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This Fresh Fruit Tart is a bakery-style dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make at home! A buttery crust is filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh berries for a beautiful dessert that’s perfect for spring and summer gatherings.
For more summer dessert ideas, try my No Bake Strawberry Pie or this layered Blueberry Delight.
Why you’ll love this fresh fruit tart recipe!
Fruit tarts are one of my favorite summer desserts. I love the combination of buttery crust, creamy vanilla filling, and fresh, sweet berries. And while they may look like they take hours to make, fruit tarts are actually pretty simple to put together—at least when you use this recipe!
Traditional French fruit tarts use a crust called pâte sucrée, which is made with flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. The dough is rolled out and then pressed into a tart pan. Once the crust is baked, it’s filled with a layer of pastry cream, then the fruit is arranged over the top. It might not sound like it, but the traditional recipe is a lot of work.
This recipe is every bit as delicious as those beautiful French bakery tarts, but it’s easy enough for anyone to make! Instead of the complicated crust, we use frozen pie dough here. No muss, no fuss, and making a fresh fruit tart with pie crust leaves you more time for the pastry cream and beautiful fruit topping!
- Perfect for summer: Fresh berries and creamy filling make this dessert light and refreshing.
- Beautiful presentation: The colorful fruit topping makes this tart perfect for parties and holidays.
- Make-ahead friendly: The pastry cream can be prepared ahead of time for easy assembly.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Frozen pie dough – Thaw this before you start the recipe.
- Whole milk – Whole milk gives you the creamiest fruit tart filling!
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the pastry cream perfectly.
- Egg yolks – Here’s the best way to crack an egg.
- Cornstarch – Thickens the pastry cream.
- Vanilla extract – A vanilla bean can be used instead, if you prefer.
- Mixed berries – Use a combination of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. (Try my ice water hack for reviving strawberries that are past their prime!)
- Apricot jam – Melt this in the microwave just before applying it as a glaze.
How to Make a Fresh Fruit Tart
- Prepare the crust: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Roll out the thawed pie dough slightly larger than your tart pan. Press the dough into the pan and trim any excess. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the weights and continue baking until golden brown.
- Make the pastry cream: Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until just below a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Add the cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook until thickened. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Assemble the tart: Spread the chilled pastry cream into the cooled tart shell.
- Add the fruit and glaze: Arrange the fresh fruit on top in decorative layers or patterns. Brush the fruit with melted apricot jam for a glossy finish.
How to Store
A fruit tart is best served the day it’s made, but it can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. Wrap it in the tart pan with plastic wrap, or store leftovers in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
A fruit tart is typically made with a sweet, sugar cookie-like crust or a pie crust, then filled with pastry cream or fruit curd. Next, fresh fruit is arranged on top of the tart.
You can arrange the berries however you’d like! If you’re using a single, small fruit like blueberries or even raspberries, you can just scatter them over the top. Larger fruits like strawberries and blackberries look nice in a circular or spiral pattern. If you’re using a few different berries, you can make rings of each one.
Wondering what makes a fruit tart have that beautiful shiny look? It’s an apricot glaze! It’s made by melting apricot jam, then it’s brushed on top of the tart after adding the fresh fruit.
Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries don’t need to be cut, but strawberries should be cut into slices, halved, or quartered, depending on the size of the berries and the look you want.
More Fresh Fruit Recipes You’ll Love
Appetizers & Snacks
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
Quick & Easy Desserts
Fruit Pizza Recipe
All Recipes
Pound Cake with Fruit and Whipped Cream
Soups and Salads
Easy Fruit Salad
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Fresh Fruit Tart
Ingredients
- 1 frozen pie dough thawed
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups mixed berries such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
- ¼ cup apricot jam melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Carefully roll out the pie dough to 1” larger than the tart pan and gently lay the dough into the pan, pushing to form the crust. Cut excess dough off with a paring knife. Cover the shell with parchment paper and add pie weights or beans/rice. Bake for 12 minutes, remove the parchment and weights, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- For the pastry cream, in a medium saucepan heat the milk to just below a simmer stirring to prevent scorching.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Add the cornstarch and salt and continue to whisk until combined. Temper the milk into the yolks and return everything to the saucepan. Continue to cook for another 6-8 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Whisk in vanilla and pour into a bowl to cool. Cover with plastic wrap, being sure to push the plastic onto the surface. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
- Fill the cooled tart shell with pastry, smoothing the top with a spatula. Arrange the fruits on top in a decorative pattern. Brush the fruit with melted apricot jam, reheating as needed. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.
Notes
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the pastry cream while chilling to prevent a skin from forming.
- Use fresh, dry fruit so excess moisture doesn’t water down the tart.
- Chill the tart before serving so the filling fully sets.
- Use a tart pan with a removable bottom for easier slicing and serving.
I love how you make fancy bakery desserts feel so easy to make at home.
You make bakery-style desserts feel so doable at home.
Fresh, light, and surprisingly simple!
Love this, it looks and tastes amazing! 😍
This looks absolutely delicious — love an easy, classic dessert like this!
I made this for friends and they couldn’t stop talking about it.