Rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe starts with a butter-rich almond crust sealed by a thin frangipane. It’s filled with tangy rhubarb, sweet strawberries, honey, and a hint of citrus. The result is a crisp, bright tart.
This tart recipe resolves issues of soggy crust and uneven filling, ensuring refreshing flavor and reliable texture for enjoyable servings every time.
I always worried a strawberry rhubarb tart would soak crust or run all over the counter (weeknight rush!). But I sighed with relief when I added that frangipane seal so the crust stays firm and the filling sets in place.
Its citrus-honey coating makes the fruit smell fresh and gives a warm tang. The crust bakes for 45 minutes before filling, so it won’t go soggy. I cool it 2 hours so slices hold up and then serve slightly warm (tip: slide out with a thin spatula).
If you’re looking for another strawberry-packed bake, check out my Strawberry Biscuits, a fun treat when berries are in season.
Table of contents
Dietary Considerations
- This recipe is not gluten-free or nut-free due to all-purpose flour and almond flour.
- This recipe is not dairy-free due to butter.
- This recipe contains eggs, butter and honey, so it is unsuitable for vegan diets.
- This recipe is not keto or low-carb due to high sugar and flour content.
- This recipe is vegetarian.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Reliable Crisp Crust: My almond shortcrust for this rhubarb strawberry tart gets blind baked at 375°F for 20 minutes, then sealed with frangipane to stop a soggy bottom.
- Bright Layered Flavors: I love how lemon zest, vanilla bean paste and cardamom notes layer in this rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe’s tangy-sweet filling.
- Balanced Sweetness: Using half a cup of sugar and a quarter cup of honey cuts refined sugar in this easy rhubarb tart, keeping my blood sugar steady.
- Easy Make-Ahead Storage: I store slices in the fridge up to three days and reheat my strawberry tart at 325°F for 8 minutes when I’m ready to eat.
Rhubarb and Strawberry Tart Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cool Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: vegetarian
Description
A crisp, bright tart filled with tangy rhubarb, sweet strawberries, honey, and a hint of citrus, sealed with a butter-rich almond crust and frangipane layer.
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon ice water (add up to 1 tablespoon more if needed)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (for frangipane seal)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (for frangipane seal)
- 1 large egg (for frangipane seal)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (for frangipane seal)
- ½ cup almond flour (for frangipane seal)
- 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
- ½ cup granulated sugar (for fruit filling)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (for fruit filling)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the following dry ingredients: 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup almond flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Work in 1 cup of chilled, cubed unsalted butter using a pastry cutter until you achieve pea-sized crumbs. Then, incorporate 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom into the mixture until the dough begins to come together. If the dough is dry, you may add up to 1 tablespoon of ice water. Once blended, form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Keeping the dough cold is essential for achieving a flaky crust.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a 12-inch circle. Gently transfer it to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, trimming any excess edges. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the dough, then line it with parchment paper. Fill the lined shell with pie weights or dried beans to prevent bubbling. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment, and return the crust to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the edges start to turn a light golden brown. Docking and weighing down the crust ensures that it maintains its shape and does not shrink.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Cream together ½ cup softened unsalted butter and ½ cup granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, mixing until well combined. Carefully stir in ½ cup almond flour. Spread this frangipane mixture over the warm tart crust in an even ¼-inch layer. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the frangipane is set but not browned. This layer acts as a moisture barrier that protects the crust from sogginess.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 pound of chopped rhubarb, 1 pound of halved strawberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon ground ginger. Gently toss the fruit until it is well coated and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. This resting step is crucial for macerating the fruit and enabling the starch to activate, resulting in a filling that is glossy and firm without any gumminess.
- Pour the fruit mixture into the tart shell, spreading it out evenly. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon of water for the egg wash. Brush the egg wash around the rim of the crust and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar on top. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 40–45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust has turned a lovely golden brown. Bubbles in the filling indicate that it has thickened properly.
- Once out of the oven, allow the tart to cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before removing the rim of the tart pan. This crucial cooling period ensures that the filling sets well, allowing for clean slices when served.
Notes
- Honey provides a floral sweetness that offsets granulated sugar, enhancing flavor without adding graininess.
- Tapioca starch results in a clear, firm filling that avoids the chalky texture that cornstarch might provide.
- The addition of almond flour in both the crust and frangipane enriches the flavor and fortifies the sealing layer.
- Consider substituting ground cardamom with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon if desired.
