This gluten free flourless dark chocolate pistachio tart is a truly decadent dessert for everyone to enjoy. Made with a nutty pistachio crust and a dense, bittersweet chocolate filling, this recipe is a rich treat that’s perfect for everything from a dinner party to a date night in.
OK, so did you, like perhaps the entirety of America, watch the Oscars last night? My husband and I watch it every year and make a date night in of it, completely with a cheese board and fancy cocktails. My daughter also got a sneak peek of the red carpet special this year and officially declared every single dress she saw a winner, so, the fashion police have nothing on her.
The whole fanfare of the Academy Awards is fun and all, but for me, the real winner of the night was dessert, in the form of this flourless dark chocolate pistachio tart. Yeah, I said it. The Oscar goes to this decadent dessert, and I’ll give it a standing ovation (right before I sit back down on my couch to enjoy it, of course).
HOW TO MAKE A FLOURLESS DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO TART
I’ve been wanting to make a chocolate tart for the site for a while now, so when I found this recipe I knew I had to make my own version.
We’ll start with the crust, which is a simply a mixture of ground pistachios and beaten egg whites baked and cooled. I used shelled roasted and salted pistachios to give the crust a nutty, slightly salty flavor. There is no sugar in the crust, which only enhances the sweetness in the chocolate filling. Each bite of the crust is just pure pistachio goodness.
Then, there is a thin layer between the crust and the chocolate of apricot preserves, which I LOVE. It gives the tart one more necessary notch of sweetness without being overpowering in any way, and it also protects the crust from the chocolate layer to keep it from seeping through or going too soft. I used apricot preserves, but feel free to mix it up with raspberry, fig or strawberry.
Finally, the star of the performance, the chocolate. The filling here is made with half and half and 70% chocolate and when mixed together, it forms a ganache-like consistency without being too sweet or too rich. Just spread it evenly over the preserves and let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and you’ll have a smooth, fudgy filling that exudes pure chocolate flavor.
TIPS FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE TART
Before I leave you to run as fast as you can to go make this tart, a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Be sure to grind the pistachios in the food processor as much as possible before the mixture turns into a paste. The finer the pistachios, the more easily they will fold into the egg whites and thereby form a sturdy gluten free crust.
2. Use a sharp, clean knife every time you cut into the tart. Any leftover chocolate on the knife will drag it through the tart, possibly dragging the slice of tart with it. And that’s just sad for everyone. When I cut into tarts and cakes, I dip my knife into a tall glass of hot water and dry it off between each cut.
3. If you’re not a fan of pistachios, you certainly can swap them out for almonds or even hazelnuts in this recipe. But I do love the flavor combination of pistachios and chocolate, so I recommend pistachios above all else for the best possible outcome.
Whether you make this tart for a dinner party, a date night in or just because (always a worthy reason), be prepared for it to steal the show. Though I suppose you’ll be the real winner, after all, since you’re the one who gets to enjoy it as dessert.
P.S. Need more chocolate in your life? Of course you do. Try my Dark Chocolate Orange Mousse with Sea Salt or my French Silk Oreo Pie.
Flourless Dark Chocolate Pistachio Tart
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups shelled pistachios, roasted and salted, plus more for topping
- 2 egg whites
- ¼ cup apricot preserves
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- 10 ounces 70% dark chocolate, chopped
- unsweetened cocoa powder, for topping
- flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray. In a food processor, process pistachios 1 minute until very finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into ground pistachios until just combined. Press mixture into bottom and sides of prepared tart pan. Place tart pan on a baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes until brown.
- Cool completely on a cooling rack, about 30 minutes.
- Spread apricot preserves evenly over bottom of cooled crust.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring half-and-half just to a boil, about 7-9 minutes. Pour over chocolate in a medium bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until completely smooth. Pour and spread chocolate mixture evenly over preserves.
- Chill tart 2 hours until set. Top with cocoa powder, chopped pistachios and flaky sea salt. Store covered in refrigerator up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
What kind of 70% chocolate do you use? Is it from the baking aisle or do you just use 70% gourmet chocolate bars?
Stephanie, You can use any 70% chocolate, but I recommend the highest quality you can buy since most of the flavor of the tart comes from the chocolate.
Love this recipe! Amazing gluten free base but I reccomend using baking paper as mine stuck like glue to the bottom of the pan.
Looks delicious!?
I don t have apricot preserves, what can i replace it with, if it can be refined sugar free would be great
We don t have half half here, how can i do it myself
Thanks
Roula, You can use any preserves you like, or just leave it out. Half and half is a combination of half whole milk, half heavy cream.
Hello, this cake looks awesome! Just one question: What does “half-to-half “ in the ingredients part mean, please? Thank you ( I found your blog recently and I really like it ?)
Michaela, Half-and-half is a mixture of half whole milk, half light cream. If you can’t find half-and-half at the store, you can make your own! Combine either 1:1 whole milk to light cream or 3:1 whole milk to heavy cream. Hope that helps you!
Love your recipes! I’m not from US and can’t get what is half-and-half?
Olga, thank you! Half-and-half is a 50/50 mixture of whole milk and light cream. You can make your own by mixing a 1:1 ratio of whole milk and light cream (or 3:1 ratio of whole milk to heavy cream) for the recipe!
it seems delicious! any idea of the ingredients in grams?
Francesca — I’m sorry, I don’t have those measurements! You can easily plug them into Google and have them converted, though!
What temperature? I can’t seem to find it.
Carol — Oops, I forgot to add it! All fixed. 🙂
This sounds and looks so good and decadent.
Would you be willing/able to provide nutritional information on this, and other recipes ?
Thanks
Hoping to add those soon!
Greetings from Australia. Are the apricot preserves canned fruit from the supermarket and do you have to drain them. Love your recipes
Cheryl — Apricot preserves are like apricot jam, just a little more “rustic” with pieces of fruit in the jam. Apricot jam works just as well, too! Don’t use canned fruit in this recipe.
Love your recipes!
My only comment is it’s kinda hard to see some words on your page. The light pink against a white background is rather difficult to see. Maybe if you could darken it a shade or two.
Js.
Denny, thanks for the feedback! I’m working on a redesign soon and will definitely take that into consideration.