S'mores Tart

This vegan s'mores tart is the ultimate summer dessert! It's made with a buttery graham cracker crust, a two-ingredient chocolate ganache filling and a perfectly toasted vegan meringue topping. It's no bake, perfect for making ahead of time and such a crowd pleaser!

Jump to:

• 📖 Why We Love This Recipe
• 🍫 Ingredients
• 📋 Ingredient Notes
• 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
• 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
• 🍽 Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

📖 Why We Love This Recipe

• Ultimate summer dessert: anything s'mores flavored is quintessential summer IMO. We've made s'mores brownies, s'mores rice krispies and even s'mores overnight oats, but this s'mores tart takes the cake. It's basically one giant s'more, but no campfire required!
• Surprisingly easy: I know vegan meringue looks and sounds intimidating, but it's actually pretty simple with the right ingredients and techniques! Plus, the crust and filling only have 6 ingredients in total and come together in 10 minutes. Very little work for a show-stopping result!
• Vegan and gluten free-adaptable: this s'mores tart is 100% vegan and can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free graham crackers! It's also nut free, so it's perfect for a group with several dietary restrictions.
• Perfect for a holiday: this s'mores tart can be made ahead of time, so it's perfect for a summer bbq, birthday or holiday like July 4th! Plus, you don't have to use your oven, so it's extra easy to throw together quickly.
• Magical vegan meringue: I know it sounds crazy, but vegan meringue made from aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) works EXACTLY like regular meringue made with egg whites! You can even bake the meringue into cookies or a pavlova. See here for a full tutorial.

🍫 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this vegan s'mores tart:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Dark chocolate: the chocolate ganache filling is just melted chocolate and coconut milk, so depending on your preferences, you may want to go with a more semi-sweet vegan chocolate instead of something darker. We opted for something around 72% and it was perfect with the sweet crust and meringue topping.
• Coconut milk: you'll need full fat coconut milk for this s'mores tart, which comes in a can and is typically located near other Asian-cuisine staples in the grocery store. Do not use lite coconut milk or the stuff that comes in a carton (for cereal) - it won't be nearly thick enough for the ganache filling.
• Graham crackers: feel free to use gluten free if desired.
• Sugar: it's important to use fine sugar for the aquafaba meringue, otherwise the meringue will end up grainy. For best results, we suggest using caster sugar, but it can be hard to find. We also tried it with fine regular cane sugar and it came out great. We don't recommend using organic cane sugar, which tends to have a much larger grain and won't incorporate well.
• Aquafaba (from chickpeas) : you're not using the chickpeas in this s'mores tart – just the gelatinous liquid from the can, called aquafaba. Any brand will do, just make sure the chickpeas don't have any added salt. You'll need ¾ cup of aquafaba in this recipe, which you should be able to get out of 1 can. However, some cans contain less liquid, so it's best to grab two just in case!
• Xanthan gum: this helps to stabilize and thicken the meringue, but if you don't have any, it's fine to leave out! It's most helpful when baking the meringue, so it will still be fine in this recipe since you're just torching the meringue.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Add all crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together.

(2) Press crust into a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom and place in freezer while you make the ganache.

(3) In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk over medium heat until very hot, but not boiling. Pour over chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and let sit for 2 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.

(4) After a few minutes, whisk well until completely smooth. If the milk wasn't hot enough and the chocolate isn't completely melted, you can pop in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

(5) Pour chocolate ganache into crust and return to freezer to set. The filling takes about an hour to set, so wait to start the meringue until it's solid as you cannot top the tart if it's not set.

(6) To make the meringue, add the aquafaba to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer). Beat at medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes.

(7) For the first minute or two, the mixture will look frothy but won't have much volume, so continue mixing until soft peaks form.

(8) Once you see soft peaks, add in the cream of tartar and continue mixing for a few more minutes at medium-high speed until it starts to thicken up. Slowly add in the sugar while the meringue is mixing. Add one spoonful at a time, allowing time for it to fully incorporate before adding in the next spoonful.

(9) Once the sugar is fully incorporated, add in the xanthan gum (if using) and the vanilla extract. Continue mixing just until the meringue forms stiff peaks. If you turn the bowl upside down, the meringue shouldn't move at all.

(10) You can either use a piping bag to pipe the meringue on the tart, or spread with a spatula, forming soft peaks. Lightly toast the meringue using a culinary blow torch. Serve your s'mores tart immediately or refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Culinary torch: you'll need a torch to toast the meringue for this recipe. If you don't have one, you can try using the broiler in your oven for 60 seconds or so until the top just browns. We haven't tried this method with the recipe as it may cause the chocolate to melt, so we suggest testing a small portion of just meringue on a baking sheet before placing the whole s'mores tart under the broiler!
• Don't over or under whip the meringue: the aquafaba meringue takes quite a while to form stiff peaks, so be patient and give it plenty of time to thicken up. That being said, don't let it go for too long or it will start to deflate. You can tell it's ready if you hold the bowl upside down and meringue doesn't move at all.
• Add the sugar in very slowly. It's a bit more time consuming, but be sure not to add in the sugar too quickly. It's important to add the sugar one spoonful at a time, with time in between each interval to let the sugar fully incorporate. Adding it too quickly may cause the meringue to deflate or not mix properly.
• Make ahead: you can make this entire s'mores tart up to a day or two ahead of time. The vegan meringue holds up surprisingly well in both the refrigerator and the freezer. We tested toasting the meringue 24 hours before serving as well as waiting to toast until just before serving and it was great both ways.
• Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 5 days. The meringue may start to deflate slightly after a few days in the fridge. We don't suggest leaving this tart out at room temp for more than 2 hours.
• Add marshmallow extract for more s'mores flavor! While meringue has a naturally marshmallowy flavor (and a similar texture to marshmallow creme), you could definitely add a few drops of toasted marshmallow extract to really amp up the flavor.
• If you have any leftover meringue, follow this recipe to bake it into meringue cookies.
• What to do with leftover chickpeas: you'll likely have a can or two of leftover chickpeas from this recipe. Try them in this Greek Chickpea Salad, this Vegan "Tuna" Salad Sandwich, or this Moroccan Chickpea Stew!

🍽 Related Recipes

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