Easy Shortbread Tart Crust, crisp and buttery
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This easy shortbread tart crust is one of my most-used recipes. I turn to it all the time.
And, to be honest, it took so much anxiety out of my tart baking.
So many tart crusts involve pulling out the food processor, chilling the dough, rolling the dough, carefully draping it into the pan, chilling it all again, blind baking with pie weights...
It can be intimidating to even get started. (Though if you're looking for more of a challenge, you can try the crust in my passion fruit tart.)
And even after all that careful work, so many of them shrink!
You know that moment of dread when you pull a blind baked tart crust out of the oven to find the crust slumped halfway down the sides of the tin, completely incapable of holding the filling you were planning to put in it?
And, uh, you still have to wash the food processor...
I've been there. And, oof, it isn't fun.
But this shortbread crust changes all that.
It takes about five minutes of active time to make. There's no rolling and no chilling. It goes from puttering around in the pantry to out of the oven in less than a half hour.
It's pretty much foolproof.
The method is a simple one that I learned from Alice Medrich, the chocolate queen and baker extraordinaire. Though I've tweaked the ingredient list, and swapped in confectioners' sugar for granulated for added tenderness, the general technique is the same.
You whisk together flour and confectioners' sugar and a pinch of salt. Then you melt some butter, add some vanilla, and pour the mixture over the dry ingredients.
Then you stir everything together until it's all moistened.
And then you press it into your tart pan in an even layer, bake it immediately, with no rolling pin or fussy pie weights to mess with.
It's an extraordinarily forgiving shortbread tart crust. I've never had it shrink on me (a millimeter or two doesn't count).
And it's also incredibly versatile. I've added orange zest to the shortbread crust in my cranberry curd tart. I've made a chocolate version in my chocolate peanut butter tart. (And I use it just as written in my plum custard tart.)
Variations on this shortbread crust also show up in my brown butter apple bars and my almond shortbread brownies.
(And there's a similar method in my gingersnap tart crust, which, sorry, involves a food processor...)
It's a good recipe to have in your back pocket, whenever you want a crust that just works. You can use it in any standard tart recipe in place of whatever crust is called for.
You'll be glad to have this one bookmarked, printed-out-and-laminated if you're old school like that, or saved in whatever form you'll be able to find it again.
You'll thank yourself later.
Looking for an unfussy, all-butter pie crust instead of a tart crust? I've got you covered with this easy flaky pie crust. (And I've even got instructions on how to make a lattice-top, if that's your thing.)
Easy Shortbread Tart Crust
This shortbread tart crust is pretty much foolproof. It's a press-in crust that's a simple mixture of flour, confectioners' sugar, salt, melted butter, and a little bit of vanilla. It's easy to make and doesn't require any rolling or chilling or any special equipment (beyond a tart pan itself).
It's a versatile crust that will work with any standard tart recipe.
The tart crust can be made and baked up to two days ahead. You'll need a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30 grams) confectioners' sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113 grams) unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt to a small bowl and whisk together.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan (or in the microwave), add the vanilla extract to the butter and stir, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir together until thoroughly moistened.
- Press the dough evenly along the bottom and sides into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Notes
Keeps, at room temperature, for about 2 days.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 65Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g
This looks so easy and fool proof! I really don't like making crusts at all - mostly because of the fuss and rolling out. But this one looks perfect for my needs in the upcoming holiday season. Thanks!
What a perfect crust for the holiday season... I especially love your tip to use orange zest in a cranberry tart... can't wait to try this! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
This recipe truly does make the best crust and it's SO easy!
What a wonderful method to make a tart crust. I do get tired of washing the food processor! This is so much easier.
This is such a beautiful and buttery crust. This would be perfect to have on hand for the holidays.
Can this be used as a pie crust?
Cathy, this is designed for a tart pan, which is shallower than a pie pan.
So to make it work for a pie pan, you'd have to increase the amount by about a quarter (I haven't tested this, but I think this would be about right: 1 1/4 cups flour, 5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 10 tablespoons butter)
It would work for the kind of pie where you might use a graham cracker crust--a cream pie, pumpkin pie, key lime. (But it definitely won't work as a top crust!)
@Mary Kasprzak, thank you for this increase note. I have a 10-inch tart pan, so I went with these amounts and it worked well. It didn't make it all the way up the sides, but I was making a thin, dainty fruit tart, so it didn't matter. If you read this, have a 10-inch tart pan, and want your crust to go all the way up the sides, I would suggest increasing the recipe by a half - so maybe 1 1/2 cups flour, 6 Tblsp. confectioners' sugar, a little over 1/2 tsp salt, and 12 Tblsp. butter. It's so easy, and so yummy!
Hello. I recently just discovered your website and so happy to have found it. I especially want to thank you for your EASY shortbread tart crust. I have dreamed of making a mango fruit tart for years but was always intimidated by making the crust. Your recipe was just what I was looking for. It was so easy to make and tasted delicious. Once the "scary" crust part was made, the rest was a piece of cake (haha). Everyone should give it a try because tasty homemade tarts are within reach. Thank you again.
