Best Tomato Tart with Puff Pastry
This rustic tomato tart with puff pastry is a simple, tasty appetizer for a casual dinner party or a light lunch served with a salad and a glass of wine.
The combination of tomatoes, melty cheese and a flaky puff pastry makes a lovely and delicious vegetarian appetizer or main.
When tomatoes are at their peak, the tart is amazing. But it still works beautifully when they’re not due to the vinaigrette dressing that brightens them with herbs, garlic and capers.
It’s hard not to like almost any recipe made with frozen puff pastry. With a few simple tips, it’s really easy to work with and the results are buttery, flaky, crispy deliciousness.
This recipe is adapted from 3 others from Big Oven, Italian Dish and The Pioneer Woman. I tweaked the seasonings and fixed a common reader complaint of a soggy crust.
You will see that a tomato tart recipe is a perfect way to celebrate fabulous summer tomatoes.
Ingredients- tailored to your taste
Ingredients: Puff pastry dough, cherry tomatoes, gruyere and parmesan cheese, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, herbs, capers, salt, and pepper.
Variations and substitutes
Tomato options:
- Mix grape and cherry tomatoes or use multicolored fresh tomatoes.
- Try heirloom tomatoes or beef steak tomatoes, sliced – fantastic in peak tomato season.
Puff pastry alternative:
- For a gluten-free version, buy gluten-free puff pastry.
Cheese options:
- I love the gruyere and parmesan cheese combination, but feel free to use other cheeses like Fontina, Mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, goat cheese or ricotta.
- For a dairy free tart, skip the cheese altogether. Add caramelized onions instead if you like.
- Instead of cheese, spread a layer of pesto on the puff pastry, then top with the tomatoes before baking.
Herbs and drizzles:
- Use the herbs you like best or have on hand. Great options are fresh thyme, parsley, chives, basil, oregano, dill or tarragon.
- Just before serving, try drizzling the cherry tomato tart with good quality extra virgin olive oil or balsamic reduction.
Step by step instructions
Tips for preventing a soggy crust
Readers of similar recipes complained about the puff pastry crust getting soggy with the marinated tomatoes. To prevent the sogginess and achieve a flaky puff pastry crust, I do three things:
- Pre-bake the puff pastry sheet for 15 minutes before adding the toppings.
- Squeeze the tomatoes to get rid of most of their juice and seeds. You can even blot the tomatoes with paper towels.
- Lay out the tomatoes with the cut side facing up.
FAQs about puff pastry
Puff pastry is a light and flaky pastry make from butter, salt, water and flour. It alternates layers of butter and dough (which is why it tastes so good). Several brands use butter alternatives.
Buy it frozen in the freezer section of most local grocery stores. Most brands will do fine, but if possible, get a brand that says ‘made with butter’ on the package.
Yes, it will take about 40-50 minutes to defrost on the counter but don’t let it sit there too long. Working with cold dough is much easier. It’s best to thaw the pastry dough overnight in the fridge if you can. The dough can be kept in the fridge for a day. If it does become too soft, sprinkle some flour on your work surface to prevent sticking.
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.
How to serve the puff pastry tomato tart
My preference is to serve this easy tomato tart as an appetizer on a cutting board at a relaxed get-together. Sprinkle some fresh basil or parsley on top before serving and you’re good to go.
Another option is to serve it for lunch or brunch with a root vegetable soup with barley, a party salad with roasted vegetables and quinoa or a citrus salad.
It also makes a lovely addition to a buffet table. The tomato tart is best served warm, but it’s also good at room temperature.
Here is a recipe for homemade puff pastry if you’re feeling ambitious. To be honest, frozen puff pastry is excellent and low effort so I don’t bother making my own.
Shortcuts
- The biggest shortcut is buying a frozen puff pastry and not having to make it yourself. Many brands now come in two pre-rolled sheets, so there is no rolling involved – even easier!
- Buy cheese that is already grated (although freshly grated is best).
- Use minced garlic in the jar or a frozen garlic cube (a pinch of garlic powder works too)
Make Ahead
- The tart is best served warm. Here are two options to make the tomato tart recipe ahead:
- Follow all the instructions up to and including sprinkling the cheese over the baked crust. 15 minutes before serving, add the tomatoes and bake another 12-15 minutes.
- Or complete the full recipe and warm in a 375F/190C oven for 5-6 minutes before serving.
