Each bite of this fresh fruit tart is a mix of crumbly sweet crust, smooth and decadent custard and juicy fresh berries! This is the perfect refreshing treat for warmer weather!
If you love this French dessert with fruit, you will also love these mini fruit tarts, fruit pizza and beignets.
Table of Contents
Fruit Custard Tart
This fruit custard tart recipe is an elegant dessert to make for any event from a baby or bridal shower to graduation or for a 4th of July dessert. It always makes me feel like a French pastry chef and each bite is a mix of sweet pastry, decadent custard and juicy berries!
One of the things I love about spring and summer is the abundance of fresh, juicy produce that’s just waiting to be transformed into delightful treats. This fresh fruit tart is a great way to showcase the vibrant colors as well as my fruit platter recipe!
Ingredients
Scroll down for the full printable recipe.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour.
- Sugar: This is what makes the custard sweet.
- Salt: The little bit of salt brings all the flavors together.
- Butter: I’m using unsalted for this crust.
- Eggs: You’ll use the whole egg for the crust and just egg yolks for the custard.
- Milk: You’ll want to use whole milk here.
- Cornstarch: This acts as a thickening agent for the custard.
- Vanilla: I love to use pure vanilla extract for ultimate flavor.
- Fresh fruit: We love to top with fresh berries and kiwi, but you can top with whichever fruit is in season.
How to Make a Fruit Tart
It does take a little advance planning, since both the tart pastry and the pastry cream need time to chill in the refrigerator, but each step is pretty simple and straightforward. When it comes time to assemble the fruit tart, it’s really quick to put together but still looks very impressive.
Crust
- Make dough. In a blender or food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt and butter until butter pieces are no bigger than pea size. Add the egg and pulse until dough starts to clump together. Add milk as needed to help the dough come together. Shape into a disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Shape in pan. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 10 inch tart pan. Roll the dough out on a floured surface, so that it’s size it’s slightly bigger than the tart pan and is about 1/4 inch thick. Then press dough onto bottom of pan and form up the sides. Pierce the dough several times with a fork.
- Bake in oven. Bake crust for 18 to 22 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely.
Custard
- Mix and thicken. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt until well combined and no lumps remain. Then whisk in the milk until well combined. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat for 2 to 4 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Pour into crust. Next add in each piece of butter separately, whisking until completely melted before adding the next piece. Pour the hot mixture on top of your cooled tart crust and place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top. Refrigerate for two hours, or until custard is chilled through.
Assembling
- Add fruit on top. To assemble, simply top with fresh fruit like strawberries, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries or even a fresh peach pie filling. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Decorations
Fruit tarts are so fun and easy to decorate! You can make it as simple or intricate as you want. I love to add all my different types of fruit in a circular pattern starting around the edges. You could even sprinkle on some powdered sugar, shredded coconut or top with a fruit glaze.
I love to decorate with red and blueberries to celebrate 4th of July, similar to my flag fruit pizza. It’s so fun and festive!
Recipe FAQs
I find for the best taste use whatever is in season if possible as well as pick a variety to add both color and texture. You could stick to a theme with tropical fruits like mango, kiwi and starfruit or do citrus themed and have berries with mandarin oranges or clementines. I would not use bananas as they are prone to browning quickly. If you would like to use pears or apples, it’s best to follow this apple tart recipe instead.
Yes! To make the smaller version, you’ll prepare the dough and custard as instructed – however the assembly will be a bit different. Instead of using a big tart pan, you’ll use a greased muffin pan by rolling out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and then cutting into shapes that are slightly larger than the muffin well. Press dough into each muffin cavity and prick with a fork before baking about 18 minutes. Cool and then assemble with pastry cream and berries.
This recipe for mini fruit tarts makes enough for 12 smaller fruit tarts.
Yes, you can easily make this recipe ahead of time. I would just recommend waiting to assemble it until the day of serving. Simply bake your tart crust, then let cool and tightly cover with foil.
You can also make your custard ahead of time as well. Then cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in fridge until ready to use. When ready to assemble, simply pour custard in tart shell and decorate with fruit on top.
It will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days. To store, simply cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to enjoy again.
