The Easiest Shortcrust Pastry Jam Tarts Recipe

The butteriest (without butter!) and easiest vegan shortcrust pastry, which makes incredibly delicious jam tarts with just five ingredients!

This pastry recipe makes a sweet and buttery shortcrust style pastry which is perfect for sweet tart shells like mince pies, jam tarts, Bakewell tarts and baked custard tarts. The pastry only needs four ingredients and it’s incredibly simple and versatile. Jam tarts are an easy and delicious classic sweet bake, great for afternoon teas or baking with children. The crisp pastry and soft, sweet jammy filling work together so well to create the tastiest little treat!

This recipe makes enough pastry for around a dozen small pies or tarts. You can make the pastry ahead of time. Just wrap the pastry in clingfilm and store it in the fridge for around five days before using.

Makes 12 small pies or tarts

Pastry ingredients;

250g plain flour

30g granulated or caster sugar

150g vegan block butter

1-2 tbs cold water

12 tbs jam of your choosing

1 tbs icing sugar for dusting

You will also need; a mixing bowl, 12 hole tart tin, medium circle cutter, optional mini heart cutter for decoration, rolling pin, small sieve

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How to make your jam tarts;

1. Pre heat the oven to 180°c

2. In your large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar and vegan butter

3. Use your fingers to crumble the butter into the dry ingredients to make a fine breadcrumb texture

4. Add 1 tbs of cold water and use your fingers again to mix it through the pastry dough

5. Begin to bring the pastry together by gently squashing the dough into a ball

6. The dough should feel soft and pliable. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add another tbs of cold water and bring it together again

7. Try not to overwork the dough as this will make the pastry taste tough

8. This pastry is quite soft, so if you have time, wrap it in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until chilled. This will make it easier to work with

9. Once your pastry is chilled, flour your worktop and rolling pin so that the dough does not stick

10. Roll out your pastry dough to around 3mm thick

11. Cutout 12 circle shapes and gently press them into the tart tin

12. Add a spoonful of jam into each pastry shell

13. Then using the remaining pastry, cutout 12 mini hearts to decorate the tops of each tart

14. Bake for around 15-20 minutes until lightly golden

15. Leave to cool before trying to remove from the tin, as the filling will be very hot straight from the oven

16. Dust with icing sugar then eat and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks!

• I used Flora block butter to make my pastry

• This pastry recipe works well for any kind of small sweet pies or tarts. I have used it to make mince pies, mini apple pies, baked custard tarts and lots more as well as mince pies!

• Try not to overwork the pastry dough, as we want to keep the pastry as light, buttery and crumbly as possible. If you knead it too much it will become tough and chewy to eat.

• This is the 12 hole perforated tart tin I use; https://amzn.to/48Fcw04

• I used Fearne and Rosie strawberry and blackcurrant jam, but any jam will be delicious

• These are the heart cookie cutters. I used the smallest one for the tart lids; https://amzn.to/4uuaVUD

• These are the circle cutters I use; https://amzn.to/3KGUeUu

• This is my large rolling pin; https://amzn.to/4pKk9JW