Coconut Caramel Granola Tart (Vegan GF)

A date and nut granola-style base tart with a thick gooey salted caramel and fresh coconut whip topped with superfoods and fresh fruit. This is a great make-ahead dessert for friends and family that is naturally vegan, gluten-free and wholesome.

I do love a good tart and when BBQ and picnic season comes around, there is nothing better than a no-bake dessert. This Coconut Caramel Granola Tart hits the spot every time and it is such a crowd pleaser – and no-one would tell it’s naturally vegan, gluten-free and made from healthful wholefoods. This tart is great for desserts throughout the summer to celebrate fresh summer berries and fruit and for making for picnics and BBQs with family and friends.

This Coconut Caramel Granola Tart is a dreamy fresh dessert:

• Light and refreshing
• Sweet and salty
• Crunchy and cooling
• Packed with nuts and seeds
• Naturally sweetened with dates and maple syrup
• A great make-ahead dessert
• Vegan, gluten-free and packed with healthy ingredients

I have been making this for friends and family since I first created this tart and it’s so fun to play around with the toppings. You can also change the nut butter which will change the flavours, too. There are a few ingredients for the base:

• Oats: make sure these are GF if needed.
• Walnuts: or another nut, but I love the flavour of walnuts in the base. I love pecans here, too.
• Mixed seeds: I use a mix of seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, hemp and chia seeds for the best and tastiest mix.
• Cinnamon: this adds a lovely sweetness to the base.
• Dates: the juicier the better. Medjool dates are the best as they are the jammiest but any dates will work. I like to soak mine in boiling water for 10 minutes before and then drain them to make the dates re-hydrate and stickier.
• Almond butter: I love the natural sweetness and nuttiness of almond butter in desserts. If you want to play around with the flavours then cashew butter is also amazing and sunflower seed or tahini make a great nut-free butter.
• Coconut oil: just a little to help bind the base and make the tart have the best texture.

For the base, just blend up all the ingredients and then take your time to press the mix into a tart tin. Make the base and work your way up the sides to make a solid tart base – patience is key here. Then pop in the freezer to firm up before adding the caramel.

The no-date sticky salted caramel is the dream and one of my favourite simple recipes. All you need is almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt. Whisk them together until gooey and smooth and pour over the base.

Allow the Coconut Caramel Granola Tart to set in the fridge before topping with the coconut whip. This is so cooling and refreshing and makes this dessert one of the best for summer. You can either use thick coconut yoghurt or coconut cream for the topping and either work really well. I love to use half and half for this tart for the best and fluffiest coconut whip. Simply add them to a bowl and whip with an electric mixer (or a handheld whisk) until fluffy.

Smooth the coconut whip all over the caramel and then top this Coconut Caramel Granola Tart with whatever you fancy! I went with extra seeds, cacao nibs and fresh fruit. You can spot some tiny baby strawberries from the garden alongside shop-bought larger strawberries, blueberries, and juicy figs. You could also use fresh peaches, apple, banana, or other berries, too.

Slice this tart up for friends and family to enjoy as a light and delicious summertime dessert. It is great to make ahead, as well, as you can keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days once made. If you are looking for more dessert ideas, how about my:

• Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
• Strawberry Chocolate Galettes
• Sweet Potato Fudge Brownies
• Mini Mocha Cheesecakes
• Strawberry and Rhubarb Custard Tart

I look forward to hearing what you think of this Coconut Caramel Granola Tart so please let me know in the comments below. If you make this tart, I would love to see so please tag me in your creations, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With coconut caramel tart love x

p.s. this recipe was originally made with Grapetree Foods whole foods which I love but this post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.