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This east-to make savory caramelized onion and goat cheese tart works as an appetizer, light lunch or dinner side. Flaky homemade short crust pastry is topped with rich, sweet onions, creamy goat cheese and fresh thyme. Elegant yet simple, it’s sure to impress your guests.
Who doesn't love a good tart? From an Oreo tart to apple crumble tart to a chocolate raspberry tart.
But who says it always has to be sweet? This savory tart proves otherwise with its perfect balance of tangy goat cheese and slightly sweet caramelized onions, making it a true showstopper.
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Why You Will Love This Tart
- Homemade crust - Yes it takes a little extra work (5 minutes), but the homemade crust makes all the difference.
- Versatile - Ideal as an appetizer, lunch or side dish for any occasion.
- Works as leftovers - Yes you can reheat this in the oven and it will taste just as good as when it was first baked.
Ingredient Notes
- Homemade shortcrust pastry - Creates a flaky, buttery base that elevates the tart; chill the dough for a firm, easy-to-roll texture.
- Unsalted butter - Essential for caramelizing the onions.
- Sweet onions - Their natural sweetness enhances the caramelized flavor.
- Garlic - Adds a subtle aromatic depth to the caramelized onions without overpowering.
- Goat cheese - Provides a creamy, tangy contrast to the sweet onions.
- Heavy cream - Combines with eggs to create a silky custard that holds the tart together.
- Eggs - Helps create that custard-like texture.
- Fresh thyme - Adds an earthy, herbaceous note.
- Sea salt - A light touch ensures balance without overpowering everything else.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can change up the ingredients if need. Some substitutes include:
- I'm a big fan of homemade crust these days, but you can use store-bought if needed.
- While goat cheese is in the title, you could replace with feta for a crumbly texture or cream cheese for a milder flavor.
- Substitute heavy cream with half-and-half.
- Swap with fresh thyme with rosemary or sage. Dried thyme can be used as well but just use one third of the amount as it is more potent.
How to Make a Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Step 1: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse into coarse meal (15 pulses). Mix egg yolk and water and add to processor. Pulse until crumbly with clumps (not a ball).
Step 2: Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill (1 hour to 3 days).
Step 3: Roll dough on floured surface into a circle larger than a 9" tart shell.
Step 4: Press into shell, trim edges, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Line crust with crumpled parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake on a sheet at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Remove weights, poke crust with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes until golden.
Step 7: Cook sliced onions with butter and salt over medium heat, stirring every 5–10 minutes until deeply browned (20 minutes). Add garlic for the last 2 minutes. Deglaze with 2 tablespoon water.
Step 8: Pulse goat cheese in a processor. Add cream, eggs, thyme, and salt and blend until smooth.
Step 7: Spread onions in tart shell.
Step 8: Pour goat cheese mixture over, and bake for 30–40 minutes at 350°F until set and golden. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, the crust can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator before using.
Absolutely! A pre-made pie or tart crust works as a time-saving alternative.
If you don’t have pie weights, use dried beans or rice. These prevent the crust from puffing up during the blind bake.
Yes! You can add roasted vegetables, crumbled bacon or other herbs like rosemary or basil to customize the tart.
The filling is set when it no longer jiggles when gently shaken, and the top is lightly golden.
How to Store
The tart can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat slices in the oven at 350°F for 10–15 minutes for best results.
You can freeze a fully baked tart can be frozen for up to 1 month. Cool completely after baking, wrap tightly and freeze. Reheat from frozen at 350°F until warm.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Make the crust, caramelize the onions and prepare the filling a day ahead for easier assembly.
- Do not skip using pie weights during the blind bake. It keeps it from puffing. use pie weights, dried beans or rice.
- Add a baking sheet to the preheated oven. By throwing a baking sheet in the oven when you preheat it, you help brown and cook the bottom crust quicker.
- Check the tart near the end of baking to avoid overbaking. The center should be just set.
- Let the tart cool for 10 minutes before slicing for cleaner cuts.
Other Recommended Recipes
If you’ve tried this caramelized onion and goat cheese tart or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 10 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoon ice cold water
Filling
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 oz goat cheese
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes coarse meal, about 15 pulses. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and water. Add the egg mixture to food processor and pulse until it starts to clump together. DO NOT pulse until ball is formed. It should be crumbly with large clumps of dough.
- Turn dough only a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Flatten slightly to form a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle slightly larger in diameter than the 9 inch tart shell. Press dough into the tart shell, trimming the edges with a sharp knife. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
- While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 350°F and place baking sheet in the oven. Crunch up some parchment paper and line pie crust with it. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice, making sure they are evenly distributed.
- Place tart on preheated baking sheet and bake until the edges of the crust are beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and take out the parchment paper with the weights. Poke holes around the bottom of the crust with a fork and place back in the oven, baking for another 10 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown.
- While the tart crust is baking, make the caramelized onions. Heat large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the sliced onions and salt. Cook and stir every 5 to 10 minutes until the onions are soft and deeply browned. It should take about 20 minutes total. Add garlic in the last 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoon water to deglaze the pan. Set aside.
- Now make the filling. Put the goat cheese in a food processor and pulse until it becomes crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, thyme and salt then blend until smooth and well combined.
- Scatter the caramelized onions over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the onions to fill the tart shell (if the shell has shrunk, you may have extra filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is set when gently shaken and the top is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Make the crust, caramelize the onions and prepare the filling a day ahead for easier assembly.
- Do not skip using pie weights during the blind bake. It keeps it from puffing. use pie weights, dried beans or rice.
- Add a baking sheet to the preheated oven. By throwing a baking sheet in the oven when you preheat it, you help brown and cook the bottom crust quicker.
- Check the tart near the end of baking to avoid overbaking. The center should be just set.
- Let the tart cool for 10 minutes before slicing for cleaner cuts.
Janet says
Had this for brunch. Delicious!
Ryan says
It's a favorite of mine!