Don’t be fooled by the elegant looks—this carrot tart is all about easy. Flaky pastry holds a layer of lemony ricotta, sweet shaved carrots, and slivers of onion, all topped off with toasted almonds. It’s made for spring brunches, Easter tables, or any meal that deserves a little flair.
The secret to this quick carrot tart?
Frozen puff pastry makes an amazingly crisp flaky crust with no effort at all!
Frozen puff pastry is one of my favorite kitchen “hacks” of all time. A good quality frozen puff pastry bakes up quickly and beautifully, and that buttery, flaky texture is so delicious and versatile. It even stays crisp for leftovers the next day! Like my Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart this carrot tart recipe is lightning fast to put together and requires minimal dishes and clean up.
carrot tart ingredient notes
The mix of sweet carrots and onions hits just right against the buttery puff pastry and creamy ricotta. As it bakes, the almonds toast up for a little crunch, and a quick drizzle of olive oil and honey pulls it all together.
carrots ~ I use a vegetable peeler to get the thin ribbons that look so pretty and cook quickly on the tart.
- use regular orange carrots or any of the heirloom red, yellow, or purple rainbow varieties.
ricotta cheese + egg ~ this makes a nice creamy base for your carrot tart.
- you might try mascarpone or soft goat cheese instead.
how to score puff pastry for perfect carrot tart edges
Scoring the edges of the puff pastry helps achieve a nicely shaped tart with edges that rise to enclose the center of the tart, like a little frame. If you’ve never tried this simple technique before, here’s how:
- Lay your puff pastry rectangle on top of your parchment lined baking sheet. For this recipe, there is no need to roll out or flatten your puff pastry first.
- Run a small, sharp knife around the edges of the pastry, about 3/4 inch in from the edges. Just score it, meaning don’t cut all the way through the pastry.
- Use a fork to prick inside of the score lines. This helps air escape while the pastry is baking so it doesn’t puff up as much in the middle.
- If you like you can brush an egg wash (beaten egg) or a little milk or cream over the edges of the pastry before baking. This will help get a deeper golden color while it bakes.
how to thaw frozen puff pastry?
The only tricky part about this carrot tart? Remembering to thaw the puff pastry!
- plan ahead ~ the best way to thaw puff pastry is to put it in the fridge overnight. This will thaw it evenly while keeping it nice and cold.
- in a pinch ~ I sometimes thaw my puff pastry on the counter at room temperature if I forgot to put it in the fridge. This will take somewhere between 30-60 minutes. You want to use it as soon as you are able to gently unfold it so that it doesn’t get too warm.
- in the microwave ~ wrap it in a paper towel and heat on defrost (30%) for 10–15 seconds at a time, it should be pliable but still cold.
Bottom line, I loved this tart, and will definitely be making it again!
Carrot Puff Pastry Tart
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 3 medium carrots
- 1/2 onion
- 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1/2 tsp honey
- fresh parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the 1 cup ricotta cheese and the 1 large egg in a small bowl, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the 1/2 onion and add it to a small mixing bowl.
- Peel the 3 medium carrots and then, with your vegetable peeler, shred the rest of the carrot into thin ribbons. Add to the bowl with the onion.
- Add the 3 Tbsp sliced almonds to the carrots and onions, and season everything with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (Note: carrots can vary a lot, you are aiming for about 4 very loosely packed cups of carrot ribbon and sliced onion mixture to top this tart. A little bit more or less is fine.)
- Place the thawed puff pastry on your lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score around the outer edges of the puff pastry about 3/4 inch in from the edge.
- Spread the ricotta filling evenly over the inside area of the puff pastry.
- Top with the carrot and onion mixture. It will be loose and "airy", no need to pack it down before cooking.
- Drizzle with a little more olive oil and the 1/2 tsp honey.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the puff pastry is risen and golden brown.
- Remove and allow to cool briefly before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Nutrition
more puff pastry ideas
This is great recipe
I varied the recipe for our dietary needs
Used bechamel sauce instead of cheese
Added al layer of pulled chicken on top of bechamel sauce
Used pepitas and sunflower seeds instead of almonds
Added shaved beetroot to carrot as well as thin sliced mild peppers.
I love this Colin, it’s just as satisfying for me to see a reader do their own thing with a recipe as it is for them to do it verbatim. I thought about doing this with beets, too, nice touch!