More puff pastry recipes to love
- super easy potato knishes
- vegetable strudel recipe
- skillet chicken pot pie (30 minutes)
- puff pastry apple tart (30 minutes)
- beet and goat cheese appetizer
Recipes to celebrate tomato season
- baked fish fillets with cherry tomato sauce
- marinated tomato salad
- fresh tomato pasta with lemon and olives
- spicy cherry tomato sauce
For more tomato recipe ideas and tomato tips, check out what to do with tomatoes.
Need more vegetarian appetizer ideas?
Check out our popular 21 vegetarian appetizers (and serving tips)
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Tomato Tart with Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed (about 8-9 ounces or 245g)
- 1 egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (about 20), cut in half
- salt and black pepper to taste
Vinaigrette dressing for tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (or 2 tsp dried) e.g. basil, chives, dill, oregano, parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon capers, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/204C.
- PREPARE AND PRE-BAKE PUFF PASTRY CRUST: Line a large baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper. Unfold defrosted puff pastry sheet and set it on the parchment. Stretch it if necessary to about 14 x 14 inches (35 x 35cm) and 1/8 inch (32mm) thick. Score a line 1/2 inch (1.27cm) in from all four sides with a knife to make a border (not cutting all the way through). Prick the dough with a fork over the entire sheet of pastry except the border. Spread a very thin layer of Dijon over the inside surface. Brush the border with the egg wash (egg plus water). I use my fingers for both these steps. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. If pastry is puffed up in the middle, gently press it down.
- MAKE TOMATO TOPPING: Squeeze handfuls of the tomato halves over the sink to remove most of the juice and seeds (this will help prevent the tart becoming soggy). Place in a bowl. Add oil, capers, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix together. Taste and add a pinch of sugar if needed.
- ASSEMBLE TART AND BAKE AGAIN: Sprinkle cheeses over the pre-baked tart inside the border. Place tomatoes on top of the cheese in a single layer, cut side facing up. Spoon on any of the tomato seasonings left in the bowl. Bake the tart for another 12-15 minutes. The crust should be flaky and golden. Remove from oven, transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife. The tart is best served warm but can also be served at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- Substitutes and variations
-
- Tomato options
- Mix grape and cherry tomatoes or try multicolored fresh tomatoes. Heirloom or beef steak tomatoes, sliced are aslo fantastic in peak tomato season
- Dietary changes
- For a gluten free version, use gluten free puff pastry. For a dairy free version, skip the cheese.
- Cheese options
- Instead of a gruyere and parmesan cheese combination, try other cheeses like Fontina, Mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, goat cheese or ricotta
- Instead of cheese, spread a layer of pesto on the puff pastry, then top with the tomatoes before baking.
- Herbs and Drizzles
- Great options are fresh thyme, parsley, chives, basil, oregano, dill or tarragon.
- Just before serving, try drizzling on good quality extra virgin olive oil or balsamic glaze.
- Tomato options
-
- The tart is best served warm. Here are two options to make the cherry tomato tart ahead
- Follow all the instructions up to and including sprinkling the cheese over the baked crust. 15 minutes before serving, add the tomatoes and bake another 12-15 minutes.
- Or complete the full recipe and warm in a 375F oven for 5-6 minutes before serving
- The tart is best served warm. Here are two options to make the cherry tomato tart ahead
I tried this appetizer for the first time this Xmas for family. I used more multi-colored cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs (mainly basil and a bit of fresh oregano) than stated on the recipe, but that was the only change. It was the star of a five-star buffet. People kept sneaking back for third or fourth pieces even after the main buffet was served. One thing I learned is that next year, I need to double the recipe! Well done and thank you!
We love hearing one of our recipes was the star of the show! Thanks for sharing – we’re so glad it was a hit 🙂
Love this recipe, it’s one of my favorites, especially with garden grown tomatoes!
Great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Beautiful & easy. Just took it out of the oven and it looks amazing. Can’t wait to taste it. Appreciate a tomato tart recipe that doesn’t use ricotta or other fresh cheeses as the base. Thank you, you two kooks in the kitchen.
Thanks Jenn. Lovely comment. Hope you liked it!
Hi- Looks delicious! On question… you have Dijon in the ingredients list but don’t indicate where to use. Should it be part of the vinaigrette?
Hi Mike. You use the Dijon when your are pre-baking the crust. The instruction ( #2) says “Spread a very thin layer of Dijon over the inside surface”. Easy to overlook. ?Hope that helps.