Peach Tarte Tatin (Simplified For Beginners)
Our peach tarte tatin isn’t quite authentic, but it’s an easy 5-ingredient tart anyone can make. With clear step-by-step instructions and photos, even beginners can pull it off in about 30 minutes.
Juicy, caramelized peaches nestled in a buttery puff pastry crust – an easy dessert that’s sure to get plenty of ooh’s and ahh’s.
What to expect
A tarte tatin is a classic French dessert: caramelized fruit baked upside down with pastry, then flipped so the crust is on the bottom and the glossy fruit is on top. Traditionally, it’s made with thick-cut apples caramelized in a cast-iron pan, then baked with pastry – a process that takes an hour or more.
Our peach tarte tatin is a quicker, fuss-free twist. And delicious! We swap apples for thin slices of ripe peaches (no peeling needed) and use pre-rolled puff pastry for a flaky shortcut. No stovetop caramelizing, no special pan – just assemble in a pie dish, bake, and flip. It’s not authentic, but I’d bet it’s the simplest one.
The result is a rustic upside-down tart with golden pastry and juicy caramelized peaches, ready in about 30 minutes. Best enjoyed warm, but just as good at room temperature.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Peaches: Use ripe (but not too soft) peaches. Freestone peaches are easier to separate from the pit and slice than clingstone peaches are.
- Puff Pastry: Buy it in the frozen dessert/pastry section of your grocery store. Try to get a package with 2 pre-rolled sheets (no rolling needed). For a richer taste, look for ‘made with butter’ on the package.
- The rest: butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Substitutions
- Peaches: If you don’t like or have ripe peaches, try apples or bananas. You will need to sprinkle less flour on the apples and none on the bananas. Try our puff pastry apple tart, which uses the same easy method.
- Spice: Instead of cinnamon, try nutmeg, allspice or a pinch of ground cloves.
Variations
- Garnish: Sprinkle with crushed toasted pecans or walnuts.
- Serving options: Serve it with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche for a delicious weeknight or company dessert.
- Lower the calories: Use a little less butter and sugar. Don’t overdo it though, as you still want that caramelized taste and glaze. You’re not going to achieve a low cal dessert here!
- Gluten free version: You can buy gluten-free puff pastry (more difficult to find). The texture is a little less flaky and stretchy than traditional puff pastry. Replace the sprinkle of flour with gluten-free flour.
Step by step instructions
Puff Pastry FAQs
Puff pastry is a light and flaky pastry made from butter, salt, water and flour. It alternates layers of butter and dough. Several brands use butter alternatives. If possible, get a brand that says ‘made with butter’ on the package for a richer taste.
Yes — about 40–50 minutes at room temp, but don’t let it get too warm. Cold dough is easier to handle, so thaw overnight in the fridge if possible. If it softens too much, flour the surface or chill again before using.
If the dough is not pre-rolled into two separate sheets, roll one sheet into a 14 x 14 inch square (35 x 35 cm) about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Sprinkle a bit of flour on parchment or a cutting board before rolling out the dough to prevent sticking.
As the tart cools, fruit juices can seep into the crust. To prevent this, sprinkle the fruit with a little flour before baking. It’s as simple as that.
Love puff pastry?
- super easy potato knishes
- vegetable strudel recipe
- skillet chicken pot pie (30 minutes)
- cheese twists
- knish recipe with root vegetable mash
- tomato tart with puff pastry
- beet and goat cheese appetizer
- cinnamon puff pastry rolls
And if you LOVE peaches, check out these delicious peach recipes including apps, condiments, mains, sides, salads and desserts.
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Peach Tarte Tatin (for beginners)
Ingredients
- 3 medium peaches (or 4 small), pits removed, sliced into thin wedges (about 1/4-1/3 inch thick/6-8mm) no need to peel
- 2 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or a bit more if peaches are very juicy)
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (or nutmeg, cardamom, or allspice)
- 1/2 pound puff pastry dough (one sheet), thawed, Note 1 (8 ounces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/204C.
- PREPARE PEACH FILLING: Spread softened butter on bottom and sides of an 8-9 inch (20-23 cm) pie dish. I used my fingers. Sprinkle on brown sugar to cover the bottom of the pan. Arrange peach slices, slightly overlapping, around the outer edge, then the inner edge, covering the entire bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over peaches (or a bit less if peaches aren't too juicy) to help absorb the juices and avoid a soggy crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
- PREPARE PUFF PASTRY CRUST: The crust will start on the top and end up on the bottom when tart is inverted onto a plate. Unfold dough or roll to 1/8 inch/3.2mm. Cut out round piece of dough to fit pie dish. (I lay pie dish on top of dough and cut around it). You will have leftover dough. Don't fuss – you can trim it after. Place puff pastry dough on top of peaches and tuck the edges downward all around the inside edge of pie plate. No need to cut small slits in the dough.
