Apple Tart
Published Oct 13, 2025
This easy apple tart uses store-bought puff pastry. It is filled with thinly sliced apples and just a few other ingredients to make a delicious apple tart.
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my apple tart is a must-try!
This apple tart recipe uses store-bought puff pastry, which is easy to use and turns out so buttery and flakey once baked. I like to arrange the apple slices in circular pattern not only because it looks pretty, but so they cook fast and get all soft and jammy when baked!
When it comes to fall desserts, pie really does get all of the glory. While I certainly wouldn’t turn down a slice of apple pie or pumpkin pie, neither of which is the kind of dessert I’m making on a weekday…or even most weekends. I tend to like my desserts fast and something I can make while the kids do their homework. My Apple Tart is exactly that!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Apple Tart Ingredients
- Apples: This baked apple tart works best with firm, crisp apples! I like Honeycrisp, but Pink Lady, Fuji, or Granny Smith would be fine.
- Puff pastry: Look for all butter puff pastry. It has the best flavor! If you’re gluten-free, some stores carry gluten-free puff pastry.
- Butter: I’ve tried both unsalted and salted butter for this apple tart puff pastry and both work!
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar is also fine and will add more molasses flavor.
- Lemon juice: Tossing the apple slices with lemon juice will prevent them from browning!
- Vanilla: I use vanilla extract, but the same amount of vanilla paste works instead!
- Apricot jam: If you can’t find apricot jam, apple jam or fig jam would be delicious.
How to Make Apple Tart
Apple Tart Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 3 tablespoons apricot jam melted, divided
- 4 medium apples honeycrisp, cored and sliced into ¼-inch thickness
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter cubed small
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roll out the puff pastry larger than a 9-inch tart pan if needed. Gently press the pastry into the pan and up the sides and trim any excess. Poke the bottom of the pastry with a fork, then brush with 1 tablespoon of apricot preserves. Place in the fridge until ready to bake.
- In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with brown sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until evenly coated.
- Arrange the apple slices around the edge of the puff pastry in a circular pattern, overlapping each piece slightly. Repeat with the center of the tart. Add a second layer of apple slices around the edge and center, arranging them into your desired design.
- Pour any remaining juices over the apples, then dot the top with cubed butter.
- Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and puffed and the apples are tender. Brush with remaining apricot jam.
Equipment
Notes
- My Top Tip: Puff pastry comes frozen and you’ll need to thaw it before using it! I always thaw puff pastry in the fridge. If you do it at room temperature, the pastry becomes soft and gummy and impossible to roll out!
- Storage: This apple tart can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days, though it’s best the day it’s made (the crust will get a bit soggy). To reheat, I would just pop a slice in the microwave for 30 seconds or until warm. Freezing is not recommended.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add spices. I like the pure apple flavor in this tart, but you could toss the apples with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ground ginger, or even pumpkin pie spice!
- Top with candied pecans. Chopped up, crunchy, caramelized pecans on this best apple tart recipe sounds so good.
- Drizzle with caramel. Caramel apples make me think of fall, and drizzling caramel on top of the baked easy apple tart would definitely give you a similar taste! You could even make date caramel, but this is more of a spread than a sauce!
- Make them small. If you have individual-sized tart pans, you could make small apple tarts! (Cute!) They would take less time to bake, though.
Recipe Tips
- Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge. Puff pastry comes frozen and you’ll need to thaw it before using it! I always thaw puff pastry in the fridge. If you do it at room temperature, the pastry becomes soft and gummy and impossible to roll out!
- Cut the apples into thin, even slices. This is so they bake at the same speed! You don’t want one apple slice to be soft and another crunchy.
- Don’t forget to poke the puff pastry with a fork. This is called docking! It will allow steam to escaper the pastry so it doesn’t puff up and has the right texture.
- Don’t forget to brush the apples with the jam after baking. This actually locks in the moisture so the apples won’t dry out!
Serving Ideas
- Ice cream. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on a slice of still-warm apple tart is honestly perfect. You don’t even need an ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream!
- Whipped cream. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a dollop of whipped cream! If you’re making it at home, you only need heavy cream and sugar.
FAQs
You probably could, but I wouldn’t recommend it! Tart pans usually have removable bottoms, which makes it easy to pop the tart up and out of the pan and slice it once it’s cooled.
I usually roll out puff pastry larger than the tart pan to make sure I have enough pastry to evenly press up the sides of the pan. To trim the excess, I use a paring knife of scissors to remove most of the crust, then a paring knife to cut the crust level with the top of the tart pan!
I know it’s tempting to just throw all of the apples into the crust, but arranging them in a circle helps expose more of the apples to the heat of the oven, so they cook faster and more evenly!
