Vegan Asparagus Tart with Pesto Macadamia Filling Recipe

At last, asparagus season has arrived and I’m thrilled to share this delicious gluten-free, vegan asparagus tart. It’s one of my favourite creations — different from traditional egg-based tarts but just as satisfying. A rich, crumbly tahini pastry supports a garlicky macadamia and pesto filling, while griddled asparagus crowns the tart. A caramelised caper and pine nut topping, finished with fresh herbs and lemon zest, brings everything together beautifully.

How To Make Quiche Without Eggs?

My family loves quiche, so I set out to create an alternative that works without eggs, meat or dairy. This tart answers that challenge — it delivers the comforting, savoury satisfaction of a quiche while being entirely plant-based. Even my children, who were once anti-asparagus, enjoyed it (one younger child still protested the asparagus, so I’ll serve her a different vegetable next time).

Nutrition

Several ingredients in this tart bring notable nutritional benefits:

• Tahini — made from ground sesame seeds, tahini supplies antioxidants and healthy fats and is a good source of protein and calcium.
• Macadamias — rich in healthy fats and other nutrients, macadamias add creaminess to the filling and nutritional value.
• Asparagus — a green vegetable high in fibre and vitamins, asparagus contributes freshness and nutrients to the tart.

Easy Summer Entertaining

This vegan asparagus tart makes an excellent summer lunch or a show-stopping centrepiece for a plant-based spread. It’s flavourful, satisfying yet surprisingly light, and attractive on the table — perfect for guests who may be sceptical about gluten-free or vegan dishes.

One practical advantage is that the components can be prepared in advance: pastry, filling and topping keep well separately in the fridge for a day or two and can be assembled on the day for stress-free entertaining.

Basic Instructions

The recipe may look long, but it’s straightforward: it breaks down into pastry, filling and topping. The pastry and filling are quick to make in a food processor or blender, and the only real cooking is a short griddle for the asparagus and a quick sauté for the caper and pine nut topping.

• Pastry: combine ingredients in a food processor, press into the tart case, chill briefly, then blind-bake until golden.
• Filling: blend the macadamias, water, spinach, garlic and vegan pesto until smooth and creamy.
• Topping: griddle the asparagus until tender and browned, then quickly fry garlic, capers and pine nuts and scatter over the tart, finishing with lemon zest and fresh herbs.

This is a summary only. Please see the recipe card below for full quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Variations

The recipe is adaptable so you can tailor it to what you have on hand:

• Swap cashews for macadamias if preferred — they require less soaking and blend easily.
• Steam the asparagus instead of griddling for a bright, tender finish.
• Adjust the pastry flours: oat flour can replace chestnut flour, and tapioca or potato starch can replace arrowroot.

If you have a high-speed blender, macadamias need minimal soaking; with a less powerful blender, soak them longer to achieve a smooth filling.

Making Ahead

To prepare in advance, make the pastry, filling and topping separately and store them covered in the fridge for up to two days. Assemble on the day for best texture and presentation.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this tart with a fresh green salad lightly dressed with a simple French-style vinaigrette. Garlic bread or new potatoes are nice accompaniments. For a larger lunch spread, pair with other plant-based sides such as Mediterranean roasted red peppers or a peppery rocket salad.

📖 Recipe 📖

Asparagus and Pesto Macadamia Tart

This tart features a tahini pastry, a creamy macadamia-pesto filling and griddled asparagus finished with fried capers, pine nuts, lemon zest and herbs — a sensational plant-based centrepiece.

Prep Time
10 mins

Cook Time
20 mins

Total time (including pastry cooling)
45 mins

Servings:
4

Ingredients

Pastry

• 60 g rice flour
• 60 g chestnut flour (or oat flour)
• 80 g arrowroot (or tapioca flour)
• 40 g tahini
• 50 g vegan butter
• 80 g coconut oil
• 50 g water
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• pinch of salt

Filling

• 100 g macadamias (soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes or in cold water overnight)
• 100 g water
• 30 g baby spinach leaves
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegan pesto
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Topping

• 230 g asparagus spears
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon capers
• 2 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives (or other fresh herbs)
• zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

Pastry

1. Set the oven to 200°C.
2. Pulse the pastry ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Press into a 24 cm tart case (or 8 small ones) and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Prick the base with a fork, line with crumpled baking paper and fill with baking beans (or dried rice/beans).
4. Bake at 200°C for about 15 minutes until golden. If the sides are browned but the base still looks pale, remove the paper and beans and reduce the oven to 180°C to finish the base. Cool on a wire rack.

Filling

1. Blend all filling ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth, using the tamper if needed to push down the spinach.

Topping

1. Heat a griddle pan over high heat. Trim woody ends from the asparagus, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper, then griddle until browned and tender. Remove to a board.
2. Align the asparagus tips and trim stems to fit the tart diameter. Save trimmings for another use.
3. In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and quickly fry the sliced garlic, capers and pine nuts until golden, stirring constantly. Remove immediately to avoid burning.

Assemble the tart

1. Spread the filling evenly into the cooled pastry case.
2. Arrange the asparagus spears in an attractive pattern across the filling.
3. Scatter the fried caper and pine nut mixture over the asparagus, then sprinkle lemon zest and chopped chives.
4. Serve with a fresh green salad dressed lightly with a simple vinaigrette.

Notes

• High-speed blenders require less macadamia soaking; soak longer with lower-powered blenders.
• Cashews can be used in place of macadamias.
• Steaming the asparagus creates a vibrant green, tender finish.
• Components can be prepared ahead and stored separately in the fridge for a day or two.

Nutrition

Calories: 790 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 53 g |
Protein: 10 g |
Fat: 63 g |
Fiber: 8 g

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card!

More Recipes

If you like this tart, you may also enjoy other vegan and gluten-free lunch recipes on the site.

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