- BAKE AND SERVE: Bake tart for 23 minutes or until crispy and deep golden brown. Remove from oven. Place a serving plate (slightly larger than the pie plate) over the pie dish. Using oven mitts if plate is hot, invert (flip over) the peach tarte tatin onto a plate. The caramelized peaches will slowly fall onto the baked crust. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
- Puff pastry notes:
- For a richer taste, but a package that says ‘made with butter’
- For convenience, buy a package with two pre-rolled sheets. Then you can just defrost and use one – and no rolling.
- It’s easier to work with cold dough and best to defrost the dough in the fridge overnight.
- If the dough is not pre-rolled into two separate sheets, roll one sheet into a 14 x 14 inch square (35 x 35 cm) about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Sprinkle a bit of flour on parchment or a cutting board before rolling out the dough to prevent sticking.
- Substitution
- For apples: If you don’t like or have peaches, use apples or bananas. You will need to sprinkle less flour on the apples and none on the bananas.
- Variations
- Garnish: Sprinkle with crushed toasted pecans or walnuts.
- Lower the calories: Use a little less butter and sugar. Don’t overdo it. This is not a low-cal dessert!
- Gluten free: Use gluten free puff pastry if you can find it. It won’t be quite as flaky and stretchy though. Replace the sprinkle of flour with gluten free flour.
- Serving options: Try it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or creme fraîche.
- Number of Servings: The recipe is for one small 8-9 inch tart that would serve about 4-6 people. If you use a full package of puff pastry (2 sheets/rolls), you can make 3 full 8-9inch/20-23cm tarts. Use the left over puff pastry from two tarts to make the third.
- Make Ahead
- Make the entire peach puff pastry tart a few hours ahead, let it sit on the counter, then warm and crisp it in a 350F/176.7C oven for about 5-7 minutes before serving.
- Alternatively, assemble the peach tart tatin a few hours ahead, then bake it while your guests are eating dinner.
So easy and delicious ! This recipe is a keeper and will try without th apples next time since peach season is about over here for us .
Thanks Mo. Hope you like it with apples too!
Absolutely delicious but the puff pastry stayed soggy where it met the peaches. I would maybe try and blind bake the crust beforehand next time. The bottom was golden brown and I cooked it for about 35 min. The peaches were juicy but firm. So not really sure what the issue was
Hi Annie. Sorry to hear your puff pastry was soggy. Thanks for the feedback. I don’t think blind baking the crust is needed in this recipe or recommended. If your peaches were very juicy, perhaps a touch more flour sprinkled on before topping with the puff pastry would help. Or baking a little longer. Many of our ovens aren’t calibrated to the right temperature so is it possible the crust browned too quickly on the surface without crisping up throughout? Just some thought I hope will help if you try again.
Can you use canned peaches? Will that ruin the recipe?
As I mentioned to another reader, I would try frozen peaches (not canned) if you don’t have fresh. Thaw and drain them well and pat them a little with a paper towel. If they are very juicy, add an extra 1/2 tablespoon flour to absorb the extra juices. I think canned peaches might get too mushy and the syrup they sit in might affect the texture. I hope that helps.
Oh I just saw my response today and the same question by someone else, hahah. Thank you for your response! I’m going to try the recipe with your recommended substitution. Thanks!
I’m doing a themed party and really, really want to do this with peaches, but it is October. Is it possible to do this with canned, frozen or dried peaches?
With canned, I feel like they would turn mushy. Frozen could work if they were thawed and dried maybe? Curious what your thoughts might be!
Hi Sarah, I would use frozen peaches if you can’t find fresh ones. Thaw them in a colander, let them drain well, and pat them with a paper towel. It might be helpful to sprinkle on another 1/2 tablespoon of flour to absorb the extra liquid if they are very juicy. Let us know how it works out! Good luck 🙂
Yep! Came out pretty much as described. And it was super easy to make.
Great to hear – on both counts! Thanks Anna.
I would like to make this but was wondering if there was a butter substitute I could use. I serve people who can’t have butter. Coconut oil or Margarine
( yuk).
There is no problem with using the substitutes you mentioned or even spray the pie pan with oil like Pam. More importantly, be sure the buy a puff pastry that is not made with butter – not quite as rich tasting, but still good.
I made this tarte tatin this afternoon as I had a crazy amount of peaches to use up and didn’t want to make chutney with all of them. It was so much easier and quicker to put together than using the traditional method and is absolutely delicious. Mine turned out looking pretty much like yours except my peaches weren’t quite so artistically arranged! I will definitely be trying some of your other recipes.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment Caty. So glad you liked it! A delicious way to use up peaches as you say. Hope you like some of our other recipes too.