More Delicious Fruit Desserts
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Fruit Tart Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter , cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk , more as needed
For the Custard:
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups whole milk , at room temp (do not substitute)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons butter , cut into tablespoon sized pieces
To Assemble:
- Fresh fruit of your choice
Instructions
For the Crust:
- In a blender or food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt and butter until the butter pieces are no bigger than pea size. Add the egg and pulse until the dough starts to clump together. Add milk as needed to help the dough come together. Shape into a disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 10 inch tart pan. Allow the dough to sit for a few minutes to soften slightly and then roll the dough out on a floured surface. The size should be slightly bigger than the tart pan and is about 1/4 inch thick.
- Then press dough onto bottom of pan and form up the sides. Pierce the dough several times with a fork.
- Bake crust for 18 to 22 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely.
For the Custard:
- In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, corn starch and salt until well combined and no lumps remain. Then whisk in the milk until well combined. Heat the mixture over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has thickened. Make sure to keep stirring the entire time so it doesn't burn. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Next add in each piece of butter separately, whisking until completely melted before adding the next piece. Pour the hot mixture on top of your cooled tart crust and place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top. Refrigerate for two hours, or until custard is chilled through.
To Assemble:
- Top with fresh fruit like strawberries, kiwi, raspberries and blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Notes
- Prepare the dough and custard as instructed – however use a greased muffin pan instead of a tart pan for the crust.
- Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick, then use a cookie cutter to cut dough into scalloped circles that are slightly larger than the wells of your muffin pan.
- Press the circles into the bottom of the muffin cups and pierce several times with a fork. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- Let cool completely, then add in custard and top with fruit. This recipe makes enough for 12 smaller tarts.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe contributed by Alicia from The Baker Upstairs for I Heart Naptime.
Categorized as: 4th of July, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, Pies + Tarts
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I had the same issue. It has been in the fridge for 6 hours and is still extremely runny. It had started to firm up on the stove before I took it off.
are there “ready made” tart shells? anyone know? thanks!
I would try using refrigerated pie crust dough! :)
Yes, there are from tenderflake!
I cooked the filling longer than the 4 minutes…until it thickened. Worked great!
Hi! Can i use vanilla extract instead of vanilla for the pastry cream?
That should work just fine! :)
It seems I am having the same problem many others are. The pastry cream is not setting up at all even after hours in the fridge. How was the recipe proofed? How many times was it tested? It can’t be a coincidence I am having the same issues two others are having.
Hi Marci! This was a guest post, so I’m not sure how many times this recipe was tested…but I have made the tarts without any problems getting the pastry cream to set. Was it thick when you cooked it on the stove? It should be setting up before you even put it in the fridge. I would recommend cooking it longer and try adding less milk next time!
What size muffin tin did u use?
Just a standard muffin tin with 12 muffin cups. :)
THANK U THANK U!
Hi! Can I use oil (vegetable or coconut) instead of butter? I completely ran out of butter?
Hi Michelle! Unfortunately I don’t think it would be the same consistency without the butter!
I cant get the cream filling to firm up! Ive chilled it all day! How can I save it?
I’m sorry you are having a hard time getting it to firm up! I’m not sure what to do to save it. Was it thick when you cooked it on the stove? I would try adding less milk next time!
Hi, I have a dinner function coming up soon and I may not have the time to make this the day before. Can I make the tarts about 4 days before and store them in an dry place and assemble the day of the dinner function?
Hi Shudalia!
The pastry can be made two days ahead, but the cream would be best to be made a day ahead, and then assemble before serving. Hope your dinner party is excellent! :)
Can this recipe be used for a large tart pan?
Absolutely! I would bake the crust for 20 minutes and check for doneness, it might be good or it might need a few more minutes. Otherwise everything will be the same!
I like this recipe
Hi! I’ve had the cream in the fridge for over 2 hours and it still doesn’t have a thick consistency. Any suggestions?
I’d let it chill some more. At this point, cooking it more might do more harm that good.
Can u make a day ahead of time?
I would make all the elements a day ahead, but assemble the day you’re serving them. :)
These look good! I love having fruit desserts like this!
These are so pretty! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
These look so cute and delicious!
I’m so excited to see a dessert using berries!! Spring is here. We are still buried in snow but it’s slowly melting…
It looks so yummmy and delicious. :)