This healthy strawberry tart gets a botanical upgrade that’ll rock your lavender lovin’ world. Dried lavender flowers are blended into this creamy no-bake filling that’s topped off with juicy, fresh sliced, and antioxidant-rich strawberries. Made without refined sugars, gluten, dairy, or eggs, this tart is an ultra healthy dessert option to add to your strawberry season repertoire.
HERE YOU’LL FIND:
The Health Benefits of Lavender
Other Recipes with Lavender Love
How to Make a Strawberry Tart
Tips on Serving & Storing
More Botanical Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
Strawberry Tart with Lavender RECIPE
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The Plant Magic of Strawberry Meets Lavender
One of the best culinary compliments to strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and every other kind of berry out there is aromatic edible flowers.
It’s a match made in heaven-on-earth that I can’t really put words to. Berries and lavender just go together. The sweet and floral taste of lavender with herbaceous undertones bring out the best in berries.
Strawberries and lavender complete each other in a real special way. And that’s that!
The Health Benefits of Lavender
If you’ve been hanging around here long enough, you know that it’s my greatest goal to help you get more beneficial herbs and spices into your every day.
Short of just drinking more water and moving our bodies, eating more nutritive and medicinal herbs and spices is probably one of the simplest, most accessible, and most impactful things we can do for our health.
So about lavender…
This Mediterranean native is so much more than a pretty flower and lovely aroma reminiscent of the romantic French warm and misty seaside. Lavender has a long history of use as a medicine. Accordingly, when you add lavender to this strawberry tart, you’re not only adding a unique flavor, but all the medicinal benefits as well.
As a medicinal herb, lavender is considered to be:
- Carminative (helps to ease and support healthy digestion)
- Antimicrobial (anti-fungal and antibacterial)
- Mildly Sedative/Relaxing (often used for stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, tension of all kinds)
- Anti-inflammatory (can be helpful with migraines, acute and chronic pain, sore muscles, and immune support)
- Antispasmodic (helps to prevent muscle spasms that can cause painful cramping, digestive dis-ease, and more)
Wanna know more about lavender?
Check out this post: 19 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Lavender
Love Lavender? Try These Recipes!
- Mini Elderberry & Fig Galettes drizzled with Lavender-Tulsi Honey
- Chamomile, Lavender, and Rose Bathtub Tea for the most lavish botanical soak
- Herbs de Provence Infused Olive Oil made with your easy DIY herbs de Provence blend
- Anti-Anxiety Herbal Tea with lemon balm, oat straw, lavender, and rose hips
How to Make a Healthy Strawberry Tart
Equipment You’ll Need:
- Food Processor
- 9″ Round Tart Pan
- Blender (a High-speed Blender is ideal, but not necessary)
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Method:
- Make the gluten-free crust: This crust is one of my favorite gluten-free vegan tart crusts. It’s adapted from a recipe by The Bojon Gourmet and is absolutely delicious.
It’s easy to make and comes together in a few seconds in the food processor. But you could also make by hand, cutting the plant-based butter into the gluten-free flour blend with a pastry cutter/blender.
And while this crust comes together incredibly quick, it does take some time to form it into the tart pan. You’ll start by carefully forming the edges and then finish by filling in the bottom. It does take a little bit of patience, but I promise you it’s worth it.
- Make the lavender filling: After the crust is baked and cooled, you’ll make the filling. Just throw all the filling ingredients into a high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy. Then pour on top of the crust. There’s nothing complicated about it!
If you do not have a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, it may be difficult to get the filling ultra smooth and creamy. Soaking the cashews overnight will help soften them tremendously, making them easier to puree. Be sure to not skip this step.
- Allow the filling to set: Allow tart to set in the freezer for ~3-4 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
- Top with sliced strawberries: Get creative and use your fresh sliced strawberries to adorn the top of this tart. Personally, I’m a fan of the slightly overlapping concentric circles. Starting on the outer edge of the tart, line the edge of the tart with your strawberry slices and work your way towards the middle.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy. You’ll carefully remove the tart from the pan and then use a sharp knife to slice the tart into the number of slices desired.
Tips on Serving & Storing
What’s the best way to slice this tart?
This tart is best sliced as soon as you place the sliced strawberries on top. Once the tart is removed from either the freezer (after setting for 3-4 hours and then allowing to thaw for ~15 minutes) or refrigerator (after setting overnight), carefully remove the tart from the pan.
The colder and firmer the tart is, the better. As the tart comes closer to room temperature, it will become more difficult to slice AND keep it pretty looking.
Remove the tart from the pan and slide off the removable bottom and onto a cutting board. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the tart into desired number of slices. I find that 10 servings works well with a 9″ round tart.
**A TIP ON KEEPING IT EXTRA PRETTY: Use a sharp knife to gently “saw” through the layer of strawberries first, as opposed to just pushing your knife down from the top. Once you’re through the layer of strawberries, you should be able to push your knife down through the crust without messing up your pretty layer of neatly arranged strawberry slices. Wiping your knife off between slices will also help give you a cleaner looking slice.
