These vegan Chinese egg tarts pair flaky pastry with a smooth custard filling inspired by classic bakery versions. The recipe uses plant-based ingredients and black salt to recreate the familiar flavor and texture of traditional egg tarts.
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Servings126 cm tarts
Ingredients
For the Crust
Vegan butterfor greasing pans
All-purpose flourfor dusting
1vegan pie crustunbaked
For the Glaze
10ml(½ tbsp) maple syrup
28g(2 tbsp) unsalted vegan buttermelted
For the Filling
500ml(2 cups) unsweetened oat milk (or soy milk)
250ml(1 cup) vegan evaporated milk
40g(3 tbsp) vegan coconut custard powder
150g(¾ cup) cane sugar
⅛tspkala namak saltsee Note
Dash of turmeric powderoptional
¾tspagar-agar powder + 8 ml (½tbsp) cold watercombined
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease twelve (21⁄2-inch [6-cm]) tartlet pans with vegan butter or coconut oil. Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper.
Make the vegan pie crust but don’t bake it. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide it into twelve pieces. Place one of the pieces of dough on the center of the parchment paper. Lightly flour it and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a round shape that’s 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough into one of the buttered pans. There should be some dough hanging over. Trim off the excess dough to a 1⁄4-inch (6-mm) overhang. Fold the overhang dough under itself and pinch the crust to make a decorative edge crust. Repeat this step with the remaining dough. Transfer the pans to the freezer for 5 minutes.
To make the glaze, add the maple syrup and vegan butter to a small bowl and mix well. Brush the crusts with the glaze. Add a sheet of parchment paper to the middle of the pie crusts and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove the crusts from the oven and let them cool completely before adding the filling.
To make the filling, add the oat milk, vegan evaporated milk, custard powder, cane sugar, kala namak salt and turmeric powder (if using) to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until all the ingredients are well combined and there are no lumps visible. Add the agar-agar slurry and stir for 1 minute, or until it starts to thicken slightly. Pour the filling into the crusts. Let them cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to the refrigerator to set for 2 hours or overnight.
Note: This is a must-have for the “eggy” taste of traditional Chinese egg tarts. It’s also known as Himalayan black salt.