Carob and mango have been my obsession lately. I've recently made really delicious mango carob bites -- basically mango chunks covered in delicious carob sauce. They were to die for, but also um... really ugly, which is why they didn't end up on the blog here ;). My next mango carob treat was a mango carob mousse -- also to die for (I couldn't stop eating it!), but its consistency wasn't that great, so I didn't end up sharing the recipe with you either. One thing I knew for certain though -- the fusion of mangoes and carob is otherworldly! I just couldn't give up. And so, on my third attempt to create a treat with that flavor combo, I ended up with this most amazing gluten-free vegan mango carob tart {that happens to be paleo and AIP-friendly}.
Now this is a dessert to brag about! You've got to make it to understand. Really. You must. It's so refreshing, but also somehow rich and creamy, and can even be made mousse-like if you thaw it out a little. It's perfect for a hot summer day, or paired with a cozy cup of Joe. I can keep going, but I'm sure you get it by now -- so just go ahead and enjoy it!
PrintMango Carob Tart
Carob and mango blend to make the most refreshing, yet rich and creamy tart. Gluten-free + vegan tart recipe, can be served as mousse by thawing it more.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 7" tart
- Category: Tarts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted or very soft
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup apple butter (apple sauce would work too)
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup carob powder
Filling:
- 1 ½ cups chopped mango (thaw out if frozen -- mango should be at room temperature)
- 1 cup coconut oil, very soft or liquified (but not hot)
- ½ cup carob powder
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Mango Swirl (Optional):
- ¼ cups chopped mango (thaw out if frozen)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Toppings (Optional):
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a tart pan and set aside.
2. Place all crust ingredients into a large mixing bowl, except for coconut flour, tapioca starch, and carob powder. Use an immersion blender to mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Note: if you don’t have an immersion blender, you can do this in a food processor or by hand too. Add in remaining crust ingredients and mix the mixture by hand, kneading it lightly until a sticky and very soft dough forms. Transfer this dough into a 7" tart pan and press it down to spread it evenly throughout the pan (base and edges) using your hands until it’s shaped and molded to the tart pan shape. Use a fork to pierce some holes along the base of the crust to prevent bubbling while baking. Place in the oven and bake for 22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool a on a rack.
3. To prepare the filling, place all filling ingredients in a good blender (I used my Vitamix for this) and blend until mixture is smooth. Pour into the cooled tart crust.
4. Throw swirl ingredients together into a clean blender (I used my magic bullet for this part) and process until mixture is smooth and liquid. Pour into a squirt bottle or a pipping bag and drizzle over the tart. Use s skewer to create a swirl pattern to your liking (here's a tutorial of an easy way to do this). Sprinkle with toppings if you like.
5. Place the tart in the fridge and allow the carob mango filling to set for at least two hours. Keep tart refrigerated prior to serving for a decadent ice-cream-like tart, or keep at room temperature for a bit for a more creamy and mousse-like consistency (I like mine chilled more personally). Otherwise, store the tart in the fridge.
*Makes a mini tart (7″ pan), but you can easily double this recipe for a full size tart pan.
P.S. If you're looking for something similar, check out this Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Black Cherry Tart Recipe too {Paleo}.
Eliska says
Hi Audrey! I made this tart for my husbands's birthday and it was a success! Really delicious! I didn't have a coconut flour so made corpus from different recipe you shared - cashew butter with rice flour and it turned out really well. It is mango season in India now, so it was perfect fit! Thanks a lot, will try other recipes as well based on ingredients available here :)
Marina says
Can I substitute the coconut oil for maybe liquefied cocoa butter? Or another oil?
The Real Person!
Hi Marina. Cocoa butter will work best here, however you might need to use a bit less of it or play around with the flavor slightly, as its flavor is a lot stronger than coconut oil. It also tends to solidify more firmly than coconut oil, so you'll probably need to thaw the tart out a bit longer. Let me know how you go if you give it a try.
Admina says
Hello. How can I substitute the tapioca starch?
The Real Person!
Hi Admina, you can use potato starch, arrowroot, corn starch, etc.
Or are you trying to eliminate starches altogether? If so can you have other flours, because can use sticky white rice flour as well for example. It's hard to make suggestions without knowing what your restrictions are, but would be happy to help you make this recipe work.
Diane says
It looks delicious! I can't do coconut flour though. Thoughts on using cassava?
The Real Person!
Hi Diane,
Sorry for the delayed reply. I've not used cassava flour yet (it's not readily available where I am), so I can't comment from experience. I know though that coconut flour is unique in comparison to any other flour I've used before in that it's super absorbent and therefore the liquids to solids ratios in a recipe are unique to the blend. I'm not sure how cassava flour behaves in that respect.
Not sure if you're ok with nuts, seeds, grains, etc. but here are a few other pie recipes from the blog with different crusts you can try out (keep in mind the recipe sizes are all different so you may need to double or triple the crust ingredients as needed):
Strawberry rhubarb pie
pumpkin cheesecake
strawberry lime parsnip cheesecake
Barring that, you could just make the tart filling and put it in smaller jars instead and have it like a frozen treat :)
Eileen @ Phoenix Helix says
Hi Audrey. This was the reader favorite at the Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable. No surprise there! Thanks so much for linking up.
The Real Person!
Thanks for letting me know, Eileen! I'm so happy people liked it :) I've got a new recipe to share this week, so hopping over there now!
Angelica says
Hi Audrey,
The tart is so delicious and the flavor combination works perfectly. I was so excited to see this recipe because I was out of the carob truffles. The carob truffles were amazing I kept them in the freezer. I can now call myself a carob fan thanks your recipes. Thank you so much for the recipes, it makes my AIP journey easier.
The Real Person!
Hi Angelica -- thanks so much! I'm so happy you liked it. Carob is becoming quite a favorite for me as well lately :)