How long will this strawberry tart keep?
Wrap tightly or place uneaten slices in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to enjoy, pull from freezer about ~20 minutes prior to serving.
An important thing to know about semi-raw desserts…
The filling of this tart is essentially raw. And the thing about raw desserts is that they’ll melt and turn into a mess if left out at room temperature too long. They’ll be a delicious mess, but a mess nonetheless.
It’s best to enjoy this tart fresh out of the fridge. If your tart does become too soft, pop it back in the refrigerator for an hour or freezer for about 15-20 minutes.
More Botanical Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Lemon Rosemary Tart with Rose Hip Jam (vegan, gluten free)
- Calendula Honey No-Bake Cheesecake (gluten free, dairy free, ,refined sugar free)
- Strawberry Pop Tarts with Pistachio & Rose (vegan, refined sugar free)
- Chamomile Lemon Bars (vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)
For more plant magic & herbal wellness in your life, be sure to follow along on ➡️ Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, & snag my herbal 📚 eBooks Nourishing Herbal Gifts & Holiday Pies from the (Un)Bakery. 🌿 And please don’t forget to tag me in your snaps 📸 @_botanyculture_. I love to see all the plant magic you make happen!
Healthy Lavender Strawberry Tart
(vegan & gluten-free)
Course: Snacks, DessertCuisine: Vegan, Gluten-FreeDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes20
minutes4
hoursEnjoy this refreshing strawberry tart made extra special with the addition of lavender flowers. The gluten-free crust bakes up to a nice crisp and is the perfect complement to the creamy, cashew-based filling and fresh strawberries on top.
Ingredients
- Gluten Free Crust
1/2 cup almond flour (not almond meal)
1/2 cup oat flour**
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 tablespoons Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener***
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other plant-based butter), cold, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Creamy Lavender Filling
1 1/2 cup cashews, soaked 6-8 hours overnight
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
- Strawberry Topping
~2 cups fresh sliced strawberries
Directions
- How to Make the Gluten Free Crust
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and prepare a 9″ round tart pan with a removable bottom by lightly oiling. Be sure to get into all the crevices of the fluted, scalloped edges. (A 5×13″ loose-bottomed rectangular tart pan will also work.)
- To a food processor, add in all ingredients except the butter and vanilla extract. Pulse a few time to fully incorporate.
- Then, add in the cold cubes of butter and the vanilla extract. Pulse together until thoroughly combined. The mixture should still look a little crumbly, but will hold when pressed together.
- Spoon about half of the crust crumbs into the prepared pan and use those to form the sides, gently pressing the crust evenly around the edges. Then add the remaining crust crumbs and gently press around to form the bottom.
The process of forming the crust is the hardest part of making this tart, and only because it requires patience. It generally takes me about 5-10 minutes to make the crust pretty. - Set tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven to bake for 25-28 minutes, until slightly puffed and a little golden.
- While the crust is still hot, use the back of a spoon to press the crust firmly and evenly into the pan. This is also an opportunity to re-shape any imperfections and will help the crust hold together much better for serving.
Then, let it cool completely. When cool, make the filling. - How to Make the No-Bake Lavender Filling & Assemble the Tart
- Add all filling ingredients to a high speed blender and purée until smooth and creamy. Then pour into cooled crust.
- Place tart in the freezer and allow to set for 4-6 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight.
- Once the filling is set, arrange the sliced strawberries on top. Overlapping concentric circles always look nice.
- Carefully remove the outer ring of the tart pan and slide the tart off the removable bottom onto a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice the tart into 10 slices. (If frozen, you may have to allow the tart to thaw for ~15-20 minutes before slicing.)
- Serve and enjoy! Tart will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to one month.
Notes
- *GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND: I have not tested this recipe with any other gluten-free flour blend. I imagine any all-purpose or 1:1 gluten-free flour blend would work, however, I cannot guarantee results.
- **OAT FLOUR: Not all oat flour is created equally. If gluten is a concern, look for oat flour that is certified gluten-free. While oats are naturally gluten free, the may be processed in a facility that is not and could contain trace amounts of gluten. You can also make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats to a fine grain in your blender. Making your own is much more cost effective!
- ***LAKANTO MONKFRUIT SWEETENER: This is my favorite brand of monkfruit sweetener, however you could also substitute with an equal amount of coconut sugar or granulated cane sugar. Alternatively, you could also substitute with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: This tart can be made ahead of time. Refrain from adding the fresh sliced strawberries until the day you’re ready to serve. Once the filling sets, wrap the tart tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready to serve. Remove from freezer ~30 minutes before serving and arrange fresh sliced strawberries on top.
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DISCLAIMER: The information given in this article is intended for educational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare practitioner before consuming certain herbs & medicinal foods, especially if pregnant, nursing, or taking any prescription medications.
