A refreshing pink no-bake tart with a smooth, creamy, and mildly fruity filling thanks to pink pitaya powder. Complete with a crunchy pistachio crust and topping.
I went with a bit of a whimsical decoration on top, but if you prefer, you can just do normal swirls, or no swirls at all. The tart will still taste delightful, and remain very pretty in pink.
Note, speaking of topping, if you prefer the decorating pattern to swirl in flatly rather than be raised like my own in these photos, you should skip freezing the pan with the crust. Having the filling poured into a room temperature pan will help the accents blend in more smoothly. Or follow my lead and stick to whimsy :)
One final note about the crust: I made mine entirely out of pistachios, but if the quantity of pistachios in this recipe is overwhelming, you can always mix pistachios with some raw cashews for the base crust. I've tried it both ways, and both versions tasted good.
Pistachio Dragon Fruit Tart #video
Lastly, the version of the tart pictured here has a flat base crust, enabling the pinkness of the filling to be visible from the sides. I made another version when I was testing the recipe where the crust goes all the way up the sides. Both crust styles work, so I will leave it up to you. But my preference is for a flat crust as pictured here, with that hint of pink showing.
And if you're looking for another recipe to use up some more pink pitaya powder, try this lovely pink dragon fruit and rose raw vegan cheesecake as well.
PrintPistachio Dragon Fruit Tart
A delightfully refreshing pink tart with a smooth, creamy, and mildly fruity filling thanks to pink pitaya powder. Complete with a crunchy pistachio crust and topping. No-Bake.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: pies and tarts
- Method: no-bake
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten-free
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups raw or lightly roasted pistachios*
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 1/16 tsp salt
Base Filling Mixture
Note: have all filling ingredients at room temperature**
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained***
- ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 1 tbsp pink pitaya powder (pink dragon fruit powder)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Dark Pink Filling Coloring
- 2 tbsp pink pitaya powder (pink dragon fruit powder)
Topping
- 3-4 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios
- optional: a hint of rose petals
Instructions
- Process all crust ingredients into a fine sticky crumble in a food processor. Transfer into a 7" tart pan with a removable bottom and press down into a flat crust along the base. Freeze while working on the next step.
- Blend all base filling mixture ingredients together into a completely smooth consistency in a power blender. Remove approximately 2 tablespoon of the mixture (I use a piping pen tool for this) and set it aside.
- Add dark pink filling coloring to the remaining filling mixture in the blender and blend the mixture once again into a uniform darker pink color.
- Pour the dark filling mixture into the prepared crust and smooth out into an even layer with the back of a spoon.
- To make the pattern on top, I put little drops of the lighter filling mixture that was set aside earlier, starting from the center of the tart and working my way outwards in a spiral pattern. Then I ran a skewer through all the dots following the spiral pattern. If it's too complex, you can always just place dabs of the lighter mixture on top of the cake and swirl them in in a random pattern.
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachios around the edges of the pan, and then follow with a hint of rose petals.
- Freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight to set. Prior to serving thaw the tart out in the fridge for a couple of hours. You can keep it refrigerated from then onwards, or keep it frozen if you want it to stay solid longer at room temperature. Enjoy!****
Notes
*Alternatively can use a mix of pistachios and raw cashews.
**If any of your ingredients are cold (like maple syrup or almond milk from the fridge), bring them to room temp first on the counter. Cold ingredients will not allow the filling mixture to blend through properly.
***To pre-soak nuts: place in a glass bowl, cover with water, and leave to soak for 4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then strain and discard the water. For a quick pre-soak, cover with boiled water and soak for 15 mins, then strain and discard water. (Note: this technique doesn’t preserve the nutrition of the recipe as well as the traditional soaking technique above). Additional Note: the purpose of soaking the nuts is to re-hydrate them and plump them up for blending into a smooth, cheesecake-like consistency. Proper soaking techniques also maximize nutrition and digestibility. If you’re interested in learning more about nut soaking and other dessert prep tips and tricks, I delve into these subjects in detail in my book Unconventional Treats.
****I find this tart tastes better when it is at fridge temperature rather than straight from the freezer. But the texture is up to you. You can keep it in the freezer and just thaw it out lightly and serve if you prefer. It'll keep longer that way. Note, if left too long at room temperature the tart will begin to melt. It's a dessert meant to be served chilled.
Gabriel says
Die Tarte sieht so lecker aus, es ist wirklich schade, dass Sie das Rezept nicht mit Gramm Angaben teilen!
Grüße sendet Gabriel
Audrey says
Hi Gabriel. Thanks very much. I'm in Canada, and don't typically bake in grams (unless I'm weighing fruits or something non standard). I generally prefer cups and spoon measurements, find it faster and easier to bake that way. But I guess it's a matter of what you're used to :)
Janel says
What a beauty, Audrey! I was today years old when I found out pink pitaya = dragonfruit. Do you think adding rosewater overpower the filling or would it work nicely with the pistachio?
Audrey says
The things you learn through baking haha :P I love the pink-fleshed fruit but it's almost never for sale here. We usually have the white fleshed or yellow-skin ones in the stores. My guess is the pink ones must not travel as well to our climate. Thankfully there's the powder and it's magical.
And yes!!!! rose would be so lovely here.
nathalie bérubé says
Oû est ce qu'on peut acheter de la poiudre de pitahya rrose? Je suus à Québec.
Merci
Audrey says
Hi Nathalie. Amazon! I linked to it in the recipe -- if you click on the word "pink pitaya powder" you can see the one I recommend, but there are tons of options on amazon. Also you can find it sometimes in health food shops, and places like Bulk Barn that carry natural fruit powders.