfect gingery tender pears. Thank you for the fabulous tart recipe!
Yay! So glad everyone enjoyed. Thanks for the great review, Cameran!
Ciara Bourne says
I made this the share for Friendsgiving. I used oat flour instead of sorghum and flax seed meal instead of ground chia seeds. I used 2/3 of the ginger knowing some people don’t like ginger THAT much. It turned out great and was a hit among everyone, even the non-vegans!
Yay! We’re so glad it was a hit, Ciara! Thank you for sharing! xo
Jeannette says
Looking forward to making this for Thanksgiving! Wanted to get a head start with the crust and wonder if (once at the refrigerator stage) it will store for a few days?
Thanks!
Hi Jeannette, yes, that should work well as long as it’s well covered to prevent it from drying out. Let us know how it goes!
Michelle says
Hello!
Could I use a store-bought crust with this? I don’t think I will have time to make the crust…even though I know it will be better that way!
Thank you!
Michelle
Hi Michelle, the crust on this one is a little more sturdy (like a tart) vs. a traditional pie crust. We think it might work to use a store-bought crust, but it won’t be as sturdy. Also, you’d ideally want to par-bake the crust for 15-20 minutes to prevent it from becoming soggy, but it may cause the crust to brown too much before the pears are fully tender. Covering with foil throughout the baking process might help. Let us know if you try it!
Anne L Thomas says
I don’t like gluten-free pie crust. Can I make this with a wheat-based crust? It looks delicious and I really would like to make it. Thank you.
Hi Anne, this will definitely work with a wheat-based pie crust!
Pouneh says
Hello,
If I don’t use a GF crust and opt for whole wheat, are the dimensions the same? 2 cups of whole wheat flour?
Thanks!
Pouneh
Hi Pouneh, the ratio should be the same for whole wheat flour. If possible we suggest cutting the whole wheat flour with some all-purpose flour to give the crust more structure!
Pouneh says
Thank you! I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!
Yay!
Shannon says
Super delicious and not too tricky! Great flaky pastry, didn’t have vegan butter so used a stick of the real thing and added 1-2 tsp cinnamon. Thanks for the awesome way to use some pears!
Love it! Thanks for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Shannon!
Natalia says
Can I sub butter for coconut oil?
Hi Natalia, we haven’t tried it and can’t guarantee results but it might work!
Annie S. says
This sounds delightful! I am curious, do you think that I could flip this recipe and turn it into a cobbler? I’m curious if you think the base would be a good topping, or if there’s a different recipe of yours that would be more suitable for the topping. I would imagine the filling would be fine? Thank you xoxo!
Hi Annie! We think using the topping from our best ever vegan apple crisp would be delicious with the pear filling. You could try adding ginger to the topping as well!
Leslie says
Can flaxseed meal be subbed for the grounded chia seeds in the pie crust?
Hi Leslie, we haven’t tried it but flaxseed meal should work! The chia is simply acting as a binder!
Liz says
If I wanted to make this not vegan, can I use real butter in the same quantities? Thanks!
Yes, that should work great!
Kate Somers says
I will try this today. I have a vegan puff pastry in the fridge. Would you still recommend covering the pie/ tart with foil?
Hi Kate, we haven’t tested it that way, but would suggest covering for less time and trying to only cover the pears (so they steam and get saucy), and not the puff pastry. Hope that helps!