- For storage, cover the tart and refrigerate it for up to three days. Rewarm slices at 325°F for about 8 minutes before serving.
- If you need a dairy-free crust, replace unsalted butter with solid coconut oil and add an additional tablespoon of ice water to the dough.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
Ingredient Notes
- all-purpose flour: choose unbleached for neutral taste and steady structure, sift before mixing to avoid lumps, store in airtight bin to stay fresh
- almond flour: finely ground, pale color indicates freshness, helps frangipane seal and adds nutty depth, swap cinnamon if needed
- large eggs: use room-temperature eggs for smoother dough and frangipane binding, reserve one for egg wash, fridge up to a week in shell
- vanilla bean paste: rich vanilla specks boost flavor in crust and frangipane, stir gently, or swap vanilla extract if unavailable
- lemon zest: use a microplane to zest only yellow skin, adds bright citrus notes, freeze extra zest flat for later use
- rhubarb: pick crisp stalks with uniform color, trim ends and cut into pieces for even cook, stores few days refrigerated wrapped
- strawberries: look for firm, bright-red berries, hull then halve, gentle toss to keep shape, dry well to avoid diluting filling
- honey: choose runny floral honey for natural sweetening, warms mix and offsets sugar graininess, store cool to prevent crystallization
- lemon juice: squeeze fresh for bright zing, strain seeds, balances sweetness, fridge a couple days in sealed jar
- ground ginger: adds warm spice, choose finely ground for even blend, sniff jar first—stale ginger tastes flat
- egg wash: whisk reserved egg with water for shiny crust edge, brush thin coat, avoid drips on filling to prevent browning gaps
Recipe Baking Tips
- If crust browns unevenly 25 minutes into baking, cover exposed edges with foil strips securely before returning to oven to maintain even color and prevent overbrowning on thinner outer sections.
- If filling seeps into crust, sprinkle 2 tablespoons tapioca starch over frangipane layer before adding fruit mixture for a clear filling set without moisture soak after fruit rests 10 minutes.
- If crust shrinks 20 minutes into blind bake, press parchment sides firmly against pan and add extra pie weights using metal baking beads for coverage until edge holds original shape.
- If strawberries and rhubarb sink unevenly, arrange larger pieces first then layer smaller pieces 5 minutes before filling bake time ends in staggered rows around tart perimeter for even distribution.
- For over-sweet filling, reduce granulated sugar to ⅓ cup and increase honey to ⅓ cup in fruit bowl evenly coating before macerating fruit for 10 minutes to maintain tang-sweet balance.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with fennel orange salad tossed in mustard vinaigrette with cashew alongside a slice of rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe. Pair a wedge of spinach goat cheese quiche alongside mint iced tea served in glass with lemon wedge mint sprig.
Use to make strawberry rhubarb breakfast bars using fruit filling and honey citrus glaze from rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe. Add leftover almond shortcrust crumbs to yogurt bowl or chia pudding topped with macerated fruit from rhubarb strawberry tart recipe.
Top each slice with dollop of mascarpone whipped with honey and lemon zest before serving rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe. Drizzle balsamic reduction over cuts from rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe served alongside garnish handful almond slivers on dessert plate.
Recipe variations
- You can use fresh blueberries instead of strawberries with one pound rhubarb for a blueberry-rhubarb tart that retains honey-citrus sweetening and thin almond frangipane seal.
- Add one teaspoon ground cinnamon and half teaspoon cardamom to the crust flour blend for warm spice notes reflecting lemon zest and frangipane seal layer.
- Either honey or pure maple syrup can sweeten the fruit filling alongside two tablespoons tapioca starch and half cup granulated sugar for bright citrus-ginger balance.
- If using two nine-inch tart pans, double ingredients including two eggs, two cups almond flour, two pounds rhubarb and strawberries, serve with Gluten-Free Pecan Pie.
Save This Recipe!
How to Store?
To keep your rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe fresh and delicious, follow these storage tips:
Room Temperature: airtight container at room temperature up to six hours. Seal container before resting. Keep away from direct sunlight.
Refrigeration: airtight container in refrigerator up to three days. Cool completely before sealing. Warm slices gently at 325°F eight minutes.
Freezing: wrap portions in plastic wrap. Place inside freezer container at zero°F up to three months. Thaw at room temperature.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chips Zucchini Bread
- Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Gluten Free Zucchini Brownies
If you enjoyed this rhubarb and strawberry tart recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