You just made my day! I'm so glad to help!
I used mini tart pans and this didn't go so well. It bubbled up in the middle. It probably should have been pricked with a fork or needed some weights.
I'm sorry to hear that. I've never had it bubble up, and I've made this dozens of times. Not sure what happened.
@KB, How many Mini tart pans did this recipe fill?
@Mary Kasprzak, I’ve found that popping in freezer for 30 minutes before baking makes the crust behave better.
Can I use regular sugar? I forgot the confectioners!! Grrrr
Yes, you can use regular sugar. The crust won't be quite as tender, but it will still be delicious!
@Jessica, if using reg sugar add a tsp of cornstarch. Sugar+cornstarch = powdered sugar
Hello, do you know what the measurements would be for an 11 inch tart? I love tarts but not math 🙁
Lynne,
I haven't tested it with an 11-inch tart, but I think about 1.5x the amounts of everything would be about right. Try 1 1/2 cups flour, 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, a little over 1/2 tsp salt, and 12 tablespoons butter. The bake time should be the same.
@Mary Kasprzak, Thanks so much! I'll let you know how it turns out!
@Mary Kasprzak, it’s quite a few years after posting but your recipe saved my Thanksgiving! I will certainly be using this recipe in the future. It’s so easy and got rave reviews! I tried out these measurements for an 11” tart pan and they work wonderfully.
I would like to try this with 4inch tart pans. Do you know how o should go about figuring out my proportions. How thick is the crust supposed to be?
I haven't tested it with 4-inch tart pans, but I think this recipe would make crust for about 4 tarts that size. The crust should be about 1/8th of an inch thick when pressed into the tart pan. The baking time should be the same.
Would this crust be suitable for a citrus custard tart whose filling is NOT pre-cooked on the stove, but rather poured uncooked into a "partially baked and cooled" tart shell, then baked for 25 to 30 minutes to set? Thank you.
Yep!
@Mary Kasprzak, You are so kind for responding so promptly! Thank you very much!
Love this recipe...use it all the time. Lately however I noticed that it was a bit hard while cutting into it while eating. I bake it for the 20 minutes than another 15 with the filling. Should I bake it less time first bake? Or anything I can do to make it a bit softer and tender?
Thanks,
Liz
Maui
It does have a crisp shortbread cookie-like texture, so some of it is the nature of this crust. Some fillings will soften it more than others depending on their moisture content. It could also be that you've overworked the dough a little and developed the gluten too much (this happens faster with higher protein all-purpose flours like King Arthur).
But, if you'd like a more tender crust, you can swap out some of the all-purpose flour for rice flour. I'd swap in a few tablespoons of rice flour in place of some of the all-purpose. That should help tenderize the crust.
Thanks so much! I will try that...
Could I use a bit of almond flour instead of rice flour with the all purpose flour?
Yes!
@Elizabeth, This will sound bizarre but adding a cooked egg yolk to any pie/tart crust will make it more tender. Make sure to finely grate/pulverize it first b4 adding! I assure you I'm not crazy Google it.
Thank you! Could you use this to make a classic Italian crostata - which is a shell spread with a fruit jam of choice? Crostata recipes don't require baking the crust first. Also, could this be used as a crust for any American-style fruit or pudding pie?
Yes, this is very similar to a classic crostata shell!
Hi sally. Do you know if this recipe with work with mini tart muffin pan?
This definitely works with mini tart pans. It's easier to get out of the pan if they have removable bottoms, but it will work with other styles, just be aware you may have to be careful getting them out of the pan.
Did this with gluten free one to one flour and orange oil, absolutely delightful, looked and tasted perfect.
This crust is delicious! I added lemon zest which gives it a great flavor. I've made it twice now and it was a hit both times. There is a lot of shrinkage when it bakes for me unfortunately, but I try and account for that now.
This tart crust was oh so easy to make and turned out buttery delicious! I filled it with a homemade lemon curd filling, chilled the tart overnight and served it up at a party. I knew it was a huge hit when guests kept asking me for the crust recipe. TIP: I weighed my ingredients instead of using measuring cups and believe that helped to guarantee a tasty crust. Thank you for such an easy but delicious recipe!
How sturdy is is? I am making tarts to travel by car, looking for a sturdy and delicious base. Thanks!
This is pretty sturdy. I've transported it in 4-hour car rides and never had it break on me. (I usually transport it still in the tart pan for added security and remove the outer ring at my destination.)
This worked just as advertised, and saved me so much labor (and my husband a lot a of cleaning!) on a day I was making two desserts for Turkey Day. Bonus: I've never been a huge fan of pie crust, and this is a really delicious alternative. This is going in my "Winners' Circle" recipe folder. Thanks!