Sweet Tart Crust (Pâte Sucrée)

This homemade Tart Crust recipe is buttery, crisp, flaky, and easy to make. Pair it with Homemade Pastry Cream and it’s the perfect go-to base for making Fruit Tarts.

Just like homemade Pie Crust, or even Pizza Dough, making your own tart crust is much better in flavor, texture, freshness, and quality than store-bought.

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Tart Crust Recipe

I’ve always been disappointed with store-bought fruit tarts. They look so beautiful and they are tempting for sure behind the bakery glass window, but it’s the crust that I struggle with. They are typically so hard and thick that I’m literally sawing it with my knife which leads to the crust falling apart despite my best efforts to keep the tart looking pretty.

Making a Tart Pastry is as easy as making basic shortbread cookie dough. The beauty of this tart dough is you don’t need pie weights – it doesn’t puff up or lose its form. Incorporating an egg yolk also helps to ensure it doesn’t get overly tough and difficult to cut through later. 

Ingredients for a Tart Shell

The ingredients for making tart dough are so simple and you probably already have them in your pantry and refrigerator:

• Butter – use softened, unsalted butter so you can control the salt
• Sugar – granulated sugar adds sweetness to the crust
• Salt – use fine sea salt to balance the sweetness
• Egg yolk – creates a tender dough
• Vanilla extract – use homemade vanilla for the best taste and aroma
• All-purpose flour – creates an ideal, sturdy crumb

How to Make Crust for Tarts

This dough is so easy to make and comes together in the bowl of a mixer (although you could make it by hand with a firm spatula and a mixing bowl).

1. Cream together sugar, salt, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
2. Add yolk and vanilla and beat to incorporate.
3. Add flour and mix until a dough forms.
4. Press dough squarely and evenly into the tart pan and trim off the edges.
5. Bake over a baking sheet in the center of a preheated oven until golden brown.
6. Cool on a rack then remove from the mold. Now you can use it to make a Fruit Tart.

Pro Tip: Use a non-stick tart pan with a removable bottom which will make it much easier to remove the mold after the crust has baked and cooled. To remove the outer ring, you can place the tart over something that is narrower than the ring and gently pull down the outer ring to remove it. You can then slide a knife gently around the base to help the tart slide off the base easily or serve it on the base.

Common Questions

Make-Ahead Tart Crust

There are so many great options to make this sweet tart crust ahead of time, before or after it is baked:

• Baked tart crust – can be covered and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days 
• Raw tart dough – can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. 
• Frozen raw tart dough – cover tightly with several layers of plastic wrap then set inside a freezer-safe zip bag, remove excess air and freeze for up to 3 months.
• To Thaw – place frozen tart dough in the refrigerator overnight before using then let it sit at room temperature just until it’s softened and malleable enough to press into the tart pan 

More Homemade Pastry Recipes

Learning basic pastry recipes like this Sweet Tart Crust will give you confidence for experimenting with new recipes and variations. Many pastries call for the same basic dough recipes. For example, the choux pastry dough used to make Cream Puffs is also used to make Churros!

• Peach Galette
• Easy Pie Crust
• Eclairs
• Zeppole (Italian donuts)
• Fluffy Biscuits

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Sweet Tart Crust (Pâte Sucrée)

5 from 7 votes

Prep Time: 17 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This homemade Tart Crust recipe is buttery, crisp, flaky, and easy to make. The best part is, you don't need pie weights. Serve this with homemade Pastry Cream to make the best fresh Fruit Tarts.

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $2-$4

Keyword: Pate Sucree, Sweet Tart Dough, Tart Crust

Cuisine: French

Course: Dessert

Servings: 1 tart crust

Ingredients

• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, salt, and butter and cream together on medium speed just until combined (2-3 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed.

2. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. Add flour and mix on low speed until the flour is fully incorporated and dough comes together (1 minute). Transfer dough to a clean work surface and shape the dough into a flat disk. Press the dough into an 11-inch or 10-inch round tart pan. The dough should be about 1/4” thick on the bottom and sides of the pan.

4. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the corners squarely. Flatten the finished top edge with your fingertips or trim the top edge with a paring knife so it sits flush in line with the top of the tart pan (I repurpose any scraps by patching any thin-looking areas). Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.

5. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Set the tart pan over a baking sheet to make it easier to transfer and Bake at 350˚F in the center of the oven for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Once the dough is at room temperature, carefully remove the outer rim by pushing on the base of the mold. To release from the base, carefully insert a knife between the pan and the crust to release, moving around the edges of the pan until the base releases easily.

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