These festive Pomegranate Pistachio Tarts are filled with maple-sweetened chocolate. Gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free.
Our week got off to a rather unusual start. My husband, in one wrong move off the curb, broke his foot. We spent Sunday night in the ER with my family that rushed to help me get him there. And thank goodness for them, for as I, the healthy one with no broken foot, was a total wreck.
But my mom, taking note of her freaked out introverted daughter, chatted away with the nurses, x-ray technicians, and doctors that would swoop in and out, making friends with them all. It reminded me of the movie While You Were Sleeping (one of my favorites), and I promptly started making a mental list of the holiday movies we could watch while Heath is recuperating.
Luckily, moments before our trip to the ER, I had begun to formulate the idea for these pomegranate pistachio tarts. I was decorating our tree, stringing lights around our place and might have even been humming “Winter Wonderland’. I wanted to create something fairly simple that would prove to be a festive dessert for any holiday celebration.
The crust is a no-fuss almond flour press-in crust. Maple-sweetened dark chocolate kisses the bottom and an almond butter-maple syrup glaze coats the pomegranates, pistachios, and almonds. The pomegranates add the perfect burst of tart against the sweetened nuts and rich chocolate.
This recipe is versatile – use the tart pans or non-tart pans that you have on hand. Make with small tart pans, make in one big tart pan, or use a cupcake pan, just adjust the time you bake the crust. Enjoy!
Make a Salted Plains recipe? I’d love to see! Tag your creations on Instagram with #saltedplains!
Pomegranate Pistachio Tarts (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Ingredients
For Filling
- 1/3 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw pistachios
- ¼ cup creamy unsalted almond butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
For Maple-Sweetened Chocolate
- 4- ounces unsweetened baking chocolate chopped
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For Crust
- 2 cups almond flour packed
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch or two of sea salt I prefer two
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil melted
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease six 4-inch tart pans with coconut oil or spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking soda, sea salt. Add maple syrup and coconut oil. Blend with a fork until liquid is evenly distributed.
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Place six 4-inch tart pans on a baking sheet. Equally divide crust mixture between tart pans. Press crust mixture into bottom and up sides of pans. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until crust has started to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack. Keep the oven on at 350 degrees.
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While the crusts are cooling, spread almonds and pistachios on a baking sheet and roast for 5-8 minutes, careful to not burn nuts. Remove and allow to cool.
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In a small saucepan, combine almond butter and maple syrup on low heat, stirring occasionally. Once thoroughly combined, add vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Place nuts in a large bowl and add almond butter mixture. Stir until nut mixture is evenly coated. Add pomegranates and stir to coat. Set aside and prepare maple-sweetened dark chocolate.
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Carefully remove tarts from pans (helps if you loosen crust from sides with a knife or fork). Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate at 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring after each interval. When the chocolate has melted, whisking quickly, add the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and salt.
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Using a small spoon, divide and spread the chocolate on the bottom of each tart crust. Spoon the nut mixture onto each chocolate-filled tart crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to serve. If tarts are refrigerated for over an hour, allow them to sit out for about 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Inspired by Bon Appetite. Adapted from my No-Bake Granola Bars with Maple-Sweetened Dark Chocolate and my Blood Orange Mousse Tarts.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear about your husband’s injury… that sounds painful too. I wish him a comfortable and speedy recovery. You are blessed indeed to have family nearby (one introvert to another ;o). I have not seen While you were Sleeping but you’ve just given me a great idea for the weekend. Tessa, these tarts… they look like works of art! beautiful photo sequence. I’m wowed by the glistening pops of red and green – festive and seductive – and I can only imagine how delicious they must taste. Good for you for pulling these beauties together despite an emotional week… bet your man loved sampling them :) hugs and healing thoughts, x.
Thank you so much, Kelly. I think we are going to get to check a lot of movies off our list over the holidays. ;) You should definitely check out While You Were Sleeping! It’s an old Sandra Bullock movie from the 90’s – funny, Christmas-y, and light-hearted.
Thank you for your kind words. It means a lot. I’m so glad you like the tarts! Have a wonderful weekend! xo.
So sorry about your husband’s foot! Totally LOVE these tarts Tessa! Absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann! :) Hope you are having a great weekend!
oh gosh, sending heath well wishes! it’s the worst when our loved ones get hurt and you feel helpless. i have also been that girl who falls apart in the ER waiting room.
but these tarts! festive little beauties. i love the simplicity and elegance. xo
Thank you, Amanda (Heath says thanks too!). Totally helpless – great way to describe it!
Thanks again, sweet lady! xo.
These tarts are absolutely gorgeous! Just perfect for the holiday season! Pinning!
Thank you so much, Bethany!!
tessa, these tarts have my heart soaring – so incredibly gorgeous, and a fantastic combination of flavor. huge and well wishes for you and your family. ♥
Aww, thank you Danielle! <3 I so appreciate your kind words.
Tessa! These look so incredible with those glossy pistachios and cranberries! Hope your husband is recovering and still able to enjoy the festive season. On a totally random note- I just read your about page again and saw that you play violin. Me too! I used to teach violin at home before we had kids and now I just teach my 6-yr old daughter. How fun to have that in common with you. :)
Thank you, Emily! Oh my goodness, I love it! I’m so glad you told me. :) I have often thought about teaching private lessons and still think I will someday. It must be so fun to teach your own daughter.
Ohh my goodness! I can’t even handle how good these look. Not only are they stunning, they are made with wonderfully wholesome ingredients! Love it. Well wishes you your family xx
Thank you so much for your kind words, Erin! While they are a sweet treat, I do love that there is some healthy goodness hidden inside! :)
Oh my! Your poor husband! Food injuries are the worst! So glad your family was there to help both in support and a cool head! I hope he’s doing okay. and you too!! So much to love about these sweet, festive little tarts. The flavors, textures and color are gorgeous and perfect for the holidays. I need to put some little tartlet pans on my list! Thank you for this my dear! xo
Thank you, Traci!! I’m so glad our family was around too. This week has been much better than last. He got one of those knee scooter things and has been zooming around our place. Haha. :)
Tartlet pans are so fun! Thank you so much for your kind comments. Hope you are having a good week!! xo.
is it possible to bake this as a regular tart?
Hi Jane! I haven’t tried it as a regular sized tart, but I do think it would work. The crust baking time would probably adjust a bit, but other than that I think it should work great. Love to know if you try it!